Nutrition for the Early Years

Send us Fan Mail

In this foundational episode of Nutrition for the Early Years, I walk you through the stage before starting solids—because introducing food is about more than just the first bite.

If your baby is approaching the 4–6 month window, or you want to feel more confident before starting solids, this episode is for you. I break down what readiness actually looks like, how nutrition needs begin to change in infancy, and how I think through common questions like rice cereal, allergen introduction, water, cups, and baby-led weaning versus purées.

This is one of those episodes you may want to save and come back to.

In this episode, I cover:

• Developmental readiness for solids
• Why tummy time matters for feeding skills
• What the tongue extrusion reflex is and why it matters
• Iron needs in infants, especially for breastfed babies
• Why solids do not reliably help babies sleep
• When and how to start practicing with cups and water
• The role of cereal today
• Baby-led weaning versus purées—and why many families do both
• Early introduction of peanut and egg
• What the LEAP trial changed about infant feeding
• First food ideas and what a simple baby plate can look like

Key takeaways

Starting solids isn’t just about age—it’s about readiness, skill development, and understanding your baby’s changing nutritional needs.

In this episode, I explain why head and trunk control matter, why oral play and table exposure can start before true feeding, and why introducing solids too early doesn’t necessarily add benefit. I also share how I approach common infant feeding questions in real-life pediatric practice, including how I think about iron, allergen exposure, and balancing purées with baby-led weaning.

My goal is for you to walk away feeling more confident about:

• how to tell if your baby is ready
• what nutrients matter most in this stage
• how to begin allergen introduction thoughtfully
• how to keep the process simple, low-pressure, and developmentally supportive

A few reminders from this episode

• Babies should be sitting with good support and head control before starting solids in a meaningful way.
• Milk remains the nutritional cornerstone through the first year.
• Breastfed babies need more intentional iron support through complementary foods... for them, feeding before 1 is more than just fun!
• Solids are not a sleep solution.
• Water at this stage is for skill-building, not hydration replacement.
• Rice cereal isn’t “bad,” but grain variety matters.
• Baby-led weaning and purées can absolutely coexist.
• Early peanut and egg exposure reduce allergy risk in many infants.
• First foods don’t have to be complicated.

My first food philosophy

Simple, single ingredients that are super squishable or oversized.

Mentioned in this episode

• The LEAP study on early peanut introduction
• Research on baby-led weaning and choking risk
• Infant CPR and choking resources

Listener note

Every baby is different. My hope is that this episode helps you feel informed and empowered as you start solids. Use this information as a springboard for a conversation with your pediatrician, especially if your baby was born prematurely, has significant eczema, or has other factors that may increase allergy risk.

Loved this episode?

If this episode helped you feel more confident about starting solids, share it with a friend a

NEW COURSE! "Read the Pattern: Feeding Your Baby 0–4 Months" — because a healthy relationship with food starts earlier than most people think. Course Link!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only, not medical advice.

Send us Fan Mail

What do you do when your kid refuses milk?

Milk is one of the easiest ways to deliver calcium, protein, and vitamin D to growing kids. But kids are kids—and sometimes they just don’t like it.

In this episode, I’m walking you through exactly how I approach this situation in clinic with families.  Because the goal isn’t forcing milk.

The goal is meeting your child where they are while still covering the nutrition they need to grow well.

I share the story of a toddler from my practice who absolutely refused milk after turning one—and how we worked through it step by step until his nutrition needs were fully covered without daily mealtime battles.

If your child refuses milk, or you’re worried about calcium or vitamin D intake, this episode will give you a simple playbook so you can stop overthinking it.

• Why milk is such an efficient nutrition source for toddlers
 • How much calcium and vitamin D kids actually need
• When chocolate milk or flavored milk can actually be a helpful bridge
• One toddler food I love that can provide 400+ mg of calcium
• What to do when kids refuse dairy entirely
• Why vitamin D can be hard to get from food alone
• When I start recommending supplements

1. Strategically flavoring milk to bridge toward plain milk
2. Using yogurt and fermented dairy options
3. Looking beyond dairy for calcium (like tofu and beans)
4. Building calcium into foods toddlers already enjoy
5. Supporting vitamin D when food sources fall short

Sometimes kids refuse milk for a season. That doesn’t mean their nutrition is doomed.

With the right approach, we can still support strong bones, healthy growth, and balanced nutrition—without turning every meal into a negotiation.

Baked Tofu Recipe (great calcium source for toddlers)

If you found this helpful, please leave a rating or review and share the episode with another parent who might be navigating toddler nutrition.

And if you want more encouragement like this each week:

NEW COURSE! "Read the Pattern: Feeding Your Baby 0–4 Months" — because a healthy relationship with food starts earlier than most people think. Course Link!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only, not medical advice.

Send us Fan Mail

Milk for kids: does it really “do a body good”?

In this episode, I break down the science behind milk in childhood nutrition so you can support your littles growth with ease.

We’ll talk about:

• Why I ask about milk at every well-child visit
• The nutrients most kids are actually low in (hint: it’s not protein)
• Why vitamin D and calcium matter for bone growth, immune regulation, and muscle function
• How milk delivers fat, protein, calcium, and vitamin D efficiently in a small appetite window
• What amounts toddlers (1–2 years) and kids (4–8 years) actually need
• Lactose intolerance — what it really means and why most young kids tolerate dairy just fine
• A2 milk explained (what it is and what we do — and don’t — know)
• Gut health concerns and what the literature actually supports
• Plant milk vs cow’s milk: soy, pea, oat, almond, coconut — protein differences, phytates, and absorption

Here’s my big takeaway:

Milk isn’t mandatory. But it is incredibly efficient.

Two cups can meet most of your child’s daily calcium needs and provide meaningful vitamin D in a way that’s consistent, accessible, and easy for parents. And in a fast-paced world of snack foods and nutrition noise, efficiency matters.

If your child loves milk? You likely have less to worry about than you think.

If your child refuses milk? Stay tuned — the next episode is all about how to meet calcium, vitamin D, and protein needs without dairy.

As always, this is guilt-free guidance for feeding your family — grounded in pediatric nutrition science and real-life practicality.

Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more parents can find calm, evidence-based support.

NEW COURSE! "Read the Pattern: Feeding Your Baby 0–4 Months" — because a healthy relationship with food starts earlier than most people think. Course Link!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only, not medical advice.

Send us Fan Mail

Your toddler won’t eat meat. They push away vegetables. They live on fruit, crackers, milk, and the occasional bite of something random — and now you’re wondering if they’re getting enough protein, enough iron, enough for their brain development. Maybe your pediatrician mentioned a multivitamin with iron. Maybe you’ve already Googled “iron deficiency in toddlers”.

In this episode, I take you behind one very common question I hear in clinic: “My toddler is picky. Should I give a multivitamin?” But as we unpack it, you’ll see that it’s rarely just about the vitamin. It’s about the anxiety underneath it.

We’ll talk through:

• What normal toddler picky eating actually looks like
• How pediatricians screen for iron deficiency anemia
• Why hemoglobin doesn’t always tell the whole story
• How much protein toddlers really need (and why milk often covers it)
• When a multivitamin with iron makes sense — and when it doesn’t
• Red flags for something more serious like ARFID or sensory feeding challenges
• How pressure at the table quietly makes picky eating worse

Most toddlers between ages 2–7 go through a selective eating phase. It’s developmental. It’s tied to autonomy. And it’s incredibly triggering for parents who care deeply about nutrition. If your child’s growth is steady but you still feel worried, this episode will help you sort through what’s objective… and what might be coming from comparison, social media noise, family comments, or your own history with food.

Because sometimes the real work isn’t changing the child’s plate. It’s calming the parent’s nervous system.

You don’t need urgency. You need context. You need a plan that feels grounded and sustainable. And you deserve more than just a product recommendation.

If feeding your child feels stressful or messy right now, I created a free guide to walk you through the hidden mental barriers that drive mealtime tension and help you reset with confidence. You can download “When Feeding Feels Messy”  here or at newstorynutrition.com.

You don’t have to do this alone. And you definitely don’t have to solve picky eating with just a vitamin.

Questions about multivitamins? Take a listen to Episode 6!

NEW COURSE! "Read the Pattern: Feeding Your Baby 0–4 Months" — because a healthy relationship with food starts earlier than most people think. Course Link!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only, not medical advice.

Send us Fan Mail

Do babies need probiotics?

In this episode of Nutrition for the Early Years, I’m breaking down what the evidence actually says about probiotics in infancy, newborn nutrition, and infant gut health.

I get asked about this all the time — especially in those early weeks when babies are gassy, fussy, stooling differently, or just hard to read. Parents want to support digestion, immune health, growth and development, and allergy prevention. But the claims around probiotics can feel confusing.

This episode walks you through the same conversation I have with families in my office.

We’ll talk about:

• How the infant gut develops in the first month of life
• The role of breastmilk, HMOs, prebiotics, and probiotics in infant feeding
• What pediatric nutrition research says about colic, digestion, eczema, and immune health
• Differences between breastfed and formula-fed babies
• When probiotics may benefit preterm infants
• Why strain specificity matters
• And how I think through feeding decisions step-by-step before recommending supplements

If you’re navigating newborn nutrition, combo feeding, formula choices, or trying to reduce feeding anxiety while making thoughtful decisions, this episode will help you cut through the hype and focus on what truly supports child health.

My goal is always the same: guilt-free feeding rooted in real science — so you can nourish your baby with confidence and support their healthy relationship with food from the very beginning.

Subscribe for evidence-based pediatric nutrition guidance on infant feeding, toddler nutrition, picky eating, appetite, growth, and raising children with a healthy relationship with food.

NEW COURSE! "Read the Pattern: Feeding Your Baby 0–4 Months" — because a healthy relationship with food starts earlier than most people think. Course Link!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only, not medical advice.

Send us Fan Mail

Protein is everywhere in kids’ food—but how much do children actually need? In this episode of The Lunchbox Reformation, I explain pediatric protein needs from ages 1–8, why toddlers often get enough protein without trying, and how adult high-protein trends can create unnecessary stress around kids’ eating.

NEW COURSE! "Read the Pattern: Feeding Your Baby 0–4 Months" — because a healthy relationship with food starts earlier than most people think. Course Link!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only, not medical advice.

Send us Fan Mail

Picky eaters don’t automatically need multivitamins—and in this episode of The Lunchbox Reformation, pediatrician and dietitian Dr. Liz Daniels explains how to tell the difference between real nutrient gaps and normal toddler eating patterns. Learn which nutrients actually matter for kids’ growth, what multivitamins typically miss, and how everyday foods can support nutrition without added stress or guilt.

NEW COURSE! "Read the Pattern: Feeding Your Baby 0–4 Months" — because a healthy relationship with food starts earlier than most people think. Course Link!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only, not medical advice.

Send us Fan Mail

If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, pumping, or worried about your milk supply, this episode is for you.

Lactation supplements—foods, herbs, and products marketed to increase breast milk—are everywhere. From lactation cookies and brewer’s yeast to fenugreek teas and moringa capsules, parents are often told these supplements are the key to making “more milk.” But do lactation supplements actually work?

In this episode of The Lunchbox Reformation, I walk through what the science really says about common lactation supplements—and why many don’t live up to the marketing.

You’ll learn:

• Which popular lactation supplements show little to no measurable increase in milk volume
• Why perceived increases in supply don’t always match actual milk production
• Which supplements show some promise—and where the evidence is still limited
• Why frequency of milk removal matters more than any supplement
• How pumping schedules, latch quality, time, sleep, and structural support affect supply
• Why breastfeeding is not “free,” and how to advocate for the support you need

I share personal experiences from my own breastfeeding journey—highlighting the emotional, logistical, and time costs that are rarely discussed but deeply felt.

The grounded takeaway: no lactation supplement replaces frequent, effective milk expression. Supplements may be supportive, but they are never first-line treatment—and struggling with supply is not a personal failure.

This episode is for parents who want:

• science over social media claims
• calm reassurance instead of pressure
• practical, real-life feeding guidance

Enjoying the show? Follow or subscribe to The Lunchbox Reformation so you never miss an episode.

Want to keep the conversation going? Find me on Instagram @drliznewstorynutrition.

Want to learn more about me? Come visit my site!

Extra studies:

Ammar M, Russo GL, Altamimi A, Altamimi M, Sabbah M, Al-Asmar A, Di Monaco R. Moringa oleifera Supplementation as a Natural Galactagogue: A Systematic Review on Its Role in Supporting Milk Volume and Prolactin Levels. Foods. 2025 Jul 16;14(14):2487. doi: 10.3390/foods14142487. PMID: 40724308; PMCID: PMC12294722.

Foong SC, Tan ML, Foong WC, Marasco LA, Ho JJ, Ong JH. Oral galactagogues (natural therapies or drugs) for increasing breast milk production in mothers of non-hospitalised term infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 May 18;5(5):CD011505. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011505.pub2. PMID: 32421208; PMCID: PMC7388198.

Jia L, Brough L, Weber JL. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yeast-Based Supplement and Breast Milk Supply: A Randomised Placebo-Controlled Trial. Matern Child Nutr. 2025 Sep 11:e70112. doi: 10.1111/mcn.70112. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40932299.

NEW COURSE! "Read the Pattern: Feeding Your Baby 0–4 Months" — because a healthy relationship with food starts earlier than most people think. Course Link!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only, not medical advice.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, I explain newborn digestion and feeding in the first month of life, including breastmilk, formula, poop patterns, reflux, and why uncertainty is normal. Learn what’s developing inside your baby’s gut and how confidence comes with time—not perfect tracking.

00:00 – Welcome & Why the First Month Feels So Confusing

Why tracking feeds, poop, and sleep helps identify patterns—but rarely provides day-to-day certainty in the newborn stage.

03:30 – You’re Not Doing It Wrong: Newborn Immaturity Explained

Why even highly informed parents feel unsure, and how newborn digestive immaturity—not lack of knowledge—drives most early feeding questions.

07:00 – How Much Newborns Actually Eat (and How Fast It Changes)

Stomach size, feeding volumes by day of life, and why babies may seem extra sleepy or unsettled when intake hasn’t caught up yet.

11:00 – Colostrum vs Mature Breastmilk: What Changes and Why It Matters

Protein density, volume shifts, and how early milk aligns with a newborn’s developing digestive system.

15:30 – Stomach Acid, Reflux, and Gastric Emptying

Why newborn stomach acid starts low, increases over time, and how this explains sour burps, reflux, and spit-up.

20:00 – Fat Digestion in Newborns (Lipase, Bile, and Absorption)

How breastmilk supports fat digestion when pancreatic enzymes and bile production are still immature.

26:00 – Lactose, Enzymes, and Common Feeding Myths

Why most newborns are not lactose intolerant and what “enzyme immaturity” actually means.

30:30 – Immune Protection Through Breastmilk

How antibodies in colostrum (IgA, IgM, IgG) survive digestion and support early immune development.

36:00 – Gut Permeability & Why Newborns Absorb Differently

Why newborn intestines are more permeable, what that means for nutrient absorption, and why hydration matters.

40:30 – Poop, Motility, and Why It Changes So Much

Normal differences in stool patterns, gut movement, and why poop is a poor report card on feeding success.

45:30 – Breastfed vs Formula-Fed Poop (and Why Both Are Normal)

How substrate differences affect stool, gas, and transit time—and why change doesn’t equal failure.

50:30 – Formula Safety, Predictability, and When It’s Helpful

Why formula works well despite digestive immaturity and how its consistency can be supportive for families.

55:00 – Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) & Gut Microbiome Development

What HMOs do, why they soften stool, how they feed gut bacteria, and how formulas now incorporate them.

1:01:30 – When Digestive Symptoms Are Red Flags

Poor growth, blood or mucus in stool, true malabsorption—and when pediatricians want to know more.

1:06:30 – Crying, Gas, and the Six-Week Peak

Why fussiness isn’t always digestive, how mechanics matter, and what’s normal in early infancy.

1:11:30 – The Big Takeaway: Confidence Comes With Time

Why clarity arrives through experience, observation, and support—not perfect data.

1:14:30 – Bonus: Newborn Nutrition Needs (Extra Credit)

Calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrate needs in infancy—and why babies require so much energy early on.

If this episode resonated with you:

• Follow or subscribe to The Lunchbox Reformation so you don’t miss future episodes
• Share this episode with a parent who’s expecting—or in the thick of newborn life
• Join my upcoming Nutrition for the First Chapter Masterclass (January 25) for a deeper dive into infant feeding and formula navigation

You don’t have to get it perfect—you just have to keep showing up. ????

NEW COURSE! "Read the Pattern: Feeding Your Baby 0–4 Months" — because a healthy relationship with food starts earlier than most people think. Course Link!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only, not medical advice.

Send us Fan Mail

Breastfeeding doesn’t always go as planned—and when it doesn’t, many parents are left carrying unnecessary guilt, shame, and confusion about formula feeding. In this episode of The Lunchbox Reformation, I explore the emotional and clinical realities of breastfeeding struggles, supplementation, and transitioning to formula.

Drawing from my own experience as a new mom in medical training and over a decade of pediatric practice, I walk through common early breastfeeding challenges, including latch issues, tongue and oral movement concerns, head and neck restriction, breech positioning, and milk supply anxiety.

Most importantly, this episode reframes infant feeding away from performance and perfection. I offer compassionate guidance for parents who are supplementing or choosing formula, emphasizing that the “best” formula is often the one your baby tolerates well—and that a regulated, supported parent–infant dyad matters far more than meeting an idealized feeding goal.

This conversation is for anyone who is pregnant, breastfeeding, adopting, supplementing, or grieving a feeding journey that didn’t look the way they expected. The takeaway is clear and grounding: how you feed your baby does not define your worth as a parent—attunement, observation, and care do.

Register here for the science of breastmilk and formula masterclass!

NEW COURSE! "Read the Pattern: Feeding Your Baby 0–4 Months" — because a healthy relationship with food starts earlier than most people think. Course Link!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only, not medical advice.