19 Tips for Overnight Continuous Feeds
One of the common ways to feed a child with a feeding tube like a NG, G, or GJ Tube is to give a continuous feed overnight while they are sleeping. This is especially helpful if your child is not good at sitting still for feeds during the day.
Overnight feeds are also used while weaning a child off a feeding tube. Any calories that they don’t consume during the day, are fed overnight.
While overnight feeds are very common, they do come with some obstacles. If your child likes to roll or flop around a lot while sleeping, it is possible for the feeding tube line to come near their head and wrap around their neck.
The FDA issued a strangulation warning about feeding tubes in April of 2022 to make parents and caregivers aware. Feeding tubes are a life saving device, but we need to take precautions to avoid any life-threatening situations.
We have compiled a list of Mom Recommended Solutions to help avoid the feeding tube line getting wrapped around a child’s neck at night.
Tips for Keeping NG Tubes, G Tubes, and GJ Tubes Away from Child’s Neck
The following tips are all recommended by Moms that have found solutions to keep their children safe. Some of these solutions work better for infants and some are more for toddlers.
1. Run the extension tubing down to the feet – This works well with footie style pajamas and basically you are routing the extension and tubing as far away from the neck as possible.
2. Pool Noodle/Pipe Insulation– Lots of parents use pool noodles or foam insulation to cover the tubing to prevent getting tangled up in it. You can cut along the edge of the noodle long ways and slip it around the feeding tube line as one large piece or break it up to be multiple smaller pieces for more flexibility. Keep in mind that if your child likes to chew, that the foam in the noodles and insulation does break apart when it is bitten. This can become a choking hazard.
3. Baby Brezza Safe Swaddle– This swaddle is actually made to prevent a baby from rolling over in their sleep. The swaddle will keep your child on their back and then you can aim the feeding tube line down by their feet so that it can’t get near their head. The swaddle is only recommended for babies up to 9 months and 25 pounds.
4. Putting the Pump at the Foot of the Bed – This method can be used with an IV pole or a feeding tube backpack. Instead of putting the pump near the head of your child, you are redirecting the line down towards the feet of the child.
5. Empty Paper Towel Rolls – Very similar to the pool noodle or pipe insulation, this option is eco-friendly and less likely to be chewed on. Just note that when cardboard gets wet it can start to disintegrate, so you may have to change these out periodically.
6. Co-Sleeping – Some Moms swear by co-sleeping with their children that have overnight feeds. They feel like they are much more aware of any movements made by the child and can react if the child is getting tangled up. There are some warnings about co-sleeping with an infant, but I think this is a good option for older kids.
7. Sensory Tubes – these flexible and colorful toys are clever way to hide the tube and keep it from getting tangled. You would load these tubes up over the line before connecting the extension to the feeding bag.
8. Sleep Sacks– These sleep sacks are a great way to keep your child secure and also aim the feeding tube line out the bottom near the feet. Carter’s sleep sacks work for babies 0-12 months old. The Kyte Baby works for children 18 to 36 months!
9. Cover the Line with a Blanket – Personally we used a receiving blanket tucked around one of the corners of the crib mattress at her feet. This kept the line tethered to that location, so it prevented the cord from just hanging above her. My daughter loved to grab at the tubing and play with it, so this kept the line flat to the mattress and then allowed it to come up the side of the crib in a corner away from her reach.
10. Tape the tubing down around the ankle – For a more secure placement when running the tube out the feet of the pajamas, you can use paper tape to tape the feeding tube down at the ankle. In the morning, use adhesive remover to remove the tape if your little one has sensitive skin.
11. Check with insurance for getting a Night Nurse – In some cases the best result would be to have a registered nurse come to your home in the evenings and keep an eye on your baby overnight. This is especially helpful if your child likes to break out of swaddles or moves around a lot at night. Having a dedicated nurse to watch over may be the only way for you to get any sleep at night.
12. Belly Band – using a padded belly band will help keep the extension secured at the waist and also help aim the tubing down away from the neck.
13. 6 Foot CPAP Hose or CPAP Hose Cover – this is another fairly inexpensive product that the feeding tube line can be fed through to prevent entanglement. It is usually a clear flexible hose that is easy to clean and cheap to buy. The covers are a great option too. I have seen some that have a soft flannel cover and others that zip up and are waterproof.
14. Badge Clips- These clips that you traditionally use on a lanyard are perfect to help tame your feeding tube lines. You use the clear part to put around the tube, and then attach the metal clips to the crib sheet to aim the line away from your child. Unfortunately, these may not work well if your child flops around a lot.
15. Baby Nest Sleeper – These nests work great with co-sleeping or inside a bassinet, playpen, or crib. They basically keep your baby contained so they can’t roll around as much. The baby nest can typically be used uptil about 9 months old.
16. Snap Clips – similar to the badge clips, this option does not have any metal parts. It is made with soft fabric and plastic safety clips. You would feed the line into the one side and then use the clip to secure to the crib mattress sheet.
17. Switch to Bolus Style Feeds– Instead of doing continuous overnight feeds, you may want to look into Bolus feeds. This is a style of feeding where a larger volume of food is given in a short time frame so that you can supervise the feed. This will not work though if your child is volume sensitive.
18. Switch to Daytime Feeds – This is another way to cut out continuous overnight feeds, but you will need to work with your physician and nutritionist to recalculate your dosing rates and times.
19. Sleep in the Same Room – My daughter was one that would wake up frequently all through the night due to severe reflux and just not being a great sleeper. So, I started sleeping next to her crib so i was always very close to her at night. I am also a very light sleeper, so any noise she made and I would jump up and check her out.
Doing Overnight Feeds Safely
In some cases, overnight feeds are essential to get your child their full nutritional needs. It is not usually possible to have a parent stand guard overnight while your child gets fed, so one of these solutions may help you feel safer.
If you have safety concerns about your child on overnight feeds, it is best to talk to your doctor and see if there is a better way to safely feed your child.
We safely used a combination of these solutions to feed my daughter for over two years, so it can be done. If one solution does not work, try another or combine multiple methods.
We used a belly band on top of footie pajamas with the feeding tube line coming out near her crotch or feet. We also used a blanket to tuck the line away from her and placed her feeding tube pump at the foot of her bed.
Having a life saving device like a feeding tube possibly causing harm to your child is a very scary situation, but there are things we can do to help prevent it.
