Gastroesophageal%20reflux%20disease%20in%20children Patient Education
Patient Education
Patient/Parent/Guardian Education
Positional Modifications
- Infants should be kept in an upright position during feeding
- Infants & children should be fully awake when ingesting food
- Semi-supine positioning for at least 2 hours after food ingestion may help reduce reflux-related respiratory events
- Supine positioning during sleep is recommended
Obesity
- Weight loss should be considered in older obese children
- Studies have shown improvement in pH profiles in children who lost weight
Smoking & Alcohol
- Smoking cessation & avoidance of alcohol intake is strongly encouraged adolescents
- Exposure to secondhand smoke also increases irritability in infants & should be avoided
Lifestyle Modification
Dietary changes
- May consider switching to milk formula that contains extensively hydrolyzed protein or amino acid-based formula instead of regular formulas
- Maternal diet modification is encouraged for mothers of breastfeeding infants
- Avoidance of egg & milk intake may be considered
- Thickeners (thickening agent, rice cereals) may be considered in healthy formula-fed infants but should be used with caution especially in preterm infants at increased risk for necrotizing enterocolitis
- May try small, frequent feedings instead of one big meal while ensuring appropriate total daily amount of nutrition
- Eating before bedtime should be avoided
- Food that may trigger symptoms in adolescents (eg caffeine, carbonated drinks, chocolate, mint-containing food, spicy food) should be avoided