Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro

#34: Think your baby needs snacks? Think again. In this episode, we’re diving into why milk—breastmilk or formula—is your baby’s perfect “snack” between meals and why skipping snacks during the weaning phase can set your baby up for better eating habits in toddlerhood. You’ll learn how early snacking sabotages appetite and meals, and how to build a solid feeding routine without the snack trap. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. What a baby’s typical meal schedule can look like at 6-7 months, 8-9 months and the 10-12 month stage 2. Why the breastmilk and/or formula your baby is drinking between meals is the “insurance policy” to fill in the nutrient gaps as baby is learning to eat more food 3. Some instances of when snacks might be needed and my favorite go to snacks for babies Shownotes for this episode can be found here: ⁠⁠https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/35 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 407 - Airplane Snacks: Portable travel food ideas that won't stink up the plane 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 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

#34: Is it possible you’ve been bottle-feeding your baby wrong all this time? In today’s episode Amy Peterson, IBCLC is here to teach about paced bottle feeding, a baby-led technique. Amy shares how baby-led bottle feeding works, how to recognize your baby’s feeding cues and simple ways to teach other caregivers this important skill so you’re all on board with your baby leading the way. If you’re offering bottles - or plan to - this conversation will help you feel confident in letting your baby lead the way. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How simply changing the position of your baby in your arms and the bottle in your hands can more closely emulate the breastfeeding experience 2. What to look for as far as hunger and fullness cues go so you don’t accidentally promote overfeeding if you’re using a bottle 3. Why offering a bottle with a nipple full of milk can overwhelm (...and overfeed) your baby and how to do paced and baby-led bottle feeding. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: ⁠https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/34 Links from this episode: • Read Amy’s book: Balancing Breast and Bottle - Feeding Your Baby, 2nd edition available on Amazon 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 310 - Healthy Bottle Feeding: How to Be Responsive with Alison Ventura, 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. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 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

#33: Worried about salt in your baby’s food? In this episode, I’m sharing 3 easy, practical ways to minimize sodium for your baby without overhauling your entire meal plan. You’ll learn how to spot high-sodium foods on labels, why it’s totally fine to salt your own food after setting aside a safe portion for your baby, and how to add flavor with herbs and spices instead of salt. Minimizing salt doesn’t mean making bland food—it means making smart swaps so your baby can safely enjoy more real foods. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why it’s a good idea to minimize added sodium in your baby’s diet...there are a few reasons but basically we want your baby to learn to taste the flavor of foods, not the salt 2. How much is the maximum amount of added sodium per day babies should have, and whether or not you should be considering the sodium from breastmilk and/or formula 3. 3 easy ways to minimize sodium, including some guidelines on what to look for on the label if you’re considering the sodium content of packaged foods to feed your baby  Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/33 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 75 - Canned Foods that CAN Work for Baby-Led Weaning • Episode 253 - Sodium Limits for Babies Around the World 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 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

#32: Postpartum depression affects 1 in 10 mothers—but not all moms feel comfortable talking about it. In this episode, mom of two Carissa Rose shares how her struggle with postpartum depression after the birth of her first baby left her feeling like a failure—until starting solid foods with baby-led weaning gave her a new sense of purpose. Carissa explains how feeding her babies 100 different foods helped her reconnect with motherhood and find success on her own terms. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How post-partum depression impacted Carissa’s ability to feed and care for her infant…and how social media impacted her feelings of adequacy when struggling with breastfeeding  2. What types of support and intervention helped Carissa through her difficult time…and how having a solid food feeding plan to follow gave her motivation to get out of bed some days 3. What to do if you are experiencing feelings of hopelessness or depression as a new mom…and who to connect with or contact for help Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/32 Links from this episode: • Postpartum Support International provides 24/7 confidential support via phone or text and access to support groups and trained mental health providers at https://www.postpartum.net  • Check out Carissa’s photography Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/carissarosephotography/  • 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 320 - Supporting Your Baby: Empathy, Readiness and Connection with Marsha Dunn Klein, OTR/L, MEd • Episode 292 - Holiday Food Stress Stuff: Coping Tips from @diaryofanhonestmom Libby Ward • Episode 72 - How to Create a Pressure-Free Feeding Environment with Jessica Setnick, MS, RD, CEDRD-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. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 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

#31: How can I safely feed my baby fish? Fish is one of the Big 8 allergenic foods (...the 8 foods that account for 90% of food allergy) and there’s no evidence that waiting to feed fish helps prevent allergy. So it is a food you can feed to your baby early and often, but with some precautions. In this episode we talk about types of fish babies can safely eat, both canned and fresh and how to choose a fish to feed your baby. You’ll learn about environmental, nutrition and mercury considerations when selecting fish to feed your baby, plus some ideas on which fish foods to avoid for baby-led weaning and why. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why fish is an important allergenic food to feed your baby early and often to help prevent fish allergy...plus some juicy tidbits and stats about fish allergy in babies 2. Advice on how to select the type of fish to feed your baby, from fresh or canned as well as environmental, nutrition and mercury considerations 3. The types of fish you do NOT want to feed your baby Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/31 Links from this episode: • Food Allergy Research & Education at foodallergy.com is a great place to get information about particular food allergens, like fish & fish containing ingredients • EPA & FDA Advice About Eating Fish (chart) for women who are or might become pregnant, breastfeeding mothers, and young children • Seafoodwatch.org is the official site of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and helps people make better seafood choices for a healthy ocean. Their Seafood Recommendations page can help you make ocean-friendly choices wherever you are. • 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 episode related to this topic: • Episode 232 - Tuna Talk: Is it Safe for Babies to Eat Canned Tuna with @consumerreports Michael K. Hansen, 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. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 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 and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive BLW community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this insightful discussion, Heather Dvorak, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and mother of four, shares her expertise on balancing breastfeeding with baby-led weaning, even amidst food allergies. She offers practical strategies for continuing breastfeeding while introducing solids, emphasizing the need to respond to baby cues. Heather also discusses the emotional connections fostered through breastfeeding and provides individualized tips for parents aiming to navigate solid food introductions while still nurturing their child's development.

#29: How do you feed your baby wheat? Wheat is one of the Big 8 allergenic foods...the 8 foods that account for about 90% of food allergy. And it’s one of the easier foods to introduce early and often for your baby.In this episode you will learn some easy ways to introduce your baby to wheat foods for baby-led weaning. And we’ll also cover why some people say babies should not have or can’t digest wheat foods and why that is not true (...unless your baby has a true wheat allergy!)Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why there is more benefit to introducing wheat foods to your baby early and often vs. withholding these foods.  2. A variety of ways to introduce wheat to your baby using baby-led weaning foods that babies can safely self-feed from 6 months of age on 3. Why concerns about feeding your baby grain foods are mostly bogus (...with a few exceptions), but spoiler alert: almost all babies CAN safely digest grain & wheat foodsShownotes for this episode can be found here:https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/29Links 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-beginnersOther episodes related to this topic: • Episode 183 - Bread: When Can Babies Safely Eat Bread?🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱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

Starting solids with your baby can be thrilling, but what do you do when constipation strikes? The discussion dives into why constipation happens and highlights signs to watch for. Learn about the difference between typical and problematic constipation. Explore safe remedies and dietary tips to keep things moving smoothly. Parents will find insights on gut health crucial during this exciting transition!

#27: Honey might seem like a natural, harmless food—but it can actually be dangerous for babies under age 1. In this episode, we’re breaking down why honey can cause infant botulism, a rare but serious illness, and why it’s also considered an added sugar that babies don’t need. Learn what makes honey risky, how to spot hidden sources of it, and what to offer your baby instead.Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why babies should avoid honey; how honey contributes to infant botulism and a little bit about how botulism is a very rare - but real - risk 2. Why baked goods with added sweeteners and sugars shouldn’t be a high priority food for your baby…but how to sub out honey if you need to 3. Tips for preventing added sweeteners and sugars from sneaking into your baby’s diet...plus more info on packaged goods with honey as an ingredient and whether or not they’re ok for babies to eatShownotes for this episode can be found here:https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/27Links 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-beginnersOther Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 68 - Sugar and Why Your Baby Should Avoid it with Robert Lustig, MD, MSL • Episode 269 - Agave: Is it Safe to Offer Babies Agave in Place of Added Sugar? • Episode 309 - Added Sugars: Which Ones to Avoid for BLW🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱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

Discover essential kitchen tools that make baby-led weaning a breeze! Learn about indispensable items like grape cutters and cherry pitters to enhance food safety. Find out how to repurpose common kitchen gadgets for meal prep success. You'll also hear about the top four gimmicky products to avoid, saving you time and money. Plus, check out creative ideas to involve your little one in the cooking process, making mealtime fun and engaging for both parents and babies!