Overview

Overview

Nutrition

Nutrition is a critical component to therapy for young children with chronic diseases and medical conditions. Proper nutritional support prevents malnutrition, assures appropriate physical growth and development, and helps to maintain a strong immune system.

A pediatric registered dietitian is a licensed health professional who specializes in the nutritional care of children and understands their specific nutritional needs. Cleveland Clinic Children’s has a team of registered dietitians, board certified in pediatrics, who collaborate with physician teams to provide expert, evidence-based nutritional care for infants, children and adolescents.

The Pediatric Nutrition Support Team provides individual counseling to assess each child’s nutritional needs, develop the most appropriate plan of nutritional support, and monitor nutritional status to ensure an optimal outcome.

Through inpatient and outpatient settings, the Pediatric Nutrition Support Team at Cleveland Clinic Children’s offers:

  • Comprehensive individualized nutritional and physical assessments.
  • Evaluations of oral motor, sensory, and developmental feeding skills.
  • In-depth family education related to nutritional needs and strategies, feeding techniques and equipment recommendations, home programming and community resources.
  • Home monitoring and evaluation.

Our team will develop a comprehensive interdisciplinary plan, communicating internally with other medical care providers as necessary.

The mission of the Pediatric Nutrition Support Team is to provide exceptional nutrition care to infants, children, and adolescents through application of scientific and evidence-based research for optimal patient care. Our goal is to foster growth and development while creating a family-centered setting that is highly valued by our internal and external customers.

This is achieved by thorough evaluation of individuals’ needs, goal-oriented intervention implementation, facilitation, provision and delivery of nutrition – such as food, enteral and parenteral solutions, strict nutrition care monitoring, and the seamless transfer of care to outside providers. Through collaboration with other departments, we seek to identify and care for patients at nutrition risk.

What We Treat

What We Treat

  • Age appropriate nutrition guidance.
  • Bone marrow transplantation.
  • Celiac disease.
  • Conditions warranting enteral (digestive) and parenteral (non-digestive) nutrition support.
  • Chronic kidney disease.
  • Congenital heart defects.
  • Constipation.
  • Diabetes - Type 1 and Type 2.
  • Diarrhea.
  • Dietary counseling and surveillance.
  • Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, EDNOS).
  • Failure to thrive.
  • Fat malabsorption.
  • Feeding problems and feeding aversions.
  • Feeding issues related to developmental delay and behavioral issues.
  • Food allergies.
  • Fructose intolerance.
  • Gastroesophageal reflux.
  • Genetic disorders with poor growth.
  • Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.
  • Home parenteral and enteral nutrition.
  • Hypertension.
  • Hypercholesterolemia.
  • Infant feeding and transitional feeding from infancy and beyond.
  • Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis).
  • Intestinal rehabilitation patients.
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
  • Ketogenic diet and modified Atkins diet for epilepsy disorders.
  • Lactose intolerance.
  • Liver failure.
  • Malabsorption.
  • Malnutrition.
  • Metabolic disorders (including but not limited to phenylketonuria, urea cycle and fatty acid oxidation disorders and MSUD).
  • Neonates with gastrointestinal complications/anomalies (omphalocele, gastroschisis, medical and surgical necrotizing enterocolitis, short bowel syndrome, GERD, Hirschprungs Disease).
  • Neonates with metabolic bone disease, chronic lung disease, congenital heart disease and renal disease.
  • Nutrition advice for picky eaters.
  • Nutritional deficiencies.
  • Oncology/Hematology.
  • Overweight/obesity.
  • Pancreatic insufficiency.
  • Pancreatitis.
  • Short bowel syndrome.
  • Solid organ transplantation.
  • Sports nutrition.
  • Weight management.
Programs

Programs

Be Well Clinic

Our clinic works with children (ages 2-18) and their families. Together, we develop strategies and create plans for a healthy lifestyle change. Our team of physicians, researchers and healthcare professionals have expertise in childhood obesity.

Center for Down Syndrome

This center is focused on helping children reach their full potential. Our team of experts from many areas works as one unit to make sure your child’s needs are met. We use state-of-the-art resources to provide comprehensive care.

Cystic Fibrosis

This program specializes in the diagnosis, management and treatment of CF and suspected CF. When your child comes to our center, they’ll have access to the most advanced outpatient and inpatient clinical care — and CF-focused clinical research programs.

Dialysis Unit

Pediatric renal dietitians at The Power Dialysis Unit at the Children's Hospital for Rehabilitation specialize in the dietary needs of children with chronic kidney disease. The dietitians will educate parents and children about proper nutritional needs and develop an individualized feeding program to support the current state of the child’s health and his or her developmental needs.

EoE

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE) is characterized by a specific type of white blood cell called an eosinophil. This is a cell type often associated with allergies which collect in the esophagus. Your child might receive treatment from a diverse team of experts, including pediatric gastroenterologists, pediatric allergists, pediatric dietitians and others. Treatment can include dietary therapy, medical therapy or both. We’ll often perform an upper scope test (endoscopy) to diagnose this condition — and for further checkups.

Feeding Disorders Program

The Feeding Disorders Program takes a team approach to assessing the contributing factors to an infant or child's inability or refusal to eat, or when the child has difficulty eating. The patient and family will then receive an individualized combination of education, support and therapy.

Fit Youth

Fit Youth is a 12-week program designed to help children ages 7-16 years develop new eating and exercise habits. With the help of a psychologist, dietitian and exercise physiologist, parents and children will learn how to make adjustments at home to support healthy weight control.

Infant High-Risk Program

This program uses leading-edge medical equipment technology to monitor babies at home. Our team partners with parents or caregivers to identify small, subtle changes in your baby — before a more serious event can occur. We’re also a resource for parents/caregivers to feel empowered, informed and comforted.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

This program provides personalized, exceptional care for your child or young adult with IBD through a wide-ranging team of experts.

Interdisciplinary Infant Nutrition Clinic

The focus of the infant nutrition clinic is on infants with feeding difficulties that are primarily physiologic or skill related in origin. Pediatric Registered Dietitians evaluate the infant’s nutritional needs and feeding skills individually with the goal of promoting optimal growth and development. The clinicians work toward transition to oral feeds while adjusting the diet as appropriate and working on feeding skills.

Myelomeningocele Clinic

Myelomeningocele (also known as open spina bifida) is a congenital condition (birth defect) in which your child’s backbone (spine) and spinal canal don’t close before birth. Cleveland Clinic Children’s experts from many fields work as one to care for your child with this condition. 

Pediatric Center for Airway, Voice and Swallowing Disorders (PCAVS)

This is a program for airway, voice or swallowing problems (also known as aerodigestive disorders). Our team from multiple medical and surgical specialties provides assessment and care f for infants, children and teens.

Pediatric Complex Care

This clinic serves as the medical home if your child has complex medical needs. This could mean that your child has complex conditions in several body systems and/or may need help in breathing (from a tracheostomy) or eating (from a gastrostomy tube.) We coordinate care with multiple team members and can help you navigate the healthcare system.

Pediatric Transplant Center

Innovative procedures, world-class pediatric physicians and teamwork among a wide range of specialties make this center unique. This kind of collaboration allows us to focus on any organ transplant necessary for life-sustaining or quality-of-life treatment.

Sickle Cell Disease

Our team of physicians and other healthcare professionals with expert knowledge of sickle cell disease treat people of all ages. This program involves both pediatric and adult care and offers lifelong support and management of the disease.

Our Team

Our Team

  • Christina DeTallo, MS, MBA, RD, CSP, LD – Director, Pediatric Nutrition Support Team
  • Andrea Adler, RD, CSPCC, LD
  • Gianna Baker, MS, RD, LD
  • Evelyn Benden, MS, RD, CSP, LD
  • Sara Bewley, MS, RD, CSP, LD
  • Christine Bowen, RD, CSP, LD
  • Kristina Colling, MS, RD, CSP, LD
  • Amanda Elkins, MSPH, RD, LD
  • Maria Haught, MDN, RD, LD
  • Jennifer Hyland, RD, CSP, LD
  • Gina Kucmanic, MS, RD, LD
  • Hanna Leikin, MS, RD, CSP, LD
  • Audrey Matuska, RD, LD
  • Merideth Miller, RD, CSP, LD
  • Alexis Payton, MS, RD, LD
  • Taylor Rice, MS, RD, CSPCC, LD
  • Kyleigh Rodriguez, MS, RD, LD
  • Audrey Ruthenberg, MS, RD, CSPCC, LD
  • Diana Schnee, MS, RD, CSP, LD
  • Margherita Shook, MS, RD, CSP, LD
Appointments

Appointments

To schedule an appointment, please call 216.444.9000. You can also send us an email.

Resources

Resources