Real Tips for Living With a Feeding Pump, From People Who Use One

We asked three feeding-pump pros for their best tips. Here’s what they said.

You know what’s better than an instruction manual? People who have been there, done that and bought all the handy stuff from Etsy. And while a feeding pump might not be the simplest or quietest thing to enter your life, with the right advice, they can win the role of trusty sidekick. Just ask these three Moog Infinity pump users.

Kelly Knight, Aspen, Colorado

Kelly is mother to four young girls including identical twins, Lily and Emery. A complicated delivery sent Lily into complete organ failure and her kidneys never recovered, leaving her with stage four-chronic kidney disease and a transplant somewhere on the horizon.

Lily has been tube-feeding since coming home from the NICU with a gastrostomy (G) tube. She runs eight or nine-hour feeds during the day – and another eight or nine hours at night – through her Moog Infinity pump.

“I’d say we’re finally – four-and-a-half years in – getting to the point where she’s not really limited by her feeding,” says Kelly, chatting with us poolside as Lily and Emery splash about in the water.

“Lily goes biking, she goes skiing, she goes hiking, she goes to the beach, she goes swimming, she goes to gymnastics, she goes to dance, she goes to hip-hop. At school she’s on the monkey bars. She literally does everything.”

Kelly’s top tips:

Switch things up for overnight feeds

“It’s wild to me that families get sent home on feeding plans that have them waking every three hours all night. Once we found out you could adjust the pump and alarm settings, it changed everything. I also prepare her night bag when she’s at school.”

Find your go-to accessories

“We bought a little clip on Etsy that lets us hang Lily’s pump off almost anything. At night we hang it on the bed rail next to her bed. We also bought a little purple zip-up padding that goes around the tubing for nighttime, so it doesn’t kink.”

*Lily out and about while feeding on the go*

Master the manual priming trick

“We prime her pump every morning with water. We just pinch the little [delivery set cassette] so it runs through.”

Bonus tip: Infinity pumps now have an auto-prime feature. Check it out here.

Spill-proof every surface (carpet included)

“I line Lily’s bedding for throwing up and wetness with waterproof pads. And I have a cover on my carpet so that if she throws up on the floor, I don’t have to clean the rug anymore – which I did for far too long!”

*Lily gets a feed while grooming a friend*

Anna Shea, Boston, Massachusetts

Anna is a fourth-year bioengineering student at Northeastern University, a bustling Boston research hub where this 21-year-old’s own health challenges drive her to design better solutions. Tube-feeding became part of her life following a late-2022 diagnosis of gastroparesis, which has since progressed into full gastrointestinal dysmotility.

“I’m really lucky to have found my place in a [university] major that interacts closely with medical devices like my own, making the transition easier and finding my peers more understanding and interested than most,” Anna tells The Blend.

One of her devices is a Moog Infinity feeding pump, which accompanies Anna from campus to work, out and about in her city, and beyond.

“This is my pump of choice because of how lightweight and compact it is, along with the two sizes of bags I can choose between for daily life,” she says.

“I wouldn’t have made it to and through college without my tubes and Infinity pump. It may feel like a major bump in the road, but it won’t stop you from doing whatever you set your mind to.”

Anna’s top tips:

Wear your pump in style

“With my age and stage of life, it can definitely be mentally taxing to be connected to a pump for various portions of the day. But I find it easier to deal with if I can find a cute bag or backpack to carry it around in, rather than in a provided backpack.”

Upgrade your tools (and stock your stash at your next hospital stay)

“A blunder from earlier in my journey was not realising that O-ring syringes are the best type of syringes. And that nurses are extremely willing to give you extras from the supply closet to take home.”

*Anna gets sorted while FaceTiming a friend*

Know that your pump can multitask

“I don’t use my pump primarily for feeds anymore, but I love using it to run higher volume medications over a prolonged period of time since I can no longer tolerate fast pushes.”

Pack extras of everything

“Extra hand wipes, an extra syringe, an extra Infinity bag, emergency meds, and an extra carton of formula. I unfortunately learned the hard way what happens when your feed bag leaks and you don’t have a spare, but I try my best to not make the same mistake twice.”

*Anna with a group of fellow tube-feeding friends*

Rachel Grapes, Tennessee

Rachel’s son Sam is, in a word, outdoorsy. “He would live outside if we let him,” says the mum of two. The whole family – including Sam’s dad and older sister, Maggie – loves to hike. And when he’s not out adventuring, Sam can often be found on a field playing baseball with his local adapted league. Or sometimes on a swing, with his Moog Infinity pump at his side.

“Sam is small and we loved how tiny and lightweight the Infinity is,” says Rachel. “We love that Sam can wear it in a backpack, or we can hang his backpack on his adaptive trike, wheelchair or even the chain of a swing, and he can eat while still on the go.”

Sam has Down syndrome and a rare form of epilepsy. When he was eight, a swallow study showed that he was aspirating on his food and drink. Further testing revealed that his esophagus was no longer functioning, so Sam swiftly had a gastrostomy G-tube placed. Since then, he has relied on a blended whole-food keto diet.

“He has his blended meals through his feeding pump. Occasionally we hit a snag but it’s usually not a problem at all,” says Rachel. “Sam’s able to get good, healthy food while enjoying any activity he wants to do. Recently, we hiked a portion of the Appalachian Trail while getting his lunch.”

Rachel’s top tips:

Invest in a brilliant blender

“A good blender was the first thing we got when Sam started tube feeding. The Blendtec blender is a great tool – it blends almost everything down so smoothly.”

Find which foods blend best (your feeding pump will thank you)

“Because Sam is on a keto diet, he gets a lot of calories from fats – so perhaps that has helped us have higher calories and lower volume of food. Ground meats don’t blend as well as regular cuts of meat. We also make sure to add plenty of watery vegetables in the mix. Zucchini and bell peppers work well for this.”

Explore more portable food options

“Recently we’ve discovered Tink’s Tonic, a newer powdered food option. It comes in especially handy when traveling or during hospital stays.”

Sort out a setup that has your back

“One thing that has made life easier over the years is a good backpack – we love the Osprey Daylite Jr [kids hiking pack] – and Velcro straps with carabiners so we can hook the backpack wherever we need.”

What have we learned here? The secret to living well with a feeding pump might look like an Etsy clip. And it definitely looks like someone who’s already made every mess and mistake so you don’t have to.

This story was made in partnership with Moog Medical. Explore their range of feeding pumps here.

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