Feeding Toddlers: Finding Joy in Family Meals
Episode 50: Feeding Toddlers: Finding Joy in Family Meals with Nita and Jessica of @happyhealthyeaters
Have you ever struggled with picky eating or stressful mealtimes? This is so common- feeding toddlers can be very challenging! In this episode, Rachael speaks with Jessica and Nita, co-founders of Happy Healthy Eaters, ALL about feeding toddlers to make mealtimes more enjoyable!
Here’s what they discuss inside this episode:
The different challenges of feeding toddlers including “picky” eating or selective eating
How and why it is important to trust your child’s eating preferences
How much food should your toddler actually eat?
Tips for keeping your child engaged and interested in mealtime
Guiding parents on allowing kids to eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full
How valuable family meals can be for modeling eating behaviors and passing on cultural traditions
Ways to adapt meals to fit each family's schedule and preferences
Tips for adapting culturally appropriate meals for babies
Facts about the food supply in North America and it’s safety
When to seek support from professionals if a child's eating habits are severely challenging or interfering with their growth and development
Jessica and Nita are co-founders of Happy Healthy Eaters - a community dedicated to supporting parents in feeling relaxed and confident about feeding their child. They are both Registered Dietitians with a combined 25+ years of education and work. They started Happy Healthy Eaters in 2020 after Nita had her second baby with the hopes of supporting parents through these exciting milestones, minus ALL the misinformation. Their online course - Starting Solids Confidently- launched first and is widely popular and now they have a second course: Feeding Toddlers Confidently- which debuted after more than two years in the making!
Mentioned in this episode:
Happy Healthy Eaters Website: https://happyhealthyeaters.com/
Happy Healthy Eaters instagram: @happyhealthyeaters
Feeding Toddlers Confidently Course here Code for No One Told Us Listeners: HHE15
Blog Post: How to Adapt Recipes to be BLW Friendly
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate 5⭐️ and write us a review! ⬇️
✨For sleep support and resources, visit heysleepybaby.com and follow @heysleepybaby on Instagram! 😴☁️🤎✨
Rachael is a mom of 3, founder of Hey, Sleepy Baby, and the host of this podcast.
Listen to the full episode
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Welcome back to No One Told Us. I'm your host, Rachael, and today I'm so excited to be speaking with Jessica and Nita, co -founders of Happy Healthy Eaters. This is an Instagram community dedicated to supporting parents in feeling relaxed and confident about feeding their child.
Nita and Jessica are both registered dietitians with a combined 25 plus years of education and work with children. And they started happy at Healthy Eaters in 2020, right around the same time I started my account. So we've been connected for a really long time. After Nita, after you had your second baby, right? And you wanted to just kind of support parents through this journey of feeding and feeling confident with feeding.
So I'm so excited that you're here today. We're going to talk all about, mostly about toddlers today. You guys have so many resources on your website and on your Instagram as well. But today, just thank you for being here. Thank you for coming to talk to us about feeding toddlers, because it's rough out here.
It is. It is. It's like equally magical and the Wild World West. It's like TikTok, right? It's unhinged feeding toddlers.
It really is. I have a toddler, and she's my third one. So you would think that I'd have the feeding thing down. But it's so funny because it turns out every kid has their own personality and their own feeding preferences and things like that. So she has really thrown me for a loop. So I'm really excited to get some tips. Before we kind of dive into that, I would love to just hear a little bit about your journey to starting your Instagram and your website and building out all of your courses. What made you really, like, passionate about teaching parents in this way?
For sure. For sure. That's a fantastic question. I guess, you know, it actually goes back for me to my childhood because I was that child that was difficult to eat. I had very strong preferences and I was strong -willed and my parents were equally strong -willed in their preferences for what I wanted to eat. So that was definitely a big battle and is actually something that led me to become a dietitian myself, just wanting to heal from some of that and figure out, if I have kids, what do I want to do going forward that is going to support their eating instead of be a battle?
And quite honestly, it is such an honor to share everything that we've learned professionally with parents. Again, personally, my husband has said recently, he said, I'm so thankful that you are who you are and you're a dietitian because our family meals, the table is a place of joy and fun. And he just watches some of his friends and what they go through. And he's like, I'm glad we don't do that.
Yeah. Yeah, and for me, my entry into kind of nutrition and dietetics and wanting to kind of connect with parents sort of came out of like, I think, my own need. So when it was time to start my first baby on solids, I went to just like a general public health event. And it was great information. A lot of it was on like how to start purees and the foods to offer. But it wasn't relatable for me because I'm like, well, I'm going to go home. I'm Indian. What am I going to feed my Indian baby?
And how do I give them roti or like the different meals that we enjoy? So I just set out to kind of do my own thing and then kind of felt that there was a bit of a gap in our community and started to do a bit of the group coaching and teaching. And then eventually Jess and I connected and decided, you know what, why don't we create an online course where we can, you know, talk to parents about how to feed their children and see what happens. And so just bit by bit and year by year, we've grown. And it's really exciting to see where we're at now.
Yeah, that's so awesome. And you guys have some great recipes and you're, you just have so many amazing resources for parents. So let's kind of dive into talking about toddlers first. Okay, so my daughter is 18 months right now. By the time this airs, she'll be maybe 19 or 20 months. So definitely, you know, that toddler stage has fully kicked in where she's very, like you said, just strong-willed. But it's funny because my older kids were such good eaters as babies.
Like they've definitely kind of evolved to have their own, I wouldn't say pickiness, but they have preferences now that they're older, right? Which I think is normal. But as babies, they ate everything and they ate so much. Like they would have helping after helping at dinner and eating with them was always just so easy. And I thought, oh, I'm like a great parent at this. Like I do baby led weaning and I am just so I have it all figured out.
And I've done everything exactly the same with my third. And she just is like a little bird. Like she barely eats. She's not super picky. Like she will try a lot of things, but she's just not taking in a lot of food and she hates sitting. Like having her sit in the high chair is nearly impossible. She just wants to be like on my lap or standing up or walking around. And I know that's not the safest. So I would love to hear what you guys have to say about, you know, keeping toddlers at the table, keeping them interested. And then maybe later we can talk about how to know, you know, how much food is actually supposed to be getting into their bodies before we start to panic, right?
Yeah, no, totally. A lot of what you're saying is is really relatable. And like good on you for leaning into the trust piece there with your little one because each child is so unique and some children are really preoccupied by food and enjoy food and others. Like they just, you know, it's just like another part of their day. And that's okay too. But I know that as parents, sometimes it can feel a little bit disheartening, but I always remind parents like how much or how little your kiddo eats is not a barometer of like the type of cook you are or the type of parent you are.
But to the point of helping parents sort of keep their toddlers at the table, one thing that I find can be really helpful, especially for our movers, is making sure that before meal times that they're getting in a bit of a movement break. So like parents can set up a little obstacle course in their house or make sure that you have a bit of outdoor playtime where they can kind of engage in movement. So that way they kind of get the wiggles out when it is meal time and can maybe come to the table.
Another strategy that can be helpful too for parents. And I think you've got a learning tower at home is actually, if your toddler can stand up, let them stand on their learning table and bring that right up to the dining table. I think that yes, high chairs and boosters, they're wonderful. But if you feel comfortable with your baby having that sort of footing and that opportunity to kind of like leave and come back, that might also help. Although, you know, I don't think we see it a lot on social media, but that's also a great place to kind of meet your kid over there at.
Rachael, I think it's great that you identified a bit with your little one that they are a mover. And I think that's one thing that is a really good starting point. We have a resource called toddler at the table, how to keep your toddler engaged at meal times. And the first thing that we go over is just asking why is this happening because each kid is really unique and we're going to need to apply a different solution depending on what the reason is that they keep running away.
So another one is that at supper time, oftentimes, this is the one meal of the day where toddlers aren't actually very hungry. As parents, we might have this expectation that they should be eating X amount of food at each meal, whereas toddlers often have a meal,
Perhaps at breakfast where they're front loading, they're having a big amount, and then lunch, and then at supper time, they're more tired, they're tapered off, they aren't as hungry, but then we have this mismatched expectation as parents for what they should be eating. And if they're feeling that pressure, but they're not hungry, then they might be just trying to get out of there.
That's a really good point. And I'm also still breastfeeding. So sometimes I wonder, too, if that's part of it. And if I should, you know, maybe not nurse her for very long right before we're about to eat dinner or things like that because, you know, she might just not be that hungry. But you're right. It is this expectation that she's going to like eat a big dinner, just like the rest of us. But I think that's really good advice.
Yeah. And I know for me too, like I look forward to dinner because it's usually my favorite recipes, right? And breakfast is a gong show. It's a rush. And then, you know, lunch. I'm not with them. My kids are in care. So then I really look forward to dinner and I have these grand expectations, but just like Jess said, it's like sometimes we just have to check our expectations and all the more reason than for, you know, you and your support people and partner to enjoy the food that you want to enjoy at supper time..
Yeah. At dinner time, I also really look forward to it because Now, you know, I mentioned I was a very selective eater as a kid, but I've become very adventurous. And dinner time is often when we branch out, we try different recipes, and our breakfast and lunches are often more routine. And so for our toddlers who are just learning to eat a variety of foods, if they come to the dinner table and it's very different every day that might be overwhelming for them and it's not their comfort food that they're maybe going to want to load up more on.
Yeah, that's actually so true. So how do we know then when they're being picky, right, or when they appear to be picky or selective, how do we know when we should provide, you see a lot on social media, right, about like, oh, they need to have their safe foods and stuff like that. But how easy is it to go too far in that other direction where you're only ever giving them mac and cheese and nuggets because those are the only things that they'll eat? What can you tell us about that? Like how do we find a healthy balance?
Yeah, totally. I mean, I think to the point of the safe food, I think if parents are identifying a bit of, you know, stress at meal times or they do think that their child is sort of losing certain foods or food groups, it is helpful to kind of think of a list of, okay, what are there typically accepted foods? And I usually encourage parents to try to include one to two of those along with it. So let's say, like tonight you want to have steak with chimmichuri, you know, but on the side, you can try to think about, okay, well, what generally or typically do the kids accept that you can add in there so that they can be successful at meal times. And having those typically accepted foods helps children feel, we call it, competent. Like, I can do this. I can come. I don't know how I feel about the steak, but I can do this like French fry thing or I think I can have the fruit salad.
And then for the parents, it's really leaning into trusting that, you know, your child is going to figure this out on their own time from what you've provided them with um and i think just to expand on that safe food or what we call like a typically accepted food, is that it doesn't need to be a slam dunk favorites of your child because if i think about myself i absolutely love chocolate like that is something that i am going to eat probably regardless like actually literally half an hour before this, Anita said, do you want some chocolate? And I wasn't hungry at all, but I said yes.
Of course. I'm not turning down chocolate, right? And so I think oftentimes parents are offering the safe food as a slam dunk favorite, whereas we want to, sometimes we can, we can offer those favorite foods, of course, but it doesn't have to be every meal, but more something that they typically accept at least 50 percent of the time.
For example, for me,, I enjoy rice. But if i’m not hungry I am probably going to say no thank you if someone offers me rice. So as parents, if we are offering those foods along news ones, we can relax knowing that, if our child is genuinely hungry,they will eat that food. And if they don't, then we can know that they're likely, their appetite isn't there for that meal.
Okay, that's really good advice. I think that's helpful to just keep in the back of our minds too. And Nita, you mentioned the idea of like trusting our kids, and I think that can be so hard for us. So when we get back from this break, I want to talk a little bit more about trust and intuitive eating. We'll be right back.
Okay, we're back in before the break. We had kind of touched on this, and I would love for you to expand on this idea of trusting our kids. And for me, this has been really hard with my third. As I was mentioning, she's not quite as voracious of an eater as my older two kids. And I've really had to just kind of lean into that idea of trusting her to eat when she's hungry and stop when she's not hungry. And it can be really anxiety provoking as a parent to feel like your kid isn't getting enough food or they're not getting enough nutritious food. So what can you tell us about that? How do we know when it's okay to just trust our kid? And how do we know when we might need some extra support because they're actually really not eating at all.
Totally. So the trust piece is really foundational. And I mean, let's even go back to like when you first brought your babies home and, you know, we establish a nursing or bottle feeding relationship with them. We're really leaning into trust, right? Like you don't really know how much they're consuming and sort of, again, like just kind of doing an assessment, right? But the trust piece is really, really important. And it is that trust that allows your child to then eventually branch out and try these different foods.
So it's no different when we start solids. And then when we have a toddler, that trust piece does need to sort of be there to help them. But it is really tricky. And I know even for me, leaning into that trust, it almost like I have to get past like a certain level of discomfort as a parent. But if I'm doing my job, which is to provide, you know, balanced meals, have, um, you know, a fairly flexible dining schedule and deciding where we're going to, where we're going to eat, then really, um, it is my children's job to kind of decide, you know, whether they're going to eat or if they're going to eat at all.
And I like to kind of even, like, think of, like, a container analogy where, like, I am that, I'm the outside of that container, those boundaries, right? And that lid is closed. And so my kids can do what they want to do within that container. And so that can be really, really helpful for parents, too. And often, I think, on social media or maybe even more old school practices, they've really undermined parents' trust and trusting our child, where, you know, it was like, finish your plate or, like, you can't eat this X, Y, Z food until you eat ABC food, or, like, just try one bite.
And really, like, it does undermine that trust piece. And we talk a lot about, you know, sovereignty and agency over our body, but it's really no different when it comes to feeding,
right? I think, again, like our job is to sort of offer a variety of foods and then give our children the space that they need and the skills and the environment to then one day be ready to try those foods.
So we talk about this feeding framework that Nita outlined in our e-course feeding toddlers confidently so that parents have that checklist, okay, these are the things that I can do to provide a good feeding relationship with my toddler. And it's really helpful to know, okay, what is my role? And then once you fulfill your role, it's easier to trust that reciprocal relationship with your child, that then they have this role to play as well.
Yeah, I love that. And I've heard it referred to as like the division of responsibility, I think, right? So I think that can be really helpful. And for me, I learned that a few years ago. And it was a term we even used in like education back when I was teaching too. And that's been a helpful framework for sure. Like I know that I'm providing things that she eats, you know, things that she likes. I'm providing stuff that's nutritious and whether or not she eats it is kind of up to her. And like, that's the best I can do. And that can be really, really hard. But I think just keeping in mind that like you're doing your part is really important.
But then what happens when a child is like really aversive to eating at all? Or they're like extremely selective or they're doing things like gagging at certain smells or textures. Like how does a parent know when, okay, this is not just a toddler being picky or a toddler being a mover or, you know, they're just not super interested in food. How do you know when there's that line of like, okay, maybe we need some extra help with this?
That's a great question because there are, there's a lot of run -of -the -mill picky eating, shall we say. And then there's a point where this is actually interfering with the child's growth and development or maybe severely challenging child to feed. And so there are definitely red flags to watch out for. So if a child is dropping on their growth curve a lot, then maybe there is something medically going on or maybe anatomically that they do need some therapy for,
and there's a few other criteria. For example, if they're eating less than 15 to 20 different foods,
then that is definitely something where you'd want to get more of an individualized support to proceed.
Yeah, and I'm also a big believer that if parents are stressed at the dinner table, like, go get help. I mean, I think whether it's a registered dietitian, an occupational therapist, or an SLP, but someone in that feeding space, because, yeah, we can kind of then rule out differential diagnoses or look at the environment. Maybe it's just a matter of a footstool. Like maybe that's like the only thing that your kiddo needs. But then at least you've got someone who's kind of coming in doing an assessment and providing you with that support rather than like you just sitting there stressing and just thinking about the food. Like I think so often we blame the food. But it could actually just be something else that is taking place.
Yeah. And so do you find that a lot of people get referred to support people like that through their pediatrician or is it best to go right to like a speech language pathologist or a feeding specialist?
Yeah, I mean, I think it'll vary depending on where people live and what you have access to. I know certainly here in Canada where we live, it can be a bit tricky to access public health care.
So if you want to like wait on a list, you're more than welcome to, but there's lots of private practice practitioners now in the feeding space so just looking online or actually even instagram was like a really great place to kind of um you know vet out like who you might want to work with but there are you know people who really can support you and make this like journey of eating a bit more joyful and one of the you know we talked about the divisional responsibility which is um founded by Ellen Satter, but one of like my favorite quotes of hers is when joy at meal times is is no longer there, often nutrition will suffer, right?
And so I think if you can work with someone to ensure that that joy is still there, then like the nutrition will often sort of take care of itself. You know, it'll need some support, but it, it'll, it's a lot better than if we're all just sitting together on the dinner table and misery and anxious. Like parents, parents are often highly anxious in these situations. So if we can kind of settle that down a little bit, it'll make for more enjoyable and positive mealtime experiences.
For sure. And I would love to talk more about your ideas for how we can do that as parents.
So we'll be right back and we'll talk a little bit more.
So right before the break, we were talking about, you know, making meal time as joyful as we can so that our little ones can get that nutrition that they need. What is the value? I know you guys talk a lot about family meals and, you know, that maybe it's old school now. I don't know, that's kind of depressing, but like that old school idea of like gathering together around the family dinner table every night. So what are you, what are your opinions on that? Do you think it's realistic for modern parents to do that every night? And what are some things that we should think about when we're starting to have this family meal as a part of our family routines and rituals with our kids?
Well, we're realistic. We are parents right there too. So to say every single meal needs to be all together at the table is not necessary. We just think where are you at now and how can you maybe add a little bit more or get creative. It doesn't necessarily have to be dinner time if you have a lot of extracurriculars. Maybe it's breakfast time that you make the habit. But 100 % we are big fans of family meals, so that is certain.
And there are numerous benefits to it long term, but just right away, when our kids are little, one of the main benefits is just that modeling piece. Kids learn by watching those around them who are proficient at skills. So even when we talk about babies who are starting solids and parents will come to us, okay, you know, my child doesn't seem to be figuring out this eating thing. They're gagging a lot. They're spitting. They don't know how to put food in their mouth.
And one of the first questions we ask is, are you feeding your child separately or are they joining you at the table? And so often we say, oh, yeah, no, we don't have them at the table. We say, bring them with you so that they can literally watch you eat and learn from you. And so that continues on in toddlerhood and beyond.
From a practical standpoint, I think it's helpful too, especially if you have two folks in the household that are working, like sit down with your calendar, figure out when soccer is, when swimming is. And you know what? Like if right now we're not having any family meals, like can we get to one? And then can we get to two and then three?
And I want to also acknowledge that there's so many systemic barriers to having that family meal time. I mean, like I think we forget too like fast food was a part of the feminist like revolution right and so with with women now working and then shift work and parents are doing 12 hour shifts and and food prices right like parents have to kind of you know kind of it's it's just a tough environment to to make it work so for the parents that are sitting there feeling guilty that they're not doing the whole family meal thing like you need to give yourself a break we're all doing the best that we can and we get to kind of use this evidence and make informed decisions but at the end of the day we're all in it together and and just doing the best that you can would be like our key takeaway.
Yeah and it sounds like it's flexible right like you don't need to be cooking a five -course meal and sitting down with your kids every single night. Like, it does not have to be that complicated or fancy. It's just sitting down at the table and sharing some food whenever you can, right?
Yeah. It can be peanut butter and honey sandwiches, but eating together, you are passing on the values that you have. It's a chance to connect with each other and talk. And, yeah, there's, it's not about the food, basically.
Right. It's not about the food.
Yeah. Sometimes parents will ask me a lot, like, how our nightly routine goes, because our kids go to bed pretty early. And so for a lot of parents, it feels impossible to have this family meal before your kids go to bed because, like, you're getting off work at five and picking up from daycare at 5 .30 and your kids go to bed at 7. Like, when do you fit it in? And my husband and I used to, when we had, like different schedules and stuff. We would actually just have like a little bit of a snack while our baby was sitting and having his meal and we,
you know, we didn't want to eat at five o 'clock. So we would sit with him and have a snack and like talk and stuff. And then we'd put him to bed and we would eat our dinner after he was in bed. So I feel like there are creative ways to kind of make it work and to just make sure that you're having that time as much as you can. Again, If it's not every night, that's, that's okay.
I love how you guys talk a lot about different cultures and different types of meals based on your culture. How can families, Nita, you mentioned Indian food at the beginning. How can families serve culturally appropriate or really important foods to them to their baby? How can we adapt meals that we're already making for our baby or for our toddler? What are some tips you have for that? Because I think a lot of parents also just feel like I can't make three different meals, but like we want to eat this thing and so it can be hard.
Yeah, I mean, one of my like suggestions for families is like list out like the top 10 things like that you really enjoy and want to have frequently. So for me, like that might include something like tandoori chicken and naan. And then maybe sit down and try to think of different strategies that that need to be employed to kind of modify that recipe. So of course, for a baby, you want to be mindful of things like too much salt or you want to watch out for choking risks, right, or choking hazards. And so just modifying the recipes a little bit can be really supportive.
On our blog posts, we actually have a really great, or on our blog, we have a really great blog post. And it's like five or six different strategies to take any recipe and make it baby -led weaning friendly. So that's a really great read that parents can kind of jump to.
Okay, we'll link that one in the show notes because that sounds really, really handy. Yeah, yeah. And I think, again, like another really great tip is to schedule in those cultural meals that you want to be enjoying because food is such a beautiful way to connect with our children and pass on that culture.
And for me, I'm a first -generation immigrant. And so it is a really special way for me to kind of continue to connect with my ancestry, but then also share that with my children. And quite frankly, like my kids will down any Indian food. But like you give them like rotisserie chicken, broccoli and mashed potatoes. Like They want nothing to really do with that. So it actually is, I feel really affirmed in the decisions that I made to feed my kids our cultural food early and often, even though it wasn't what I saw online and in some ways like I felt a little bit left out in those experiences with other parents, but I'm just so glad that I made those decisions. So it doesn't matter what cultural background you have, but if those foods are really important to you, adapt them and offer them to your baby and toddler as they are aging.
I love that. What is something that you would tell parents about ingredients? Because I know that there's a lot of fearmongering and misinformation out there. there's the word toxic being thrown around constantly. What would you say to parents about the sourcing and the quality of their child's food? How important is it to buy everything organic and what's the deal with like packaged food? What is what is your kind of stance on that?
That's a big one. I know. Because that's a very loaded question. So I think Additionally,
one thing that's really important to remember that here in North America, in Canada, and the United States, our food supply is incredibly safe. There has been huge strides in public health and regulations and everything to ensure that our food supply is safe. So regardless of whether organic is important to you from a philosophical standpoint, that aside from that,
whether it's conventionally grown or organic, it is safe and there's nothing to worry about from that point of view.
And even from a nutrition perspective, there's not a significant difference. So I think that we're often, like, I think parents make this assumption that organic is better or healthier.
It really isn't, right? When we're looking at, when we're looking at that, it isn't. It's just a different way of growing food. And to Jessica's point, I mean, yeah, like, we're in the golden years of food production right now when you think about historically where we've where we've previously been. So whether you want to buy organically grown food or conventionally grown food, it's 100 % a personal choice.
But in terms of what the evidence and the science is saying is, you know, conventionally grown foods are just as nutritious and often grown with the environment in mind using sustainable practices. So, you know, shout out to our farmers. I don't know if anyone, any of your audience is from the ag sector, but I mean, these are the folks that really are growing our food. And so, yeah, I know for me I just have a lot of gratitude in this food supply.
And so I hope that helps to answer a few questions. And I know when you're feeding a baby or toddlers, it's almost like there's like this extra pressure. Like I'll buy them organic, but I won't for me. But again, I want to kind of reiterate that, you know, without getting into like maximum residue limits. Like the foods that you're offering your baby are safe. And there's really like very little that parents need to worry about on that on that topic.
Okay that's really helpful because i think you know food prices today are so crazy and um so to hear that you know it's okay to serve them conventionally grown fruit and vegetables and things like that is i'm sure going to be a huge weight off of some parents shoulders
because yeah it's really expensive and there's so much again there's so much fearmongering going about different foods.
Yeah, there's this one study or survey. I'm not sure if it was an official research study, but it showed that when people believe this messaging that conventionally grown produce was harmful and that they should only buy organic, for those who weren't able to afford organic, they just didn't eat first and vegetables.
Oh gosh. Which is by far the opposite things that people should be doing. And we just we just feel so sad that there's all this messaging out there for parents and so much fear where it really doesn't have to be that way. We do not need to fear every single food out there. Y
eah. I mean, I know this is probably like a whole other topic too, but like the harm in these messages is like I often think of the most vulnerable population, right? And so I think I think we all have our responsibility to kind of like think critically about food choices and the messages because often, you know, the organic and non -GMO, it's a, it often comes from a very elitist point of view. And I think, yeah, I think all of us can benefit from kind of checking our privilege from time to time.
One hundred percent. Yeah, I'm so glad you said that. Well, we are going to wrap up. This was such an amazing conversation and you guys have so many more incredible resources over on your page and on your website. But before we go, I always love to ask Something that you wish you knew before you became a parent.
So for me, it's pretty easy. Like, I wish someone had told me about the cluster feeding.
Oh, God. Yeah. Good one.
When they were born. Like, I thought, I thought my, something was wrong with my baby. I'm like, you're trying to break me right now. How could you possibly be hungry? But no, you're just, like, ramping up the supply, and this is intuitive, and I have to trust you, and I lean into that responsive feeding. So that's mine. No one, like not a single one of my friends, I was like, why did you not tell me about this?
Oh my gosh, that's criminal. Well, I talk about it in my newborn course, so nobody can blame me for not telling them.
Okay, so I feel a little funny about this, but I actually did not have very many surprises in the early times, but I contribute that or I attribute that to the fact that I was working in public health where like several times a week, I was part of these mommy or parent and me classes where we essentially, everyone told everything about these early years, so I heard it all.
Oh, that's amazing.
And I was prepared. And so I'm very thankful for that. And at the same time, I also took a lactation consultant course.
Yeah. I love that. That's how it should be, right? Like, we, I mean, we're so isolated these days. Like, it should be just, you know, by the time we have a baby, we've seen other people in our village have babies over and over and over again. So we're just so much more prepared, but it's not like that for many of us these days. So I'm glad you have that experience. Thank you both so much for joining today. Where can people find your resources?
I think particularly the feeding toddlers confidently course is what people are going to be most interested in after listening to this. So where can they find that? Yeah, you can visit us at happyhealthyeaters.com. We've got tens of free recipes and a blog that we maintain. And then if folks want to reach out, we literally check every DM. So you can also connect with us on Instagram. And again, we're at Happy Healthy Eaters. You can find us everywhere. I think we're on TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest. We never did the X.
Oh, no, I'm not going to be on X ever, but I do pretty much all the other ones, even though it drives me almost insane. And I'll link the things that we mentioned today in the show notes as well, so that it's really easy for people to just go find those links. Thank you both so much. Have a great rest of your day. Thank you. Thank you for having us.
