Button pads can help absorb leakage from the stoma and tube and help to reduce irritation and inflammation around and under the tube. Many parents and doctors feel that they help reduce and prevent granulation tissue. And, they are fun when so little about tube feeding is.

The number of makers in this area have exploded and they come in a wide variety of closures (snap, velcro, button, or none), shapes, and materials. Many makers are tube feeders or parents/caregivers of tube feeders. Prices and fabrics vary. We recommend asking about possible wait times as some makers produce products to order.

You can find these pads on Etsy, Facebook, shops that cater to disabilities and adaptive lines, and similar places.

There are a number of ways you can secure your child’s tube. These include clips designed to hold the tubing itself and secure it to clothing or a diaper and securement devices designed to either keep together the feeding set and extension set or prevent little fingers from accessing the connection. These devices come in soft plastic, hard plastic, and handmade fabric styles. Some are made commercially and may be covered by insurance.

There are also a wide range of medical-quality printed tapes and stickers available to secure feeding tubes and other tubing, such as oxygen tubing.

Backpacks are essential for feeding kids on-the-go, whether you carry the pack for them or they wear it. While there are specialized backpacks made for feeding pumps, any small backpack with slight modifications can be used for feeding. Insurance will sometimes cover the standard backpack for your pump; check with your medical supplier.