What Dietitians Don't Know About Baby-Led Weaning: Bridging the Education Gap

#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 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 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 use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 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. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 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