What is a Dietitian?

Paediatric Dietitians have specialist clinical nutrition expertise to assess, treat and manage children.   

They work to promote optimal growth, development and nutritional status, and are uniquely skilled to manage:

  • Infant and child feeding conditions

  • Medical diagnoses managed with dietary modifications for example food allergy, coeliac disease, food refusal or tube feeding

  • Medical or developmental diagnoses that can impact on nutritional status or growth.

Within The Feeding Trust our Dietitians ensure that each child’s growth and nutritional adequacy is individually assessed and optimised both prior to, and during, treatment. We understand that growth and nutritional intake are often significant areas of concern for parents. We understand that these concerns are often heightened prior to treatment, due to the understandable ‘what if…’ scenarios, such as changes to mealtime routines, feeding regimens and concerns about their child ‘getting enough’.

Optimal management of nutritional status is an integral part of ensuring each child gets the best out of their therapy experience - not only from the perspective of growth maintenance and illness prevention, but we acknowledge that nutrition is an essential consideration for development of any new skill e.g. ability to maintain suitable energy levels, alertness and concentration, memory, engagement and learning.   

The Feeding Trust’s Dietitians

Lucy Upton

Lucy completed her Master of Nutrition degree from the University of Nottingham in 2010, and quickly specialised in paediatric dietetics. 

Over the last 13  years she has gained a breadth of experience working alongside children and their families within a wide range of settings including specialist brain injury services, community clinics, special schools, public health and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.  She now dedicates her time to The Feeding Trust, alongside her own business The Children's Dietitian Ltd. 

Lucy is an advocate for children’s nutrition and health, regardless of the challenges faced, and aspires to always work collaboratively with families and health professionals to achieve the best outcomes. She is highly specialised in assessment and management of a range of paediatric nutrition related conditions but has special interests in: 

  • Infant feeding 

  • Food allergy 

  • Faltering growth 

  • Selective eating 

  • Tube feeding and weaning 

  • Complex feeding difficulties. 

In addition to role at the Feeding Trust, and own clinics, Lucy is also involved with: 

  • Public Health consultation on infant and child nutrition for ‘The Infant and Toddler Forum’ 

  • Lecturing on paediatric nutrition at Birmingham City University and the University of Coventry 

  • Presenting to colleagues at national and international conferences 

  • Working as a media spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, featuring on topics related to child nutrition and allergy. She has been featured on national radio, newspaper articles, online blogs and national television including the BBC breakfast sofa 

  • Running her own professional Instagram page @childrensdietitian providing evidence based nutritional information for parents and professionals wishing to find reputable advice and cut through the 'nutrition noise' on social media 

In 2013 she went to work for a Community NHS Service (Home Enteral Nutrition), where she had the privilege of working closely with children, their families and other health professionals, to address a wide range of nutritional concerns e.g. tube feeding, weaning from a tube feed, complex feeding difficulties and food refusal, food allergies, medical nutrition diagnoses, children with neuro developmental conditions and chronic illnesses. 

She strives to work closely with families, to provide individualised advice and support. 

Michelle is also an independent practitioner, providing assessments and treatment plans for children with feeding difficulties. 

The Feeding Trust’s
specialities

Click on the circles opposite to find out more about our other specialities…

Michelle Coulson

Michelle completed her dietetic degree in South Africa, in 2000. She has been working in the NHS since 2001 and started specialising in paediatric dietetics in 2004. 

She qualified as a SOS Certified Feeding Therapist in 2023 and has also undertaken the Food Scientist Model for School age Children.

Michelle worked in an acute NHS trust for 12 years, where she gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in paediatric dietetics.