About Bright Appetites
Click here to book an appointment through our secure online booking system.
We offer in person and Telehealth appointments.
Our clinic is located at 48 Smith Street, Charlestown NSW 2305.
If you have questions or wish to make a booking, please get in touch via our phone number or email, or use our information request form below.
0467 682 139
alex@brightappetites.com.au
information request
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Alex Bartrop
I’m Alex, a paediatric specialist dietitian based in Newcastle.
I completed my degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle in 2013. From there, I dived headfirst into paediatric dietetics at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. 10 years later, and with lots of experience in childhood nutrition under my belt, I’m now working locally for Hunter New England Health and in my own clinic, Bright Appetites Paediatric Nutrition.
Click here to book an appointment through our secure online booking system.
Children’s Hospital at Westmead
I started as a New Graduate on a 12 month contract at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and ended up staying for 10 years. The privilege of working alongside some of the most generous, passionate and remarkable health professionals to improve the health of children meant that every work day was exciting and meaningful.
Working in different areas of the hospital gave me skills in caring for children with many different nutrition needs, including babies and children with growth challenges, tube feeding, congenital medical conditions, allergies, coeliac disease, complex disabilities, nutrient deficiencies and selective eating.
I am confident in all aspects of paediatric nutrition with some special interest areas highlighted below:
Food Allergy: I have worked in the Allergy and Immunology team at the Children’s Hospital Westmead since 2016. This team cares for hundreds of children each year who have food allergies, intolerances, Eosinophilic Oesophagitis (EOE) and FPIES. This has become a specialty area of mine and I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to help families navigate this whole new world of label reading, food substitutions and experimental cooking.
Tube feeding, Feeding Difficulties & Special Needs: I have worked in several teams and clinics for children with additional feeding needs and really enjoy this area. I worked in the multidisciplinary Feeding Clinic with a speech pathologist and paediatrician, and then went on to establish a “tube weaning” clinic at the hospital. In these clinics, we supported parents with strategies to increase their child’s oral (food) intake in order to reduce their reliance on their feeding tube. I also worked in the disability/home enteral nutrition feeding service, with children who rely on tube feeding long term.
General paediatrics and infant & toddler nutrition: Some examples of conditions that fall into this category are poor growth, selective eating, picky eating, and constipation. They can either be short term (acute) or long term (chronic) and sometimes a few different strategies need to be trialled to find the best approach. I frequently review the literature for the most up to date evidence and guidelines to ensure I am using the latest evidence-based strategies.
Advocacy & Education: I am passionate about sharing knowledge and have presented lectures and educational workshops to families, local GPs, paediatricians, nursing staff, and other health professionals across NSW. NSW Health has a strong commitment to teaching and training and I have frequently supervised student dietitians. I’m passionate about increasing the awareness of food allergies and have done this by creating new hospital policies and procedures, and working with governing bodies and advocacy organisations (such as Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia, and ASCIA) to improve education and awareness about food allergy.
Opening our Newcastle Clinic
I live in Newcastle with my husband and two young boys. After a long stint in Sydney I’m so glad to be back here enjoying the relaxed pace of this great city. I established Bright Appetites in 2022, and I also work at a local hospital. When I’m not at work, I’m exploring the outdoors or at the beach with my family.
How do our fees work?
Standard Fees:
Initial appointment (60 minute consult): $190
Review appointment (30-40 minute consult): $120
You may be able to obtain a Chronic Disease Management Plan (also known as a GP management plan) from your child’s GP which allows you to claim a rebate for seeing a dietitian. The current rebate is $55.10.
You may also be able to claim a rebate through your private health insurer. Please check if your policy covers dietetic services.
NDIS Participants
We charge the maximum claimable rate outlined in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2022-23 which is $194/hour.
Appointment Information
- Please bring your child’s blue book and their GP management plan (if applicable) to their appointment.
- In most cases, we will weigh your child and measure their height. If it’s OK with you, for babies (usually up to age 2) we will do a bare weight.
An hour appointment is a long time for your little one to stay focused.
Please feel free to bring snacks, their favourite toy, colouring in or a tablet to keep them entertained.
If you prefer to attend the appointment without your child, please let me know and we will discuss how you can have them weighed and measured locally prior to the appointment.
Seeing a dietitian involves establishing a good professional and ongoing relationship. In most cases, it takes 2, 3 or maybe more sessions with a dietitian to see change and accomplish goals.
