We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kimberly Wand a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kimberly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

When an infant is demonstrating feeding struggles,I truly believe that it is so important for us to look at the whole picture and help families find the root cause of their symptoms. Too often families are dismissed and told that what they are experiencing is “normal” or that they will “grow out of it.” Just because something like reflux or colic may be common in infants, does not make it normal, nor does it help the family. I truly believe that it is my job as a provider to help a family identify why their baby may be experiencing these symptoms and to then help them find a solution. I believe in using a wholistic approach and developmentally supportive care in order to assess infants and help them achieve optimal feeding skills.

During my assessments, I dig deep into an infant’s birth history while assessing them from their head to their toes in order to help families find the answer to “why is my baby experiencing these symptoms?” My training as an infant craniosacral therapist allows me to look at an infant from a different perspective. I believe that is what sets me apart from many speech pathologists.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Kimberly Wand. I am an infant feeding specialist/speech pathologist and the owner of Feeding Tiny Tots. I offer concierge style, home-based services for moms and their babies experiencing feeding struggles; specializing in all aspects of infant feeding, with a passion for oral ties (tongue, lip and buccal ties).

I began my career as a speech pathologist over 10 years ago. I have worked in just about every aspect of pediatric therapy, from the public school system, private practice, outpatient, and then later transitioning into the medical setting. I spent the last few years of my career working within the hospital setting, specifically in the NICU, where my passion for learning and educating grew stronger than ever.

Throughout my years in the medical system I noticed the need for helping families find the root cause of their feeding struggles. After becoming a mother myself, my passion for wholistic care only grew stronger, leading me to launch Feeding Tiny Tots. Since then I have been on a mission to learn as much as I can in order to help families identify the root cause of their feeding struggles. I am proud to say that through my continued studies I am now also a certified lactation counselor and infant craniosacral therapist.

For me, wholistic care means looking at an infant as a whole, not just one isolated symptom or area. During my assessments, I dig deep into an infant’s birth history while assessing them from head to toe in order to help families find the answer to “why is my baby experiencing these symptoms?”

Despite of all my knowledge, I am aware that true wholistic care cannot be done alone. For me, wholistic care also means collaborative care. I love partnering with other providers in order to provide the best outcomes for my patients. I frequently collaborate with IBCLCs, Chiropractors, Craniosacral Therapists, Registered Dietitians, Gastroenterologists, Pediatricians and Pediatric Dentists.

Babies don’t grow out of their feeding difficulties, they grow into them. They learn to compensate and adapt as needed. I am on a mission to help our babies achieve optimal oral development so that they don’t need to build these compensations and adaptations!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Building a successful business cannot be done alone. I strongly believe in the importance of networking with like-minded professionals. Networking with other professions (chiropractors, dentists, other speech pathologists, IBCLCs, craniosacral therapists) that serve a similar population of patients that I do has been key to the success of my business. It is important for me to mention that it is not only a key to business success, but also to the success of the families that I work with. Collaborative care is SO IMPORTANT.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

My best source of new clients come from the providers I collaborate with. They truly see the value in building a team to help families achieve their goals!

The best compliment to me is the referrals I receive from previous families I have worked with.

Contact Info:

• Website: feedingtinytots.org
• Instagram: @feeding.tiny.tots