

Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro
Katie Ferraro
Is your baby ready to start solid foods but you’re feeling overwhelmed or confused about baby-led weaning? Babies can eat so many more foods than we give them credit for and you don’t have to force-feed or spoon-feed to get them to eat real food!I’m Katie Ferraro, Registered Dietitian specializing in infant feeding and baby-led weaning. I’m a college nutrition professor and mom of 7, and my goal is to help you start solid foods safely using baby-led weaning.On this podcast I share practical tips on safe food preparation and starting solid foods, as well as in-depth interviews with other feeding experts. Listen to learn how you can get your baby to safely enjoy real food so that you can start enjoying mealtimes again too!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 9, 2025 • 21min
Forget the Salad: 5 Safe Ways to Offer Spinach for Baby-Led Weaning
#61: Learn how to make leafy greens safe for your baby: raw greens like spinach are a choking hazard and crunchy kale chips are too. In this episode I’m walking you through some easy ways to make spinach safe for early eaters, plus combination food recipe ideas for older babies too.
Listen to this episode to learn:
1. Why pouches that proclaim to include kale or spinach are really just fruit purees masquerading as vegetables
2. Why pouches that proclaim to include kale or spinach are really just fruit purees masquerading as vegetables
3. How to help your baby learn to love bitter vegetables like leafy greens…even if they have a tendency for fruit right now
Shownotes for this episode can be found here:
https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/61
Links from this episode:
• Try the ezpz TinyPops for a spinach popsicle - these are great for early eaters and the affiliate code BABYLED gets you 15% off all ezpz products, 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
• 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 137 - Iron: Can My Baby Get Enough Iron from Baby-Led Weaning Foods?
• Episode 169 - Iron: Does My Baby Really Need to Eat 11mg Iron Per Day?
• Episode 478 - Nightshade Vegetables: Can My Baby Be Allergic to Eggplant? 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.
👀 👀 👀 👀 👀
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

Sep 4, 2025 • 35min
From Fear to Food: The New Rules for Introducing Allergenic Foods with Kelly Clear, MD, FAAP
#60: Worried about introducing allergenic foods like peanut, egg, or tree nuts to your baby? You’re not alone…but the latest research shows that early, consistent introduction can actually help prevent food allergies.
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Kelly Clear, MD, FAAP, pediatrician and Medical Director of FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education), to unpack the new rules for allergen introduction. We’re breaking down why so many parents still feel fear, what the Eat Early, Eat Often campaign is all about, and how to confidently feed allergenic foods—even if food allergies run in your family.
Listen to this episode to learn:
1. Why early introduction of allergenic foods is recommended and how it helps prevent food allergy,
2. How to safely get your baby to taste these allergenic foods…even if they don’t have teeth yet
3. What to do if you baby has an allergic reaction…and why it probably doesn’t involve going to the ER
Shownotes for this episode can be found here:
https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/60
Links from this episode:
• Visit the FARE: Eat Early, Eat Often campaign page here
• 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 368 - Using a Milk Ladder for Babies with Dairy Allergy with Carina Venter, PhD, RD
• Episode 380 - Why Doctors STILL Aren't Talking About Introducing Allergenic Foods with Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH
• Episode 418 - Everything You Need to Know About FOOD ALLERGIES *Update* (Nutrition Labels, Research & Sesame) with Bob Earl, MPH, 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.
👀 👀 👀 👀 👀
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

Sep 1, 2025 • 41min
Guiding Grandparents Through Baby-Led Weaning with Aaron Larsen
#59: One of the biggest hurdles to baby-led weaning can be… the grandparents. When the people helping care for your baby don’t understand or agree with how you’re feeding them, tensions can rise.
In this episode, I’m joined by Aaron Larsen, founder of The Grandparents Academy, to talk about how adult parents can better communicate with their own parents about baby-led weaning and other modern parenting choices..
If you want to honor the important role your baby’s grandparents play while sticking to your feeding philosophy, this episode will show you how.
Listen to this episode to learn:
1. How to navigate tough conversations with your baby’s grandparents about parenting choices like baby-led weaning without creating conflict
2. Practical ways to include and honor grandparents even when your feeding approach looks different from how they raised you.
3. Scripts and language for inviting grandparents into the conversation through events like the Grandparents Week Summit, so they feel empowered, not excluded.
Shownotes for this episode can be found here:
https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/59
Links from this episode:
• Invite the grandparents in your life to join Aaron’s Grandparents Week free online summit - sign up at grandparentsacademy.com/BLW
• Download your copy of my free feeding guide 11 Sample Scripts for Talking to Grandparents About Baby-Led Weaning here
• 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 22 - Grandparents, Spouses & Partners: Getting Others on Board with BLW
• Episode 237 - Getting Grandparents on Board: BLW Across Generations
• Episode 331 - Interviewing my Mom: How She Didn’t Like BLW at First & Why She Changed
🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱
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

Aug 30, 2025 • 33min
What do I do if My Baby Has an Allergic Reaction? with Ron Sunog, MD
#58: What should you do if your baby has an allergic reaction to food? In this episode, pediatrician and food allergy expert Dr. Ron Sunog shares clear, practical guidance for parents navigating allergenic food introduction. You’ll learn the signs to watch for of true food allergy vs. a run-of-the-mill contact rash, how to be prepared for allergic reactions (...no, you don’t need to park in the emergency department driveway to introduce your baby to peanut!), and how to get past your fear of allergic reactions so you can safely offer your baby allergenic foods early and often (since it’s the only way you can help lower your baby’s risk of food allergy down the road!)
Listen to this episode to learn:
1. Which foods babies are most likely to have allergic reactions to...and what we should be on the lookout for to identify a potential allergic reaction to a new food
2. Why some food reactions go away on their own and which ones require intervention (...and how to know the difference)
3. What risk factors put your baby at high risk for food allergy and what you can do at home to lower your baby’s food allergy risk
Shownotes for this episode can be found here:
https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/58
Links from this episode:
• Read Dr. Sunog’s Book EAT THE EIGHT BOOK: Preventing Food Allergy with Food & the Imperfect Art of Medicine available on Amazon here
• Get 15% off Puffworks Baby Peanut and Almond baby puffs for trying peanut and tree nut protein with the code BLWPOD 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
• 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 380 - Why Doctors STILL Aren't Talking About Introducing Allergenic Foods with Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH
• 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.
👀 👀 👀 👀 👀
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

Aug 29, 2025 • 19min
Is it Too Late to Start Baby-Led Weaning?
#57: Worried that you missed your chance to start baby-led weaning? Maybe you started with purees, got a late start start, or are scared to try out finger foods. Whatever the reason you’re feeling behind - it’s not too late to make the switch to solid foods.
In this episode I’m explaining why starting solid foods around the 6 month mark isn’t the only path to success…and practical tips like how to “turn the spoon around” as a way to move beyond purees into self-feeding trickier textures.
We’ll cover the “flavor window” - a phase when babies are most receptive to trying new foods and flavors and tastes and textures, which you can definitely use to your advantage, even if you’re feeling a little late and need to catch your baby up with real foods.
Listen to this episode to learn:
1. Why it’s NOT too late to start baby-led weaning…even if you started with purees
2. How to pick 5 new foods per week so your baby can catch up on finger foods
3. When the flavor window closes and how to max out your baby’s foods before that
Shownotes for this episode can be found here:
https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/57
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 64 - The Right Way to Use a Pre-Loaded Spoon with Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP
• Episode 185 - 6-7 Months Old Babies: Sample BLW Feeding Schedule
• 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.
👀 👀 👀 👀 👀
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

Aug 21, 2025 • 35min
Dog Meets Baby: BLW Do's + Don'ts for the Whole (Furry) Family with Alexandra Parry, DVM
#56: Sure it’s cute to see a dog licking up the baby’s leftovers...but is that actually a good idea? In this episode veterinarian Alexandra Parry is sharing tons of tips for your whole (furry) family when it comes to mixing dogs with starting solid foods.
Dr. Parry is diving deep on all sorts of dog-related “Do’s and Don’ts”, some of which will surprise you. Like maybe you knew grapes were toxic to dogs and they shouldn’t have chocolate…but she goes through the 100 First Foods list with other foods that can be dangerous to dogs too.
As a mom of two who is doing baby-led weaning in real time, Dr. Parry understands the desire for parents to have their dogs involved at mealtimes; but as a vet who was also bit in the face by her own dog as a child, she shares some valuable insight about behaviors to avoid in order to protect your baby as they start solid foods while still fostering a good relationship with your dog.
Listen to this episode to learn:
1. Why even well-behaved dog should be kept away from your baby’s face during feeding - plus subtle warning signs that can help prevent dog bites before they happen
2. Which everyday baby foods are dangerous for dogs (hint: it’s more than just chocolate) and how to keep dropped food from becoming a serious health risk for your dog
3. How to include your dog in family life without compromising your baby’s safety at mealtimes - with practical tips from a vet mom doing baby-led weaning in real time!
Shownotes for this episode can be found here:
https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/56
Links from this episode:
• Follow Alexandra Parry, DVM’s baby Oakley on his baby-led weaning journey on Instagram at @oakes.eats
• 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 246 - Dog Training Tips When Your Baby Starts Solid Foods with Jake Schneider
• Episode 332 - Baby Foods Your Dog Should Never Eat with @dogmeets_baby Dominika Knossalla-Pado
🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱
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

5 snips
Aug 12, 2025 • 18min
How to Drop a Milk Feed
#55: How do you drop a milk feed? The whole point of weaning is that your baby gradually replaces the nutrition he or she was getting from breastmilk and/or formula and replaces that with the foods they’re learning how to eat. But at some point during the weaning process, we have to be proactive about dropping that first milk feed.
In this episode I’m covering some ideas for gradually cutting back on your baby’s milk intake as food intake increases. Do you cut the night feed? The morning milk? And how do we set up a feeding schedule such that milk follows food as we approach your baby’s first birthday? Listen in for all you need to know about dropping milk feeds!
Listen to this episode to learn:
1. Why your baby’s milk intake at 12 months will look remarkably different in volume and frequency than it did at 6 months
2. How babies learn to recognize and respond to their hunger and fullness cues (...and spoiler alert: it doesn’t happen when they’re full of milk!)
3. Suggested feeding schedule for a 1 year old baby transitioning off of breastmilk/formula and on to cow’s milk with 3 meals, milk after meals and bedtime milk each day.
Shownotes for this episode can be found here:
https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/55
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 235 - When to Move Milk Behind Food with Nicole Boehm
• Episode 187 - 8-9 Months Old Babies: Sample BLW Feeding Schedule
🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱
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

Aug 7, 2025 • 24min
Overstuffing: What If My Baby Takes Big Bites? with Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP
#54: Is your baby an overeager eater who stuffs too much food in at once? Overstuffing is actually pretty typical - but it’s also a little scary when you’re worried about choking. In this episode, pediatric feeding expert Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP shares practical tips for managing overstuffing, big bites and fast eaters. You’ll learn what’s developmentally appropriate, how to respond in the moment, and when it’s time (and not time) to worry about overstuffing.
Listen to this episode to learn:
1. Why babies overstuff and how to determine if your baby’s overstuffing is actually a problem
2. A simple 3-strip technique to help slow down fast eaters…without resorting to the dreaded “dripping” of food
3. How making a simple swap in preparing finger foods can prevent overstuffing and promote safe swallowing
Shownotes for this episode can be found here:
https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/54
Links from this episode:
• Check out Dawn’s website at msdawnslp.com and follow her on Instagram @msdawnslp
• Take Katie and Dawn’s Choking Prevention and Intervention Course and use the code KATIE10 for an additional $10 off here (this is an affiliate link)
• Try the 3-strip approach Dawn teaches using the ezpz Mini Bowl and gete 15% off with the code BABYLED here (this is an affiliate link)
• Check out the ezpz Baby-Led Weaning Food Cutters 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
• 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 152 - How Do I Know if My Baby Needs Feeding Therapy with @msdawnslp Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP
• Episode 254 - How Babies Learn to Chew and Swallow with Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP @msdawnslp
🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱
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

Aug 6, 2025 • 27min
Explaining Baby-Led Weaning to a Skeptic: 10 Benefits of Baby-Led Weaning
#53: Trying to explain baby-led weaning to someone who doesn’t believe in it? This episode breaks down 10 research-backed benefits of baby-led weaning, perfect for when you’re faced with a skeptic (or feeling unsure yourself).
From reducing severe picky eating to supporting healthy weight, better speech development, and respecting your baby’s hunger cues, these talking points will help you confidently explain why this self-feeding approach is both safe and effective.
Whether you’re new to baby-led weaning or trying to win over a doubter, this list will give you the clarity—and science—you need to make the case.
Listen to this episode to learn:
1. Why baby-led weaning supports paced self-feeding, optimal nutrient intake, and achieving developmental and feeding milestones
2. How to quickly explain 10 compelling benefits of baby-led weaning compared to adult-led spoon feeding for safely starting solid foods
3. What to do if someone doubts your baby’s ability to safely self-feed finger foods…and how to push past skepticism (safely!)
Shownotes for this episode can be found here:
https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/53
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 77 - Baby Hunger & Fullness Cues: What They Are & How to Spot Them
• Episode 149 - Pouches: Why Your Baby Doesn't Need to Suck Pureed Food Out of Pouches with @msdawnslp 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.
👀 👀 👀 👀 👀
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

Jul 31, 2025 • 22min
How to Flavor, Season & Spice Your Baby's Food with Kanchan Koya, PhD
#48: Babies don’t have to eat bland food! In this episode, spice expert and cookbook author Kanchan Koya, PhD @chiefspicemama shares how to safely introduce seasonings and spices to your baby’s food. Learn which spices are safe, why they support health, and how to bring your family’s food culture into your baby’s diet from the start.
Listen to this episode to learn:
1. Which spices are safe for babies, and which seasonings you’ll want to skip (and why)
2. How spices support your baby’s health and development of their flavor palate
3. What spices to add to kick the flavor up in your baby’s starter finger foods, even if you’re not a confident cook
Shownotes for this episode can be found here:
https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/48
Links from this episode:
• Get Kanchan’s book Spice Spice Baby on Amazon here
• Visit Kanchan’s website for the Spice Spice Baby book here
• Follow Kanchan on Instagram @chiefspicemama
• 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 33 - Salt: 3 Easy Ways to Minimize Sodium for Your Baby
• Episode 316 - Taste Preferences in Babies: When and How do They Develop? with Alison Ventura, PhD
• Episode 498 - Taste Training: Introducing Flavors to Babies with @getpermissioninstitute Marsha Dunn Klein, OTR/L, MEd, FAOTA
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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