Clinical expertise in a range of areas.

There are many factors that influence a child’s growth and weight gain, including medical conditions, prematurity, food preferences, feeding (eating/drinking) skills and appetite. Some infants and children simply find it more challenging than others to gain weight. The growth and dietary intake of children is complicated, and your child’s growth is not a reflection on the amazing job you are doing as a parent. The heart of optimising growth is having a thorough growth and nutrition assessment conducted by a paediatric dietitian. From there, a targeted approach to improving your child’s growth will be developed.

Food allergies are on the rise and believe it or not, Australian children are some of the most allergic in the world. Recent data shows 10% of Australian children under the age of 1 have a food allergy.

Involving a paediatric dietitian in the management of your child’s food allergy or intolerance can be extremely beneficial.

I have lots of experience working in food allergy, and will guide you through label reading, eating outside the home safely, finding food and snack ideas, and most importantly, ensuring your  child’s intake is nutritionally balanced. Children are not “little adults”. Their growth and development can be easily impacted if the major foods they need to avoid are not adequately replaced with equally nutritious options.

Additionally, depending on the type of allergic reactions, sometimes breastfeeding mothers will also need to avoid certain foods. Advice around this is often not well understood and I can provide guidance and assistance with this.

Did you know a child learns most about eating and mealtimes before the age of 3? It’s surprising, and can be quite worrying, considering this is often their fussiest phase!

Feeding difficulties is an umbrella term to describe several potentially problematic feeding behaviours. Some examples include food fussiness (picky eating), food refusal, selective eating (restricted variety of foods, sometimes known as ARFID), and poor or excessive appetite.  Usually, all children will experience one or more of these behaviours as part of normal development. If the behaviour is overwhelming or prolonged it can begin to directly influence family life, and may lead to disruptive mealtimes, short order cooking, stress, growth concerns or nutrient deficiency. If feeding difficulties are dominating family life, working with a dietitian can help restore positive family mealtimes whilst ensuring your child is consuming adequate nutrition for growth and development.

The term feeding difficulties also refers to individuals who have oral motor difficulties in consuming and swallowing foods and fluids safely. Usually a speech pathologist and/or occupational therapist is the primary therapist. Sometimes, these types of feeding difficulties can make maintaining growth and nutrition difficult, which is where working with a dietitian can be beneficial for your child.

Some children are not able to consume enough food and drink and use a feeding tube for all or part of their nutrition.

I have lots of experience working with children who have feeding tubes (be it naso-gastric, gastrostomy button or jejunostomy) and will work with you to find a feeding plan that optimises your child’s growth, intake, and quality of life.

I work collaboratively with you and your child/teenager to form common goals and work toward a healthier state of mind and body. Physical health is strongly interrelated with emotional, mental and social health, all these components should be considered when working toward a healthier lifestyle.

Unfortunately, people living in bigger bodies can experience weight stigma, and conversations about weight and size can be distressing and triggering. I make every effort to discuss weight concerns with sensitivity and delicacy. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your child’s case prior to their appointment.

Many children living with gastrointestinal conditions such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Coeliac disease and constipation experience debilitating and relentless symptoms. My aim is to use evidence based dietary strategies to improve health and wellbeing and reduce the impact of these symptoms on everyday life.

If you would like advice and support around introducing solids, fussy eating, general dietary advice for the whole family, or if your child has been diagnosed with a nutrient deficiency, please come in and see us for a consult.

As defined by the World Health Organisation, “adolescence is the phase of life between childhood and adulthood, from ages 10 to 19. It is a unique stage of human development and an important time for laying the foundations of good health. Adolescents experience rapid physical, cognitive and psychosocial growth”.

If your teenager has a health or nutrition concern, chances are it’s even more challenging to manage due to their age and desire for independence. I have worked with adolescents for many years and use a variety of targeted motivational strategies in my practice. I firmly believe that teens are old enough to have a say in their health and need to be included in decision making.

We are pleased to be an NDIS provider for self and plan managed participants. Unfortunately, we cannot offer services to agency managed individuals.