Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro

#275: How can babies safely learn to eat soy? These are 3 of my favorite ways to offer your baby the potentially allergenic food soy…with 3 reasons why I don’t love soy milk for babies.   More baby-led weaning soy information is in Episode 37 - Soy: How to Introduce Your Baby to this Potentially Allergenic Food   Shownotes with all the links mentioned in this episode (and the Edamame Hummus recipe...

#274: What if your baby tries a new food and then gets a rash on their face? Or what if you’re doing one of the allergenic foods early on in infant feeding, let’s say cow’s milk, egg or peanut to name the 3 most common pediatric food allergies…and baby gets hives - but the baby isn’t in distress or showing any of the other signs of allergic reaction and the skin stuff goes away on its own…do you i...

#273: Can babies safely eat flaxseed? What about babies and chia seed? In this episode I’m weighing the pros and cons of flaxseed meal and chia seed when feeding babies, looking at cost considerations, nutrition profile, how you can use each and why they both work (decently) as an egg substitute when you’re making BLW fritters.   Get your copy of the 100 FIRST FOODS list on Katie’s free BABY-LED W...

#272: Should I buy organic dairy foods for my baby? In this episode Britt Lundgren, the Senior Director of Sustainability for Stonyfield Farm chats about the differences between organic and conventional dairy foods. We’re chatting through all of the benefits of organic dairy farming and organic dairy foods, from environmental to nutrition, sustainability, profitability and wellbeing of the dairy f...

#271: What do I absolutely need to know to give my baby a safe start to solid foods? How do I know if my baby is ready to eat? And what things might go wrong once we do start trying real food?    If you’re overwhelmed or confused about starting solid foods, the BABY-LED WEANING BOOTCAMP is a 3-day online training designed to teach you everything you need to know to give your baby a safe start to s...

#270: Every baby is different…especially when it comes to starting solid foods. In this episode I’m sharing 10 tips I learned recently from helping 10 different babies start baby-led weaning. From how long to wait after a bottle feed to do food to whether or not you need the straps on your high chair early on in eating, I hope these 10 experiences will help set the stage for your baby to get a saf...

#269: Is it safe to offer babies agave? Is it really a “natural” sugar and is it less harmful for babies than other added sugars? In this episodes we’re looking at agave and whether it is a food to include in the infant weaning diet, potential health benefits and drawbacks for agave offered to infants. Get your copy of the 100 FIRST FOODS list on Katie’s free BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS worksho...

#268: Do you do baby-led weaning differently the second time around? I’m chatting with two-time mom Lauren McClure who did 100 FIRST FOODS with her daughter…and is now helping her son do the same, albeit with some different approaches to starting solid foods this time around. Lauren is chatting about which foods she now feels more comfortable feeding and what she would have done differently with h...

#267: Can babies safely eat fermented foods? Fermenting foods is one of the world’s oldest methods of preserving foods, with some pretty legit potential health benefits. In this episode we’re looking at what types of fermented foods babies can eat and why you might want to consider these, along with precautions for offering babies fermented foods too.   LISTEN to other gut health related BLW podca...

#266: What do I do if my baby is losing weight after we start solid foods? Rosan Meyer, PhD, RD is a pediatric dietitian specializing in infant growth and development. We’re breaking down the case of a breastfeeding mom with a 9 month old baby who had weight loss between doctor’s appointments. Rosan analyzes milk intake, feeding schedule and other possible causes for weight loss in this episode.  ...

#265: What if my baby goes to daycare but I want to do baby-led weaning? Maybe daycare has never HEARD of BLW…or they’ve never seen it done properly. Does that mean your baby doesn’t get the chance to self-feed from their first bites? No! In this episode we’re hearing from other parents who have done baby-led weaning successfully at daycare - and lived to talk about it! They’re sharing their best...

#264: If your baby does not eat, that does not make you a bad parent! Dr. Becky Kennedy from @drbeckygoodinside is on the BLW podcast helping us cool our jets when it comes to mealtime meltdowns with babies. Dr. Becky is a clinical psychologist and mom of 3 and she’s bringing the PEACE in this episode, chatting about: Positive language (with scripts!) to use when you feel stress rising about your...

#263: When should I give my baby iron drops…or are they a good idea at all? In this episode I’m walking you through the pros and cons of iron supplements, what the side effects are, why they can be dangerous for babies and children and how food can more often than not fix the iron intake problem so you don’t need supplements for your baby.   Get your copy of the 100 FIRST FOODS list on Katie’s fre...

#262: If you’ve ever felt like a feeding failure, Miranda James doesn’t want you to quit baby-led weaning. Miranda is a first time mom who really struggled when her baby started solid foods. Her family and husband didn’t support her baby self-feeding and she wondered if she was doing baby-led weaning right. Miranda shares her story about what kept her motivated to stay with BLW and why she’s glad...

#261: Does your high chair have an adjustable footrest? If not you can make your own. In this episode I’m sharing a few of my favorite DIY high chair hacks that will make it safer for your baby to eat…and that don’t cost you hardly any money to do so!   Other podcast episodes covering the topic of high chairs and high chair safety you might want to check out include: Episode 205 - High Chair Help:...

#260: Did you read any books about baby-led weaning before you started? Gill Rapley is the pioneer of BLW and co-author of the original baby-led weaning book…and Jill Rabin is a speech language pathologist and feeding therapist who adapted BLW for her work with babies with Down Syndrome and feeding challenges.    Gill and Jill just published a new book about Adapted Baby-Led Weaning called “Your b...

#259: If your family eats rice, you can modify the cooking method to help lower arsenic. In this episode we look at the pasta water cooking method for making rice lower in arsenic. By cooking your rice in a lot of water you can reduce arsenic without compromising too much other nutrition, particularly if you’re doing brown rice.    Other podcast episodes covering the topic of heavy metals in baby...

#258: What if my baby eats too much food? Can babies overeat with baby-led weaning? In this episode we’re exploring concerns from parents and caregivers about babies who (their words) “eat too much.” We’ll look at portion sizes…and why there are no set portion sizes for babies as well as safety concerns, hunger and fullness cues and then why your baby’s growth chart is actually the best indicator...

#257: It is not your job to make your baby eat…but you are responsible for what the baby eats, when they eat and where they eat. This is Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility in Feeding Theory in practice - but what if you’re not sure exactly WHAT the baby should be eating?   In this episode we’re looking at 4 super simple BLW food prep tips that will make your JOB of making safe foods for you...

#256: Is it ok to use oil when cooking for your baby? And what type of oil is best? In this episode we are exploring added fats for babies who are just starting solid foods. Oil is important for your baby’s brain health, for providing energy and it can help lubricate certain foods to make them safer to swallow.    Get your copy of the 100 FIRST FOODS list on Katie’s free BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGIN...

#255: I love a good failure reflection and this episode is FULL of it for you. If I were starting baby-led weaning all over again, here are 5 things I would do differently.    In order to bring you this episode, I went BACK into my phone to the very first few weeks of doing BLW with my baby quadruplets and cringed SO HARD at my mistakes.   My focus as a dietitian specializing in baby-led weaning i...

#254: How does my baby learn to chew and swallow food? In this episode Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP is explaining everything you ever wanted to know about how babies learn to chew and swallow food.    Dawn @msdawnslp is a baby-led weaning expert and product designer for ezpz. The baby-led weaning products she designed for babies 6-12 months mentioned in this episode are: The ezpz Tiny Spoons The e...

#253: How much salt or sodium is safe for babies to eat? In the United States we do not have clear-cut, evidence-based guidance for upper limits of sodium for infants…but other countries do have some standards for salt. In this episode we’re looking at what other countries’ nutrition and health bodies recommend as far as the amount of salt that babies can or should be eating.   If you’re intereste...

#252: Commercially prepared infant formula is a safe and effective substitute for human milk. Homemade infant formula has been linked to documented, serious injuries and negative health outcomes in babies. In this episode Farryl Bertmann, PhD, RDN joins me to talk about the risks and dangers of homemade infant formulas.    Farryl Bertmann is a Senior Lecturer in the UVM Nutrition and Food Sciences...

#251: Cutting foods the right shape and size is important for safe swallowing in baby-led weaning. In this episode I’m sharing some convenient kitchen tools for making BLW foods safe - many of which you probably already have in your kitchen!   Cutting Products Mentioned in this Episode include: OXO grape cutter  Crinkle cutter  Pineapple corer Egg slicer Pizza cutter   Other BABY-LED WEANING MADE...