Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro

#300: How strong is your baby’s mouth? Are there exercises or tools you can use to help strengthen your baby’s jaw or help them with tongue elevation or tongue lateralization? In this episode I’m interviewing Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP who is the mastermind behind ezpz’s brand new Oral Development Tools.  Dawn is walking us through the difference between her 3 oral development tools, explaining...

#299: How can I help my baby have a positive relationship with food? And what should I avoid to help reduce negative associations with food and feeding for my baby? In this episode we’re going through some easy ways to help reduce vomiting, choking, anxiety and stress at mealtimes so that your baby can have the most positive eating experience possible. 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 Other podcast episodes mention...

#298: Almost one-third of all food purchases in the United States go to waste. I know you are spending precious time and money prepping all these BLW foods for your baby and our guest Dana Gunders is intent on making sure you don’t waste food. Dana is a mom of 2 BLW grads, the Executive Director of ReFed and author of the Waste Free Kitchen Handbook. In this interview she’s sharing real actions yo...

#297: Nobody holds their baby’s development back on purpose…but there are feeding practices that can inadvertently be delaying your baby’s progression towards important milestones. In this episode I’m sharing 3 ways you could be holding your baby back at mealtimes - and then brainstorming on simple tweaks to help get your baby back on track with independent self-feeding. 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 One other p...

296: What’s YOUR biggest burning baby-led weaning question?! Wondering about gagging vs. choking, what to do if your baby breaks off a big bite in their mouth, switching from purees or how to handle allergic reactions? In this episode I’m answering 5 of the most asked baby-led weaning questions from all of 2022. These questions came from parents and caregivers on my free 1-hour video workshop call...

#295: Does baby-led weaning work? Is baby-led weaning safe? And how do I know if this is the right approach for starting solid foods with MY baby? In this episode I’m giving you a few key questions to ask yourself when you’re trying to figure out if baby-led weaning will work for YOUR baby. 🤔 🤔 🤔 🤔 🤔 Download the free feeding guide “WILL BABY-LED WEANING WORK FOR MY BABY?” This decision tree...

#294: What if you could grow the food that your baby eats? Even if you don’t have a green thumb, Brian Brigantti from @redleafranch is pretty convinced you CAN grow some of the super easy starter foods your baby is learning how to eat. Brian is a gardener and content creator who is sharing how you can knock 5 of the vegetables from the 100 FIRST FOODS list off by growing these yourself: carrots, b...

#293: Nobody really knows what’s going to happen in the next year, but we do know that there will be so many babies getting ready to start solid foods! In this episode, I’m walking you through all of the infant feeding trends and predictions that I see happening in 2023. Here’s to another year of babies starting solid foods safely with baby-led weaning! 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Your baby CAN safely learn to...

#292: As if food stuff and feeding families wasn’t stressful enough, tack the holidays on and in some families, it’s a recipe for disaster. My guest Libby Ward from @diaryofanhonestmom is here to help us with some coping tips when you hear things like, “I spoon-fed you and you turned out fine…” and other greatest hits from people who don’t fully understand or respect your parenting decisions.  In...

#291: There are a few things that people forget about baby-led weaning…but your baby can learn to self-feed safely! In this episode we’re looking at 3 things to help you stay in a positive mindset about baby-led weaning so that your baby can be successful at self-feeding when they start solid foods! 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Your baby CAN safely learn to eat 100 foods before turning 1.Get your copy of the 10...

#290: Pre-feeding skills are a set of accomplishments your baby is going to achieve prior to the time where they are able to independently self-feed. Marsha Dunn Klein, OTR/L, MEd, FAOTA literally wrote the book on pediatric feeding called Pre-Feeding Skills and she’s here to share some activities you and your baby can engage in even before they’re ready to start solid foods. From mouthing objects...

#289: There are so many foods your baby CAN eat…but a few feeding practices that can put them in danger or should be avoided. In this episode we’re looking at 5 feeding practices to avoid for baby-led weaning in order to keep your baby safe and successful at self-feeding when they start solid foods! 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 Other podcast episodes mentioned in this episode: Episode 64 - How to Pre-Load A BLW...

#288: Got some downtime over the holidays to squeeze in learning about starting solid foods safely?! If you’ve been meaning to figure out baby-led weaning, this episode has a few good ideas for getting yourself up to speed and helping your baby get ready to start solid foods. 🌱 🌱 🌱 🌱 🌱 NOMI high chair, get 25% off using the affiliate discount code KATIE25 at checkout with this link: https://r...

#287: Can babies eat prunes? Dried sticky fruits like prunes (...the fruit formerly known as “dried plums”) can be a choking hazard for early eaters. But prunes are a valuable source of nutrition and can help constipated babies…plus it’s super easy to modify them and make safe for baby-led weaning. 🚫 🚫 🚫 🚫 🚫 Download my free feeding guide: “15 FOODS NEVER TO FEED YOUR BABY” Click here for thi...

#286: Can babies be intolerant to dairy foods and cow’s milk protein? If your baby had blood and/or mucous in the stool early on in infancy you may have switched to a hypoallergenic formula or if breastfeeding then mom started cutting things out of her diet like dairy or soy. But when the baby starts eating solid foods do you have to still avoid these foods? My guest is leading pediatric food alle...

#285: Can babies drink plant based milks? And what are the best plant based milks for toddlers? In this episode we’re looking at the pros and cons of soy milk, pea milk, almond milk, rice drink, coconut milk and oat milk for children. We don’t substitute fluid cow’s milk or milk alternatives in place of infant milk prior to 12 months of age…but for families who don’t or can’t drink cow’s milk this...

#284: In order to safely start solid foods, babies should be able to sit on their own - relatively unassisted. But what does that mean? How long should they be able to sit for? What if they tripod?...does that count? Emma Hubbard is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist who is teaching about postural support for your baby when starting solid foods. In this interview Emma is explaining how your baby s...

#283: Babies can definitely eat meat…but there are a few CUTS of meat I steer clear of for early eaters. In this episode I’m walking you through the cuts of meat I don’t offer babies when it comes to beef, pork, poultry, lamb and shellfish.  🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 Other BABY-LED WEANING MADE EASY podcast episodes about drinking stuff for babies you might like are: Episode 177 - Red Meat Your Baby Can Safe...

#282: Did you know you shouldn’t cover your baby’s hands when they are practicing signs? Mary Smith from Sign ‘n Grow is on the podcast with great information about what to do and what to avoid when it comes to teaching baby’s sign language. Mary is an ASL Interpreter, author and mom and she is sharing her 3 favorite mealtime signs and a lot of other resources for showing your baby how to learn si...

#281: When should I offer my baby water out of the open cup? How much water do babies need? Does my baby even NEED any additional water? In this episode we’re looking at the reasons why you might want to WAIT when it comes to offering your infant water. 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 Other BABY-LED WEANING MADE EASY podcast episodes about drinking stuff for babies you might like are: Episode 113 - Transitioning t...

#280: If your grocery bill is breaking the bank, Hope Ware from Under the Median can help. Hope and her husband create content that help families “live abundantly…on a budget.” In this interview Hope is sharing some lesser known tips for saving money on groceries now that your baby is eating real food. She’s chatting about salvage stores, best buy dates, rain checks and the value of getting to kno...

#279: Batch cooking. Meal prepping. Mom life pipe dream or reality?! In this episode I’m sharing 4 easy baby-led weaning foods you can make ahead of time. Yes we want to introduce your baby to a wide variety of foods early and often - but you do NOT need to be cooking these from scratch every day…here’s how. 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 Other BABY-LED WEANING MADE EASY podcast episodes about safe food preparati...

#278: If you shop at Costco and you have a baby, these 2 things go very well together! Henry from the @costcodeals Instagram account is here to share some insider tips about shopping Costco for foods your baby can safely eat…before this interview I had no idea that the 2 numbers the product price ends in is secret Costco code for what is happening with that item in the store. Listen for great groc...

#277: Is baby-led weaning even worth it? Isn’t it cheaper to buy purees? I’m answering those questions plus giving you the top 10 reasons why BLW can make your life WAY easier. Shownotes with all the links mentioned in this episode (and the Edamame Hummus recipe) are here: https://blwpodcast.com/277 Get your copy of the 100 FIRST FOODS list on Katie’s free BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS workshop:...

#276: How long did your doctor wait to clamp the umbilical cord with your baby? If you’re like most parents, you probably have no idea. But the timing of cord clamping can have an impact on your baby’s iron status in infancy and later in life. Dr. Alan Greene is the founder of the TICC TOCC campaign (...long pre-dating that other Tik Tok :) and TICC TOCC stands for Transitioning Immediate Cord Cla...