Tube Feeding at Home — the Daily Record Checklist
Home tube feeding is a rhythm: prescribed amounts, on a schedule, written down. The record below is what the home health nurse, the dietitian and the next shift all read — and the thing that catches a problem before it becomes an ER trip.
Write these at the top of every log sheet
- Prescribed flush amount (water before and after feedings — per the care team).
- Formula name and prescribed rate / volume per feeding.
- Tube type and size, and the date it was placed or last changed.
- Nurse line and after-hours number.
Those four lines are the difference between a handover that takes 30 seconds and one that starts with "wait, how much are we flushing?"
Record, per feeding
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|
| Time started / ended | Both — a feeding that takes twice as long as prescribed is information. |
| Formula type | Exact product name. Switching brands matters. |
| Volume given or rate | What actually went in, not what was planned. |
| Flush before / after | Water volume, actual. |
| Interrupted / residual notes | Nausea, vomiting, pausing, anything the nurse asked you to measure. |
| Initials | Per shift. Multiple caregivers are the norm, not the exception. |
Daily site check — 20 seconds
- Skin around the tube: same color as usual? No new redness, swelling or leaking?
- Tube position against the marked depth: same as always?
- Securement: tubing taped or anchored so a roll-over cannot tug it.
- Supplies: the next feeding's formula and flushing syringes ready before the current ones run out.
Call the care team the same day when
- Feedings will not run — suspected clog — and the approved flush protocol does not clear it.
- Formula or drainage leaks around the site, or the site is red, swollen, painful, or has new drainage.
- Vomiting, belly bloating or pain — pause per the nurse's standing advice and call.
- Fever, or your parent is notably more confused or lethargic than usual.
- The tube moves position, or comes out — many tube types close within hours, so this call is urgent.
Handover in one sentence
When the next person takes over — spouse, sibling, aide — the handover is the last log page plus today's plan. If you keep the daily care log, feeding entries sit on the same timeline as behavior, meds and fluids, so nothing gets reconstructed from memory at shift change.
Formulas, rates, flush volumes and residual checks are set by the dietitian and nurse — the record's job is to show what actually happened. Keep the plan and the log in the same
care binder; when the dietitian changes the order, update the header the same day.
Related
FAQ
What is a tube feeding log?
A written record of every feeding: time, formula type, volume given or rate, water flushes, and a site check. It exists so that shifts, nurses and the dietitian can all see exactly what went in and when — without relying on memory.
How much water should I use for a flush?
Whatever amount the care team prescribed — it varies by person and tube. Write the prescribed flush amount at the top of the log sheet so no shift has to guess or text the nurse at 10pm.
Who decides the feeding rate?
The dietitian and nurse set the formula, volume and rate. The family caregiver's job is to follow the plan and record what actually happened — including feedings that ran slow or were interrupted. Never adjust rates on your own; call instead.
What signs around the tube site mean call the care team?
Redness, swelling, leaking formula or drainage, pain, skin growing over the tube, or the tube sitting deeper or shallower than the marked position. Any of these plus fever means call the same day.
What if the feeding tube gets clogged?
Stop and call the nurse, or follow the flush protocol they gave you — do not improvise with sodas, meat tenderizer or syringe force. Log the clog, what you tried, and what the nurse advised, so the pattern shows up if it repeats.