The Children's Nutrition Center in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center offers an interdisciplinary group of clinicians committed to delivering optimal care and education in nutrition for healthy and ill children alike. The center is also devoted to research for the advancement of knowledge in the area of childhood nutrition.

For appointments: 443-997-5437 (KIDS), option 2, option 11

Goals

• To foster the normal growth and development of children
• To educate patients, parents, caregivers and health professionals in the optimal delivery of nutrition based on scientific principles
• To promote healing and support the child with impairment of their nutritional status and to do it in the home whenever possible

Clinical Services

• Complete clinical, dietary and metabolic evaluation of nutritional status of the child or adolescent
• Counseling of parents on feeding concerns and adequate nutritional practices for infants and toddlers
• Education and nutrition counseling for adolescents, vegetarian individuals and families, counseling in sports nutrition and obesity and weight management counseling
• Nutrition consultation for infants and toddlers with:
  • Feeding difficulties
  • Poor growth and failure to thrive
  • Digestive problems
• Consultation and care of children on enteral tube feedings (nasogastric, gastrostomy, jejunal)
  • Assessment on optimal route of feeding
  • Management and metabolic monitoring
• Nutrition consultation for children with acute and chronic illnesses, including:
  • Unexplained poor growth and failure to thrive
  • Chronic diarrhea and malabsorption
  • Short bowel syndrome
  • Gastrointestinal inflammatory disorders
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Chronic cardiac, pulmonary and renal disease
  • Mental retardation and cerebral palsy
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes

The Home Nutrition Support Program

The program specializes in outpatient planning, follow-up and monitoring of children with complex enteral and parenteral nutrition needs. Services available include:

• Coordination of clinical and nursing care plans and prescriptions for children on parenteral nutrition
• Metabolic and laboratory monitoring of enteral and parenteral nutrition and nutrient-drug interactions
• Management of enteral and parenteral access devices, feeding routes and complications