We are so grateful to have found Jennifer Dahms and Valley Pediatric Feeding. Tyler had always been a challenge for us to feed. He was reluctant to try new foods and if he disliked the texture of a particular food, Tyler would hand it back to us after chewing it for a few minutes, or he would gag until he vomited. Each meal became a huge stress for everyone. Hunger was not a motivation for Tyler, and he was getting most of his daily calories from milk. Once we were referred to Jennifer Dahms, things began to turn around for Tyler. Jennifer taught us positive reinforcement techniques that Tyler responded to quickly. She took the power struggle out of mealtime, helped us find easy methods to use, and restored our confidence as parents. Jennifer provided us with a food journal so that we were able to track Tyler’s food intake and to make sure that he was making all his daily and weekly food pyramid goals. Thankfully, Jennifer empowered us with tools to help Tyler learn to finally enjoy eating. Watching him munch raw carrots and grilled cheese sandwiches, we are confident that going to Valley Pediatric Feeding was the right choice.
-Renee, mom of Tyler
The 8 months that Jennifer spent with our son in feeding therapy was a dramatic success. She was able to evaluate and quantify something that had seemed vague to us. She knew what goals to set and he was able to reach them through steady improvement. She addressed his needs from every angle beyond eating in a diverse therapy for the whole person - not just his mouth. She helped me know what to do at home with clear step-by-step instructions. Along the way Jennifer was professional, knowlegeable, positive, engaging, and brought out the best in our son.
-Meika, mom of Jonah
After the first day of therapy, I really didn't think it would work. Boy was I wrong! The big thing was that she gave us a plan and had us put down goals of what we thought he should be eating. Sticking to the plan and having her guidance and support made all the difference. Within a month, he was eating pieces of fruit that before he would throw on the floor or gag on. Within months, he was requesting things like salad and brocolli! Now, less than a year later, he eats better than my girls! There are still foods that he dislikes, like mushy apples and cereal, but we all have foods that we avoid. I am just glad that he's willing to try new things and even eat on a different plate!
-Genevieve, mom of Albert
Our son Seth had some oral motor weakness as well as sensory processing differences. He began refusing foods and it got to the point where he only ate about 6 different things. We thought we were doomed to a life of Cheetos and chicken nuggets … then our speech therapist referred us to Jennifer Dahms. Jennifer taught us techniques to help Seth accept a new food (tiny bites), when paired with one of his preferred foods. She also helped us with exercises to strengthen his chewing. In about 6 months, Seth was eating a reasonably balanced diet and he was dismissed from therapy to continue with the strategies we had learned at home.
Jennifer maintained contact with our family and each time we talked, we had more success to report. It’s been several months since we have seen Jennifer – anyone who knew our Seth before feeding therapy would NOT even recognize him at the dinner table! He eats everything from school lunch to Sunday Bruch and he enjoys his food. Our family is much more relaxed at meal time and we are so happy that Seth has become the model for finishing his vegetables at our family’s table. Thank you Jennifer!
-Christine, mom of Seth
Our family sincerely appreciates the loving care and professionalism shown by Jennifer Dahms during our son, Mitchell’s time as a client. Mitchell suffered from severe GERDS and constantly threw up. We were unable to get more than 100 calories per day to stay down to sustain him. His esophagus was significantly burned from the vomiting and caused him to reject all foods because he associated eating with the pain of throwing up. Mitchell had learned a reperatoire of food avoidance behaviors.
We were referred to Jennifer by the Infant Toddler Program because Mitchell had slipped below the 3rd percentile in both weight and height. Jennifer maintained constant contact with our gastroenterologist, Dr. Cass Smith and Dr. Beck, our ENT. Jennifer was able to recognize the signs of Mitchell’s tonsils swelling to the point of not being able to effectively eat or breathe. This prompted the removal of Mitchell’s tonsils and adenoids which with the addition of a feeding button, put him on the road to recovery.
After continued therapy with Jennifer, Mitchell is now a healthy and happy boy weighing in the 50th percentile. He now has plenty of energy and a strong desire to eat resulting from Jennifer’s effective strategies. Jennifer brought back Mitchell’s desire to eat and try different foods while making it a fun and pleasurable experience for him. We are deeply grateful to Jennifer for helping to give Mitchell a better quality of life.
-Julie, mom of Mitchell
We were so excited for our little 6 month old Bastien to begin eating solids.
The first time we tried feeding him was much like most kids: lots of grimaces,
lots of drool, and not a lot of eating. However, we began to worry when this
didn't change after a few weeks. Months passed and still Bastien either refused
to eat or would only eat a few nibbles, grimace, and finally spit everything out
after choking. And don't get me started on his drinking! Each mealtime attempt
became a horrific experience for everyone involved, quite often ending in tears.
We eventually gave up and would make bi-weekly attempts to feed him solids.
Finally, Bastien's pediatrician referred us to Jennifer, assuring us that she is
"the best," and boy was she right. Jennifer quickly and expertly diagnosed
Bastien's problems. She gave us a list of exercises, methods and techniques of
feeding to help Bastien finally begin eating solids! We followed her
instructions faithfully and Bastien progressed so quickly! After a couple
months, he was eating three meals of solids a day! We were so amazed by the
speed of his progress. We are so appreciative of Jennifer, her expertise, and
her kindness. Thanks to her, Bastien now often eats more than his big brother!
He's enjoying solid food and loves his orange juice! -Laurie, mom of
Bastien
