Hallie Bulkin explains how to talk to parents about feeding concerns without triggering defensiveness. Instead of listing red flags or positioning yourself as the expert, use observational language and open-ended questions that let parents notice the problem themselves. This shifts the conversation from advice-giving to shared concern and collaboration.
Don't overeducate them. Don't list all the red flags. Don't position yourself as the expert, like, in the family dynamic, because what I see is families get defensive, they shut down, they're like, no thanks, or they hear you and they don't listen. They don't really hear you, right? I would move from, like, advice to shared concern. And instead of being like, hey, she really needs a feeding eval, I don't know, maybe you've tried this, like, hey, I've noticed that she seems to cough sometimes when she drinks. Have you guys seen that too? Like, you're just opening conversation and observing. Something that you're inviting them to observe as well with you. And then I would ask them, I wouldn't tell them, I'd be like, have you ever wondered like why she stuffs her mouth like that? Like, do you think meals are like stressful for her? 'Cause they're gonna start to connect the dots.
By using this service, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.