The Lucky Iron Fish is a unique kitchen tool, a piece of iron carved in the shape of a fish that you cook with for 10 minutes to release a significant amount of iron. This product is safe for babies aged 7 months+ to use and in this episode I’m interviewing the founder and CEO of Lucky Iron Fish Gavin Armstrong, PhD to learn more! If you’ve ever worried about your baby getting enough iron, or if babies who do baby-led weaning can meet their iron needs, you’re going to love what Gavin has to say. The Lucky Iron Fish is easy to use, it’s proven safe and effective and this company and product are working to reverse the devastating effects and global impact of iron deficiency.

Not sure what to feed your baby in the very first week of starting solid foods? In this episode, I’m walking you through a simple 7-day syllabus featuring 5 easy baby-led weaning foods every baby can easily eat. I call it a syllabus because, just like any good course, this week gives you a clear structure, a logical starting point, and a step-by-step roadmap so you can begin with less overwhelm and more confidence.

In Part 2 of this conversation with Gill Rapley, PhD, the founding philosopher of the baby-led weaning approach, we look ahead at the future of baby-led weaning. Gill shares where she hopes the research will go, how social media has both helped and complicated the conversation around baby-led weaning, and why trust, respect, and shared family meals remain at the heart of the philosophy. We also explore how healthcare providers, therapists, and parents can better support your baby’s ability to self-feed, while rethinking outdated ideas about spoon-feeding, oral skill development, and how babies learn to eat.

Should your baby learn to drink from an open cup or a straw cup first? In this episode, pediatric swallowing specialist Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP, explains why open cup drinking comes first, how it supports feeding and speech development, and when to introduce a straw cup. You’ll learn the developmental reasons behind both skills and how to help your baby build confidence with drinking at mealtimes.

Gill Rapley, PhD helped give baby-led weaning its name, and more importantly, its philosophy: feeding led by your baby, not done to your baby. In Part 1 of our interview, Gill shares how baby-led weaning took shape, why waiting until babies are truly ready matters, and what she says to the skeptics who still doubt a baby’s ability to self-feed.

Organic foods can feel like the “best” choice for your baby…until you’re staring at the price tag and wondering if you’re cutting corners if you buy conventional. In this episode, I break down what the word organic actually means, what it changes (and what it doesn’t), and how to shop confidently on any budget, so that your baby can eat more fruits, veggies, and real foods without you feeling guilty or breaking the bank.

Picky eating can feel like it comes out of nowhere…one day your baby eats everything and then the next day - boom - you have a picky eater on your hands. But did we maybe make picky eating up? In this episode, I’m talking with food historian Helen Zoe Veit, author of Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History. Helen helps us zoom out and understand how picky eating became such a big part of modern childhood…and what changed in our food culture to get us here.

Babies can eat so many more foods than we give them credit for...like mushrooms! Mushrooms are one of those foods that adults love to hate, but babies...babies will eat anything, including mushrooms! In this episode we’ll take a look at how to feed mushrooms safely to your baby for baby-led weaning.  Mushrooms are a surprising source of nutrition, not to mention a unique taste and texture experience for your baby. In this episode I’m sharing a number of ways to prepare mushrooms and mushroom recipes that work well for baby-led weaning.

If you want to do baby-led weaning but you’re worried your pediatrician won’t support it, this episode will help you walk into that conversation with more confidence. You’ll learn what to say when a doctor raises concerns about choking, gagging, allergenic foods, or “what to feed,” plus how to tell the difference between a true medical red flag and a provider who just isn’t up to date. Pediatrician and mom of two Mona Amin, DO (@pedsdoctalk) also shares what starting solid foods looked like with her first baby—and what changed (a lot!) with her second—so you can feel more prepared no matter what your feeding journey looks like.

What if your baby has trouble picking up some of the more slippery foods with baby-led weaning? When you make soft, cooked foods for your baby they can be hard to pick up. But you can help by rolling some of the slippery foods in ingredients that...

Around 8 months, many babies start eating more confidently, drinking a little less milk, and transitioning from 3 naps to 2…so it can feel like your whole routine suddenly stops working. In this interview, pediatric sleep specialist Alejandra Zúñiga explains what’s happening during this “8-month reset,” how sleep impacts your baby’s attention at the table and family mealtimes, and what to tweak so sleep and starting solid foods can work together.

If you offered a new food once and your baby wasn’t into it, that doesn’t mean it’s a “no”...it just means it needs to come back around in your rotation. In this mini training episode, I’ll show you a simple, realistic system for reintroducing familiar foods while you keep moving forward with one new food a day, including my easy plate formula and rotation routine. You’ll leave with a concrete action step you can use at your very next meal to build diet diversity into your feeding plan without overthinking it.

Ever wonder why some high chairs seem to “work” for starting solid foods while others leave your baby slumped, feet dangling, and frustrated? In this episode, I’m joined by physiotherapist and ergonomist Kirsti Vandraas to break down what a safe, supportive baby seat should actually do. We cover the key features that matter most for independent eating—like a stable base, an adjustable footrest, and a setup that lets your baby move their arms freely. Kirsti also explains why high chair designs and safety standards can vary between countries, and what parents can do to create a safer, more comfortable eating setup at home.

Starting solid foods doesn’t mean buying special baby food, or adding weird ingredients to your shopping list. In this episode, I’m showing you how to use pantry staples you already have to support baby-led weaning. You’ll learn what to look for on labels, which shelf-stable foods actually work for babies, and how pantry planning can make offering new foods feel less overwhelming and more realistic. If starting solid foods feels expensive, confusing, or stressful, this episode will help you simplify and feel confident moving forward.

If you’re starting solid foods with your baby and feeding an older child who’s more selective, this episode is for you. In this throwback conversation, I’m joined by my oldest daughter Molly, who was six years old at the time of this recording (and is now eleven). As the big sister to six younger siblings who learned to eat using baby-led weaning, Molly had a front-row seat to what it looks like when babies are allowed to feed themselves, while older kids are still figuring out their own relationship with food. We talk about why baby-led weaning doesn’t promise to prevent picky eating (but can help make it less intense) and share practical ways to involve older siblings in the kitchen and at the table when your baby is learning how to eat. This episode is especially helpful if you’re worried about “messing it up again” with your baby or wondering how to manage different eating stages under the same roof.

The freezer aisle at your grocery store has some fabulous foods you can feed your baby. Yes of course there are ultra-processed convenience foods there too that babies shouldn’t have, but don’t totally discount the freezer aisle!   In...

Many parents come into starting solid foods carrying their own food baggage harboring worries about picky eating, pressure at the table, or repeating patterns from their own childhood. It’s easy to fear projecting those concerns onto your baby before they’ve even taken their first bites. In this episode, pediatrician and trained chef Dr. Julia Nordgren shares how to write your family’s food story from a blank slate. We talk about reducing pressure, focusing on exposure over perfection, involving kids with food at every age, and building a positive, confident relationship with eating from the very beginning.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

Many moms expect their bodies to “bounce back” after having a baby…but months later, odds are they’re still dealing with leaking, pressure, weakness, or discomfort and wondering if this is just how it’s going to be forever? In this episode, I’m joined by Marcy Crouch, DPT, a board-certified women’s health physical therapist and founder of The Down There Doc, to break down what postpartum core and pelvic floor recovery really looks like. We talk about what’s normal, what’s not, and how moms, including those thinking about future pregnancies can start healing their bodies with confidence, even if they’re six months or more postpartum.

Not everything marketed as a “baby-led weaning essential” belongs in your kitchen. In this episode, I explain 5 things you should skip when starting solid foods…and why some popular feeding products can delay development or encourage the wrong skills. Fewer gadgets, more confidence, and a baby who learns to eat real food, it’s all in here!

In this episode, I’m joined by registered dietitian and new mom Jackie Laniado Sutton, whose baby, Alexandria, completed the 100 First Foods approach using baby-led weaning while keeping a kosher home. Jackie shares how she adapted foods, timing of meat and dairy, and meal prep to stay true to kosher guidelines without compromising safety or variety when starting solid foods. If your family keeps kosher and you’re curious how baby-led weaning can work within those traditions, this episode offers practical, reassuring guidance from someone who’s done it firsthand.