Children’s Dietetics

Dieticians help children with diet and nutrition problems to enable the children and their families to make appropriate lifestyle and food choices. 

The SHC Children’s Dietetic Service provides dietary assessment, treatment and advice for children and young people to help them achieve and maintain optimal nutritional status taking into account their individual needs.

The service works with children and young people who present with dietary conditions such as:  cows' milk protein allergy and other food allergies and intolerances,  mineral and vitamin nutritional deficiencies, faltering growth, fussy eaters where nutrition is compromised, restrictive eaters (related to ASD), gastro-enterology related conditions (constipation, diarrhoea, coeliac disease etc.), and children with specific or complex health needs requiring support for symptom management e.g. reflux.

The service also provides nutritional support and management for children and young people with enteral feeds. 

The Community Dietitians provide some training to healthcare professionals, schools and parents / carers.

Who is the service for?

• Children / young people aged 0-18 years 
• Children referred must be registered with a Sutton GP 
• Children requiring artificial tube feeding, with diagnosed faltering growth, suspected / diagnosed food allergy, diagnosed gastrointestinal condition feeding difficulties including children on the autistic spectrum, complex special needs requiring specialised dietetic input.
• We do not accept referrals for children and young people who are overweight or obese who require a specific programme incorporating dietary advice, weight management and exercise programmes, or for those presenting with an eating disorder.  Support for these needs is provided by other services.

How will the service help my child?

The Dietitian will see you and your child and will talk to you about your concerns. They will weigh your child and measure their height to help decide whether your child has difficulties and how these affect them.

They will agree an appropriate treatment plan with you and provide advice relating to this.

The Dietitian will provide a short report about your child, including written nutritional information.

They may offer your child regular follow ups to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment, and provide continued oversight for certain dietary conditions to monitor growth, tolerance, and healthy nutritional status.

How can my child get this service?

If you are worried about your child's development, discuss this with your Health Visitor, School Nurse, or your GP.  They may then refer you into our service. If your child is seen by a Paediatrician, or Speech and Language therapist, they can also refer.

Professionals can refer by completing the  Children's Dietetics referral form [docx] 94KB

Where will my child receive this service?

Children are usually invited to a Health Clinic for their first Dietetics appointment.  We offer appointments at Green Wrythe Lane Clinic, Carshalton.  

Follow-up appointments will be offered in the same clinic.  Children with very complex health needs may be visited at home.  Some review appointments can be offered by phone.