How to Access Dietetic Services: A Guide for Parents and Guardians

If you have concerns about your child’s diet and/or weight, ask your GP, practice nurse or public health nurse for more information and guidance. They will be able to check your child’s height and weight in order to plot them on a growth chart to assess how healthy their weight is for their age. These health care professionals may recommend a referral to a dietitian.

Your GP can arrange an appointment for you. Access to dietetic services varies depending on where you live. You may be referred to a community dietitian working alongside your GP. Alternatively, there are dietitians working in private practice. To find a dietitian, please click here. 

Specialist paediatric dietitians working in hospitals usually only take referrals from consultant paediatricians but your GP will know more about what is available in your local area.

Please see the Links to Useful Resources on Childhood Nutrition: A Guide for Parents and Teachers fact sheet, for more information in terms of websites, leaflets, healthy eating guidelines and books which offer reliable nutrition and physical activity information for children and their families, and anyone interested in childhood nutrition.

Created by the Paediatric Dietitians’ Interest Group (PDIG) of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI) November 2015. Review date: November 2018

© 2015 Irish Nutrition and Dietetics Institute, INDI. All rights reserved. May be reproduced in its entirety provided the source is acknowledged. This information is not meant to replace advice from your medical doctor or individual counseling with a dietitian. It is intended for educational and informational purposes only.

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