Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro

Discover the crucial difference between gagging and choking in babies' feeding journeys. Learn why gagging is a normal part of introducing solids and how to respond calmly. The discussion also touches on recent advancements in breast pump technology. Parents will find valuable resources, like a Choking Prevention and Response Course, to boost safety awareness. Plus, get insights into the ideal timing for starting solid foods and creative alternatives to screen time for kids.

#220: For those who are currently WIC participants or WIC educators there may be LOTS of great nutritional changes in the horizon for the food package issued to babies. WIC is the US Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, a program that is designed to offer nutritious foods and nutrition education to income-eligible pregnant, breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to the age of five.  In this episode, I had the opportunity to interview the National WIC Association’s Senior Manager of Public Health, Darlena Birch, MBA, RDN who talks about the proposed changes underway regarding the package of food provided to WIC participants. Darlena focuses on explaining the recommendations to reduce the amount of jarred infant food and replace it with an increased amount of fresh fruits and vegetables which would be a great opportunity for participants to offer their babies a greater variety of foods.   Show notes with all the links mentioned in this episode are here: https://blwpodcast.com/220   🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 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

#219: Ever wonder what other ways you can use to cook meat for your baby during baby-led weaning? In this episode Iliana Cruz, an owner of a meat processing plant specializing in the sous vide cooking method is here to describe how using this method of cooking can help prepare meat with perfect texture and consistency for BLW.    Shownotes with all the links mentioned in this episode are here: https://blwpodcast.com/219 Other episodes related to this topic: • Ep 178 “White Meat Your Baby Can Safely Eat” • Ep 177 “Red Meat Your Baby Can Safely Eat” • Ep 176 “BLW at the Butcher: Identifying Ideal Cuts of Meat for Babies with 4th Generation Butcher Cara Nicoletti” • Ep 175 “Pork: How to Safely Prepare Pork for Baby-Led Weaning” • Ep 117 “Game Meat: How to Offer Game Meats Safely to Your Baby” • Ep 76 “Sustainable Meat: Smart Selections for Starting Solids with Diana Rodgers, RD” • Ep 19 “Meat: How to Prepare Meat Safely 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. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 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

#218: What are some feeding challenges for babies with Down syndrome? Can baby-led weaning work if my baby has Down syndrome? In this episode speech-language pathologist Sabrina Smiley Evans, MS, CCC-SLP is joining me to discuss some of the feeding challenges that babies with Down syndrome may encounter but also the ways in which parents and caregivers can moderate and create a safe environment for these babies to successfully accomplish baby-led weaning and become independent eaters.   Shownotes with all the links mentioned in this episode are here: https://blwpodcast.com/218   About the Guest: • Sabrina Smiley Evans, MS, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist specializing in early intervention, Autism, and sensory-based feeding disorders. • She is a mom of three-year-old Graham who has Down syndrome and successfully did baby-led weaning when starting solids  • Sabrina, along with Sara Quirk run the Instagram account @ableappetites which features children with Down syndrome who are learning to become independent eaters Other episodes related to this topic: • Episode 198 “Adapted Baby-Led Weaning for Feeding Challenges with 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. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 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

Are crackers safe for babies? This discussion dives into when to introduce them during baby-led weaning. Expert tips highlight choosing whole grain options and avoiding choking hazards. Sodium levels are examined, along with the risks of rice-based crackers. The chat also touches on a new, portable breast pump innovation for busy moms. Get insights on softer, safer cracker choices and debunk common teething cracker myths, all while providing useful resources for parents navigating feeding challenges.

#216: Just in case you are wondering if there are any updates in the pediatric food allergy world…Dr. Ron Sunog, who is a pediatrician specializing in preventing food allergy with food, joined me in this episode to give us an update on food allergy in babies. He discusses recent studies that have been published and also talks about the recently added ninth major food allergen: sesame.   Shownotes with all the links mentioned in this episode are here: https://blwpodcast.com/216 Links from this episode: • Dr. Sunog’s book “EAT THE EIGHT: Preventing Food Medicine with Food and the Imperfect Art of Medicine” (this is an affiliate link). • To learn more about Dr. Sunog’s “EAT THE EIGHT” campaign to safely offer babies all 8 allergenic foods early and often,visit his website. Other episodes related to this topic: • Episode 128 “Introducing Allergenic Foods: Ask Us Anything with Ron Sunog, MD and Katie Ferraro, MPH, RDN, CDE” • Episode 123 “HELP! My Baby has a Contact Rash from a New Food with Ron Sunog, MD” • Episode 58 “What do I do if My Baby Has an Allergic Reaction? with Ron Sunog, MD” • BONUS Episode “Is it Safe to Introduce Allergenic Foods During COVID-19 with Ron Sunog, MD” • 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. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 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

#215: What portion sizes should I be offering my baby when starting solids? Reality is that there is no clear or definitive guideline to what an exact portion size of food should look like for a baby. In this episode I will share some ideas of how much a baby might eat but also share some tips about things you can do to help your baby learn how to eat. At the end of the day there are really no rules or guidelines for portion sizes during baby-led weaning.   Shownotes with all the links mentioned in this episode are here: https://blwpodcast.com/215 Links from this episode: • To shop for ezpz tools visit ezpzfun and use code KATIE10 for 10% discount on your purchase 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 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

#214: Feeling anxious about starting solids? Although it's pretty common for parents and caretakers to experience feelings of anxiety when facing the transition into solids with their babies, it does not have to be terrifying. In this episode I am joined by Jo Cormack, PhD who is a researcher, child feeding specialist, and award winning author. Jo is here to talk about the psychology of feeding and how parents can overcome their feelings of anxiety while building a feeding relationship with their babies.  Get your copy of the 100 FIRST FOODS list on Katie’s free BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS workshop: https://babyledweaning.co/workshop?utm_source=Shownotes&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=Episode%20Link Follow @babyledweanteam on IG: https://www.instagram.com/babyledweanteam/ Shownotes with all the links mentioned in this episode are here: https://blwpodcast.com/214 Learn something you liked in this episode? Would you kindly subscribe, rate and review where you’re seeing this? (...it really helps other parents find this BLW info too!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Teething doesn't mean you have to pause solid foods! This discussion highlights how babies can start baby-led weaning without waiting for teeth. Practical tips include managing drool and how it affects digestion. Safe teething remedies are shared, emphasizing gum massages over frozen items. Plus, dive into effective strategies to ease teething pain and keep introducing solids during this challenging phase. Perfect for parents eager to support their little ones through every stage!

#212: How does baby-led weaning fit into the intuitive eating model? and What can I do to teach my baby mindful eating? In this second part of the 2-part interview series with the authors of the book ‘How to Raise an Intuitive Eater: Raising the Next Generation with Food and Body Confidence’, I have the pleasure of having the second co-author, registered dietitian and intuitive eating counselor, Amee Severson, MPP-D, RDN. In this episode we will be discussing further the topic of intuitive eating, the need to focus on the well-being of babies and the need to support their natural intuitive eating instincts.   Shownotes with all the links mentioned in this episode are here: https://blwpodcast.com/212   Links from this Episode: To follow and learn more about Amee Severson, MPP-D, RDN:  • Website Proper Nutrition Wellness • Follow on Instagram @ameeistalking • Follow on Twitter @AmeeSeverson • CLICK to learn more Intuitive Eating 4 Kids Other episode related to this topic: • 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. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 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