Dressing for winter and choosing outfits that really fit your mood and style can be hard enough. Add in a feeding tube and the decisions can get even tougher. But with a little creativity, you can have some stylish choices that match your personality perfectly. Whether you’re looking for styles for a young child, teen, or adult, you’ll find ideas here to help you get started.
Adults and Teens Can Be Stylish with Layers
One key to dressing with a feeding tube in the winter is using layers to your advantage.1 For example, you might dress with an opening strategically hidden under a stylish zippered jacket, hoodie, or layered cardigan. Some adults recommend wearing tank tops under your clothing to stabilize the tubes. In the winter when it’s colder, wearing a tank top under your sweater can be comfortable and cozy. Low-profile tubes, like a MIC-KEY*, are easier to conceal under clothing as they sit at skin level, allowing for more clothing choices.
If you like the idea of layers, you can find stylish button downs, shirts, and sweatshirts online. There are even clothing companies like Sunshine & Spoons2 and Grace and Brace that offer tops with slogans designed for people who want to show the world that they’re proud of their feeding tube.3
Children Have Creative Choices for Everyday Wear and the Holidays
If you’re choosing clothes for a child,4 there are many options that can match your child’s unique personality. You don’t have to miss out on those fun “dress your kid” years just because your child has a feeding tube. Adaptive clothing5 can include baseball tees with shoulder snaps for easy access or body suits with tummy access flaps. These come in many designs and colors.
Adaptive Clothing for Babies Can Come in Many Styles
For babies, there are numerous options for cute, adaptive clothing.7 Onesies,8 sleepers, and shirts are designed specifically with G-tube access. Greta and Garb6 take name brand outfits and modifies them to include an opening for a G-tube and a pocket flap that conceals the opening. Options are available for holidays too, like an adaptive onesie with a turkey that reads “Thankful Tubie” from Creations 4 Tubies.9 Ideas like these can help you find adorable outfits for your baby that match the season or the holiday.10
So don’t let the colder months stop you from being fashionable. Even with a feeding tube, you can still find a lot of options that match you or your child’s personal style.
Sources
- https://www.buckandbuck.com/adaptive-clothing-guide/clothing-solutions.html
- https://www.etsy.com/shop/sunshineandspoons?search_query=I+Rock+my+NG+Tube
- https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/667286725/powered-by-tube-feeds-and-ivs-unisex?
- https://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2017/01/11/clothing-and-accessories-for-children-with-feeding-tube/
- https://abiliteeadaptivewear.com/collections/kids-teens-clothing
- https://www.gretagracegarb.com/listing/651785720/cat-g-tube-bodysuit-skirted-pants
- https://www.feedingtubeawareness.org/adaptive-clothing/
- https://www.littlebirchshop.com/shop
- https://www.etsy.com/listing/724484448/thanksgiving-turkey-g-tube-adaptive
- https://www.ccmooclothing.com/