Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro

When baby-led weaning was still considered risky and unconventional, Jessica Coll, RD, was already teaching workshops to parents in Canada. Now, as the founder of the International Baby-Led Weaning Network for Health Professionals, she’s helping clinicians around the world feel confident supporting families through this feeding approach. In this episode, Jessica shares how she built her professional network, why she believes dietitians and other providers should be involved in baby-led weaning, and what still needs to change in the way we educate professionals about starting solid foods.

Understanding your baby’s hunger and fullness cues is one of the most important parts of responsive feeding, but it’s also one of the most confusing for parents. In this episode, you’ll learn how to recognize early hunger cues, spot the signs that your baby is finished, and troubleshoot those moments when the cues just don’t make sense. Discover how honoring these signals supports self-regulation, reduces mealtime battles, and helps you raise a confident, independent eater with baby-led weaning.

Did you know that feeding milestones can actually help your baby hit their speech milestones too? In this episode, I’m joined by Stephanie Cohen, MA, CCC-SLP, CLC, a speech-language pathologist, feeding therapist, and certified lactation counselor who breaks down the fascinating connection between eating and talking in babies. We’re exploring how responsive feeding, oral motor skills, and early mealtime experiences lay the foundation for communication. Stephanie shares practical examples of how everyday feeding moments, from mouthing to chewing support speech development, plus tips for creating positive, communication-rich mealtimes. Stephanie’s new board book I Can Say… Eat!, is designed to help families celebrate feeding milestones and foster language development through playful, baby-friendly interactions. Whether your baby is just starting solid foods or already exploring tons of tastes and textures, this conversation will help you understand how feeding and talking go hand in hand.

Most parents think everything their baby eats has to be fresh, homemade, and cooked from scratch…but that’s just not true. In this episode, I’m breaking down 10 safe canned foods from my 100 First Foods list that can make starting solid foods easier, cheaper, and more realistic for busy families. I’ll share why certain canned foods actually work better than fresh, how to spot the low-sodium and no-added-sugar versions, and the quick label checks I use to make sure a canned food is safe for babies.

What is your baby’s behavior at mealtime telling you? Is it possible to spoil a baby by feeding him too much? Can babies even exhibit “bad” behavior? In this episode author, child development and parenting specialist Tina Payne Bryson, PhD is joining me to break it ALL down when it comes to your baby’s behavior at mealtimes - diving DEEP into what the science says! Tina is the co-author of well-known parenting books such as The Whole-Brain Child and No Drama Discipline (...aka the BIBLE when my quadruplets were toddlers and I had NO idea how to compassionately discipline!) I love Tina’s science-based approach to tackling topics and she’s covering a TON of baby behavior in her new book The Bottom Line For Baby. Tina is walking us through a TON of positive parenting techniques, like how to react when your baby starts throwing food, responding to family members or friends who question your decision to do baby-led weaning and how to establish boundaries when baby starts pushing your buttons!