Blenderized food tube feeding in very young pediatric patients with special healthcare needs.

Background: Up to 85% of children with severe developmental disabilities have feeding disorders and require enteral tube feeding. Many caregivers desire blenderized tube feeding (BTF) instead of commercial formula (CF) for their child, citing a desire for a more physiologic feeding, to reduce gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and/or promote oral intake.

Methods: In this retrospective, single-center study, medical records (n = 34) of very young children (aged ≤36 months) with severe developmental disabilities were reviewed.