The use of an enteral diet in children is recommended when they are unable to meet their nutritional needs orally, due to medical conditions that compromise the intake of solid food or liquids¹.
This can happen in cases of malnutriton, swallowing difficulties, chronic illnesses, gastrointestinal disorders, among other situations in which conventional feeding is not enough to ensure the child's proper growth and development².
To ensure that the enteral diet is suitable for children's development, it is essential that it is prescribed and monitored by specialized health professionals, such as pediatric doctors and nutritionists.
They will assess the specific nutritional needs of each child, taking into account their age, weight, height, medical conditions and therapeutic goals, and then prescribe an enteral diet that is suitable in terms of nutrient composition, calorie density and intake volume³.
When indicated, prolonged enteral feeding offers a number of benefits for children who cannot eat properly by mouth. Adequate nutrition provides the essential nutrients needed for healthy growth and development, it helps prevent and treat malnutriton, strengthens the immune system, improves wound healing, promotes adequate weight gain, maintains the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract and improves the child's quality of life⁴,⁵.
