ABSTRACT
Enteral nutrition (EN) provides nutrition support therapy via direct access to the gastrointestinal tract. To ensure adequate EN, formula selection, delivery method, and timing are critical for success and are age and life-stage dependent. EN during infancy often matches human milk composition and utilizes a variety of formulas and human milk modifiers to meet energy needs. With increasing age, adaptations to EN are necessary and include transitioning to an age-appropriate formula. Optimizing feeding schedules may require feed adjustments to feeding plans to work toward a bolus delivery method. Feeding rates are age dependent and driven by the patient’s tolerance. Monitoring and evaluation include anthropometric measurements and various laboratory measures as clinically indicated. Depending on the patient’s goals, a multidisciplinary team including physicians, dietitians, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and psychologists may be necessary to evaluate oral feeding skills and help the child advance oral feeding.
