First Bites: Baby-Led Weaning & Beyond

We all know that our little ones are listening to every word we say. Even when they aren’t able to fully understand words, they’re able to begin picking up on mood and emotions, and get a general sense of how we’re feeling.

It can be so important to model a positive relationship with our own health and wellness journey when we are wanting the same for our little ones. Tune in to hear the conversation of two health experts (nutrition & fitness) discussing how to model this in your own life!

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Links from Hilary & Amber’s Instagram Lives:

Baby-Led Weaning/Starting Solids

Toddler Nutrition

Amber’sAmazon List (with links to her baby carrier recommendations for use during workouts!)

Amber’s Free Birth Planning E-Book

Amber’s Prenatal Exercise Guide

Follow Amber on Instagram @fierce.not.fragile

Follow Amber on TikTok

Follow Hilary on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

Will baby love solids? Will they know what to do right away What if they gag?

This episode goes though my 5 top conversation pieces in the early days of BLW. These pointers are things I discuss with parents in my First Foods Academy program regularly, and I wanted to share them with all of you too! Let’s dive in!

 || LINKS ||

Take $10 off Thrive Training Institute’s CPR/Choking Awareness course using code nutritionmamma at checkout!

Follow Hilary on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

You may have heard of sensory play, but what exactly does it entail and how can it impact early childhood feeding and food acceptance?

In this episode I interview guest Jenny Sessums to discuss the following:

• Why sensory play can be so beneficial for childhood development and feeding
• How Jenny has seen sensory play manifest into better food acceptance for her son
• How we can simplify the concept of sensory play if we don’t have time for sensory bins and fancy recipes
• & more!

|| LINKS ||

Follow Jenny on Instagram: @p.is.for.play

Jenny’s FREE Taste-Safe Recipe Book: https://stan.store/Pisforplay/p/sensory-surprises-a-tastesafe-recipe-book

Follow on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

So maybe baby isn’t quite ready for solids yet… are there things we can do to help prepare them? Or should we just show up one day and do it?

Either can work, but this episode sheds light on some activities that can help to prepare baby to be better equipped and more comfortable at the start of their solids journey!

Let’s dive in!

|| LINKS ||

Shop EZPZ Oral Development Tools to use as early feeding/pre-feeding practice! Use affiliate code NUTRITIONMAMMA for 10% off every Ezpz order!

Visit Hilary’s Amazon Storefront for other oral development tool/teether ideas.

Follow on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

Sickness can really throw us, and our little ones for a loop. We often want to provide the best care, but it can be a little unnerving when our child won’t eat. We wonder if they’re getting enough nutrition and fluids to help them get better.

This episode dives into:

·     Changes in mealtime that you might notice during times of illness

·     Tips and tricks for keeping your child nourished and hydrated during times of illness

Listen now, and bookmark this episode so you can come back again when you need it most. <3

|| LINKS ||

Follow on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

Ezpz Tiny Pops – Use affiliate code NUTRITIONMAMMA for 10% off every Ezpz order!

Iron is a vital nutrient that our babies and toddlers need to grow, develop, and thrive. But how, exactly do we make sure we’re giving them enough? And where does it come from?

This episode covers:

-what iron is and why we need it

-how much our little ones need in their diet, and how exactly we can give them adequate amounts

-what we can do to ensure our child has enough iron to support their growing bodies.

|| LINKS ||

Check out the Lucky Iron Fish for iron fortification! (affiliate link)

FREEBIE - List of iron and vitamin C containing foods

Hilary’s infant & toddler supplement recommendations on Amazon

Follow on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

Ever wonder the ‘why’ around baby-led weaning? Why do it? What are its benefits? Tune in to hear this conversation between Hilary and Dr. Breanna Powderly, where we talk about all things baby-led weaning and development, and make the connections between the two. Dr. Bree shares a plethora of knowledge about building neuropathways in our little one’s brain, as well as how chiropractic care can make a huge difference in this process!

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Follow Dr. Breanna Powderly on Instagram

Follow Life Adjusted Chiropractic on Instagram

Visit the Life Adjusted Chiropractic website

Follow Hilary on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

Ahhh, the unsolicited comments we all experience at some time or another during our journey as a parent. It can come from a stranger or someone very close to you! And it’s not always meant with bad intention, but it can be perceived that way. It feels like an attack on us and our ability to parent/raise a well-nourished child. This episode dives deep in handling the tough comments and conversations you may want to or need to have around feeding and body image comments that are made in relation to your baby or toddler – and some apply to older children too! 

|| L I N K S ||

Understand more about the Divison of Responsibility in Feeding to be able to explain to family members

Not sure when to start solids or what the signs of readiness are? Check them out here.

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Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

This festive episode shares 4 different recipe ideas for creatively (& safely) serving pumpkin to your baby and/or toddler. Oh – and they’ll betasty for you too! Enjoy!

SHOW NOTES:

Get the recipes from this episode here!

Get your copy of Your BLW Serving Guide e-book

Follow on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

Added sugars in foods can be SUCH a confusing and frustrating world to navigate with a baby or toddler. Tune in to this week's episode to learn more about what it can look like to be conscious of minimizing added sugar while still keeping food neutral and enjoying family favorites.

LINKS:

Sneak peek of 'Your BLW Serving Guide' e-book - buy it here!

Learn more about ⁠First Foods Academy⁠

Learn more about ⁠Toddler Foods Academy⁠

Follow on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Have others helping to feed your child? Maybe a daycare setting or even babysitters? This episode guides you through navigating the ins and outs of getting clear on your expectations in those times, how to trust others to feed your child, and looking at ways to meet in the middle when met with resistance.

This episode covers:

•  My top tips to guide you to success with meshing daycare rules with a baby-led approach to solids
• What to do if your daycare doesn’t allow BLW
• PLUS a new exciting offer I have coming to you soon!

Enjoy!

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***Introducing Your BLW Serving Guide – my brand new E-book! Purchase here!

Follow on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

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A follower recently asked me: “What’s it like for your husband to have the responsibilities of being Dad in the feeding journey while also being married to a dietitian who specializes in baby-led weaning (BLW) and toddler nutrition?”

It was such a great question that I brought him on the podcast to chat about this exact topic, and provide his insight! He’s here answering your questions!  

We talk about:

•  What the BLW and feeding journey has been like for him as Dad, main chef in our home, and husband of a BLW/toddler dietitian
• His insight on how parents can reduce their anxiety surrounding the feeding process
• What mealtime looks like now, for our family, with a 3-year-old
• and more!

Definitely a must-listen!

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Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

We often set high expectations for ourselves when it comes to certain parenting techniques, like starting solids. Sometimes these expectations we set are helpful but sometimes they just don’t serve us well. It's hard to be confident in the BLW/starting solids journey if we feel high levels of pressure and overwhelm. This episode dives into:

• How many foods you should (or shouldn’t) reach before age 1
• What setting realistic expectations look like
• What to focus on in addition to or instead of numbers

If you’ve been feeling the pressure of what others do, and trying to keep up, this episode is for you.

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Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

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<Just sharing my unedited thoughts around baby-led weaning and feeding little ones. Check it out.>

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Summer is such a fun time to play with flavor and get your little ones excited about fresh fruits/veggies. Even if you’re past the baby-led weaning (BLW) and starting solids stage, you can still use the summer to increase that curiosity by continuing to try new foods and flavors, as well as talk about them or have your toddlers help prep them, cook them, whatever!

This episode will cover 10 summer food staples, including how to serve these foods safely to our little ones, and fun ideas for how we can offer them.

Foods included (but not limited to) are:

• Strawberries
• Tomatoes
• Basil
• Corn
• Peaches
• & more!

Tune in to grab some fresh new ideas so you can dive into these summer months with some fun ways to share summer meals with your babies and toddlers!

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SHOW NOTES:

DIY Freeze Pop Pouches

Ezpz Tiny Pops

DISCOUNT CODE: Need some new baby and/or toddler mealtime staples? Shop my favorite brand! Get 10% off all Ezpz orders by shopping their website directly and using affiliate code NUTRITIONMAMMA at checkout.

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Follow on Threads

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

Summer weather has officially arrived, and I’ve been getting lots of questions lately about how much water babies need. As we navigate starting solids and baby-led weaning (BLW), we of course have so many questions about the food choices we make for our little ones, but what about drinks?

Hydration is very important for babies, but hydration doesn’t just come from plain water.

This episode dives into:

•  How much water your child needs based on age
• The importance of hydration for babies, but also the dangers of overconsumption of water
• Strategies for ensuring proper hydration for our babies AND toddlers
• Cup recommendations for practice with both open cup drinking and straw cup drinking

SHOW NOTES:

Healthychildren.org Article on Hydration: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/recommended-drinks-for-young-children-ages-0-5.aspx

Ezpz Tiny Cup for open cup drinking practice

DISCOUNT CODE: Need some new baby and/or toddler mealtime staples? Shop my favorite brand! Get 10% off all Ezpz orders by shopping their website directly and using affiliate code NUTRITIONMAMMA at checkout.

Hilary’s favorite insulated travel cup for babies & toddlers:

Shop the 10 oz Thermos Foogo or the 12 oz Thermos Funtainer

@Amazon: https://amzn.to/43OCeMh or https://amzn.to/3CEJHkU

@Walmart: link

@Target: link

Need help understanding open cup drinking? Check this out!

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Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

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Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Don’t play with your food!” But…there are reasons maybe we *should* be allowing play at the table as we introduce solids, do baby-led weaning (BLW) and during toddlerhood as well! This episode dives into the benefits of bringing play to mealtime, and how this can look in your family. Tune in for more!

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SHOW NOTES:

Web MD article on food play - https://www.webmd.com/parenting/what-to-know-about-food-play

American Academy of Pediatrics - The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds

Grab a splash mat to help with making floor messes easier to clean up!

The perfect washcloths for cleaning up after mealtime messes

Nutrition Mamma Links: 

Follow on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

Follow Hilary on Pinterest

Navigating the world of starting solids can feel daunting when we have our own personal fears as parents: choking, baby not gaining enough weight, doing it wrong, being judged by others, not giving baby the right nutrients, you name it.

In this episode I talk with first-time mom Jessica, about her experience with baby-led weaning (BLW). We talk about:

• why she chose it as the best option for her daughter
• how she overcame her personal fears to let her daughter have the experience she dreamed of
• how BLW has benefitted their whole family

If you’ve been feeling like you’re not cut out to do BLW but want to, this episode is for you.

| LINKS |

Follow on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

Book a Discovery Call with Hilary to discuss First Foods Academy/Toddler Foods Academy Enrollment

Confused about how to actually start baby-led weaning (BLW)?

This is week is all about the “how-to” of starting out and feeding a baby using a baby-led approach to solids. Because quite frankly, it can be overwhelming and a lot to process for new parents and for anyone!

It’s almost every day that I have people telling me they don’t know where to start, or what to start with, or how many meals, or when to do it. It’s a lot to adjust to!

Episode 04 covers the basics and beyond when it comes to:

• The mechanics
• The planning
• The frequency

of BLW/starting solids and what that can look like for your family! It’s absolutely a little different for everyone.

| LINKS | :

Follow on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Visit the Nutrition Mamma website

Learn more about First Foods Academy

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy

Book a Discovery Call with Hilary to discuss FFA/TFA Enrollment

Shop ezpz products for your little eater! Use affiliate discount code NUTRITIONMAMMA for 10% off every order

FARE Food Allergy FAQ page

You know how you always compare yourself to other moms? Yep, this episode is all about that. And how that plays a role in our confidence when it comes to important things like feeding our child! Baby-led weaning can be a challenge no matter who you are. And so can feeding a toddler!

In this episode we cover:

• Why we're wrong when we compare ourselves to other moms
• Why I can't stand the term 'Supermom'
• Practical ways to boost our own confidence in our abilities as a parent

LINKS:

Website: Nutritionmamma.com

Follow on Instagram @nutrition.mamma

Learn more about First Foods Academy & take advantage of the 10% off May podcast listener discount!

Learn more about Toddler Foods Academy & take advantage of the 10% off May podcast listener discount!