Explore every episode of the podcast Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro

#133: What’s the deal with dripping food? Dripping food is our control-freak way of regulating the pace of baby’s eating...and while it may seem harmless (and cleaner!) dripping can actually interfere with your baby’s ability to learn HOW to eat independently and to recognize and respond to their own hunger and fullness cues. In this episode we’re talking about the draw-backs of dripping food piece by piece for baby-led weaning. Learning how to appropriately pre-portion your baby’s food is a better alternative to dripping and here’s how you do it! Listen to this episode to learn: 1. What is dripping and why does it remove baby’s autonomy from the eating process? 2. How do we pre-portion a meal appropriately if there are no hard & fast baby portion sizes for foods? 3. Why we want babies driving the pace of intake and how that helps them learn to recognize & respond to their own hunger & fullness cues  Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/133 Links from This Episode: • TRY the ezpz Mini Mats, the 3-portion silicone suction mat mentioned in this episode. I use the 4-oz portion for the starchy/carbohydrate foods and each of the smaller 2 oz portions for 1 small serving of protein and 1 small serving of fruit or vegetable. You can get 15% off everything at ezpzfun.com with the code BABYLED and this is my affiliate code. • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 6: What Shape & Size Should My Baby’s Food Be at First? • Episode 16: 10 Easy Starter Foods for Baby-Led Weaning • Episode 25: Schedule for First 5 Days of Baby-Led Weaning 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#132: Before your baby starts solid foods, there is one thing I hope every parent does: take an infant CPR course. While choking is rare, it is a very real risk. Knowing how to reduce choking risk…and what to do if your baby does choke, can give you the confidence to safely start solid foods. In this episode, I’m joined by Brandon Doersken from Thrive Training Institute to talk about why infant CPR is so important before starting solid foods, common choking hazards to avoid, and why every parent and caregiver should know the basics of infant CPR. If you’re getting ready to start solid foods, this episode will help you feel more prepared, more confident, and ready for this exciting milestone. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why infant CPR is an important skill to refresh before your baby starts solid foods 2. How to reduce choking risk during meals and recognize common choking hazards around your home 3. Who else should know infant CPR if they will be feeding or caring for your baby Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/132 Links from This Episode: • The code KATIE10 works for $10 off all of these online courses. That is my affiliate discount code and these are affiliate links: Online CPR course Online First Aid course   Online CPR + First Aid course bundle • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#131: What do you do if your baby is diagnosed with a cow’s milk protein allergy just as you’re starting solid foods? While most babies can safely eat dairy, cow’s milk protein allergy is one of the most common food allergies in infancy. If dairy is off the table, it can suddenly feel like everything you planned to feed your baby needs to change. In this episode, I’m joined by The Allergy Chef, Kathlena, to share practical tips for cooking and preparing dairy-free foods for your baby. You’ll learn how to read food labels with more confidence, understand allergen statements, and make simple dairy-free swaps for ingredients like milk, yogurt, cheese, cream, and buttermilk so you can continue offering a wide variety of safe, nutritious foods as your baby learns to eat. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How to make simple dairy-free swaps for milk, yogurt, cheese, cream, and buttermilk when preparing foods for your baby. 2. What food labels and allergen statements really mean—and how to shop with more confidence if your baby has a cow’s milk protein allergy. 3. Why dairy-free cooking doesn’t have to limit the variety of foods your baby can safely enjoy while starting solid foods. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/131 Links from This Episode: • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related To This Topic: • Episode 13 - Milk Protein: How to Introduce Your Baby to this Potentially Allergenic Food • Episode 286 - Is My Baby Dairy Intolerant? Food Protein Induced Allergic Proctocolitis (FPIAP) with Marion Groetch, MS, RDN • Episode 368 - Using a Milk Ladder for Babies with Dairy Allergy with Carina Venter, PhD, RD 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#130: Do you really need to have Benadryl on hand before introducing your baby to the Top 9 allergenic foods? In this episode, I sit down with pediatrician Dr. Phil Boucher to talk about why he no longer recommends Benadryl for babies, what he suggests instead, and how to be prepared (without being afraid) when starting solid foods. You’ll learn what allergic reactions can look like, when to call your pediatrician, and how to introduce allergenic foods with confidence. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why Dr. Phil Boucher no longer recommends Benadryl for babies and what he prefers parents have on hand instead when introducing allergenic foods. 2. How to recognize the difference between a mild allergic reaction, a contact rash, and signs of a more serious food allergy that require medical attention. 3. What you can do to feel prepared—not fearful—when introducing your baby to the Top 9 allergenic foods for the first time. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/blogs/podcasts/130 Links from this episode: • Follow on IG , Follow on FB • Join Dr. Boucher’s Raising Good Parents Community FB group here • Link to Pediatrician-Developed Parenting Courses including Mighty Sleepers Course, Potty Training for Lazy Parents, & Unpicky Eaters here • YouTube channel Raising Good Parents  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to this Topic: • Episode 60 - From Fear to Food: The New Rules for Introducing Allergenic Foods with Kelly Clear, MD, FAAP • Episode 123 - Help! My Baby Has a Contact Rash from a New Food with Ron Sunog, MD • Episode 468 - Oral Food Challenges: Try Allergenic Foods at Home vs. the Doctor's Office? with @allergykidsdoc David Stukus, MD 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#129: If your baby has eczema, you may have heard that it could increase their risk of developing a food allergy. But what does the research actually say, and what should you do when you’re introducing allergenic foods? In this episode, I sit down with board-certified dermatologist Dr. Rebecca Hartman to unpack the connection between eczema and food allergy risk. We talk about why the skin barrier matters, how eczema severity affects risk, what signs of an allergic reaction parents should watch for, and practical ways to care for your baby’s skin while starting solid foods. If you’re feeling nervous about introducing foods like peanut or egg because your baby has eczema, this episode will help you better understand the evidence and leave you feeling more confident about your next steps. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How eczema may affect your baby’s risk of developing food allergies and what the latest research says 2. What the difference is between mild, moderate, and severe eczema and why that matters when starting allergenic foods 3. How to recognize signs of an allergic reaction and support your baby’s skin barrier during the transition to solid foods Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/129 Links from This Episode: • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related To This Topic • Episode 60 - From Fear to Food: The New Rules for Introducing Allergenic Foods with Kelly Clear, MD, FAAP • Episode 274 - Baby Has Skin Reactions to Milk, Egg and Peanut: What Should I Do Next? with Carina Venter, PhD, RDN • Episode 382 - Food Allergy Prevention 101 with Tina Sindher, MD 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#128: Food allergies are serious…but the only way to help lower your baby’s risk of food allergy is to offer allergenic foods early and often. Easier said than done, right? In this Ask Me Anything episode, I’m answering eight real questions from parents about safely introducing allergenic foods. We’ll cover how much to offer the first time, whether you really need to wait three to five days between new foods, what an allergic reaction looks like, and more. If you’ve been nervous about introducing peanut, egg, shellfish, or other allergenic foods, this episode will give you the confidence and practical strategies to get started safely. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How to safely introduce the top allergenic foods without letting fear delay your baby’s progress with solid foods 2. What an allergic reaction looks like in babies and how to tell the difference between a true food allergy and a common feeding reaction 3. Why introducing allergenic foods early and offering them regularly can help lower your baby’s risk of developing food allergies   Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/128 Links from This Episode: • Get 15% off Puffworks Baby peanut puffs with code BLWPOD - click here to shop • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related To This Topic: • Episode 11 - How to Introduce Allergenic Foods to Your Baby • Episode 58 - What do I do if My Baby Has an Allergic Reaction? with Ron Sunog, MD • Episode 84 - Why You DON'T Need to Wait 3-5 Days Between New Foods with Carina Venter, PhD, RD 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#127: Thinking about raising your baby on a vegetarian or vegan diet? Wondering if it’s possible to do baby-led weaning without meat? In this episode, I’m joined by registered dietitians Alexandra Caspero and Whitney English of Plant-Based Juniors, authors of The Plant-Based Baby and Toddler. Together, we tackle some of the biggest questions plant-based families have when starting solid foods, including how to meet your baby’s nutrient needs, support iron intake, and approach the Top 9 allergenic foods if your family doesn’t eat animal products. Whether your family is fully plant-based or you’re simply looking to include more plant foods at mealtimes, this episode offers practical, evidence-based guidance to help you feed your baby with confidence. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How plant-based babies can meet important nutrient needs like iron. 2. How vegetarian and vegan families can approach introducing the Top 9 allergenic foods. 3. The difference between vegan and predominantly plant-based eating, and why it matters when feeding your baby. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/127 Links from This Episode: • Follow Alex and Whitney on their account for Plant Based Juniors on Instagram at @plantbasedjuniors & FB page here • Check out Alex and Whitney’s new book The Plant-Based Baby and Toddler here • Check out the Plant-Based Junior’s Website here  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠⁠⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠⁠⁠ and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 203 - Vegan Mom, Cattle-Rancher Dad & a BLW Baby: Family Feeding Dynamics with Suzy Quebbeman • Episode 375 - Plant Based Sources of Iron • Episode 493 - Vegetarian Baby-Led Weaning: A Practical Guide for Plant-Based Families 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#126: You spent years studying nutrition…so why can starting solid foods with your own baby still feel so overwhelming? If you’re a dietitian who is also a new mom, this episode is for you. I’m sharing why so many RDs feel underprepared to counsel families on baby-led weaning, even though we are the nutrition experts. We’ll talk about the education gap around readiness, choking-risk reduction, allergens, texture progression, responsive feeding, and the practical skills families are already asking us about. I’ll also share why baby-led weaning can be more than something you want to learn for your own baby. It may also be the specialized career niche you’ve been looking for. Plus, I’ll tell you about our new Baby-Led Weaning Certification Course for Dietitians and how to join the founding members cohort before enrollment closes July 17 using code BLWDAY for 40% off at blwpro.org. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why so many dietitians feel underprepared to counsel families on baby-led weaning—even though we’re the food and nutrition experts—and where the biggest education gaps still exist. 2. How to confidently answer the questions parents are already asking about readiness to eat, gagging versus choking, allergen introduction, texture progression, and responsive feeding using an evidence-based approach. 3. What it takes to specialize in baby-led weaning as a dietitian, who the new Baby-Led Weaning Certification Course is designed for, and how it can help you build confidence in your practice while creating new career opportunities. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/126 Links from This Episode: • Join the Founding Members summer cohort of the Baby-Led Weaning Certification Course for Dietitians that starts July 20, 2026. Use code BLWDAY for 40% off registration at https://blwpro.org/ - Registration closes July 17, 2026 • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 (this program is approved for 30 CPEUs for Registered Dietitians) • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 108- Do Babies Need Probiotics? with James Marin, RD, EN and Dahlia Marin, RDN, LD • Episode 370 - Why Do Some Feeding Therapists Disagree with Baby-Led Weaning? with Jill Rabin, MS, CCC-SLP, IBCLC 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called ⁠BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS⁠. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. ⁠CLICK HERE TO JOIN⁠ and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow ⁠@babyledweanteam⁠ on Instagram and our ⁠Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel⁠ for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. ⁠Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts⁠ or ⁠rate this show on Spotify podcasts⁠ and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#125: Worried your baby might be allergic to a food you haven’t even offered yet? You’re not alone. Many parents feel anxious about introducing allergenic foods, and food allergy testing can seem like the safest first step…but unnecessary testing can actually create more confusion and fear. In this episode, pediatric allergist Dr. David Stukus explains why false positive food allergy test results are so common, why most babies do not need allergy testing before trying allergenic foods, and what parents should actually watch for when offering new foods. You’ll learn why feeding your baby allergenic foods early and often is one of the best ways to help lower food allergy risk — and how to feel more confident doing it. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why false positive food allergy test results are so common and how unnecessary testing can make starting solid foods feel scarier than it needs to be 2. What to do if your baby reacts to one food and your pediatrician recommends a large panel of allergy tests 3. How to introduce allergenic foods to your baby in a way that helps you watch for real reactions without relying on unnecessary testing Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/125 Links from This Episode: • Follow Dr. Stukus on Instagram and Twitter @allergykidsdoc • Dr. Stukus is the Director of Nationwide Children’s Food Allergy Treatment Center • He’s also the host of AAAAI’s podcast “Conversations from the World of Allergy”  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠⁠⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠⁠⁠ and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 11 - How to Introduce Allergenic Foods to Your Baby • Episode 58 - What do I do if My Baby Has an Allergic Reaction? with Ron Sunog, MD • Episode 468 - Oral Food Challenges: Try Allergenic Foods at Home vs. the Doctor's Office? with @allergykidsdoc David Stukus, MD 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#124: What if your baby reacted to egg…does that mean eggs are off the table forever? Not necessarily. In this episode, food allergy researcher and dietitian Carina Venter, PhD, RD, explains what an egg ladder is, how it may help some babies with egg allergy work toward tolerating egg again, and why this approach is used more often outside of the United States. Carina also shares why egg white matters, why “egg intolerance” is usually not the right term, and what to ask your pediatrician or allergist before trying an egg ladder. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. What an egg ladder is and how it may help some babies with egg allergy work toward tolerating egg again 2. Why egg allergy is different from “egg intolerance” and why egg white is the part that matters most 3. How to talk to your pediatrician or allergist about egg ladders if your baby has reacted to egg and you are wondering what comes next Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/124 Links from This Episode: • Carina was previously on the podcast in Episode 84: Why You Don’t Need to Wait 3-5 Days Between Trying New Foods • International Milk Allergy in Primary Care (iMAP) Guideline • Irish Egg ladder • British Egg Ladder • Link to course from FARE she teaches with Marion - dietitian “celebrity” allergists • Eat Paper (this was the one Carina was discussing that had reported “poor compliance” because of boiled egg) • Follow Carina Venter, PhD, RD on twitter: https://twitter.com/ventercarina • Instagram (stalk her and find this) - one she doesn’t know how to access Carina Venter PhD RD (@VenterCarina) / X • View Dr. Venter’s allergy-related research publications here: Carina Venter | Colorado PROFILES  • Dietitians earn your FARE Certificate of Training in Pediatric Food Allergy in this 9-month (32 CPE) course Carina co-teaches for FARE  • Dietitians join IDANA: International Network for Diet and Nutrition in Allergy here • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠⁠ and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic:  • Episode 274 - Baby Has Skin Reactions to Milk, Egg and Peanut: What Should I Do Next? with Carina Venter, PhD, RDN • Episode 368 - Using a Milk Ladder for Babies with Dairy Allergy with Carina Venter, PhD, RD • Episode 468 - Oral Food Challenges: Try Allergenic Foods at Home vs. the Doctor's Office? with @allergykidsdoc David Stukus, MD 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#123 What should you do if your baby gets a rash around their mouth after trying a new food? Before you panic and assume it’s a food allergy, listen to this episode. I’m joined by pediatrician Dr. Ron Sunog to explain the difference between a harmless contact rash and a true allergic reaction. You’ll learn why certain foods can irritate your baby’s sensitive skin, what signs actually matter, and when it’s safe to offer that food again. If you’re just starting solid foods and feeling nervous about introducing new foods…especially the Top 9 allergenic foods, this episode will help you feel calmer, more confident, and prepared. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why a rash around your baby’s mouth after eating is often not a food allergy…and how to tell the difference between a contact rash and a true allergic reaction 2. What to do if your baby gets redness, bumps, or irritation around their mouth after trying a new food 3. How drool, teething, and sensitive skin can make food-related rashes look scary…even when they are usually not dangerous Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/123 Links from This Episode: • Dr. Sunog’s book: Eat the Eight: Preventing Food Allergies with Food and the Imperfect Art of Medicine • Sign up for Katie & Dr. Sunog’s free online workshop WHAT DO I DO IF MY BABY HAS AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO FOOD: How to Identify, Respond to and Manage Reactions to Foods in Babies Without Freaking Out or Becoming Fearful of Trying New Allergenic Foods. Everyone in the workshop gets a copy of our free Food Allergy Emergency Reaction Map....hang this one on your fridge and you’ll never have to wonder if you’re taking the right steps in the event your baby has a reaction to food. Click here to sign up.  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠ and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#122: Starting solid foods can feel messy fast: food on the floor, sauce on the high chair, stains on your baby’s clothes, and sticky hands touching everything. In this episode, I’m interviewing Allison Evans, co-founder of Branch Basics, about how to clean up baby-led weaning food mess without relying on harsh household cleaners. You’ll learn simple ways to manage mealtime cleanup, what to look for in non-toxic cleaning products, and how Branch Basics can help with high chairs, counters, floors, dishes, and stubborn food stains. Use code KATIE15 for 15% off Branch Basics starter kits. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How Allison co-founded Branch Basics and why some “natural” cleaners may not be as clean as they claim 2. What to look for on household cleaner labels before using them around your baby 3. How to use Branch Basics Concentrate and Oxygen Boost to clean high chairs, counters, dishes, and food-stained clothes Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/122 Links from This Episode: • Check out Branch Basics on their website at branchbasics.com (and see their About page for sure for a wild backstory on all of the founders!) • If you want to try out the BRANCH BASICS non-toxic household cleaners in your house, get 15% off the starter kits with code KATIE15 by shopping here • Pro tip: if you’re getting a BRANCH BASICS starter kit: spend the extra $10 for the premium kit, it contains that Oxygen Boost we were talking about for cleaning the food stains out of clothes & you can even use it on your dishes too • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#121: Are acidic foods like tomatoes, strawberries, citrus, or yogurt too harsh for your baby? In this episode, we’re looking at whether the pH of a food actually matters when your baby is starting solid foods. You’ll learn why acidic foods are not automatically off-limits, what a little redness around your baby’s mouth might mean, and how to keep the focus on offering a variety of safe, nutritious foods without overthinking every bite. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why acidic foods like tomatoes, strawberries, citrus, and yogurt are not automatically off-limits for babies 2. What a little redness around your baby’s mouth after eating acidic foods might mean 3. How to focus on safe food preparation and variety instead of worrying about the pH of your baby’s food Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/121 Links from This Episode: • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠ and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginner 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#120: If you’re worried about saying the wrong thing when your baby is starting solid foods, this episode is for you. In this conversation with registered dietitian and Food Positivity co-author Arielle “Dani” Lebovitz, MS, RD, you’ll learn how everyday comments (often said with love) can shape your baby’s relationship with food and their body long before they can talk. We cover simple, real-life language swaps that reduce pressure at meals, help you build trust (even on days your baby barely eats), and set the foundation for a healthy food relationship without guilt, bribing, or battles. You’ll walk away with practical phrases to use right away and “words to skip” that quietly reinforce food shame…so you can feel more confident at the table from the very first bites. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. What “well-meaning” mealtime phrases can accidentally add pressure (and what to say instead) 2. How trust-centered feeding works when your baby barely eats (and you’re tempted to push) 3. How to talk about food and bodies in a way that supports confidence, curiosity, and self-trust Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/120 Links from This Episode: • Read Dani’s new book Food Positivity: How to Ditch Diet Culture and Talk to Kids About Food available on Amazon here (affiliate link):https://amzn.to/3S03UN9  • What to Say and Do when Feeding Kids Feels Hard scripts from Dani are available here https://kidfoodexplorers.com/freebie-food-explorer-scripts/ • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠ and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners⁠ Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 72 - How to Create a Pressure-Free Feeding Environment with Jessica Setnick, MS, RD, CEDRD-S • Episode 412 - What To Do if Your Baby Plays with Food with @kid.food.explorers Dani Lebovitz, MS, RDN 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#119: Starting solid foods can feel confusing when your baby was born early. Do you go by your baby’s actual age or adjusted age? And what if someone told you to start early so your baby can “catch up” with weight gain? In this episode, I’m breaking down how to calculate adjusted age for premature babies and why it matters for starting solid foods safely. You’ll learn when to begin looking for readiness signs, why waiting is often safer than rushing, and how premature babies can absolutely succeed with baby-led weaning when they’re given the time and support they need. I’ll also share how my own premature quadruplets inspired the 100 First Foods approach…and how your baby can learn to self-feed safely too. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How to calculate your premature baby’s adjusted age before starting solid foods 2. Why 6 months adjusted age matters more than chronological age for feeding readiness 3. What signs of readiness to look for before offering your baby their first foods Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/119 Links from This Episode: • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠⁠ • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 2 - 5 Things Your Baby Should Be Able to Do Before Starting Solid Foods • Episode 110 - Catch-Up Weight: Why Starting Solids Early Will Not Help Your Baby Gain Weight with Rosan Meyer, PhD, RD • Episode 158 - How Premature Babies Can Succeed with BLW with @doctorterrimd Terri Major-Kincade, MD 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#118: A good bib can make starting solid foods feel so much more manageable…but not all bibs are designed with your baby’s development in mind. In this episode, I’m joined by Kelsey Larsen, founder of Bapron Baby, to talk about why she created a pinafore-style bib that ties behind your baby’s shoulders instead of around the neck. Baprons help keep your baby clean without restricting movement, interfering with swallowing, or distracting from self-feeding. Kelsey shares how she built Bapron Baby from an Etsy shop into a trusted feeding brand, plus why the right bib and splash mat can make mealtimes easier for both you and your baby. Use code KATIE10 for 10% off Bapron Baby products at BapronBaby.com. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why some bibs can get in the way of your baby learning how to self-feed 2. How Bapron Baby bibs are designed to support movement, swallowing, and independent eating 3. What splash mats can do to help minimize the mess without trying to prevent it altogether Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/118 Links from This Episode: • The Bapron Baby website carries all of the Bapron Bibs (Toddler size is for 6m-3T and Preschool size is age 3+) and the code KATIE10 works for 10% off at bapronbaby.com • Check out the Bapron Baby splash mats for minimizing the mess and reducing food  • You can also get Bapron Bibs and Bapron Splash Mats from ezpz and the code BABYLED works for 15% off, click here to shop: https://ezpzfun.com/BABYLED • KiddiKutter Training Knives - code KATIE10 are here • Follow Bapron Baby on Instagram @bapronbaby • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#117: Is your baby suddenly refusing a food they loved yesterday? Food rejection can feel frustrating when you’re just starting solid foods, but it’s also a very typical part of how babies learn to eat. In this episode, I’m explaining why babies may accept a food one day and refuse it the next, what this behavior actually means, and how to keep offering foods without pressure so your baby can build diet diversity over time. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why food rejection is a normal part of learning to eat, even when your baby liked that same food yesterday 2. What it actually means when your baby refuses a familiar food and why it does not mean they hate it forever 3. How to keep offering rejected foods without pressure so your baby can build diet diversity over time Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/117 Links from This Episode: • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠  and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners⁠ Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 73 - What to Do When Your Baby Won't Eat • Episode 93 - Reintroducing Familiar Foods Back on Your Baby's Plate • Episode 312 - 3 Easy Responsive Feeding Techniques when Starting Solid Foods with Stephanie Cohen, MA, CCC-SLP, CLC 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called ⁠BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS⁠. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. ⁠CLICK HERE TO JOIN⁠ and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow ⁠@babyledweanteam⁠ on Instagram and our ⁠Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel⁠ for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. ⁠Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts⁠ or ⁠rate this show on Spotify podcasts⁠ and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#116: If you feel the tension rising before mealtimes with your baby, Jennifer Berry is here to help. She’s a feeding specialist with some really simple regulation tips to help you AND your baby feel calmer and safer before meals even start. Stop focusing so much on the food and start connecting with your baby for better mealtime outcomes. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Some simple regulation tips to help your baby feel calmer and safer before meals start 2.  How to connect with your baby when they’re feeling dysregulated or freaked out at the table 3.  Why checking in with yourself is important for mealtime success, and a 2-second way to do it Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/116 Links from This Episode: • Check out Thrive by Spectrum Pediatric’s Website at: https://thrivewithspectrum.com/ • Listen to the Love, Eat Thrive podcast at: https://open.spotify.com/show/00HSR3JPOhCycF9w5Wb7Pu  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginner Other Episodes Related to This Topic:• Episode 50 - How Tube Fed Babies Can Become Independent Eaters with Jennifer Berry, MS, OT/L and Heidi Liefer Moreland, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, CLC • Episode 320 - Supporting Your Baby: Empathy, Readiness and Connection with Marsha Dunn Klein, OTR/L, MEd • Episode 3 - 5 Things Parents and Caregivers Should Be Able to Do Before Starting Solid Foods 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called ⁠BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS⁠. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. ⁠CLICK HERE TO JOIN⁠ and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow ⁠@babyledweanteam⁠ on Instagram and our ⁠Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel⁠ for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. ⁠Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts⁠ or ⁠rate this show on Spotify podcasts⁠ and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#115: When your baby has diarrhea, should you stop regular foods and switch to bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast? The BRAT diet is old-school advice that sounds safe, but it’s not the best roadmap for babies who are starting solid foods. In this episode, we’re breaking down what to do instead, why hydration matters most, and when diarrhea means it’s time to call your pediatrician. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why the BRAT diet is outdated advice for babies with diarrhea 2. What to focus on first when your baby has diarrhea during starting solid foods 3. When diarrhea means it’s time to call your pediatrician instead of trying to manage it with food alone Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/115 Links from This Episode: • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 108 - Probiotics: Should Your Baby Be Taking Probiotics? with James Marin, RD, EN and Dahlia Marin, RDN, LD • Episode 202 - Gut Check: Microbiome and Food Allergy Development with Liam O'Mahony, PhD 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#114:Do you ever watch Shark Tank and see a really good product that was born out of necessity by a new parent? That’s exactly the story behind ezpz. In this episode, Lindsey Laurain, founder and CEO of ezpz, shares how messy mealtimes with her own young kids led to the original silicone suction mat and eventually a full line of feeding gear designed to support your baby’s feeding and developmental milestones. We also talk about her Shark Tank experience, building ezpz from the ground up, and why thoughtful, developmentally appropriate feeding gear matters when your baby is starting solid foods. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How the idea to make silicone suction mats was born out of a real anxiety-inducing problem in her house and how she went from a “piece of plastic crap” prototype to making some of the most revolutionary infant feeding products ever! 2. About the really nasty feedback she got after going on Shark Tank to pitch ezpz, and why declining the Sharks’ deals helped catapult their business while maintaining their core values 3. How quickly their products get ripped off by imposters, why the sub-par products disappear pretty quickly and why she employs a feeding expert in the design of all of their products that babies and children use Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/114 Links from This Episode: • Viral video Introduction to the Happy Mat Lindsey was talking about that spawned so many knockoffs is here on YouTube • Follow EZPZ on Instagram @ezpzfun - they’re on Facebook here & the ezpz blog written by their feeding expert Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP is pure gold and you can read her posts here • If you want to check out the ezpz products, click here to shop & use code KATIE10 for 10% off (this is my affiliate code) • My favorite ezpz products if you’re just getting started with baby-led weaning are: • The Mini Mat • The First Foods Set • The Tiny Cup • The Tiny Spoons • The Tiny Bowl • Also ezpz has a pet line & it’s called ONO (...as in “Oh, no!” - the words you say when your pet tips their bowl!) The pet bowls are silicone suction ezpz bowls for your animal and the code KATIE10 also works for 10% off on their website here.  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#113: Your baby does not need solid foods at 4 or 5 months…but that does not mean there is nothing to do. In this episode, I’m walking you through the pre-feeding skills that help your baby get ready for a safer, smoother start to solid foods at 6 months. We’ll cover what to practice now, what not to rush, and how to use this waiting window to feel more confident before that first bite. Listen to this episode to learn: 1.  Why your baby does not need solid foods at 4 or 5 months…and what you can focus on instead 2.  How to practice pre-feeding skills like sitting, mouthing, and high chair acclimation before the first bite 3. What gear, safety steps, and readiness signs to have in place before starting solid foods at 6 months  Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/113 Links from This Episode: • Check out the ezpz Oral Development Tools as a good activity for 4-5 month olds in the pre-feeding phase and get 15% off when you purchase ezpz using the affiliate discount code BABYLED here: ezpzfun.com/BABYLED?q=oral-development-tools  • Marsha Dunn Klein’s teether heart is available at 20% off with code MARSHA20 here • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠  and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners⁠ Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 290 - Pre-Feeding Skills: What Can My Baby Do Before Beginning Solid Foods? with Marsha Dunn Klein OTR/L, MEd, FAOTA • Episode 338 - Breastmilk Popsicles? Try this Pre-Feeding Activity with Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called ⁠BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS⁠. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. ⁠CLICK HERE TO JOIN⁠ and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow ⁠@babyledweanteam⁠ on Instagram and our ⁠Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel⁠ for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. ⁠Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts⁠ or ⁠rate this show on Spotify podcasts⁠ and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#112: If you’ve ever thought, I do not want my baby to grow up with all of the messed up food stuff I grew up with, this episode is for you. In this conversation, registered dietitian Vanessa Rissetto joins me to talk about diet culture, the pressure parents feel around feeding, and how to start fostering a healthier relationship with food for your baby from the very beginning. Vanessa breaks down what diet culture actually looks like in real life, how our own food beliefs can shape the way we feed our kids, and why less pressure around eating often leads to better outcomes over time. We also talk about food language, feeding dynamics at home, and simple ways to help your child feel more comfortable and confident around food. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How to lay off the pressure around kids eating...and practical tips for being less food focussed around children 2. Which words to use when discussing food with your babies and children to help them have positive associations with food instead of food-related phobias 3. Why parents feel pressure from outside sources to give in to the diet culture...with a discussion on what the diet culture really even is (and isn’t!) Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/112 Links from This Episode: • Follow Vanessa Rissetto on FB here • Follow Vanessa on Instagram at @vanessarissetord • Follow Culina Health (her private practice) on Instagram at @culinahealth • Read Blog here • Learn more about the NYU dietetic internship where Vanessa is the director here  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 72 - How to Create a Pressure-Free Feeding Environment with Jessica Setnick, MS, RD, CEDRD-S • Episode 174 - Fostering Food Neutrality from Baby's First Bites with @raisingbodypositivekids Riley Peterson, RD • Episode 210 - How to Raise an Intuitive Eater: Part I with Sumner Brooks, MPH, RD, CEDRD 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#111: What should you actually buy at the grocery store when your baby is getting ready to start solid foods? In this episode, I’m walking you through a simple first-week grocery list for baby-led weaning: what to buy, what to skip, and why you do not need special “baby” foods to give your baby a safe start. From produce to proteins, allergenic foods, dairy, and the baby food aisle, you’ll learn how to shop smarter without spending a ton of money or second-guessing every label. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. What foods to buy for your baby’s first week of baby-led weaning without overcomplicating your grocery list 2. How to spot foods that can be made safe for early eaters using the squish test and right sizing 3. Why you can skip most “baby” foods at the store and focus on real foods your family already eats Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/111 Links from This Episode: • Download your copy of the free Baby-Led Weaning Pantry Planning Guide here https://babyledweaning.co/resources • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 91 - Pantry Planning for Baby-Led Weaning • Episode 317 - Trader Joe's: 10 BLW Foods to Buy from Trader Joe's 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#110: If your baby is on the smaller side and you’ve been told to start solid foods early to help your baby gain weight, this episode is for you. That advice can feel scary and confusing, especially if your baby is not showing the signs of readiness to start solid foods yet. In this episode, pediatric dietitian Rosan Meyer, PhD, RD explains why starting solid foods early will not help with catch-up weight, what growth charts are actually telling you, and why milk feeds, not solid foods, are the priority when weight gain is a concern. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How to tell the difference between normal growth variation and true growth faltering when you look at your baby’s growth chart 2. What catch-up growth really means, and why starting solid foods early is not the right strategy for helping your baby gain weight 3. Why shared decision making with your practitioner matters when setting safe, realistic feeding goals for your baby Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/110 Links from This Episode: • Rosan Meyer’s website for her pediatric nutrition practice Step by Step Kidz Nutrition is here  • You can follow Rosan on Twitter here and Instagram here • The video about obtaining infant length and height measurements Rosan mentioned in the interview is located here  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#109: Still stuck in puree mode, but know your baby needs to move to finger foods? In this episode, you’ll learn exactly how to transition from spoon-feeding to baby-led weaning, what to do if you started too early, and how to offer finger foods safely without second-guessing every bite. And even if finger foods still feel a little scary right now, if your baby is ready, I’m going to help you feel more confident taking that next step. Listen to this episode to learn: 1.  What to do if you started with purees but want to switch to baby-led weaning without feeling like you messed anything up 2. How to move from spoon-feeding to finger foods safely, including when to use the pre-loaded spoon approach 3. Why finger foods may feel scary at first, but can absolutely be doable when your baby is ready and you have the right plan Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/109 Links from This Episode: • The Tiny Spoon from ezpz is my favorite for using the pre-loaded spoon approach. Get 15% off all ezpz feeding gear when you check out using the code BABYLED here: https://ezpzfun.com/BABYLED • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic:• Episode 5 - The Purees for a Few Days™ Approach to Starting Solid Foods with Baby-Led Weaning: a Feeding Guide • Episode 149 - Pouches: Why Your Baby Doesn't Need to Suck Pureed Food Out of Pouches with @msdawnslp Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP • Episode 343 - Is 8 Months Too Late to Switch to Finger Foods? 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called ⁠BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS⁠. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. ⁠CLICK HERE TO JOIN⁠ and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow ⁠@babyledweanteam⁠ on Instagram and our ⁠Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel⁠ for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. ⁠Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts⁠ or ⁠rate this show on Spotify podcasts⁠ and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#108: Do babies need probiotics? If you’ve been hearing all the buzz about gut health, the microbiome, and supplements — and wondering whether your baby needs probiotics too — this episode will help you cut through the noise. In this episode, registered dietitians James Marin, RD, EN and Dahlia Marin, RDN, LD of Married to Health break down what parents actually need to know about probiotics for babies. Learn how your baby’s microbiome develops, when probiotic supplements may or may not make sense, and why a food-first approach is often the better place to start. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How your baby’s microbiome develops — and which environmental and feeding factors can shape gut health early on 2. Why probiotics and other gut health supplements are not always necessary for babies — and when a food-first approach may make more sense 3. What James and Dahlia Marin, a married dietitian team, see in their nutrition practice when parents ask about probiotics, supplements, and supporting baby gut health through real food Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/108 Links from This Episode: • James & Dahlia’s website MARRIED TO HEALTH is here • Follow @marriedothealth on Instagram here  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#107: Heading back to work and wondering if baby-led weaning can still work for your family? In this episode, you’ll hear from three real moms who share how they balanced work, daycare, and starting solid foods…all without giving up on their goal of raising an independent eater. And if daycare is the part you’re most worried about, grab my free guide How to Be a Baby-Led Weaning Advocate at Daycare at babyledweaning.co/resources (...it has the exact scripts to use with your daycare to get them on board with this feeding approach!) Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why your baby still deserve to learn how to self-feed…even if you’re going back to work. 2. How three real moms handled daycare, schedules, and the logistics of starting solid foods. 3. Which practical tips can make BLW feel doable in real life…even if you hate meal-prepping. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/107 Links from This Episode: • Download the free feeding guide “How to Be a Baby-Led Weaning Advocate at Daycare” (...with the exact scripts to use at daycare) here: www.babyledweaning.co/resources • Get 15% off ezpz suction mats, bowls WITH LIDS when you checkout using the affiliate discount code BABYLED - click here to shop: https://ezpzfun.com/BABYLED • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠ and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 265 - BLW at Daycare: How These Parents Made it Work  • Episode 381 - When Can I Start Sending Food to Daycare? with Yesenia Jacobo • Episode 453 - Daycare: How Can I Get Caregivers on Board with Baby-Led Weaning 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called ⁠BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS⁠. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. ⁠CLICK HERE TO JOIN⁠ and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow ⁠@babyledweanteam⁠ on Instagram and our ⁠Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel⁠ for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. ⁠Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts⁠ or ⁠rate this show on Spotify podcasts⁠ and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#106: Want your baby to eat modified versions of the same meals the rest of the family is eating…without making separate food? In this episode, Ellie Krieger, RD shares practical one-pot, one-pan, and sheet pan meal ideas that make baby-led weaning easier, faster, and less stressful. You’ll learn how to adapt family meals for your baby, offer real flavor without relying on salt, and make wholesome food without spending all day in the kitchen. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. What convenience foods Ellie Krieger relies on to save time in the kitchen while still making wholesome meals your whole family can eat 2. Why family meals matter so much, and how to make one-pot or one-pan dinners work even if you’re busy, tired, or not super confident in the kitchen 3. How Ellie’s training as a registered dietitian shapes her practical approach to flavor, nutrition, and feeding your family real food Shownotes for this episode can be found here: ⁠https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/106⁠ Links from This Episode: • To read more about Ellie Krieger ⁠HERE⁠ • Follow on IG⁠ HERE⁠, FB ⁠HERE⁠, Twitter ⁠HERE⁠, Pinterest ⁠HERE⁠ • Link to a list of all books ⁠HERE⁠ • Link to “Ellie’s Real Good Food's", ⁠EPISODE RECIPES⁠ • Link to articles ⁠HERE⁠ • Join Ellie’s online Crafty cooking classes ⁠HERE⁠ • Purchase Ellie Krieger’s book: Whole In One: on Amazon ⁠HERE⁠  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠ and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners⁠ 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called ⁠BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS⁠. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. ⁠CLICK HERE TO JOIN⁠ and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow ⁠@babyledweanteam⁠ on Instagram and our ⁠Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel⁠ for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. ⁠Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts⁠ or ⁠rate this show on Spotify podcasts⁠ and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#105: If the mess of baby-led weaning feels overwhelming, you are not alone. In this episode, I’m breaking down 5 practical survival skills to help you manage the mess without getting in the way of self-feeding. Listen to this episode to learn: 1.  How to handle the baby-led weaning mess without getting in the way of self-feeding 2. What bibs, mats, bowls, and cleanup strategies actually make mealtimes easier 3. Why a little mess is part of learning how to eat — and how to keep it from overwhelming you Shownotes for this episode can be found here: ⁠https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/105⁠ Links from This Episode: • Bapron Baby bapron bibs are ⁠here⁠. • The “toddler” size says it’s for 6 months to 3 years; I’ve never had babies be able to wear this size after 2 but this is the size you get for infants starting solids • The “preschool” sizes says it’s for age 3+ but again, my kids and families usually transition to this seize around age 2 • The code KATIE10 gets you 10% off everything at ⁠bapronbaby.com⁠  • Bapron Baby splash mats are ⁠here⁠. These are pricier than other splash mats, but definitely worth it. The material is really durable, non-plastic, can rinse in your kitchen sink & reuse and they’re huge, can put under 2 high chairs at a time or use as a picnic blanket. Code KATIE10 works for 10% off at ⁠bapronbaby.com⁠ for these too. • The silicone suction mats and bowls I use are from ezpz. The products I like most for BLw are: • The ⁠ezpz First Foods Set⁠: everything you need to get a safe start to solid food, includes a ⁠Tiny Bowl⁠, 2-pack of Tiny Spoons and the Tiny Cup • The ⁠Mini Bowl⁠ & ⁠Mini Mat⁠. • Everything at ⁠ezpzfun.com⁠ is 10% off with code KATIE10 • The best non-toxic household cleaners I have used are from ⁠Branch Basics⁠. I love that they use the same concentrate to make every product in their lineup. You can get ⁠15% off their starter kits with the code KATIE15⁠ (spend a little more for the premium starter kit with the oxygen boost, it’s AMAZING for getting food stains out of clothes!) • Blog Post: 5 Benefits of Using a Suction Mat or Bowl is ⁠here⁠  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠  and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners⁠ 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called ⁠BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS⁠. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. ⁠CLICK HERE TO JOIN⁠ and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow ⁠@babyledweanteam⁠ on Instagram and our ⁠Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel⁠ for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. ⁠Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts⁠ or ⁠rate this show on Spotify podcasts⁠ and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#104: Iron is one of the nutrients parents worry about most when starting solid foods, and this episode introduces a surprisingly simple tool that may help. I’m joined by Gavin Armstrong, PhD, founder of Lucky Iron Fish, to talk about how this iron cooking tool works, how families use it in real life, and what parents should know about safety and iron intake for babies. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How the Lucky Iron Fish works in everyday cooking to help increase iron in the foods your baby is already eating 2. Why iron matters so much when your baby is starting solid foods, and what simple strategies can help support iron intake and absorption 3. What Gavin Armstrong, PhD learned from developing the Lucky Iron Fish and how that idea grew into a tool used by families around the world. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/104 Links from This Episode: • Learn more about Founder & CEO Gavin Armstrong on his Webpage and Linkedin here • Additional information about the clinical research related to the Lucky Iron Fish is here • Follow Lucky Iron Fish on IG and Twitter  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#103: Not sure what to feed your baby in the very first week of starting solid foods? In this episode, I’m walking you through a simple 7-day syllabus featuring 5 easy baby-led weaning foods every baby can easily eat. I call it a syllabus because, just like any good course, this week gives you a clear structure, a logical starting point, and a step-by-step roadmap so you can begin with less overwhelm and more confidence. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How to take the guesswork out of the first week of starting solid foods so that you can just sit down and enjoy this special time with your baby 2. Which 5 foods to offer during that first week from this structured syllabus that will make you feel more confident 3. How offering 1 new food a day + reintroducing familiar foods from previous days builds your baby’s diet diversity  Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/103 Links from This Episode: • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠  and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#102 In Part 2 of this conversation with Gill Rapley, PhD, the founding philosopher of the baby-led weaning approach, we look ahead at the future of baby-led weaning. Gill shares where she hopes the research will go, how social media has both helped and complicated the conversation around baby-led weaning, and why trust, respect, and shared family meals remain at the heart of the philosophy. We also explore how healthcare providers, therapists, and parents can better support your baby’s ability to self-feed, while rethinking outdated ideas about spoon-feeding, oral skill development, and how babies learn to eat. Listen to this episode to learn: 1.  How parents can step back from controlling feeding and start trusting your baby’s natural ability to self-feed from 6 months on 2. Why Gill Rapley challenges the idea of repeatedly pushing foods until a baby “accepts” them, and how that changes the way we think about starting solid foods 3. What role social media has played in shaping the future of baby-led weaning, for better and for worse, and why Gill chooses not to police online baby-led weaning conversations Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/102 Links from This Episode: • Listen to part 1 of this interview with Gill Rapley in episode 100 “The History of Baby-Led Weaning with its Founding Philosopher Gill Rapley, PhD” (Part 1) here • The original BLW book “Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide” that Gill Rapley co-authored has been completely overhauled and updated for its 10th anniversary edition and is available here  • Her website is rapleyweaning.com. • She spoke at length about the importance of Amy Brown’s research on baby-led weaning. My podcast interview with her “The Evidence Behind Baby-Led Weaning with Amy Brown, PhD” is available here. • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#101: Should your baby learn to drink from an open cup or a straw cup first? In this episode, pediatric swallowing specialist Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP, explains why open cup drinking comes first, how it supports feeding and speech development, and when to introduce a straw cup. You’ll learn the developmental reasons behind both skills and how to help your baby build confidence with drinking at mealtimes. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. What feeding and speech milestones are tied to open cup and straw cup drinking, and why open cup practice comes first 2. Why Dawn’s straw cup design includes a beginner side and an advanced side, and how both support safer, more independent drinking 3. How Dawn’s 3-phase developmental drinking approach helps your baby build age-appropriate cup drinking skills step by step. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/101 Links from This Episode: • Check out Dawn’s website at msdawnslp.com and follow her on Instagram @msdawnslp • Ezpz Mini Cup + Straw System use code BABYLED for 15% off at ezpzfun.com  • This is the ezpz Developmental Cup Set that parents love and get 15% off with the code BABYLED here (this is an affiliate link) • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 24 - Water: When to Offer Your Baby Water and How Much • Episode 40 - 6 Reasons to Skip the Sippy Cup with Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#100: Gill Rapley, PhD helped give baby-led weaning its name, and more importantly, its philosophy: feeding led by your baby, not done to your baby. In Part 1 of our interview, Gill shares how baby-led weaning took shape, why waiting until babies are truly ready matters, and what she says to the skeptics who still doubt a baby’s ability to self-feed. Listen to this episode to learn: 1.  How Gill’s work as a UK health visitor led her to a simple insight: many babies aren’t refusing food, they’re resisting being fed 2. Why baby-led weaning challenged the “normal” approach to starting solid foods, and what Gill says to the skeptics 3. How she and Tracey Murkett turned parent questions and real-life feeding observations into Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide This interview is part of a 2-part series with Gill Rapley, PhD. In this episode (100) we cover the history of baby-led weaning with its founding philosopher. In the next interview with Gill (102) we will talk about her ideas for the future of BLW and where she sees the movement going and what she would like to see more of (and less of) when it comes to promoting self-feeding from baby’s first bites. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: ⁠https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/100 Links from This Episode: • Gill Rapley’s book “Baby-Led Weaning: Completely Updated and Expanded Tenth Anniversary” edition available on Amazon here (this is an affiliate link). • Her website is rapleyweaning.com. • She spoke at length about the importance of Amy Brown’s research on baby-led weaning. My podcast interview with her “The Evidence Behind Baby-Led Weaning with Amy Brown, PhD” is available here. • Listen to part 2 of this interview with Gill Rapley in episode 102, “The Future of BLW with its Founding Philosopher Gill Rapley, PhD (Part 2)” here.  🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called ⁠BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS⁠. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. ⁠CLICK HERE TO JOIN⁠ and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow ⁠@babyledweanteam⁠ on Instagram and our ⁠Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel⁠ for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. ⁠Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts⁠ or ⁠rate this show on Spotify podcasts⁠ and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#99: Organic foods can feel like the “best” choice for your baby…until you’re staring at the price tag and wondering if you’re cutting corners if you buy conventional. In this episode, I break down what the word organic actually means, what it changes (and what it doesn’t), and how to shop confidently on any budget, so that your baby can eat more fruits, veggies, and real foods without you feeling guilty or breaking the bank. Listen to this episode to learn: 1.  What “organic” really means on food labels (and what it doesn’t). 2. Why organic foods aren’t automatically more nutritious than conventional options. 3. How to shop for fruits and vegetables with confidence, on any budget, without the guilt. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/99 Links from This Episode: • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#98: Picky eating can feel like it comes out of nowhere…one day your baby eats everything and then the next day - boom - you have a picky eater on your hands. But did we maybe make picky eating up? In this episode, I’m talking with food historian Helen Zoe Veit, author of Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History. Helen helps us zoom out and understand how picky eating became such a big part of modern childhood…and what changed in our food culture to get us here. Listen to this episode to learn: 1.  Which foods kids used to eat willingly and how whack-o the picky eating landscape is today 2. How to avoid early kid food traps to help your child experience “pleasant hunger” at mealtimes 3. Where Helen’s mealtime confidence superpower comes from and how it keeps picky eating at bay Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/98 Links from This Episode: • Buy Helen’s book Picky on Amazon here (this is an affiliate link):https://amzn.to/3ZYM261  • Visit Helen’s Michigan State University Faculty Page here: https://history.msu.edu/people/faculty/helen-veit/ • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 36 - Preventing Severe Picky Eating from Your Baby's First Bites with Dr. Katja Rowell • Episode 306 - Picky Eating Prevention Tips with Stephanie Cohen, MA, CCC-SLP, CLC  • Episode 462 - Is this Picky Eating or ARFID? with Rosan Meyer, PhD, RD 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#97 Mushrooms are one of the trickiest textured foods to offer safely to your baby…because that rubbery, spongy texture can make it hard for early eaters to manage. In this episode, I’m breaking down why sautéed mushrooms don’t reliably pass the squish test for 6–7 month olds, when your baby can try mushrooms, and why they’re worth working in early and often. Then I’ll walk you through two of my favorite ways to make mushrooms safe for baby-led weaning. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why mushrooms are one of the trickiest textured foods for early eaters…and why sautéed mushrooms don’t reliably pass the squish test for 6–7 month olds 2. When your baby can try mushrooms (and how to think about frequency and “how much” without stressing about exact intake) 3. How to offer mushrooms safely as a finger food so your baby can actually self-feed this fabulous food Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/97 Links from This Episode: • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 33 - Salt: 3 Easy Ways to Minimize Sodium for Your Baby  • Episode 75 - Canned Foods that CAN Work for Baby-Led Weaning 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#96: If you want to do baby-led weaning but you’re worried your pediatrician won’t support it, this episode will help you walk into that conversation with more confidence. You’ll learn what to say when a doctor raises concerns about choking, gagging, allergenic foods, or “what to feed,” plus how to tell the difference between a true medical red flag and a provider who just isn’t up to date. Pediatrician and mom of two Mona Amin, DO (@pedsdoctalk) also shares what starting solid foods looked like with her first baby—and what changed (a lot!) with her second—so you can feel more prepared no matter what your feeding journey looks like. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How to talk to your pediatrician about baby-led weaning when they’re skeptical, without getting defensive or backing down 2. What to say when the concerns are choking, gagging, allergenic foods, or iron (and how to separate real medical issues from outdated advice) 3. Why starting solid foods looked different from baby to baby and how Dr. Mona handled baby-led weaning differently with her second baby Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/96 Links from This Episode: • Follow Dr. Mona Amin on Instagram @pedsdoctalk • Check out Dr. Mona’s podcast The Peds Doc Talk podcast here • Her website is here & her YouTube Channel is here • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 58 “What do I do if My Baby Has an Allergic Reaction? with Ron Sunog, MD” here • Episode 84 “Why You DON'T Need to Wait 3-5 Days Between New Foods with Carina Venter, PhD, RD” here • Episode 380 - Why Doctors STILL Aren't Talking About Introducing Allergenic Foods with Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#95 Slippery foods like avocado, ripe pear, banana, and cooked apples can be frustrating for your baby to pick up…especially early on before that pincer grasp kicks in. In this episode, I’m sharing 5 quick “roll it in this” ingredient hacks that add traction and help you sneak in a little extra iron while your baby practices self-feeding. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How to make slippery foods (like avocado, banana, pears, and cooked apples) easier for your baby to pick up…without taking over the feeding. 2. Why adding an iron “coating” is a simple way to boost iron intake when your baby is starting solid foods. 3. What 5 quick pantry ingredients you can use to add traction + iron in seconds, so meals feel less frustrating. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/95 Links from This Episode: • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 21 - 3 Easy Ways to Boost Your Baby’s Iron Absorption is here 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#94 Around 8 months, many babies start eating more confidently, drinking a little less milk, and transitioning from 3 naps to 2…so it can feel like your whole routine suddenly stops working. In this interview, pediatric sleep specialist Alejandra Zúñiga explains what’s happening during this “8-month reset,” how sleep impacts your baby’s attention at the table and family mealtimes, and what to tweak so sleep and starting solid foods can work together. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How to recognize the signs your baby is ready to move from 3 naps to 2 around 8 months 2. Why solid foods, milk intake changes, and sleep shifts can affect each other. 3. How to improve mealtime attention and family dynamics by understanding the role sleep plays at the table. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/94 Links from This Episode: • Visit Alejandra’s website for sleep help at https://www.easynightsgsc.com/  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 17 - Feeding Schedules: How Often Should I Feed My Baby? • Episode 146 - Setting Your Baby's Sleep Schedule when Starting Solids with @sleepfullbaby Aubrie DeBear, PsyD 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called ⁠BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS⁠. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. ⁠CLICK HERE TO JOIN⁠ and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow ⁠@babyledweanteam⁠ on Instagram and our ⁠Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel⁠ for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. ⁠Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts⁠ or ⁠rate this show on Spotify podcasts⁠ and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#93 If you offered a new food once and your baby wasn’t into it, that doesn’t mean it’s a “no”...it just means it needs to come back around in your rotation. In this mini training episode, I’ll show you a simple, realistic system for reintroducing familiar foods while you keep moving forward with one new food a day, including my easy plate formula and rotation routine. You’ll leave with a concrete action step you can use at your very next meal to build diet diversity into your feeding plan without overthinking it. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How to keep moving forward with one new food a day while still reintroducing familiar foods so they actually stick 2. Why “one-and-done” food exposures don’t build diet diversity…and what to do instead (even if your baby spits the first food out!) 3. What a simple, not-overwhelming plate and rotation routine looks like for your baby at different ages (6–7, 8–9, and 10+ months) Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/93 Links from This Episode: • Get 15% off all ezpz feeding gear with the code BABYLED when you shop here • My favorite ezpz bowl for introducing new finger foods is the ezpz Mini Bowl • My favorite ezpz mat for offering 3 different foods at a time is the ezpz Mini Mat • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 45 - How to Balance Your Baby’s BLW Plate is here 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#92: Ever wonder why some high chairs seem to “work” for starting solid foods while others leave your baby slumped, feet dangling, and frustrated? In this episode, I’m joined by physiotherapist and ergonomist Kirsti Vandraas to break down what a safe, supportive baby seat should actually do. We cover the key features that matter most for independent eating—like a stable base, an adjustable footrest, and a setup that lets your baby move their arms freely. Kirsti also explains why high chair designs and safety standards can vary between countries, and what parents can do to create a safer, more comfortable eating setup at home. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why high chair expectations differ in the U.S. vs. Europe, and how that shapes designs that bring your baby right up to the table for family meals (often without a tray). 2. How straps and restrictive setups can get in the way of functional movement at meals—and when kids are developmentally ready for more freedom in their seat. 3. Why a truly adjustable footrest matters for stability and torso control, supporting an upright “ready-to-eat” posture from your baby’s first bites. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/92 Links from This Episode: Stokke Tripp Trapp • The free tray gift with purchase offer is no longer available for the ⁠Tripp Trapp High Chair ⁠but you can get a free ⁠Tripp Trapp storage⁠ ($40 value) when you purchase the Tripp Trapp using the code BABYLED Stokke Clikk High Chair • The free storage bag offer is no longer available for the Stokke Clikk but you can get a free Clikk cushion ($49 value) when you purchase the ⁠Stokke Clikk high chair⁠ using the code BABYLED • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50  • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 7 - Why Your Baby’s High Chair Needs a Footrest • Episode 488 - Best High Chairs for Baby-Led Weaning • Episode 490 - Tripp Trapp vs. Nomi High Chair: Which One is Better? 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#91: Starting solid foods doesn’t mean buying special baby food, or adding weird ingredients to your shopping list. In this episode, I’m showing you how to use pantry staples you already have to support baby-led weaning. You’ll learn what to look for on labels, which shelf-stable foods actually work for babies, and how pantry planning can make offering new foods feel less overwhelming and more realistic. If starting solid foods feels expensive, confusing, or stressful, this episode will help you simplify and feel confident moving forward. Listen to this episode to learn: • Why you don’t need a separate “baby pantry” to start solid foods…and how to use shelf-stable foods you already have to support baby-led weaning • What to look for on food labels so you can quickly choose pantry foods that are low in sodium, free from added sugar, and appropriate for your baby • How pantry planning makes starting solid foods less overwhelming and helps you consistently offer a wider variety of foods with confidence Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/91 Links from This Episode: • Grab your free copy of the Baby-Led Weaning Pantry Planning guide by clicking here. • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 5 - The Purees for a Few Days™ Approach to Starting Solid Foods with Baby-Led Weaning: a Feeding Guide • Episode 75 - 10 Safe Canned Foods for Baby-Led Weaning: What to Buy (and What to Avoid)  • Episode 89 - Freezer Aisle Finds for Baby-Led Weaning 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#90: If you’re starting solid foods with your baby and feeding an older child who’s more selective, this episode is for you. In this throwback conversation, I’m joined by my oldest daughter Molly, who was six years old at the time of this recording (and is now eleven). As the big sister to six younger siblings who learned to eat using baby-led weaning, Molly had a front-row seat to what it looks like when babies are allowed to feed themselves, while older kids are still figuring out their own relationship with food. We talk about why baby-led weaning doesn’t promise to prevent picky eating (but can help make it less intense) and share practical ways to involve older siblings in the kitchen and at the table when your baby is learning how to eat. This episode is especially helpful if you’re worried about “messing it up again” with your baby or wondering how to manage different eating stages under the same roof. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why baby-led weaning doesn’t prevent picky eating—but can make it less intense and easier to manage 2. How to involve older siblings in the kitchen and at the table when your baby is starting solid foods 3. Practical ways to support a more selective eater without pressure while your baby learns to self-feed Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/90 Links from This Episode: • Little Partners Learning Tower - we have 2 of these that you pull up to the counter so your toddlers and bigger kids can safely help you cook. Linking to this tower on Amazon here (this is an affiliate link). • Check out Dani Lebovitz’s books about fruits and vegetables… she has tons of resources for getting kids more aware about produce, teaching them in age appropriate ways & her site with all of her resources is here and she’s on Instagram @kids.food.explorers  • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and get $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#89 The freezer aisle isn’t off-limits when you’re starting solid foods…you just need to know what to look for. In this episode, I’m breaking down 5 freezer aisle finds that actually work for baby-led weaning, including what to check on labels and how to serve these foods safely to your baby. If you’ve been avoiding the middle of the store because you thought frozen foods were packed with junk your baby shouldn’t eat, this episode just might change how you shop! Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Which frozen foods are actually safe for baby-led weaning…and how to spot low-sodium, no–added sugar options without overthinking labels 2. How to save time and mental energy while starting solid foods, using freezer aisle staples that work for real life, not just Pinterest boards 3. What it’s like to feel more confident at the grocery store, knowing what to buy, what to skip, and how frozen foods can fit into feeding your baby safely Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/89 Links from This Episode: • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and get $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 •  Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 33 - Salt: 3 Easy Ways to Minimize Sodium for Your Baby • Episode 75 - 10 Safe Canned Foods for Baby-Led Weaning: What to Buy (and What to Avoid) • Episode 111 - Grocery Shopping for BLW: Stocking Up Smart & What to Skip 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#88: Many parents come into starting solid foods carrying their own food baggage harboring worries about picky eating, pressure at the table, or repeating patterns from their own childhood. It’s easy to fear projecting those concerns onto your baby before they’ve even taken their first bites. In this episode, pediatrician and trained chef Dr. Julia Nordgren shares how to write your family’s food story from a blank slate. We talk about reducing pressure, focusing on exposure over perfection, involving kids with food at every age, and building a positive, confident relationship with eating from the very beginning. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Learn how to start solid foods with a blank slate, even if you’re worried about picky eating or repeating unhealthy food patterns from your own childhood. 2. Get practical, pressure-free strategies for building a positive relationship with food from your baby’s first bites through the toddler years. 3. Feel reassured and supported by a pediatrician who understands real family life — and shows you how small, intentional choices around food can make a big difference. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/88 Links from This Episode: • Dr. Julia Cooks website is here: https://www.drjuliacooks.com/  • The New Family Table: Cooking More, Eating Together, and Staying (Relatively) Sane is available on Amazon (this is an affiliate link) here https://amzn.to/3gOipwB  • The Great Courses’ How Superfoods Work audiobook with Dr. Julia Nordgren https://www.audible.com/pd/How-Superfoods-Work-Audiobook/B08B46DVWW   • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#87: I’ve been a dietitian for 25 years and teaching baby-led weaning exclusively for almost a decade…but that doesn’t mean I didn’t make mistakes when my own babies were starting solid foods. In this episode, I’m getting personal and sharing 7 baby-led weaning mistakes I made when my quadruplets first started eating real food. Looking back at old photos and videos, I cringe…but my goal is to help you avoid the common (and totally preventable) missteps that can make starting solid foods more stressful or less safe than it needs to be. You’ll hear what I got wrong, why it matters, and what I’d do differently now, so you can skip these mistakes, feel more confident, and focus on helping your baby safely learn how to eat. And if you’ve already made some of these same mistakes? No guilt. Starting solid foods is a learning process for parents too. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why some of the most common baby-led weaning mistakes feel safer in the moment but can actually make starting solid foods harder or less safe for your baby. 2. What I would do differently now when it comes to food size, seating, cups, and managing expectations in the early weeks of starting solid foods. 3. How to course-correct if you’ve already made these same mistakes so your baby can keep building safe, confident eating skills. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/87 Links from This Episode: • The silicone suction mats and bowls I use are from the company ezpz; you can get 15% off all ezpz feeding gear with the affiliate discount code BABYLED when you shop here • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and get $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other episodes related to this topic: • Episode 5 - The Purees for a Few Days™ Approach to Starting Solid Foods with Baby-Led Weaning: a Feeding Guide • Episode 10 - 5 Feeding Mistakes Most Parents Make...and How You Can Avoid Them • Episode 40 - 6 Reasons to Skip the Sippy Cup with Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#86: The real foods your baby learns to eat don’t just provide nutrition, they also help build the jaw, shape the airway, and influence how your baby breathes and sleeps. When babies learn to chew real, safe foods instead of relying only on soft purées, they’re doing important developmental work with their mouths that supports healthy jaw and facial growth. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Kevin Boyd, DDS, MS, a board-certified pediatric dentist with a background in human nutrition who specializes in airway-focused dentistry. We talk about how early feeding experiences influence jaw and airway development, why food texture matters when starting solid foods, and how these ideas align with baby-led weaning. You’ll learn what to watch for as early signs of airway or jaw development concerns, what evolutionary data tells us about how babies were meant to learn to eat, and simple ways to support healthy oral development from the very beginning. If you’re starting solid foods and want to understand how feeding impacts more than just nutrition, this episode offers a whole new perspective on first foods. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How chewing real, safe foods actually does for your baby’s jaw and airway development and why this matters far beyond nutrition 2. Why the textures your baby is exposed to when starting solid foods can influence breathing patterns, sleep quality, and long-term oral health 3. Which types of real, safe first foods best support chewing skills and healthy jaw development when starting solid foods Shownotes for this episode can be found here: ⁠https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/86⁠ Links from This Episode: • Find an Airway Health Solutions Airway Dentist near you using this locator: https://airwayhealthsolutions.com/locator • Watch this training video by Ben Miraglia, DDS about Intercepting Sleep Disordered Breathing: https://airwayhealthsolutions.com/video • Children's Airway First Foundation website is at: • CAFF Website: https://www.childrensairwayfirst.org/ • REBIS Integrated Multidisciplinary Sleep Health Website: https://www.rebishealth.org/ • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠  and get $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners⁠ Other episodes related to this topic: • Episode 144 - What Did Babies Eat Before Baby Food was Invented? with Amy Bentley, PhD • Episode 466 - Beginnings of a Bad Bite: How Purees Impact Jaw Growth with Ben Miraglia, DDS •  Episode 260 - Adapted Baby-Led Weaning for Children with Developmental Delays with Gill Rapley, PhD and Jill Rabin, MS, CCC-SLP/L, IBCLC 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called ⁠BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS⁠. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. ⁠CLICK HERE TO JOIN⁠ and save $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow ⁠@babyledweanteam⁠ on Instagram and our ⁠Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel⁠ for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. ⁠Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts⁠ or ⁠rate this show on Spotify podcasts⁠ and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#85: Sardines are one of the best baby foods out there. You might personally not like sardines...a lot of people don’t, but don’t discount sardines for baby-led weaning. Sardines are packed with nutrition, they represent unique taste and texture opportunities for your baby, plus sardines are an easy way to introduce your baby to one of the potentially allergenic food categories: fish. I’m going to make a sardine lover out of you in this episode! Join me as I walk you through the best ways to select and serve sardines to your baby safely. I’m also sharing some of the exact types of canned sardines you can get for your baby and additional baby-led weaning recipes for safely feeding your baby fish, including sardines!  Listen to this episode to learn: 1. WHY sardines are a nutrition powerhouse and how they contain 2 specific nutrients that you can’t get almost anywhere else in the diet 2. HOW to select sardines because there are a lot of options on the shelves at your grocery store, but just a few of them really are appropriate for baby-led weaning 3. HOW to offer baby sardines: do you add extra oil, serve in marinara sauce, spread on low sodium sauce. And what about eating the bones and the skin? Spoiler alert: you can! Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/85 Links from This Episode: • FDA Advice for Fish for Pregnant Women and Small Children: https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/advice-about-eating-fish • Wild Planet Wild Sardines in Water, No Added Salt: https://wildplanetfoods.com/product/wild-sardines-in-water-no-salt-added/ • Wild Planet Wild Sardines Skinless & Boneless Filets in Extra Virgin Olive Oil https://wildplanetfoods.com/product/wild-sardines-skinless-boneless-filletsin-extra-virgin-olive-oil-4-25oz/   • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and get $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and save $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#84: Have you been told to wait 3–5 days between introducing new foods to your baby? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Carina Venter, PhD, RD—one of the world’s leading experts in pediatric food allergy prevention—to explain why this advice is outdated and unsupported by research. We break down when allergic reactions actually occur, why introducing one or more new foods per day is safe, and how unnecessary delays can limit diet diversity during a critical window for learning to eat. If you’re confused by conflicting advice from healthcare providers, this conversation will help you move forward with confidence. Listen to this episode to learn: 1.  Why the 3–5 day waiting rule for new foods is outdated and what the research actually shows about allergic reactions. 2.  What safe and effective new-food introduction looks like, including how often your baby can try new foods without increasing risk. 3. Who is driving modern, evidence-based guidance on food allergy prevention and how that research applies to starting solid foods at home Shownotes for this episode can be found here: ⁠https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcst/84 Links from This Episode: • View Dr. Venter’s allergy-related research publications here: https://profiles.ucdenver.edu/display/14733584 • Dietitians earn your FARE Certificate of Training in Pediatric Food Allergy in this 9-month (32 CPE) course Carina co-teaches for FARE • Check out the pediatric allergy product Carina Helped develop, Grow Happy here: https://letsgrowhappy.com/ and the code BABYLEDWEANING15 works for a discount here (this is not an affiliate code) • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠  and get $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50  • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners Other episodes related to this topic: • Episode 124 - Using an Egg Ladder for Babies with Egg Allergy with Carina Venter, PhD, RD • Episode 274 - Baby Has Skin Reactions to Milk, Egg and Peanut: What Should I Do Next? with Carina Venter, PhD, RDN ⁠ • Episode 368 - Using a Milk Ladder for Babies with Dairy Allergy with Carina Venter, PhD, RD 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called ⁠BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS⁠. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. ⁠CLICK HERE TO JOIN⁠ and save $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow ⁠@babyledweanteam⁠ on Instagram and our ⁠Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel⁠ for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. ⁠Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts⁠ or ⁠rate this show on Spotify podcasts⁠ and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices