Paediatric Nutrition and Feeding Disorders

Paediatric nutrition is the assessment and treatment of eating, growth and weight problems from toddlerhood to adolescence. A paediatrician, often a paediatric gastroenterologist, works with a dietitian and, for some children, a psychologist or speech and language therapist.

It deals with both ends of the scale: children who do not grow or eat enough and children who gain too much weight, as well as specific deficiencies and medically necessary diets. Progress is measured over months on a growth chart, so it rests on regular follow-up.

Conditions this service looks after

• Faltering growth and underweight
• Childhood overweight and obesity
• Extreme picky eating and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
• Iron deficiency anaemia, vitamin D deficiency and rickets
• Coeliac disease
• Food allergies and intolerances needing exclusion diets
• Chronic constipation related to diet
• Nutritional needs in chronic illness, such as cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy or kidney disease
• Adolescent eating disorders, managed together with mental health services
• Tube feeding and gastrostomy care

Tests you may be offered

• Growth chart review: Weight, height and BMI trends, parental heights and puberty stage.
• Dietary assessment: A 3-day food diary analysed by a dietitian for energy, protein, iron, calcium and fibre.
• Blood tests: Blood count, ferritin, vitamin D, B12, thyroid function, coeliac antibodies and, in obesity, glucose, lipids and liver enzymes.
• Stool tests and endoscopy: For suspected malabsorption or coeliac disease confirmation, where needed.
• Feeding and swallowing assessment: By a speech and language therapist when chewing or swallowing is unsafe or delayed.

Treatments available

• Individual meal plans: Energy-dense plans for underweight children; family-based healthy eating for overweight, without restrictive dieting.
• Supplement treatment: Iron for 3 months, vitamin D replacement and oral nutritional supplements when food alone is not enough.
• Gluten-free or allergen-free diets: Taught by a dietitian to keep them nutritionally complete.
• Behavioural feeding therapy: Graded exposure and mealtime routines for selective eaters.
• Tube feeding: Nasogastric or gastrostomy feeding for children who cannot safely eat enough.
• Weight management programmes: Activity, sleep and screen-time changes for the whole family; medication or surgery only for severe adolescent obesity in specialist centres.

When to ask for a specialist opinion

• Weight or height has dropped across two centile lines
• BMI is above the 91st centile or rising quickly
• Your child eats fewer than about 15 to 20 foods or gags on textures
• Tiredness, pallor or bone pain suggest a deficiency
• A teenager is losing weight, skipping meals or preoccupied with body shape: seek help early

Travelling to Türkiye for this care

A visit of 2 to 4 days can deliver a full assessment: paediatric review, blood tests, a dietitian's analysis and a written plan. It works best as a starting point or second opinion. The treatment itself is months of small changes, reviewed every few weeks, which is more effective with a local dietitian or by scheduled video follow-up. Eating disorders in adolescents need continuous, family-based care close to home, and rapid weight loss with dizziness, fainting or a slow pulse needs urgent local medical attention.

Send your reports, scans and a short history and a Clinic-Y coordinator replies within 24 hours with suitable teams and written, all-inclusive proposals side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

Frequently Asked Questions