What Dietitians Don't Know About Baby-Led Weaning: Bridging the Education Gap
Baby-Led Weaning with Katie FerraroShow Notes
#126: You spent years studying nutrition…so why can starting solid foods with your own baby still feel so overwhelming?
If you’re a dietitian who is also a new mom, this episode is for you. I’m sharing why so many RDs feel underprepared to counsel families on baby-led weaning, even though we are the nutrition experts. We’ll talk about the education gap around readiness, choking-risk reduction, allergens, texture progression, responsive feeding, and the practical skills families are already asking us about.
I’ll also share why baby-led weaning can be more than something you want to learn for your own baby. It may also be the specialized career niche you’ve been looking for. Plus, I’ll tell you about our new Baby-Led Weaning Certification Course for Dietitians and how to join the founding members cohort before enrollment closes July 17 using code BLWDAY for 40% off at blwpro.org.
Listen to this episode to learn:
1. Why so many dietitians feel underprepared to counsel families on baby-led weaning—even though we’re the food and nutrition experts—and where the biggest education gaps still exist.
2. How to confidently answer the questions parents are already asking about readiness to eat, gagging versus choking, allergen introduction, texture progression, and responsive feeding using an evidence-based approach.
3. What it takes to specialize in baby-led weaning as a dietitian, who the new Baby-Led Weaning Certification Course is designed for, and how it can help you build confidence in your practice while creating new career opportunities.
Shownotes for this episode can be found here:
https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/126
Links from This Episode:
• Join the Founding Members summer cohort of the Baby-Led Weaning Certification Course for Dietitians that starts July 20, 2026. Use code BLWDAY for 40% off registration at https://blwpro.org/ - Registration closes July 17, 2026
• Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 (this program is approved for 30 CPEUs for Registered Dietitians)
• 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 108- Do Babies Need Probiotics? with James Marin, RD, EN and Dahlia Marin, RDN, LD
• Episode 370 - Why Do Some Feeding Therapists Disagree with Baby-Led Weaning? with Jill Rabin, MS, CCC-SLP, IBCLC
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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 use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up.
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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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro
#144: What did babies eat before baby food was invented? Food historian Amy Bentley, PhD, author of Inventing Baby Food, joins me to unpack how commercial baby food, changing medical advice and clever marketing transformed the way we feed babies. If you’ve ever stood in the baby food aisle wondering whether your baby actually needs all of those jars, pouches and products, this episode will help you understand how we got here—and why babies are capable of eating real food from the start.
#143: How is your baby supposed to eat tiny foods like quinoa, rice or finely chopped vegetables if they can’t pick them up yet? Fritters are one of my favorite ways to transform hard-to-grasp foods into soft, manageable pieces your baby can self-feed. In this episode, I’m sharing my simple baby-led weaning fritter formula, how to combine grains, vegetables and protein, what to use if your baby can’t have egg, and how to keep fritters soft and moist for easier swallowing.
#142: Do you really need to wait 3 days between new foods? Does baby-led weaning mean no purees or spoons? And does your baby need to sit completely unsupported before starting solid foods?
#141: Is your baby really ready to start solid foods? If you’re getting conflicting advice about starting at 4 months, waiting until 6 months, sitting independently or showing interest in food, it can be hard to know when it’s actually safe to begin. In this episode, I’m breaking down the signs of readiness that matter, what you don’t need to stress about, and how to know when your baby is developmentally ready to start learning how to eat.
#140: Why does starting solid foods make you feel like a brand-new mom all over again? Even parents who work in the baby space can feel nervous and unsure when it’s time to introduce real food. In this episode, I’m talking with Moms Interrupted hosts Natasha and Taylor about Taylor’s experience starting solid foods with her second baby, .especially after severe food allergy reactions with her first. Listen to hear what she was worried about before starting, what has surprised her so far, and why you don’t have to know exactly what you’re doing to confidently help your baby learn how to eat.