Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Robertson.
Hi Emily, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I obtained an athletic scholarship to play D1 soccer at the University of Central Florida. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a minor in Health Services Administration from the University of Central Florida. After working for about a year in the real world, I felt driven to be more and do more, resulting in my journey to obtain a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.
Upon graduating, I knew I always had a desire to work with children, so I quickly began my career in Pediatrics. With over three years of experience in pediatric occupational therapy, I quickly realized the various feeding challenges families and children are facing surrounding their diet and development emerging as early as infancy. Thus, my passion for helping empower children and families through evaluating, supporting, and treating pediatric feeding disorders and/or dysfunctional feeding emerged.
I specialize in supporting infants and young children (developmentally 0-6 years old) with a variety of feeding challenges—from mild concerns, such as transitioning to solids, to complex needs, such as reflux and/or transitioning off a ng/g-tube. I’ve pursued advanced training in the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding to provide evidence-based, play-based strategies that foster positive mealtime experiences. As an Infant and Toddler Developmental Specialist, I’m passionate about working closely with families during the early years to support meaningful progress and build confident, capable eaters.
Working with insurance companies has its own pros and cons; I was tired of being limited in my skillset and interventions during my sessions with families due to the restraint of reimbursement and coding. I also was shocked that the feeding therapists who were SOS-trained in Orlando, FL were less than 4 individuals, when the need for feeding therapy is so high. So, I decided to open my own private practice focused in this area specifically to provide holistic and individualistic care for the families I work with. Opening Tiny Tummies Therapy in the summer/fall of 2025 was so exciting, as I was one of the few services that offered care within the home/natural environment. As I continue expanding to Orlando and surrounding areas, I hope to eventually have a small physical location as well as offer in-home services for families in our community.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would say a bumpy road–kind of like a roller coaster full of ups and downs.
I obtained my 2-year Master’s degree during the COVID-19 outbreak, so pursuing a program that was supposed to be solely in-person for hands-on learning and clinical skill was challenging to adjust to. During this time, I was also unable to visit my family back in Florida for over 1 year, which was the longest I went without seeing them, so this obstacle took a lot of mental strength to get through.
I never thought I would ever be a business owner, so overcoming the many challenges with starting and building Tiny Tummies Therapy has pushed me outside of my comfort zone and allowed me to learn something new everyday. I’ve also really had to put myself out there to explain the value and effectiveness of the training I have and the value of starting feeding therapy early on, since eating is a learned skill by age 2-3 years old. This meant I had to connect with as many people as possible in the pediatric Orlando community whether it be in-person or through social media–other private practice owners across pediatric disciplines, caregiver Facebook groups, FL-scholarship programs, community events, daycare staff/educators, etc. Although there are so many resources available online and through friends/family who are also business owners, the hardest part for me has been building awareness around pediatric feeding disorders in our community and the services available to families to support them in navigating these challenges from infancy to adolescence. Being a smaller, boutique service means I am also competing with massive healthcare corporations who offer feeding therapy programs. So I have had to find my niche of what sets Tiny Tummies Therapy apart from theirs, which is providing families with better communication, individualized 1:1 care, prioritizing quality of care over quantity, and less wait times to begin/continue services.
As you know, we’re big fans of Tiny Tummies Therapy, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am a practicing Occupational Therapist—board certified, licensed, and registered, serving children in Seminole and Orange Counties for over four years. I am also an Infant and Toddler Developmental Specialist, I’m passionate about working closely with families during the early years (0-3 years) to support meaningful progress and build confident, capable eaters.
I started Tiny Tummies Therapy to provide pediatric feeding therapy to infants, toddlers, and children in the Orlando community (Seminole County, North Orange County, South Volusia County) in the home or natural environment. I am trained in an evidence-based approach called the Sequential Oral Sensory Approach to feeding, focusing on children’s whole body systems (i.e., sensory processing, oral motor, posture, reflexes, etc.) during mealtime/feeding routines. This approach/training is results-driven helping children learn the skills they need to eat well.
I offer various services involving assessing and treating children/families with feeding concerns. These services include 1:1 individual feeding therapy, group feeding therapy, and parent coaching (in-person or virtual). I also have additional Advanced SOS Training in the following areas: Children with Gastroesophageal Reflux, Feeding the 6-16 Month Old Child, and Effectively Using the Oral Motor Steps to Eating.
Tiny Tummies incorporates the following tenants into our practice: using a play-based and no-pressure approach to learn about foods, individualized and strengths-based care, and being family-centered throughout all stages of care.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think transparency and authenticity have been characteristics that has helped me become successful so far–although there is still so much I want to achieve. Being transparent from the start is important to me, which is why we offer free phone consultation with families to ensure this approach to feeding therapy would be a good fit for their family/child. Authenticity as a healthcare provider allows me to be myself and let my personality come out as I interact, learn, and support children/families to foster various skill sets, which also allows me to show my compassion for each family through the quality of care I provide during and outside of scheduled sessions. I am able to be flexible with my scheduling and ability to meet families where they are at.
Pricing:
- Initial Feeding Evaluation – $250.00
- Individual Feeding Session – $100.00/session
- Group Feeding Session (x12 sessions total) – $75.00/session
- Parent Coaching (in-person/virtual) – $50.00/session
- Lunch & Learn Presentation (professional) – $100.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tinytummiestherapy.com
- Instagram: tiny.tummies.therapy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Tiny-Tummies-Therapy-LLC/61578019643605/
- LinkedIn: errobertson
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Tinytummiestherapy
