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Testimonials
What do other families have to say about Clinic 4 Kidz?
This is when Clinic 4 Kidz came into the picture. Through a divine appointment with a pediatrician who happened to just be filling in on the day we went in for a check up, asked us if we had ever heard of Clinic 4 Kidz - I had not, but it didn't take long for me to be talking to Dr. Patel on the phone. Dr. Patel was a breath of fresh air, it was like everything that was going on, all the refusals both with breastmilk and with solids wasn't this foreign thing, she understood exactly what we were going through and she assured me that they could bring the expertise we needed to get our baby girl eating. By their second visit they had our baby responding to cues to open her mouth and accept a bite. My husband and I watched with our mouths on the floor - how did they do this, and in just 2 days!? There was still a very long road ahead but at least we could slowly start getting some calories into her.
Through hard work, dedication and commitment on Dr. Patel, our case manager, and our parts as parents, we have now, almost 2 years later come to a place where we are on the growth charts, our now toddler is eating many age appropriate foods, and even enjoying some of those foods! We look back and wonder where we would have been without Clinic 4 Kidz, and we imagine a much different life and outcome. We are so blessed and grateful for all the amazing therapists at Clinic 4 Kidz - we will forever be grateful!
Morgan is an ex-preemie, the smaller of twins, and she has had trouble eating and breathing since the day she was born. I carried her around for hours just trying to syringe formula into her mouth. No OT "feeding therapy" ever helped. She then got a feeding tube. Food or drink for my daughter was tantamount to torture. She had pain and reflux and frequent vomiting after every meal. Worse, she sometimes stopped breathing because of the reflux. I didn't think we would ever get our daughter to eat and I didn't blame her for not wanting to try. She turned her head away from any bottle or spoon and cried.
Fortunately, I met another twin mom who had discovered Dr. Patel and her clinic for kids with pediatric feeding disorders. I immediately got on the waiting list and shortly afterwards Dr. Patel came to our home to work with Morgan. By the end of the first appointment she was taking bites from a spoon and drinking from a squirt cup. By the end of our therapy with Dr. Patel, Morgan was eating a regular diet and trying many different foods. I am delighted to say that her eating is NOT "age typical" because her age-matched peers are picky eaters and most of their lunches go in the trash can. Morgan eats what is on her plate, including a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Dr. Patel provided a consistent, easy to follow protocol to get Morgan to eat. Dr. Patel was always kind and professional and all 4 of my kids looked forward to her visits. To me, Dr. Patel was a miracle-worker. Not only did she teach my daughter to eat but she taught me how to get the rest of my kinds under control as any distraction would interfere with Morgan's feeding. Our family dinners are now peaceful affairs with everyone eating a well-balanced diet with many different foods.
As a physician and a mother of a child with a feeding disorder, I highly recommend Dr. Patel and Clinic 4 Kidz. It changed our lives.
I highly recommend Dr. Patel and Clinic 4 Kidz to anyone with a feeding disorder.
Two months later, Dr. Patel and Jennifer came to our home (from California all the way to New Jersey) and spent three (7 hour) days working with Nicholas and teaching us how to feed him as well. By the end of day one, Nicholas had eaten 4 solid foods. We were stunned. He did better and better with each meal largely due to the enthusiastic support and affection from Dr. Patel and Jennifer. I thought he would really dislike them because they were making him eat, but he loved them! By the end of day three, Nicholas was eating 12 solid foods (fruits, vegetables, proteins... and pizza and french fries too!).
As they left, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that a miracle had taken place in my home that weekend. That was the only way I could explain if when people asked. But of course it was really an extreme amount of experience, knowledge, patience, dedication and some silliness, that got us through that weekend. As the weeks went on, we continued to add foods all the time using the same protocol that was put in place during our 3-day visit. It works every time! Nicholas can now eat anything we present to him. In fact, I stopped counting how many foods he eats once we hit 40! We still have follow up visits from Jennifer.
It has now been almost 4 months and we are working on self-feeding, which is going well. We have conquered a major battle. Our life feels regular now. They worked so hard to keep his attention and help us through the hard parts, and are there consistently and quickly if we run in to a problem. In my life, I would never have thought I could encounter 2 people who were so dedicated to children and the work they do. Dr. Patel and Jennifer were put on this earth to do this job. If you can relate to our story, then I know you can probably understand the frustration of not being able to just go through a McDonald's drive thru and get your child a meal to go. But with Dr. Patel's help, we have now achieved the "Happy Meal Dream"!