Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro

Latest Episodes:

15 Foods Never to Feed Your Baby Jan 30, 2025

Show notes

#008: Which foods should babies avoid? Babies can eat so many more foods than we give them credit for - but certain foods are choking risk foods or are harmful to developing babies for other reasons. This episode contains 15 foods to not feed your baby in order to preserve their health.

Listen to this episode to learn:

1. Which foods are choking foods…and how to modify them so they are safe for your baby to eat.

2. How much sodium per serving you want to stay under when choosing foods for your baby to eat.

3. Why the most common food for starting solid foods is actually dangerous for babies.

Shownotes for this episode can be found here:

https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/8

Links from This Episode:

• Download the 15 Foods Never to Feed free feeding guide 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 27 - Honey: Why Honey is Dangerous for Babies

• Episode 107 - Corn: How to Offer Corn Safely to Your Baby

• Episode 208 - Heavy Metals in Baby Food with @consumerreports James E. Rogers, PhD

• Episode 232 - Tuna Talk: Is it Safe for Babies to Eat Canned Tuna with @consumerreports Michael K. Hansen, PhD

• Episode 246 - Arsenic in Baby Food with Charlotte Brody, RN and Jane Houlihan

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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. and save $50 off when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50.

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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!

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Why Your Baby’s High Chair Needs a Footrest Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

#007: How does an adjustable footrest on your baby’s high chair help reduce the risk of choking? In this episode we’ll look at how your baby’s feet resting flat helps stabilize their core and support a safe swallow…and how to fix your high chair if it doesn’t have a footrest or if your baby’s feet don’t reach the footrest yet.

Listen to this episode to learn:

1. Why your baby’s feet resting flat on a solid footplate helps reduce choking risk

2. How to build a DIY footrest if your high chair doesn’t have one

3. What to do if your high chair has a footrest, but your baby’s feet don’t reach yet

Shownotes for this episode can be found here:

https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/7

Links from this Episode

My favorite high chair recommendations with discounts and deals (these are affiliate links):

• Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair (new): The free tray gift with purchase offer is no longer available for the ⁠Tripp Trapp High Chair ⁠but you can get a free ⁠Tripp Trapp storage⁠ ($40 value) when you purchase the Tripp Trapp using the code BABYLED

• Stokke Clikk High Chair: The free storage bag offer is no longer available for the Stokke Clikk but you can get a free Clikk cushion ($49 value) when you purchase the ⁠Stokke Clikk high chair⁠ using the code BABYLED • Mockingbird High Chair: Receive a free Early Eaters Dishware Set ($50 value) when you purchase the Mockingbird high chair using the code BABYLED: click here to shop

• Unilove FeedMe Portable High Chair: Get 15-20% off my favorite portable high chair (discount changes depending on color/stock) with the code BLWFEEDME: 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 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 492 - Mockingbird High Chair Review with @hello_mockingbird Stephanie Kaplan

• Episode 490 - Tripp Trapp vs. Nomi High Chair: Which One is Better?

• Episode 488 - Best High Chairs for Baby-Led Weaning

• Episode 205 - High Chair Help: What if My Baby Won't Sit in the High Chair?

• Episode 379 - Favorite Portable High Chairs for Feeding on the Go

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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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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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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Safe Food Sizes for Baby-Led Weaning Jan 23, 2025

Show notes

#6: Contrary to common belief, cutting food into tiny pieces can actually heighten choking risk for early eaters. In this episode, learn why longer, spear-like shapes of soft foods (pinky finger size) are safer for self-feeding and other safe food cuts that reduce choking risk during the introduction of starting solid foods using baby-led weaning.

Listen to this episode to learn:

1. Why small pieces of food are NOT safer and actually increase choking risk for early eaters

2. How to prepare foods safely for baby-led weaning so that your baby doesn’t choke

3. Which foods are best when you are starting baby-led weaning

Shownotes for this episode can be found here:

https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/6

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 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 64 How to Pre-Load A BLW Spoon Self-Feeding Technique with Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP

• Episode 109 - I Started Purees Too Early: Should I Stop Before Switching to BLW?

• Episode 200 - Combo Feeding: Can I Do BLW + Traditional Spoon-Feeding Together? with Gill Rapley, PhD

• Episode 236 - Positive Tilt: Get Permission from Your Baby with 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

💯 💯 💯 💯 💯

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.

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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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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gagging vs. Choking: What is the Difference? Jan 16, 2025

Show notes

#004: What if my baby gags on food? And how is gagging different than choking? In this episode we cover why gagging is a good thing when your baby is learning to eat and what to do if your baby chokes on food.

Listen to this episode to learn:

1. Which foods are choking risks and how to modify them to make them safe for your baby

2. Why it is important not to intervene during a gag…and how to react when your baby gags

3. What to do if your baby chokes on food

Shownotes for this episode can be found here:

https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/4

Links from This Episode:

• Online Infant Refresher CPR Course - use affiliate code KATIE10 for an additional $10 off lifetime access to this online CPR class

• The free tray gift with purchase offer is no longer available for the Tripp Trapp High Chair but you can get a free Tripp Trapp storage ($40 value) when you purchase the Tripp Trapp using the code BABYLED

• Puffworks Baby Peanut puffs for introducing peanut protein: affiliate code BLWPOD for discount

• ezpz First Foods Set for suction mat, baby-led weaning spoons and open cup: affiliate code BABYLED for discount

• 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 221 - Gagging: What do I do if My Baby Gags on Food?

Episode 390 - Back Blows for Babies: When Do I Administer CPR? with @thrivetraininginstitute Brandon Doerksen

🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱

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.

🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Things Parents and Caregivers Should Be Able to Do Before Starting Solid Foods Jan 15, 2025

Show notes

#003: What can you do to help your baby get ready to start solid foods safely? From picking out the best high chair to knowing how to introduce allergenic foods like peanut, here are 5 things parents and caregivers can do to get prepared for baby-led weaning.

Listen to this episode to learn:

1. What the most important safety feature on your high chair should be…and why most high chairs don’t have this

2. What to do if your baby chokes on food and how to administer back blows if your baby does choke

3. How to safely introduce peanut…and which babies should consider peanut even before 6 months of age

Shownotes for this episode can be found here:

https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/3

Links from This Episode:

Online CPR

• Online Infant Refresher CPR Course - use affiliate code KATIE10 for an additional $10 off lifetime access to this online CPR class

High Chairs with Footrests

Stokke Tripp Trapp

Stokke Clikk High Chair

• The free storage bag offer is no longer available for the Stokke Clikk but you can get a free Clikk cushion ($49 value) when you purchase the Stokke Clikk high chair using the code BABYLED

Mockingbird High Chair

• Receive a free Early Eaters Dishware Set ($45 value) when you purchase the Mockingbird high chair using the code BABYLED.

Puffworks Baby Peanut and Almond Puffs

• Get 15% off Puffworks Baby Peanut or Almond puffs with the affiliate discount code BLWPOD at Puffworks.com

ezpz Feeding Gear

• Get 15% off all ezpz feeding gear with the affiliate discount code BABYLED - shop the ezpz First Foods Set if you’re just starting out.

• 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 2 - 5 Things Your Baby Should Be Able to Do Before Starting Solid Foods

• Episode 132 - CPR Skills that can Save Your Baby's Life when Choking with Brandon Doersken

• Episode 227 - When Does the Food Allergy Prevention Window Close? with @allergykidsdoc David Stukus, MD

• Episode 290 - Pre-Feeding Skills: What Can My Baby Do Before Beginning Solid Foods? with 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

💯 💯 💯 💯 💯

👀 👀 👀 👀 👀

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.

🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Things Your Baby Should Be Able to Do Before Starting Solid Foods Jan 09, 2025

Show notes

#002: Not all babies are ready to start solid foods right at 6 months of age. Listen to learn about 5 key milestones your baby should have down pat before you start solid foods.

Listen to this episode to learn:

1. Why so many doctors recommend starting solid foods too early…and what to do if your doctor is pressuring you to spoon-feed now too

2. What the most important reliable sign of readiness to eat is after turning 6 months old…and why it has nothing to do with the extrusion reflex

3. How to assess whether or not your baby has the head and neck control and the trunk strength to support a safe swallow.

Shownotes for this episode can be found here:

https://www.babyledweaning.co/blogs/podcasts/2

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 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 119 - Premature Babies: How to Estimate & Adjust Age for Starting Solids

• Episode 158 - How Premature Babies Can Succeed with BLW with @doctorterrimd Terri Major-Kincade, MD

• Episode 110 - Catch-Up Weight: Why Starting Solids Early Will Not Help Your Baby Gain Weight with Rosan Meyer, PhD, RD

• Episode 144 - What Did Babies Eat Before Baby Food was Invented? with Amy Bentley, PhD

• Episode 109 - I Started Purees Too Early: Should I Stop Before Switching to BLW?

• Episode 141 - BLW Basics: Is My Baby Ready to Start Solid Foods?

• Episode 147 - BLW Basics: Help! Nobody Around Me Understands Baby-Led Weaning

• Episode 199 - Beginner's Guide to Baby-Led Weaning: Starting Solid Foods Safely with 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

💯 💯 💯 💯 💯

👀 👀 👀 👀 👀

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.

🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything You Need to Know About Baby-Led Weaning: A Safe Approach to Introducing Solid Foods Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

#001: Welcome to the Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro podcast! In this kickoff episode we’re diving into all things baby-led weaning. Learn how baby-led weaning differs from adult spoon-feeding and what research supports it. Discover the origins of baby-led weaning including insights from Gill Rapley, the co-author of the original baby-led weaning book. We’ll explore the benefits - and the challenges - of this natural approach to starting to solid foods so you can determine whether or not baby-led weaning will work for your family.

Listen to this episode to learn:

1. How baby-led weaning is different from spoon-feeding and what research supports it

2. Who started baby-led weaning and why you should read the original book by Gill Rapley

3. What benefits your baby (and you!) get from this natural approach to starting solid foods

Shownotes for this episode can be found here:

https://www.babyledweaning.co/blogs/podcasts/1

Links from This Episode:

• Gill Rapley’s Baby-Led Weaning book: Baby-Led Weaning The Essential Guide (get the 2019 revised 10th anniversary edition - linking 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 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

If you want to learn more about Gill Rapley, take a listen to these interview episodes I have done with her:

• Episode 100 - The History of BLW with its Founding Philosopher Gill Rapley, PhD (Part 1)

• Episode 102 - The Future of BLW with its Founding Philosopher Gill Rapley, PhD (Part 2)

• Episode 140 - National Baby-Led Weaning Day: It's a Thing with Gill Rapley, PhD

• Episode 142 - Debunking the Biggest BLW Myths with Gill Rapley, PhD

• Episode 200 - Combo Feeding: Can I Do BLW + Traditional Spoon-Feeding Together? with Gill Rapley, PhD

• Episode 241 - How did Baby-Led Weaning Get its Name? with Gill Rapley, PhD

• Episode 260 - Adapted Baby-Led Weaning for Children with Developmental Delays with Gill Rapley, PhD and Jill Rabin, MS, CCC-SLP/L, IBCLC

• Episode 500 - From Niche to Norm: The Evolution of Baby-Led Weaning with Gill Rapley, PhD

Other Episodes Related to This Topic

• Episode 201 - Order of BLW Foods to Feed: Does it Matter?

• Episode 211 - How to Schedule Milk Feeds with Solid Food for Baby-Led Weaning

• Episode 249 - BLW Feeding Schedule: First 10 Days of Baby-Led Weaning

• Episode 255 - 5 Things I Would Do Differently if I Started BLW All Over Again

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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.

💯 💯 💯 💯 💯

👀 👀 👀 👀 👀

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.

🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Niche to Norm: The Evolution of Baby-Led Weaning with Gill Rapley, PhD Dec 31, 2024

Show notes

#500: Baby-Led Weaning is not a made up thing on the internet…it’s a revolutionary approach that has transformed how we think about feeding babies. Once a fringe idea, baby-led weaning has entered the mainstream, backed by research and embraced by parents and professionals worldwide. In this special final episode, Gill Rapley, the founding philosopher of the baby-led weaning movement and co-author of the original baby-led weaning book reflects on its incredible evolution, its impact on families and child development, and why trusting your baby’s instincts is more important than ever. Join us as we celebrate this remarkable journey and look ahead to the future of infant feeding.

Listen to this episode to learn:

How baby-led weaning went from being a fringe parenting fad to a mainstream feeding philosophy
Why healthcare professionals and researchers are increasingly aligned with baby-led weaning
What Gill Rapley thinks about influencers promoting the feeding philosophy she started

Shownotes for this episode can be found here:

https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/500

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

Listen to this episode to learn:

How to help early eaters in phase 1 of baby-led weaning progress beyond puree textures
What to do if you’re scared that your baby is going to choke if you offer textures other than purees
How to increase the variety of textures your baby is offered…even if you don’t like to cook

Shownotes for this episode can be found here:

https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/499

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