MMP Ep 325: A Practical Approach to Baby Led Weaning with Brittany Beaver

MMP Ep 325: A Practical Approach to Baby Led Weaning with Brittany Beaver

Brittany Beaver: [00:00:00] Hey friends! Can't wait till Wednesdays to get your Modern Mamas fix? Join us on Patreon. You can choose your tier and when you subscribe you'll get bonus content, early access to Retreat, first peeks at new swag, plus shoutouts and even real time monthly virtual hangs with us. Visit patreon. com

Jess Gaertner: forward slash Modern Mamas podcast to check it out and support the podcast.

Jess Gaertner: It truly means the world to us. We are so grateful for you and for this community.

Brittany Beaver: Hi friends! Welcome to the Modern Mamas podcast. We are two modern

Jess Gaertner: mamas here to inspire, empowerment, self love, deep

Brittany Beaver: physical and spiritual nourishment, holistic health, open minds, and joy, no matter your journey or perspective. I'm Laura of Radical Roots. I'm a certified CrossFit trainer, certified nutrition consultant, and mama to Evie Wilder and Indie Bow.

Brittany Beaver: I love outdoor adventure, good food,

Jess Gaertner: especially sourdough. [00:01:00] And mindful movement. And I'm Jess of Hold the Space Wellness. I am a level one CrossFit trainer, a licensed and certified athletic trainer with a master's in kinesiology, and Mama Tiberian Camille. I love food, trying new things, creating art, and being a perpetual learner.

Jess Gaertner: Please note that while we're here to provide advice and insights, we aren't medical practitioners, and always recommend that you check with a trusted provider before implementing any changes. Thanks for joining us. We're so happy you're here. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Modern Mamas podcast.

Jess Gaertner: It's Jess here today with a guest, Brittany Beaver, who, you know, I have to, I have to mention this before we get started. We've already recorded this

Jess Gaertner: episode a charm. Second time's a charm. I, if you've been listening, I shared a couple catch ups ago that I lost a lot of pretty much everything on my computer a couple, like, probably like a month or so ago. And one of the precious things [00:02:00] that I lost in addition to, I don't even know what I've truly lost at this point, but was our original recording of this.

Jess Gaertner: And so we are re recording today. It's going to be great. I think you were even saying before we hopped on that last time I think your throat was feeling a little funky. So you know, it's going to be, it's going to be fantastic. Thank you for coming back and thank you for being willing to re record this.

Jess Gaertner: You are a gem.

Brittany Beaver: Thank you for having me.

Jess Gaertner: It's just, it was one of those things that was like, okay, do we just like suck it up and move on and live without this information? And I think it's just too good to not rerecord and share with the world because, okay, let me back up a little bit before we dive into the meat of this.

Jess Gaertner: But we are going to be chatting with Brittany, who is a registered dietitian, and we're going to really be talking about a fresh perspective on baby lead weaning, because we've had several episodes on baby lead weaning, you know, over the course of our six year podcast. You know, we've shared this information [00:03:00] in different ways, and I'm just really excited about this unique perspective.

Jess Gaertner: The, the last episode, the previous one that we recorded was just really, really full of practical information. And so I think that's one thing where we can talk conceptually about it and we will, but a lot of what you're sharing is just so like, okay, if I want to start this, I can go out tomorrow and start this with my baby or plan to start this with my kiddo.

Jess Gaertner: And here's how some, some very simple, easy to understand ways that we're going to do that. So. Really, really excited. But before we dive in, I want to read your bio because it's amazing. And I all for everyone listening. I also know Brittany through a variety of other things that we share one of one of them being beauty counter and she's just a gem of a human.

Jess Gaertner: But here is her professional bio. Brittany Beaver is a registered dietitian with a focus on real food to optimize health, especially during the preconception, prenatal, and postpartum time period. She has a passion for using food as medicine and [00:04:00] empowering women to take control of their health. She has a wonderful community on Instagram that focuses on non toxic living and encourages women to make small swaps so they can have a life changing impact for themselves and their families.

Jess Gaertner: She also has a focus on baby led weaning and has over 10 years of pediatric experience, both in children's hospitals and as a mom of two littles. Brooks, who is three and a half years old, and Bailey, who is almost 16 months old, maybe older at

Brittany Beaver: this point. No, I updated it. It said that she was just over a year last time, so it just goes by so fast.

Jess Gaertner: Wow, I can't believe, oh, that is bananas. Yeah, so she updated that, 16 months old, and Brittany truly believes we can impact our child's health and relationships. With food based on our feeding approach in those early days, and that's what we're going to dive into today. And I'm just so thrilled to have you on, friend.

Jess Gaertner: Welcome back.

Brittany Beaver: I'm so excited to be here again. I feel a little less nervous the second time.

Jess Gaertner: This is perfect. It's great. That was just our, that was our trial run. And now we're going to, it's going to be even smoother than [00:05:00] last time, which was pretty sweet. But before we jump in, like I mentioned before, we're going to talk about baby lead weaning from your unique perspective.

Jess Gaertner: But... You know, I think there's a lot of, you're a registered dietitian, which is a very clinical education based profession. And I feel like your story, because of things that have happened in your life and things we're going to dive into, gives you also a very unique spin in that world and very unique perspective in that world.

Jess Gaertner: So before we kind of dive into the meat of what is baby led weaning and what are we going I want to hear more about your story, whatever you're willing to share, why you're passionate about. What you're doing and not just baby lid winning, but all the things that you share and how you got there and just the whole thing.

Jess Gaertner: So take is take it away and tell us about your passion and how that happened.

Brittany Beaver: Okay, so I'm a chronic oversharer, so I always share too much, but I think it's helpful for [00:06:00] people to know, you know, what got me here. So I became a registered dietitian out of college and then My life was forever changed when I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and I was engaged and getting married and it just kind of rocked my world and I'm still on it.

Brittany Beaver: I was this super healthy person already because I'm my additional course, but what you learn in school versus what you learn in life, two very different things. So I went and saw a doctor, of course, and they told me, I'm going to put you on these medications. You'll be on for the rest of your life and when you're ready to have a baby, come back, let us know because you can't be on these when you're pregnant.

Brittany Beaver: And then of course my question was, well, what foods can I eat to help this? And they told me. Diet and lifestyle will not affect your diet. These are the meds you'll be on for the rest of your life. And I just could not accept that at face value because what we eat has such an impact on our body. We're one whole human.

Brittany Beaver: And so I went home and I started [00:07:00] researching right away. I started seeing a functional medicine doctor. And if you know anything about dietitians, a lot of us are similar. We're type A, and we're very dogmatic, and you cannot be that way when you're N equals one working on an experiment for your own health, you know?

Brittany Beaver: So I started doing things that weren't necessarily in a research study, which is really hard for dietitians. But when you find something that works for you, you keep exploring. So I went paleo, and that helped me immensely. And I finally was able to get off meds. I'm back on meds now. We won't get into all that, but it's been this up and down journey where I have really seen the impact of how cleaning up my diet, lifestyle, personal care products, and what I surround myself with in my home have made a huge impact on my health.

Brittany Beaver: And then having babies, you just think, I want to set them up for success from the very beginning. So if their gut health is optimized and [00:08:00] their palate is wide and they like all kinds of foods. And so that's really what got me started with baby led weaning and just trying to really get them set up. So maybe they don't get a diagnosis, you know, in their, in their twenties or earlier.

Brittany Beaver: Yeah. So

Jess Gaertner: that is, that's incredible. And I know that your particular experience has really impacted now your, your approach with like food and like you said, personal care products and all of it. In school, just to kind of segue, did you learn anything specific about baby led weaning in terms of like working with pediatric patients?

Brittany Beaver: Oh, definitely not. Definitely not. And not even so much in the hospital either. I worked at Texas Children's for about eight years, and it was kind of fringe back then, you know, I've, I've been out of the clinical setting for since Brooks was born. So almost four years now, and it was, I think people were [00:09:00] doing it, but it wasn't as widely taught or maybe even accepted as it is now.

Brittany Beaver: Is there,

Jess Gaertner: just super contrast, is there anything you can share about what you learned traditionally when like feeding initially, like that initial feeding, like around four to six months or whatever, like what was, what was slash is the kind of like general approach to those early days of feeding? I know it's probably really like complicated and complex, but is there any like basic.

Jess Gaertner: Like, stuff that they teach you. It

Brittany Beaver: also feels like a lifetime ago since I

Jess Gaertner: was in college. Yeah. I'm sure. Think way back, Brittany. I can't even remember what I did yesterday, but I want you to remember now.

Brittany Beaver: I feel like it's kind of what your pediatrician tells you, right? Right. Cause that's like... That's kind of the basics of what we learn and when you're in a nutrition program, talking about babies and infants is such a small [00:10:00] part of that because we're really looking at nutrition through all the life stages, starting with purees, starting with rice cereal so they can get that extra iron.

Brittany Beaver: I feel like it's a big recommendation that we hear from a lot of people, but thankfully even the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends something different now and we can definitely dive more into that. Okay.

Jess Gaertner: It's getting hot in here, so take off, wait, it's not that kind of podcast, but it is getting hot in here and I need to fill you in on one of my latest obsessions from Paleo Valley, their new essential electrolyte powders.

Jess Gaertner: I've been a longtime fan of electrolytes added to my water, and one of the main reasons I do is because of all of the bennies, y'all. With a careful selection of ingredients, Paleo Valley ensures you get the full package. Their electrolytes feature a harmonious blend of minerals including magnesium, potassium, sodium, and all sourced from nature's finest.

Jess Gaertner: These essential nutrients work wonders, promoting [00:11:00] hydration, supporting muscle function, and maintaining overall balance in your body. Whether you're an athlete, a fitness enthusiast, or simply someone who wants to stay at the top of their game, Paleo Valley's electrolytes are a game changer. Oh, and did I mention that they've got something for everyone?

Jess Gaertner: With light flavors like orange, lemon, and watermelon, you'll be sipping on electrolyte goodness like never before. And I love that these come in bulk packaging, so less waste and more control over the amount of flavor for your personal taste. If you're ready to take your hydration game to the next level, head over to www.

Jess Gaertner: paleovalley. com forward slash modern mamas and get 15% off your order. No code needed. Trust me, your body will thank you. So, for people that are just kind of maybe their kids are not into this stage yet, or maybe they have never heard of baby led weaning, let's kind of open and lay the foundation for what this idea is.

Jess Gaertner: So, In your best description, what is [00:12:00] baby lead weaning? And then maybe for some contrast, like what isn't baby lead weaning? Because I'm sure there are some like preconceived notions about it from our listeners.

Brittany Beaver: I'm sure there are. People are picturing a kid with just like a giant piece of food and like a choking experience.

Brittany Beaver: Yes. And that is what baby led weaning is not. So baby led weaning is really a responsive feeding approach. It really lets the baby be in charge because they're born with this beautiful sense of hunger and satiety and we ruin that in, in our babies because I, most of us can probably picture someone eating purees.

Brittany Beaver: And what do we see? You're doing like the airplane. You're like forcing it into the baby. They might be turning their head, but you're saying like, Oh, but this jar is not empty yet. Just a few more bites. And their body is saying, I'm full. And we're just shoveling it in. So doing baby led weaning really lets them be in control.

Brittany Beaver: And that's the [00:13:00] beauty of it. There's nothing about baby lead weaning that is concrete. It doesn't have to be all solids or all purees. We can do a mix of both, which I think is surprising to a lot of people.

Jess Gaertner: Yeah, I feel like I shared in our first recording, I shared a lot about my kind of experiences with it.

Jess Gaertner: And I guess I'd never really understood, like, hey, this doesn't have to be all or nothing. As a new mom, I was like, okay, we're doing baby lead winning. This was like first getting into it. I'm like, you know, we ate fairly paleo, whole food. So I was like, we're gonna do this. And I never really understood that, like, there, there's a lot of, like, room for, like, play in terms of, like, what that looks like for you and your lifestyle and your ability to, you know, be able to, I don't know, I just thought I had to do everything from scratch.

Jess Gaertner: I had to do everything a certain way, and those are all valuable, like, things, but there is, [00:14:00] I love that you mentioned that there is, like, A lot of room in between for it to look like there's purees. You can do purees. And I know you're going to kind of tell us, like, how we can do purees maybe in a different way that's not the airplane mode.

Jess Gaertner: I definitely will. But, I don't know, I just love that. I love that it is, it's not like a, it's not really dogmatic in a lot of, in a lot of ways,

Brittany Beaver: so. So much of health doesn't have to be, but I think when you find something that works for you, you want to tell everyone this is how it is, but that's how it is for you, and it might not work for someone else.

Brittany Beaver: So having that nuance is really key. Oh, I

Jess Gaertner: love it so much. Okay, so let's talk about why some pediatricians don't recommend baby led weaning and what they recommend instead, because I know, especially, again, I'll just share my own perspective, when I kind of went into it, With my pediatrician, they were like, you know, it was the standard.

Jess Gaertner: It was like rice cereal, [00:15:00] four to six months. And, you know, a lot of like, kind of the, I would guess like standard American diet for kiddos. And so there was a lot of like, well, I'm not sure about when I was describing baby lead weaning, you know, in my limited capacity. It was kind of like, I'm not sure about that.

Jess Gaertner: You could try it. But like, you know, it was there's a lot of maybe get skepticism, professional skepticism. So why do you Where do you think that comes from?

Brittany Beaver: I actually had the same experience with my pediatrician both times with Brooks and Bailey, even though he knows I'm a pediatric dietician. So I can only imagine how other parents must feel.

Brittany Beaver: And before I say all this, I want parents who have maybe gone through this process already There's no room for like judgment or shame here. You've done what you've done with the best information you had at the time But if what I say is different that is okay, your child will be okay But if you haven't started yet, let's talk about how [00:16:00] to do it optimally.

Brittany Beaver: So some pediatricians don't recommend baby leg weaning because I think it's really important to start with purees, maybe from a choking standpoint, or rice cereal because of the iron content. So babies kind of start to, their iron stores start to dwindle around the six month mark when we start solid foods, but rice cereal is actually a non heme source of iron and only about 10% of that gets absorbed.

Brittany Beaver: It's really not an optimal way to get in iron anyway. I'm going to give you two tips on things that can help. If you're having delayed cord clamping when you have your baby, that can help with iron stores for your infant and the mother's iron stores when you're pregnant can really help too. So get your levels checked during pregnancy.

Brittany Beaver: Your OB or your midwife should be able to check your iron levels no problem. So just ask for them to check that. And if you need supplementation, they can help you with that, but that can help with iron. And then another caveat [00:17:00] about rice cereal is it can be really high in arsenic, which is a heavy metal and it's not great for baby's brain development.

Brittany Beaver: So the American Academy of Pediatrics actually recommends that we don't do rice more than twice a week. So if you're starting with rice cereal, you couldn't do it every day anyway. So there's a lot. Better options with more readily absorbed heme iron like red meat, eggs, matting fish, poultry. And then even some non heme sources like beans, lentils, and leafy greens.

Brittany Beaver: And anytime we're talking about iron, I want you to think about optimal absorption and pairing it with a vitamin C rich food can help with that optimal absorption. So think citrus, broccoli, sweet potatoes. berries, just having those on the plate at the same time can really help with absorption.

Jess Gaertner: Man, I feel like, oh, that's such good information.

Jess Gaertner: And, and even, even having tried this approach with my own two kiddos, [00:18:00] I feel like I'm still learning so much that like, again, No regrets. No, no judgment on my past self. Like, I could have done, I could have really, really done better. I know it sounds, it sounds terrible. It sounds like I'm judging, but like, it's just more of an observation.

Jess Gaertner: Like, there's so much more information out there. I think now, too, I'm just, it makes me also excited for people that are tuning in who haven't done this yet. It's like, wow, you get so much good information and like times are changing. And, you know, even like you said, the AAP is, is learning more and I feel like it's, I feel like we've talked about this.

Jess Gaertner: Maybe it might be in like beauty counter world, but research is like 10 years ahead of implementation normally or something, something like that. It's a significant amount of time. I think it's

Brittany Beaver: 18, 18 years, which is wild. You basically raise your whole child with outdated research. So whatever I'm telling you 18 years or

Jess Gaertner: they'll just now be implementing it into, you [00:19:00] know, practice.

Brittany Beaver: But what's exciting about this is no matter how old your child is, or even for yourself, you can pair vitamin C rich foods with iron rich foods because A lot of women bleed every month and we need extra iron, you know, so it's like you can implement this for yourself, even if you're not in the baby led weaning stage.

Brittany Beaver: That's

Jess Gaertner: fantastic. Okay. I love that so much. Now, we might have some listeners who are okay, like they're open minded, they're like baby led weaning, but like maybe they planned on doing pure rays. Let's speak to some of the fears that, that as a parent that might be playing into that hesitation. with like taking on this

Brittany Beaver: approach.

Brittany Beaver: Yeah, that's valid. Or maybe parents are on board and we've got like moms and like grandparents that are very hesitant. That happens a lot too. So one of the biggest fears is you might start with this approach and then you realize maybe he's not actually getting that much food down. They're just playing with it.

Brittany Beaver: How are they getting the [00:20:00] nutrients that they need? And It's really interesting that if you trust the process and you really let them lead, it's such a short amount of time, like just a few weeks before they're like not getting anything down to like eating everything on the tray. So that's a big fear, but you just have to trust the process and also know that they're still getting some nutrients even when they're just maybe sucking the juice out of a piece of steak.

Brittany Beaver: They're getting iron, they're getting zinc. So just trust that process. I think the biggest hesitation for most people, including medical professionals, is the risk of choking. And, and that's valid, but babies have a really great gag reflex, and starting solids helps them develop that gag reflex faster to help prevent choking in the future.

Brittany Beaver: So it seems scary, but if we cut the foods appropriately. We really can help prevent that choking, and then I have a course online too, and then I help walk parents through the [00:21:00]difference between gagging and choking, because gagging is very normal through this process. They're learning something really new, and that gagging is protective against choking, so that's a valid concern, but it's really not a big, as big of a risk as parents think.

Brittany Beaver: And then we've kind of talked about iron ad nauseum already, right? But not getting enough iron if they don't do rice cereal, but we have a lot more usable forms in, in solid foods or even pureed foods. So that's, that should not be a concern.

Jess Gaertner: I'm thinking back to, I mean, it has been a while, Bear is 10 and Camille is 7, so it's been a while since we've been in this stage, but I'm thinking back on those early days of like, just kind of letting them go ham, like putting stuff on their, their tray, and they're just like devouring it, lots of gagging, lots of gagging, and I feel like the second time around, I was like more prepared and understood that like, okay, She's fine.

Jess Gaertner: Like she's good. She's just working on it, you know, but the first [00:22:00] time it is scary, right? Because you're like this What's happening? Oh, my gosh, they're choking. But really, it's just, you know, they're I again, echoing what you said, like, they're just learning, honestly, how to move the food in and out of their digestive system.

Brittany Beaver: That's right. So much from our reaction to what they're going through, too. So if they're having a gagging episode, coaching them through it, like, okay, spit that piece out and saying nice and calm because they really feed off our energy. That's going to be key, too.

Jess Gaertner: Absolutely. So, now that we've talked about some of the hesitations that people might be having, let's talk about why, you know, why, why would this be an approach that someone might consider?

Jess Gaertner: What are the benefits? I know they're multi, it's multifaceted. So tell us why, like, why should we do this? Why is this

Brittany Beaver: a good thing? This is my favorite part because there's just so many benefits to it. Facial development is one, and it's wild if you look at a picture side [00:23:00] by side. Of people who eat, you know, hard, crunchy foods or the right nutrients, their jaw develops in a completely different shape, which also affects airway and breathing, which we know is like foundational to health.

Brittany Beaver: So whenever a baby has formula or breast milk, they have this suck, swallow pattern, and when you have a puree, it's a very similar suck, swallow pattern. They're not going to be developing any new muscles or movements. But when you give a baby a solid food, they're doing this new motion, the chewing, and that's going to help develop their jaw muscles and their facial structure.

Brittany Beaver: So that's a huge benefit. Picky eating is another one. So we have this window of time where babies accept foods so much faster when they're a little bit older. And we can talk about the ages in just a second, but introducing new textures and flavors at an early age in quick success succession can help prevent picky eating, which is amazing I think that's what [00:24:00] all of us parents want, right?

Brittany Beaver: We don't want a picky ear that only eats a few foods and having foods that are all the same texture can really impact how babies will accept new foods in the future. So research shows it can take about eight to 10 exposures for a baby to accept a new food. And after 18 months, that number goes up to 15 plus exposures to accept new food.

Brittany Beaver: So in my mind, it's like this race against the clock to introduce. And have baby accept as many new foods as possible. It doesn't mean that when they turn 18 months or two years, when they're really starting to show their independence, that they might not have a little bit more picky eating. And if you have questions about that, we can definitely dive more into that too.

Brittany Beaver: How to kind of work through that time period, but having lots of flavors, foods, texture, spices at an early age is just really beneficial. Yeah. I mean,

Jess Gaertner: I. I know you have some more benefits to share with us, but I do want to circle back maybe towards the end [00:25:00] about the picky eating because I know that's like, that's kind of like a whole other, I feel like a podcast episode, but maybe you can touch on some of the basics with that too.

Jess Gaertner: Okay, so you got facial development. We've got picky eating. Sign me up. Is there anything else?

Brittany Beaver: So we talked about the gag reflex earlier. They're going to develop that faster, which is helpful to prevent against choking. So that's a huge benefit. They're more. Efficient at utensils at an early age. So baby led weaning is messy.

Brittany Beaver: It's just. It's just going to be messy, but they are going to learn how to use those utensils earlier. So even if it's messy at the beginning, think about like that toddler time where you're kind of thinking it's going to be messier and they're already using a spoon and a fork pretty proficiently. It's really amazing to watch.

Brittany Beaver: And in my opinion, it's cheaper and easier because if your family is already eating healthy, wholesome foods, and then you are just giving your baby what you're eating, how much easier is [00:26:00] that than having to buy baby foods or buy special purees or whatever? Spend a whole day making baby foods and then offering a completely different meal versus maybe cutting things up a little different.

Brittany Beaver: We're going to talk about what it should look like when you offer it to your baby, but just giving them what you're eating, it just is so much easier to me.

Jess Gaertner: Oh my gosh, so, so much easier. And I know, I mean, I guess I did do like a little bit of a blended approach, but I spend a lot of time making purees.

Jess Gaertner: Mm hmm. With burgers. And I'm like, Oh, I mean, they were great and that's fine. And it was, it went, it went fine. But at the end of the day, it's like. That was kind of exhausting and it could have been easier on, on me and like

Brittany Beaver: everyone, what a beautiful gift that you spend the time in the kitchen doing all that for him and they, there were so many benefits to that too, but yes, when you're already like exhausted and maybe like coming out of this [00:27:00] sleep deprivation cloud around six months, maybe, maybe not to like not have to add one more thing to your plate would be really nice.

Brittany Beaver: Oh, absolutely.

Jess Gaertner: Okay. So. Just a myriad of benefits. I like, I hope people are like peaked here now. And so the next, the next kind of chapter of this discussion would be okay. Well, okay. When can we start this? Like, I know there's lots of ages thrown out around and then There's all this stuff around, like, when can the gut handle food and, like, what is, like, when's the most, that critical timeframe to start all of this?

Jess Gaertner: So, when, in your opinion, like, when is the ideal time to start baby led weaning?

Brittany Beaver: Okay, I'm gonna talk about the developmental signs when baby's ready before I talk about an age, because when people hear the number, they just, like, stop listening to the rest. So, it, you really need to look at your specific baby, especially if they were, like, born early, you might have to wait a little bit.

Brittany Beaver: So. Are they able to sit up unassisted, [00:28:00] because that is one of the foundational parts of baby led weaning, they need to be able to sit, because that can help prevent choking. Have they stopped doing the tongue thrusting, because that is also when they're going to start to develop a gag reflex, so if they're constantly still sticking their tongue out, they're probably not quite ready.

Brittany Beaver: Are they showing interest in solid food, so when you're eating, are they watching that food go from your plate to your mouth, and they're just showing a lot of interest, and they're getting ready. And then for the age, around six months of age is a good time to start. So previously it was around four to six months, and you might still hear a pediatrician say that.

Brittany Beaver: But that is actually outdated recommendation. The gut is not ready for solid food at four months. So the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends six months. And I would agree that developmentally, six months is on par for all of those other reasons I just mentioned. Okay.

Jess Gaertner: Awesome. Good. Good to know. I think that around the time we were doing it, the, a lot of [00:29:00] information was pointing more towards that, like the, the six month.

Jess Gaertner: Range versus like the four for those reasons as well. So what if you didn't start with baby led weeding, but you want to switch? Is this going to, is there going to be any like major drawbacks to switching like mid approach?

Brittany Beaver: No, you can start anytime. And the, the key is the first time you, the first time you're offering solid foods, you really want them to be in long, like French fry type shapes because before the baby's eight months old, they really can't grasp, grasp with their pincer grasp.

Brittany Beaver: So thumb and forefinger, picking up small blueberries, for example, they have something called a palmer grasp where they just. Hand hold the entire food and you want to make sure it's long enough that there's a piece of food sticking out when they're grabbing it with their whole fist. So those long Finger like shape foods is [00:30:00] key, so you can switch to that.

Brittany Beaver: And you want to make sure it's a soft enough texture that when you squeeze it between your forefinger and your thumb or your pointer finger and your thumb, that you can kind of press down on it. So think about like a, a soft pear or a stained carrot. You can really squeeze those and that's also going to help prevent against choking because it's going to be the appropriate texture.

Brittany Beaver: Okay.

Jess Gaertner: I love that. Hey there, friends. Pausing this episode to share a bit about our wonderful friend, Brianna White, a fantastic real estate agent based in Bend, Oregon. She's also a wife, mama, and a member of this awesome Modern Mamas podcast community.

Brittany Beaver: She has a super unique approach to real estate, which includes using her mobile Airstream bar for open houses

Jess Gaertner: and she offers a complimentary family photo shoot for her clients in their new home and then presents them with a beautiful coffee table book to cherish this major life milestone.

Jess Gaertner: I wish I had that when I moved into my home. Seriously. So cool. So if you're in Bend

Brittany Beaver: and looking for a real estate agent who truly [00:31:00] understands the needs of a modern family, connect with our amazing sponsor. She's the perfect partner to help you find or sell your

Jess Gaertner: dream home. Even if you're not in Bend, Oregon, our fantastic sponsor, Brianna, can still help with your real estate needs.

Jess Gaertner: That's

Brittany Beaver: right. Brianna has access to top real estate agents all over the country. And she's more than happy to help you find the perfect agent for your needs, no matter where you are now or

Jess Gaertner: where you're looking to move. She does the legwork for you, interviewing agents in your area or your desired location and then making a personal introduction to ensure you're working with someone who truly understands your needs and preferences.

Jess Gaertner: It's like having a personal real

Brittany Beaver: estate matchmaker. So whether you're in Bend or anywhere else in the country, don't hesitate to reach out to Brianna. Let someone else do the searching when it comes to finding a great real estate agent. You deserve the best and Brianna will help make that happen.

Brittany Beaver: Supporting our sponsor can be as simple as following her on Instagram. At Brianna Sells Bend, that's at. B R E A N A sells bend, where you'll find great content, education, gorgeous homes and family adventures. I'm sure you will

Jess Gaertner: connect with her just like we have. Thank you friends [00:32:00] for supporting our podcast by considering our sponsor Brianna for your real estate needs.

Jess Gaertner: Check her out at BriannaSellsBend. kw. com. That's B R E A N N A SellsBend. kw. com. Brought to you by Brianna White, broker with Keller Williams Realty, Central Oregon, Equal Housing Opportunity. Now, let's dive back into our episode. So you mentioned that there is like the ability to kind of do this in a very like flexible way and then I'm thinking like specifically about like maybe caregivers or grandparents that watch kiddos.

Jess Gaertner: And maybe don't necessarily feel as comfortable with offering like bits of steak or, you know, things that they might get a little bit freaked out about. Can you do a mixture of purees and solids maybe for those instances or even for yourself at home? Can, can you do a mix? And how would that work if you

Brittany Beaver: can?

Brittany Beaver: Absolutely. So if you're gonna do [00:33:00] a mix and you're gonna offer purees, Here is how you're going to let baby have that responsive feeding approach. You're going to get three spoons or forks, or in my Baby Leader Winning course, I have like a whole Amazon list of utensils that are helpful, different like sizes and shapes, and you're going to preload the spoon, and you're going to put it down on the tray.

Brittany Beaver: They're going to pick it up and get it to their mouth. It is messy. They're not going to get it to their mouth the first few times. But the reason I like to have three is you're going to pick your baby with a fork in each hand and they're not going to give you that fork until you put another one down on the tray with food on it.

Brittany Beaver: Then they're immediately going to give you that third fork and you're going to preload that. So continue preloading it and setting it on the tray. And then they're practicing utensil skills. They're going to practice their satiety skills. So when they're full, they'll stop and they're probably going to throw the spoon a little bit and it's going to be messy, but that's okay.

Jess Gaertner: Oh, absolutely. I think we talked about this in our last episode, the one [00:34:00] we recorded before about the beauty of having a dog. Yes.

Brittany Beaver: Yes. I think at the end we have some like sponsor tips and that's one of my tips is get a dog. But for

Jess Gaertner: real. It'll make this whole experience so much easier.

Brittany Beaver: Yeah, I think we had someone keep our dog when we went on vacation and when we came back we were without her for a night and it was like, we're looking around like, where's Bexy girl?

Brittany Beaver: We need her to come

Jess Gaertner: get all this food up. Oh, hot tip. Oh, I love that so much. Okay. I love that about kind of preloading the spoon and just letting, like, you play right into, like, baby's natural tendency, like, I'm not gonna give you this, this spoon back with the three utensils, that's so smart. So, kind of going, circling back around, you had mentioned that one of the fears with baby led weaning is that, like, baby isn't getting enough, and I feel like we, I feel like this is like a common thread, even with, like, nursing [00:35:00] initially, like, you're a newborn, you're like, I don't know if the baby's getting enough, I don't know what enough is, like, are they gonna starve, but...

Jess Gaertner: How much, realistically, in your opinion, should, like, the baby really be consuming in those first few weeks when they're starting, when they're just being exposed to foods for the first time?

Brittany Beaver: Yeah, it's gonna be like a tablespoon. It's gonna be such a small amount. And that's another thing. Don't just load their tray up with tons of food because that's gonna be really overwhelming for them.

Brittany Beaver: Just a few little slices of avocado or a few spoonfuls of the puree to start with. Really, at this stage, it's all about exploration and exposure and just really try not to sweat it too much. If they don't consume a lot, they're practicing, they're getting the feel for it. They're learning all these new tastes at once.

Brittany Beaver: So it's all about patience during this time. And I promise you're going to blink and in a few weeks they're going to be shoveling it in. And one way you can kind of know when they're getting more in is their [00:36:00] poop is going to change. So it's going to go from this like. formula or breastfed like normal poop to all of a sudden you're gonna be like, Oh my gosh, that's like a real person poop now.

Brittany Beaver: And you'll know that they're getting more in. I know.

Jess Gaertner: I feel like it starts to, like before is, yeah, it starts to smell. It's just a whole different ball. You can tell that they're digesting things that are different. That's, that's so true. Such a good sign. Okay, well, so tablespoon, you're saying. So how do we know then when to transition to more offerings, more meals, maybe offering a larger portion of what you were before, like more chunks of food?

Jess Gaertner: Like, how do we, is that like an intuitive thing? Is there something that we want to look for? Well, to, to kind of up the ante to the next level with baby led weaning is what are we looking

Brittany Beaver: for? Yeah, that's a great question. And Talking about the poops is actually one sign. So when you see their poops start to change, you know they're actually consuming [00:37:00] some.

Brittany Beaver: When you first start out between that like six month mark, maybe between six months and eight months. You're probably only going to be offering once a day, and this is really going to be family dependent. So, for example, I have an older child, too, and there is no way that Bailey is going to let me offer her food once a day when she's watching her brother eat when we started baby blood weaning, so.

Brittany Beaver: You can definitely offer more than that, but if it's like your first child and you're like, oh my gosh, this is a lot of work, then just start with once a day, that's completely acceptable. When they start to have that pincer grasp where they're able to pick up foods with their pointer finger and their thumb, that's when you know you can start cutting the food a little bit smaller so it doesn't have to be in those finger like shapes any longer, you can do smaller chunks.

Brittany Beaver: that Palmer grass, and you'll see that they're actually chewing and swallowing versus just exploring and playing. So by eight to 10 months, they're going to be a little bit more proficient and they can really be more [00:38:00] involved having like three meals a day. And then around that 12 month mark, you really want to be doing three meals and then offering one or two snacks.

Brittany Beaver: And I want to say a caveat about snacks, especially since we've touched on picky eating a little bit earlier. If you're finding that they're not eating as much at meals, and they're having more snacks, you can cut back on those snacks, as long as the pediatrician is okay with their growth, because a lot of us have this mindset about what a snack is, and a snack at this age should just be a mini meal, it should not be A bunch of puffs, or those like baby, I call them baby junk food, actually, but those like dissolvable things, there's not much, yeah, yeah, and those are fine, listen, those are fine, like, you're on a walk and you need something to like, those are fine in some instances, but.

Brittany Beaver: If we're talking about being really intentional with mealtime and snack time, we want to offer nutrient dense foods at all of those because their [00:39:00] bellies are so tiny, and if we're talking about a tablespoon of, tablespoon of food at each meal, we don't really want to fill it up with air and junk food when we could be doing something a little bit more nutrient dense.

Brittany Beaver: So when you hear the word snack, just think mini meal.

Jess Gaertner: Yeah. And then when they get to be seven and 10, they're eating like 12 snacks a day when they come home and eating you out of the house and home. No, I'm just kidding. That's just, okay. Not because we offered them snacks when they were a little, but it's like, just.

Jess Gaertner: It's, it's incredible to me, and I'm curious to see now, because Bailey's 16 months old, like, I, our kids eat so much food now, like, are your kids consuming, or do they, I'm sure they probably goes, go in, in waves and seasons, like, with their appetite, but like, how much would you say Bailey's

Brittany Beaver: eating now at 16 months?

Brittany Beaver: Bailey's a savage. I mean, she's like, 99th percentile for height, and like, Maybe [00:40:00] 90th percentile for weight. She's a big girl. She doesn't look like overweight, but she's a chunky girl. She eats huge portions. She almost, she probably eats close to what her brother eats and he's almost four. Now, if you think about normal growth, babies like double their weight by the time they're 12 months and then the growth starts to slow a little bit.

Brittany Beaver: But when a kid is like two or three, their growth is not nearly as fast as when they were an infant. So their appetite. Reflects that and that's completely normal. But Brooks, when we finish a meal, he'll say like, okay, I'm still hungry. And he says in this really cute voice. And so, you know, if the parents like, okay, my kid is still hungry.

Brittany Beaver: What do I do? I always just offer more of what we're eating for that meal. So you're not like constantly trying to figure out what to feed them. And if they're truly still hungry and will eat more like homemade hamburger helper or asparagus, then they really are still hungry. If you're offering like a snack at the end, it muddies the waters a little bit,

Jess Gaertner: right?[00:41:00]

Jess Gaertner: Oh, that is good because that is my oldest MO. Like he will eat a full plate of food, like he will demolish some food, but then he'll be like, I'm so hungry. I'm like, well, there's more, there's more dinner to go

Brittany Beaver: grab. So he's like, well, I just want

Jess Gaertner: like a yogurt or like. Something at like, it's, it's almost like he's developed this like routine of like, after my first meal, then I get like this whole separate meal of like, very specific snacks.

Brittany Beaver: Yeah, and I get that as an adult, how many of us go back for something later, a sweet, and it's almost like a habit. Not that they can't have sweets later. Yeah, but Or is it a habit? Or are they checking in with their tummy? And are they really still truly hungry? So we do a lot of that. Like check in with your stomach.

Brittany Beaver: Are you still hungry? It's a good point. Often the

Jess Gaertner: answer is still yes. It's a good point. Okay. I love that. So kind of just not necessarily wrapping it up, but like [00:42:00] coming back to why, how is this, these first years of life and the foods that we're introducing. Why is it so important and how is it going to potentially impact your child's overall health for the rest of their life?

Jess Gaertner: Do you have any thoughts on that? I do.

Brittany Beaver: And gosh, just like what we were just saying, we're building these healthy habits. from this early age, and they can be changed later, but it's harder. So if we build the foundation now, we're setting them up for a lifetime of a healthy relationship with food. And I don't know about you, Jess, but I've had to work through some unhealthy relationship things with food, and it probably all started from childhood.

Brittany Beaver: But there is a saying that goes, food before one is just for fun. And while I do think food is so fun, I think that we have this really unique opportunity from ages. Six months to that first year really impact their health and their gut health with nutrient dense foods. It's not just fun. [00:43:00] We do want to keep it fun and not stressful.

Brittany Beaver: But it can really impact their growth, their brain development, their cognitive function, even their behavior of what we're offering them. It's really normal for, for kids to explore their independence around two. I know we kind of touched on that earlier, showing signs of picky eating. I don't know if you want to chat a little bit more about that now, kind of how to work through that.

Brittany Beaver: Yeah, let's do it. Parents are experiencing that. So the way we do meals in our house is. It's called the division of responsibilities. So a parent's job is to choose when, where, and what food is served. And a job's child is to choose how much they eat and what on their plate they want to eat. And if we all can kind of stay in our lanes, it really helps to diminish that picky eating.

Brittany Beaver: They're going to exercise their independence and that's normal. And this is when it's so key to kind of stay on track. So... You choose what's going to be on their [00:44:00] plate. And I do like to put something that I know they'll eat along with something that they're learning to like, or maybe that they don't like so much yet.

Brittany Beaver: We do have a rule that they have to at least try one bite. It's easier to do that with my oldest. It's hard to get your, you know, 16 month old to try it without forcing it. Cause you definitely don't want to do that either, but continuing to offer a wide variety of foods. So a lot of times what parents will do is.

Brittany Beaver: Okay, I offered broccoli. He didn't like it. We're not gonna have that again. And then you kind of get down where you only offer a handful of foods and then that really perpetuate the picky eating. So continuing to offer is key. That constant exposure. I mean, over 18 months, what did we say? It can be up to 15 exposures before they accept it.

Brittany Beaver: So Brooks went through a definite picky eating phase around that two year mark, just like I knew he would. But when it happens to you, you're like, Oh no, what do I do? So we just, we continue to do what we always do. We cook dinner as a family. [00:45:00] I, I serve it. He can eat what he wants. And then the next meal is breakfast, you know, so making sure you're not offering a snack after.

Brittany Beaver: Cause then they'll always choose that continuing that exposure. And we're on the other side now, and he loves most vegetables. He tries a bite of everything, and I just feel really proud that he has such a good relationship with food, and I know he's getting nourishing foods. Mm hmm.

Jess Gaertner: Mm hmm. Yeah, it's interesting.

Jess Gaertner: We still take that approach. I mean, I was definitely raised with the like, you're not, and so was Tim, like, you don't get up from the table. Until your entire plate is clean, and Tim has stories of like sitting there for hours and hours and hours, and you know, that's like not what we wanted to do to our, to our own kids, but we do have that, that still that rule, like, you got to try at least a bite of whatever it is that's on it on the plate, and then I always still offer something that I know that [00:46:00] they will like.

Jess Gaertner: Just because it's like I want them to get something that they'll enjoy like I don't want it to be the entire thing to be a battle and so there's always gonna be something on their plate that I Know that they will will like for sure and I think it's you know We'll just keep keep on and it's like my kids have definitely gone through seasons to where they have eaten anything and everything And then they have seasons where I think it's less about the food and more about the control.

Jess Gaertner: Yeah, especially with my youngest, it's like, you literally, like the other day, it's like bacon. Okay, my youngest, I asked her, okay, what will be an easy food that we can get in the morning that you would just love to eat? Because she really struggles with like eating something in the morning. And she was like, bacon.

Jess Gaertner: So great. We get, I get a Costco thing of bacon. I'm like, this is going to be awesome. We cook it up. And she's like, ew, I don't like bacon [00:47:00] anymore. And I'm like, you literally put on your little first day of school thing that bacon was your favorite food. And I know you like bacon, you little stinker. So anyways, that's so hard.

Jess Gaertner: I know it's so hard and she's seven and it's like, but I, I, I really feel like some of that is just intrinsically who she is. We're like, my son's like, whatever, like put whatever on the plate. Like. Yeah, it's good. I'll eat it. Especially

Brittany Beaver: when you get a Costco size amount of it.

Jess Gaertner: Lesson learned. I don't know.

Jess Gaertner: What a stinker. I know. Anyway, it's getting off track there. But yeah, still try, especially for her. Cause she's in a phase of like really exerting her control. It's like, okay, you don't, you don't want the chicken that you loved last week, at least you've got, you know, pineapple on your plate, which I know you are going to eat.

Jess Gaertner: I know you love

Brittany Beaver: that. I'll be nice and hungry for the next meal. I know. And I do not condone, like, starving your child. I hope no one's hearing that. Oftentimes I eat a [00:48:00] huge breakfast if I didn't love what was for dinner and that's

Jess Gaertner: okay. That's exactly what happens usually. She'll wake up ravenous and it doesn't matter what's on her plate.

Jess Gaertner: She's, I know, she hated bacon yesterday but now she's devouring it because she didn't eat anything for dinner. So, you know, I love that. So, okay, let's, kind of wrapping everything up, what can we leave our listeners with in terms of just Practical tips and tricks for beginning this process. What do you, what do you got for us

Brittany Beaver: friend?

Brittany Beaver: Okay, be ready for a mess It's it's so messy when you first start out And I actually between the time we first recorded and this time I learned about this new product Our friend carly showed it on her instagram. Okay, and it's like this tray It's like this big catcher thing that goes around the bottom of the high chair, not on the floor, but like midway down to catch all the food.

Brittany Beaver: If I can find it and you can show notes, we will, because it is such a cool thing. I didn't have it for Bailey and it catches a lot of the [00:49:00] food or you can have a dog,

Jess Gaertner: get this net or get a dog, either one

Brittany Beaver: offer without expectations. And it's so much easier said than done, but. You're going to spend time cooking foods, and you are going to be like, oh, they're going to love this one, and then they're not going to touch it, and you're going to be heartbroken.

Brittany Beaver: So if you just know, I'm going to offer it, they may or may not eat it, it's so much easier if we have our expectations right going in. And then, Continuing to offer over and over and over and not putting a bunch on the tray because I know food waste is a real concern. So maybe just a couple of little broccoli florets and not the whole head of broccoli cooked up, you know, they're not going to eat a ton, but that constant exposure is key.

Brittany Beaver: This is going to be a big one lead by example. So if they are seeing you. Love the foods on your plate. They're so much more likely to want to eat them too. I mean, Brooks still looks at me and I'm like, Oh, man, these sugar snap peas are so good. [00:50:00] And he can't get enough of them, you know? So leading by example and really showing your kid that These are good foods.

Brittany Beaver: And if you're not there yet, continuing exposure for yourself too, you know, your taste buds will learn to love

Jess Gaertner: them.

Brittany Beaver: Have you heard of Foria? It's a company that is loved far and wide by folks who've had their sex lives transformed by these

Jess Gaertner: holistic, powerful products. And now I see

Brittany Beaver: why. They've been especially wonderful through this postpartum period for me when a little extra lubrication is key.

Brittany Beaver: Rusty and I have used the Intimacy Sex Oil with CBD and it's the perfect lube to provide all natural moisture with 400 milligrams of broad spectrum CBD to enhance arousal, soothe, and excite. We also love the Awaken Arousal Oil and of course all four year products are free of added chemicals and only made from two organically grown

Jess Gaertner: ingredients.

Jess Gaertner: And you know what's sexy? Discomfort free, top notch, pleasurable intimacy. I want to be totally honest, being married ten years plus two kids later, sex and intimacy has definitely seen its [00:51:00] ups and downs for us, but there's no shame in exploring different ways and products that enhance our sexual experiences.

Jess Gaertner: Which is why we're so excited to announce we're partnering with Loria, a company using all natural, and plant based ingredients to intensify sexual pleasure and relieve discomfort. We are all about the Awaken Arousal Oil with CBD, which is a topical oil to enhance pleasure, ease discomfort, and help increase sensitivity for people with vulvas.

Jess Gaertner: That's me! You can use it solo or with a partner and it is next level. Sexy time has definitely leveled up over here. Plus, CBD used topically helps increase blood flow, relax muscles, and ease tension, and manage discomfort gently and naturally. All around wins. So

Brittany Beaver: awesome. Friends, I can't recommend Foria enough.

Brittany Beaver: I think it's time to treat yourself to deeper, fuller pleasure and connection, both on your own and with your partner. And these products are your ticket to all of that. Goya is offering a special deal for our listeners. Get 20% off your first order by visiting [00:52:00] goyawellness. com forward slash modernmamas or use code modernmamas at checkout.

Brittany Beaver: That's F O R I A wellness. com forward slash modernmamas for 20% off your first order. Enjoy.

Jess Gaertner: Yeah, it's incredible too because I think about And, and maybe this is like encouragement for, for parents who maybe didn't do baby led weaning and their kids are older. I think about myself a lot because I was, I mean, my parents did the best they, that they could.

Jess Gaertner: And again, this was like a much different time, but like I was definitely raised on a standard American diet. Um, packaged foods, frozen, like meals, you know, things that were not necessarily like whole foods based. And I know growing up, I mean, I didn't know any better, but like, I, you know, definitely not going to reach for vegetables on my own, like, you know, it was one of those things.

Jess Gaertner: And now I think [00:53:00] about who I am today, and even like. In my like getting to go to college and kind of branching out and seeing other people eat foods that were like different than what I had grown up with. It was like, Oh, maybe I do like salmon. I've never really had it, but like, let's try it. Or I used to think that I hated avocados and now it's like, no, avocados are incredible.

Jess Gaertner: Yeah, life changing. And so it's like, I think if to offer that story is just to offer encouragement that like If this is not a path that you yourself have followed as an adult, and if you still struggle with eating vegetables or trying different things, like, you can also give it a shot too because like you said, taste buds will change.

Jess Gaertner: What we prefer changes over time, like, it's just, there's still so much opportunity to expand your, your palate, I feel like. Yes. You know. That's so good. Yeah. So you also have, so say, our listeners are tuning in, they're like, yes, this sounds great, [00:54:00] but. If you're like me, potentially, maybe you want a little bit more.

Jess Gaertner: I'm definitely like a more structured learner and you know, rather than like scouring the internet and Dr. Google and all of that, I know you have taken a lot of time and intentionality around creating a course for baby led weaning. So what, for people who are like wanting more, what can the course kind of.

Jess Gaertner: Offer those people and like, what can they expect to find there if they're interested?

Brittany Beaver: Yes, I poured my heart into this course and I created it while Bailey was going through her baby led weaning because I thought, what a wonderful time to be able to capture everything I'm doing like step by step and sharing it with other people because so many people messaged me with questions.

Brittany Beaver: So. I go into what exactly, what food should you start with, how exactly do you cut it, what are some cool tools that you can use to make it a little bit less slippery so they can [00:55:00]actually hold it, what spoons do I use, when do I move on to the next food, what are some signs to differentiate between choking and gagging, and then I also created a whole month that you can print out with a food list of what foods to offer when that are appropriate textures as they build their skills And they develop that gag reflex.

Brittany Beaver: I have actually a week free So if you could just go to my website, you can print a week free But if you join the course you get a full a full month And I we should have mentioned this earlier too, but i'm going to plug it now When you see a food on this list because you're probably going to have some visceral reactions to some of these foods You're going to see like sardines and liver and you're going to go.

Brittany Beaver: Oh, I would never eat that that is Such a normal reaction, but also your baby has never tasted any of these foods and just because you have preferences doesn't mean they're going to have the same preferences. So I really challenge [00:56:00] parents to offer all of these foods in a neutral environment. So don't like have your nose turned up when you're offering it because they're going to pick up on that, right?

Brittany Beaver: And, and when you are offering foods, we don't have to say stuff like, um, yum, or, you know, just be neutral. It just needs to be a neutral, happy environment where we let them make up their own mind because they're smart, you know, and they have this innate sense of. What they like and what they don't like even if we do need to offer quite a few exposures So you'll see some foods that are kind of strange and I offer like I really challenge you to offer them.

Brittany Beaver: Anyway

Jess Gaertner: Hmm, I love that. Yeah I feel like it wouldn't be helpful if you're like feeding your kid liver and gagging like

Brittany Beaver: to the side now Listen, I have tried I have tried to love liver and I've made in a lot of different ways Ailey loves it I still do not but I still offer it

Jess Gaertner: I'm proud of you friend proud of you sacrifice Oh my gosh, this is so good.

Jess Gaertner: And I feel like we barely scratched the surface, which [00:57:00] is why I just would encourage anyone whose interest is peaked or they're in this phase of life to go check out the course, because I know it's incredible. And just thank you so much, friend. You're welcome. Thanks for

Brittany Beaver: having me back to do round two.

Brittany Beaver: Yeah, well, tell

Jess Gaertner: us where we can find you. Where can we find you, the course? Are you on socials? Like where, where can we learn more about everything that

Brittany Beaver: you share? Okay, you can find me at thepaleodietician. com. Dietician is spelled with two T's and a C in there. Got it. And my, all my courses and packages, if you're prenatal, preconception, postpartum, you can find all that there.

Brittany Beaver: I work with one on one clients nutrition wise, but you'll also find my baby led weaning course there. And I have a 10 off code for all your Modern Mamas listeners. So code is... modern mamas, and I think that's good through the end of the year. Okay, perfect. And if you really want to connect, I live and breathe on my Instagram, the paleodietician.

Brittany Beaver: So I would love to connect with you guys there.

Jess Gaertner: Amazing. Thank you so much, friend. [00:58:00] You are a gem. And thanks everyone for tuning in. We'll see you next week. Bye.

Brittany Beaver: Thank you. Thanks for listening to our podcast. See you next time. Bye.[00:59:00]