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Infant Feeding Evaluations by Certified Neonatal Therapists

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Booking Provided by Healthie

Schedule an Evaluation

Booking Provided by Healthie

Booking Provided by Healthie

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Infant Evaluation Today

What is involved in an infant feeding evaluation?

A comprehensive assessment of your baby's feeding abilities, including observation of feeding behaviors, evaluation of oral-motor skills, and identification of any swallowing difficulties.

Who conducts the feeding evaluations?

Our evaluations are performed by certified neonatal feeding specialists with extensive experience in NICU settings.

When should I consider a feeding evaluation for my infant?

If your baby exhibits signs such as difficulty latching, prolonged feeding times, coughing during feeds, or poor weight gain, an evaluation is recommended.

Are these evaluations covered by insurance?

Many insurance plans cover feeding evaluations. We also accept FSA and HSA payments.

What happens after the evaluation?

Based on the findings, a personalized therapy plan is developed to address your baby's specific feeding challenges.


Infant Feeding Evaluation FAQ

Infant Feeding Evaluation & Therapy for NICU Graduates

Is your baby struggling with feeding? Whether your infant was recently discharged from the NICU or is showing signs of feeding difficulty at home, a comprehensive infant feeding evaluation can help uncover the root of the problem and provide a clear path forward. At Infant Feeding Specialists, we offer evidence-based, family-centered assessments to support safe, functional, and nurturing feeding experiences—at the breast, bottle, spoon, or cup.

What is an Infant Feeding Evaluation?

This comprehensive appointment will include a review of your child’s medical history, past feeding experiences, an oral motor and/or neurobehavioral examination; as well as a feeding assessment in order to appropriately identify any underlying issues. 

This evaluation is appropriate for preterm or term infants (under 12 months of age) who demonstrate feeding difficulties at the breast, on bottles, spoons, straws and/or cups. Or infants who are tube-fed with the goal to begin or progress to full oral feeding. 

What to Expect During the Evaluation

We offer parents a safe, judgement-free zone to express their concerns about their infants' difficulties. Our empathetic approach ensures parents feel comfortable partnering with us to create appropriate feeding plans for their infants. So expect a warm and compassionate specialist who will first listen, then share their knowledge and expertise with you. We will work with your infant in a calm, developmentally appropriate way, while respecting their limits, ensuring medical excellence and following Best Practices. 

Common Feeding Challenges We Address

Many of the babies we evaluate are NICU graduates or preterm infants who face challenges such as:
  • Poor latch or suck-swallow-breathe coordination
  • Difficulty transitioning from feeding tubes
  • Feeding aversions or oral sensory issues
  • Weak oral-motor function
  • Reflux or frequent coughing during feeds
  • Poor weight gain despite feeding effort

Our goal is to provide early intervention to avoid long-term feeding disorders.

Get a Personalized Feeding Plan for Your Baby

Understanding your concerns and goals as a parent is extremely important to this process. We will partner with you to create an appropriate plan to support your infant. A written summary of all our evidence-based recommendations will be provided to you through our secure patient portal. 

Using this individualized, whole-child, family-centered approach we will work collaboratively to ensure that mealtimes are safe, functional, nurturing and a positive experience for you and your little one. We will also ensure that your infant's general development is headed in the right direction.

Appointments last up to 90 minutes. A few things to note when scheduling:
  • These appointments include 2 weeks of follow-up communication on the patient portal to answer questions.
  • Try to schedule the appointment approximately 30 minutes before your infant's regular feeding time. This way we can talk before we start the feeding assessment. 
  • If your appointment is virtual, please have a second adult available to hold the camera during the assessments. 
  • If desired, reports can be sent to your child’s pediatric healthcare providers.

"Dr. Louisa's knowledge and friendly, calming demeanor made her so easy to work with. As first time parents with many questions and concerns, she provided so much information, help and comfort. She took her time to thoroughly understand what our challenges were and made sure to address all of our concerns. She is the saving grace we needed to help overcome some of the feeding issues we are facing with our little one."
— Ryan & Ashley Gibbons —

Cost & Appointment Options

Our appointments are available virtually or in-person. Below are our pricing options for in-home and virtual infant feeding assessments. Each includes a comprehensive evaluation and two weeks of follow-up support.

Appointments last up to 90 minutes and include:
  • Live observation of a feeding (schedule approx. 30 min before feeding time)
  • Real-time recommendations
  • Two weeks of follow-up through our secure patient portal

Reports can be shared with pediatric care teams upon request.

While we are currently out-of-network with insurance, superbills can be provided for FSA/HSA, or secondary reimbursement.  

In-Home Evaluation
$350

Virtual Evaluation
$250

(Additional in-home appointment fees may apply for specific specialists.)

Why Work With Infant Feeding Specialists

At Infant Feeding Specialists, your baby’s care is led by Certified Neonatal Therapists—experts with advanced training in infant feeding and development, typically only available in the NICU. We bring that same level of specialized support into your home.

With a deep understanding of infant cues, feeding behaviors, and early development, we guide families through safe, functional, and nurturing feeding experiences. Our goal is to help every parent feel empowered, confident, and connected as they support their baby’s feeding journey.

To ensure that every feeding is safe, functional, nurturing, developmentally appropriate, and tailored to the infant’s specific needs. We follow an infant-driven / cue-based approach, honoring each infant’s unique communication and boundaries; protecting their developing brains and striving for the best possible outcomes.  We support both bottle feeding and breastfeeding/lactation goals!

Our Goals

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To ensure that every parent/family/caregiver feels confident, competent and empowered to be their infant's strongest advocate. We partner with parents to provide knowledge and support to help them thrive with their new infant.

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