Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro

#87: I’ve been a dietitian for 25 years and teaching baby-led weaning exclusively for almost a decade…but that doesn’t mean I didn’t make mistakes when my own babies were starting solid foods. In this episode, I’m getting personal and sharing 7 baby-led weaning mistakes I made when my quadruplets first started eating real food. Looking back at old photos and videos, I cringe…but my goal is to help you avoid the common (and totally preventable) missteps that can make starting solid foods more stressful or less safe than it needs to be. You’ll hear what I got wrong, why it matters, and what I’d do differently now, so you can skip these mistakes, feel more confident, and focus on helping your baby safely learn how to eat. And if you’ve already made some of these same mistakes? No guilt. Starting solid foods is a learning process for parents too. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why some of the most common baby-led weaning mistakes feel safer in the moment but can actually make starting solid foods harder or less safe for your baby. 2. What I would do differently now when it comes to food size, seating, cups, and managing expectations in the early weeks of starting solid foods. 3. How to course-correct if you’ve already made these same mistakes so your baby can keep building safe, confident eating skills. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/87 Links from This Episode: • The silicone suction mats and bowls I use are from the company ezpz; you can get 15% off all ezpz feeding gear with the affiliate discount code BABYLED 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 and get $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • 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 5 - The Purees for a Few Days™ Approach to Starting Solid Foods with Baby-Led Weaning: a Feeding Guide • Episode 10 - 5 Feeding Mistakes Most Parents Make...and How You Can Avoid Them • Episode 40 - 6 Reasons to Skip the Sippy Cup with 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 and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 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

#86: The real foods your baby learns to eat don’t just provide nutrition, they also help build the jaw, shape the airway, and influence how your baby breathes and sleeps. When babies learn to chew real, safe foods instead of relying only on soft purées, they’re doing important developmental work with their mouths that supports healthy jaw and facial growth. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Kevin Boyd, DDS, MS, a board-certified pediatric dentist with a background in human nutrition who specializes in airway-focused dentistry. We talk about how early feeding experiences influence jaw and airway development, why food texture matters when starting solid foods, and how these ideas align with baby-led weaning. You’ll learn what to watch for as early signs of airway or jaw development concerns, what evolutionary data tells us about how babies were meant to learn to eat, and simple ways to support healthy oral development from the very beginning. If you’re starting solid foods and want to understand how feeding impacts more than just nutrition, this episode offers a whole new perspective on first foods. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How chewing real, safe foods actually does for your baby’s jaw and airway development and why this matters far beyond nutrition 2. Why the textures your baby is exposed to when starting solid foods can influence breathing patterns, sleep quality, and long-term oral health 3. Which types of real, safe first foods best support chewing skills and healthy jaw development when starting solid foods Shownotes for this episode can be found here: ⁠https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/86⁠ Links from This Episode: • Find an Airway Health Solutions Airway Dentist near you using this locator: https://airwayhealthsolutions.com/locator • Watch this training video by Ben Miraglia, DDS about Intercepting Sleep Disordered Breathing: https://airwayhealthsolutions.com/video • Children's Airway First Foundation website is at: • CAFF Website: https://www.childrensairwayfirst.org/ • REBIS Integrated Multidisciplinary Sleep Health Website: https://www.rebishealth.org/ • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠  and get $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • 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 144 - What Did Babies Eat Before Baby Food was Invented? with Amy Bentley, PhD • Episode 466 - Beginnings of a Bad Bite: How Purees Impact Jaw Growth with Ben Miraglia, DDS •  Episode 260 - Adapted Baby-Led Weaning for Children with Developmental Delays with Gill Rapley, PhD and 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 and save $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 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

#85: Sardines are one of the best baby foods out there. You might personally not like sardines...a lot of people don’t, but don’t discount sardines for baby-led weaning. Sardines are packed with nutrition, they represent unique taste and texture opportunities for your baby, plus sardines are an easy way to introduce your baby to one of the potentially allergenic food categories: fish. I’m going to make a sardine lover out of you in this episode! Join me as I walk you through the best ways to select and serve sardines to your baby safely. I’m also sharing some of the exact types of canned sardines you can get for your baby and additional baby-led weaning recipes for safely feeding your baby fish, including sardines!  Listen to this episode to learn: 1. WHY sardines are a nutrition powerhouse and how they contain 2 specific nutrients that you can’t get almost anywhere else in the diet 2. HOW to select sardines because there are a lot of options on the shelves at your grocery store, but just a few of them really are appropriate for baby-led weaning 3. HOW to offer baby sardines: do you add extra oil, serve in marinara sauce, spread on low sodium sauce. And what about eating the bones and the skin? Spoiler alert: you can! Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/85 Links from This Episode: • FDA Advice for Fish for Pregnant Women and Small Children: https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/advice-about-eating-fish • Wild Planet Wild Sardines in Water, No Added Salt: https://wildplanetfoods.com/product/wild-sardines-in-water-no-salt-added/ • Wild Planet Wild Sardines Skinless & Boneless Filets in Extra Virgin Olive Oil https://wildplanetfoods.com/product/wild-sardines-skinless-boneless-filletsin-extra-virgin-olive-oil-4-25oz/   • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program  and get $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • 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 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 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 and save $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 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

#84: Have you been told to wait 3–5 days between introducing new foods to your baby? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Carina Venter, PhD, RD—one of the world’s leading experts in pediatric food allergy prevention—to explain why this advice is outdated and unsupported by research. We break down when allergic reactions actually occur, why introducing one or more new foods per day is safe, and how unnecessary delays can limit diet diversity during a critical window for learning to eat. If you’re confused by conflicting advice from healthcare providers, this conversation will help you move forward with confidence. Listen to this episode to learn: 1.  Why the 3–5 day waiting rule for new foods is outdated and what the research actually shows about allergic reactions. 2.  What safe and effective new-food introduction looks like, including how often your baby can try new foods without increasing risk. 3. Who is driving modern, evidence-based guidance on food allergy prevention and how that research applies to starting solid foods at home Shownotes for this episode can be found here: ⁠https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcst/84 Links from This Episode: • View Dr. Venter’s allergy-related research publications here: https://profiles.ucdenver.edu/display/14733584 • Dietitians earn your FARE Certificate of Training in Pediatric Food Allergy in this 9-month (32 CPE) course Carina co-teaches for FARE • Check out the pediatric allergy product Carina Helped develop, Grow Happy here: https://letsgrowhappy.com/ and the code BABYLEDWEANING15 works for a discount here (this is not an affiliate code) • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠  and get $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50  • 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 124 - Using an Egg Ladder for Babies with Egg Allergy with Carina Venter, PhD, RD • Episode 274 - Baby Has Skin Reactions to Milk, Egg and Peanut: What Should I Do Next? with Carina Venter, PhD, RDN ⁠ • Episode 368 - Using a Milk Ladder for Babies with Dairy Allergy with Carina Venter, PhD, RD 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 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 and save $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 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

#83: When does your baby start eating meals with the rest of the family? In this episode, you’ll learn how baby-led weaning supports family meals from your baby’s very first bites, what eating with the family looks like early on, and how to safely include your baby at the table without making separate meals. We’ll cover where family meals happen, what foods your baby can and cannot eat, how often babies join family meals, and why eating together matters for long-term eating habits. If you’re unsure how to bring your baby into family meals or worried you’re doing it wrong, this episode will help you start with confidence. Listen to this episode to learn: 1.  When your baby can start eating meals with the family and how early family meals fit into starting solid foods 2.  What eating with the family actually looks like for a baby and how to modify family foods without making separate meals 3. Why family meals matter for your baby’s long-term eating habits and relationship with food Shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/83 Links from This Episode: • ezpz use code BABYLED to get 15% off all ezpz feeding gear here • ezpz Mini Bowl is here • ezpz First Foods Set is here • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠  and get $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • 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 17 - Feeding Schedules: How Often Should I Feed My Baby? • Episode 25 - Your Baby's First 5 Days of Baby-Led Weaning: A Simple Schedule to Start Strong 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 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 and save $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 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