The Definitive Resource List for Infant & Child Nutrition

Now that Cooper is close to 10 months old (!), he’s tried a long list of foods via a slightly modified baby led weaning (BLW) approach. On Instagram I’ve shared plenty of our infant nutrition snippets via his meals and snacks; the good, the messy, and the frustrating. Based on requests and questions, I posted his “Coopercakes” pancake recipe and my top products for feeding babies and toddlers.

While I have much more knowledge than the general population on infant and pediatric nutrition and am happy to provide some feedback and general information to other parents about infant feeding (recs for allergen exposure, what is baby led weaning and why did we choose it, etc), this is not my main area of expertise. While I consult on a variety of topics with food companies and have even written about infant and child feeding, I still first specialize in sports and fitness nutrition as well as nutrition for mental health. I plan to stay within my scope of practice on more specific details with older kids until Cooper is older and I have more first hand experience!

Still, my reader survey showed many of you want more infant nutrition and child feeding tips, so I want to aid those of you with kids (or grandkids) in nourishing your children in the best way possible for their young, growing bodies and developing minds. That’s how I decided to create a resource list. I know and follow plenty of dietitians to recommend, but when I reached out for other recommendations, had an overwhelming but fantastic response of others to share with you, too!

In this post you’ll find dietitian experts listed by age range or other specialty along with links to their most active social outlet, website, or resource (such as downloadable handouts and courses). Disclaimer: As registered dietitians, we have the schooling and supervised training to provide evidence-based advice to both groups and individuals. If you feel that your child needs more specific care, please note that the advice on these blogs, social media pages and courses is not meant to replace personalized nutrition or medical recommendations from a pediatric registered dietitian, general practitioner, allergist, or gastroenterologist. You can find an expert here.

{this post may contain affiliate links}

Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and Nutrition for Parents

Full Circle, by Jaren Soloff, RD, CLE
Jaren is not only a dietitian, but also a lactation counselor. It may sound like it’ll come naturally, but breastfeeding can be quite a challenge. Any moms-to-be reading: take all the help and advice (from professionals) that you can get! Check out her blog, individualized services, and follow Jaren on Instagram.

The Lactation Nutritionist, Marina Lane, MS, RD, CLC, CLT
Marina is also a dietitian and lactation therapist. She is passionate about the evidence-based importance of the first 1000 days nutrition (which I discussed here), from conception to age 2. Her focus is on mom’s nutrition to support baby, but also how to transition from breastfeeding to solids. She offers an online course on introducing solid foods to breastfed babies.

Fertility Foods, by Elizabeth Shaw MS, RDN, CPT and Sara Haas, RDN, LDN & Chef
This fantastic book gives you great recipes for not only pre-pregnancy but during your pregnancy. Plus, it includes evidence based nutrition information for fueling your body and your growing baby’s.

Healthy Mom Happy Family, Erin Palinski-Wade, RD
Erin is a busy media dietitian with two kids and another one on the way! Her blog shares recipes and tips to keep busy parents healthy so that they can take the best care of their kids. Follow on Facebook, too.

Mama and Sweet Pea, Meghan McMillan, MS, RDN, CSP, LDN, CLC
Here you’ll get nutrition guidance during pregnancy, after birth and during the first few years of your new sweet pea’s life. Meghan’s specialties are lactation, infant feeding and allergies. She also presented on BLW at FNCE, the biggest conference for American dietitians.

Mor Levy RDN, MS, IBCLC
Mor focuses a lot on infant and toddler nutrition now (see more below), but is actually a lactation consultant and a doula as well! Find more information on her site.

Dairy Free For Baby, by Chrissy Carroll, RD is a blog dedicated to educating moms on diet alterations for babies who may have intolerances to breast milk due to components of mom’s diet, especially dairy which may be the most common food intolerance for infants.  `

Infants & Toddlers

Feeding Littles by Judy Delaware, OTR (occupational therapist & feeding specialist) and Megan McNamee MPH, RDN, CLT, is my top recommendation for feeding infants and toddlers. The account is actually run by the only dietitian / occupational feeding therapist duo out there! They offer a BLW course for infants as well as a course for toddlers on preventing or reversing picky eating. While I haven’t used their resources myself, I do have a close (non dietitian) friend who sings praises of their toddler course. You’ll definitely want to follow them on Instagram, too!

Family & Co. Nutrition, by Maude Perreault, RD, MSc
Maude founded Family & Co. where “We offer nutrition strategies based on the latest scientific evidence while keeping in mind the busy lifestyle of your family. Every week on the blog, we dig the science and answer the most popular questions parents have asked us.” However, Maude is currently completing her doctoral work on pregnant mom and infant nutrition! Follow on Instagram where she’s been posting some great graphics.

The Baby Steps Dietitian, by Dianna K. Rice.
“My focus is prenatal, breast/bottle feeding and infant and toddler feeding including baby led weaning. I do a little with picky eating but mostly I focus on preventing picky eating and implementing division of responsibility (DOR). I’m specifically aiming to meet the needs of busy working women.” Find her on Facebook and Instagram.

The International Baby Led Weaning Network by Jessica Coll, RDN.
She created this network so that you can find registered dietitians near you who provide workshops on BLW! She also has an online course on BLW.

First Step Nutrition, by Jennifer House, MS, RD
“I’m passionate about helping parents make mealtimes more peaceful and raise children who have a healthy relationship with food.” Jennifer has a blog with information, but also wrote a book on Baby Led Weaning. If your little ones are toddler age and you’re having a hard time, she also has a program for parents of picky eaters! Follow First Step Nutrition on Facebook, and join her BLW Community Facebook Group.

The Lean Green Bean, by Lindsay Livingston, RD
You’ll want to follow both Lindsay’s blog and Instagram page. Lindsay is a Registered Dietitian and mom of 3. She takes a modified approach to BLW with her kids and works hard to show parents that healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. On Instagram, she shares before and afters of her kids plates to show other parents that not eating all of their veggies or cleaning their plate at every meal is totally normal. I love when Lindsay shows videos of her toddlers helping her cook and her blog has so many meal prep resources for your family (she’s the resource I mention when I give seminars and culinary nutrition demos).

Veggies and Virtue, Ashley Smith, MPH, RD, LD
Ashley is a mom of three and a pediatric dietitian. She specializes in “bringing families less feeding stress and more meal time success”. Follow Ashley on Instagram where she shares most of her content.

Kids Eat In Color by Jennifer MSPH, RDN, LD
This is a great account to follow on Instagram. “Jennifer helps moms get selective kids to eat veggies! She also teaches how to help kids try foods and what to feed kids.” Her page links to her free “picky eater guide” {see why I  recommend not letting your kids hear that they’re “picky” here}.

Plant Based Juniors, by Alex Caspero MA, RD, RYT and Whitney English MS, RDN, CPT
If you follow my blog on a regular basis, you know I am mostly plant-based myself and if I were to put a label on Cooper’s diet it would be mostly ovo-vegetarian with some fish on occasion, too. I’m thrilled that fellow RD’s Alex and Whitney teamed up to create PBJs. It’s your guide to plant-based prenatal and pediatric nutrition, welcoming all forms of plant-based eating and supports  whatever dietary patten you feel works best for their family- whether that’s vegan, vegetarian, reducatarian or whatever. You definitely want to follow them on Instagram, too!

Smart Nutrition, by Jessica Penner, RD
Jessica offers a free e-course for starting solids and then has a more extensive course for parents of picky eaters. Follow her Happy Healthy Eaters account on Instagram.

Mor Levy RDN, MS, IBCLC
Mor was mentioned above, but works mostly with infants and toddlers, but has experience with everything related to pediatric nutrition… including eating disorders, which unfortunately all parents should be on the lookout for early on. Follow Mor on Instagram.

The Green Beet, by Megan Maninna, RDN
Megan has a toddler and another baby on the way and while she shares expert recommendations, she also shares real life experiences with raising and feeding kids. Read more on her blog.

Wellness by Katie, Katie Andrews, MS, RDN, CDN
Katie is a BLW coach focusing on healthy school lunches, fast and easy weeknight meals and highlighting the best packaged foods for kids. She has BLW and family nutrition services available. Follow along on Facebook or Instagram, too.

Mom n’ Tot Nutrition, by Caitlin Kiarie RDN
Caitlin specializes in feeding kids from infancy through age 10. If you’re confused about the Division of Responsibility (DOR) I mentioned, she has a post all about it!

Element Nutrition Co Nutrition Co., by Jessica Gust, MS, RDN
Jessica is a Pediatric Dietitian with over 10 years experience working with kids of all ages in her private practice. Her blog is a trusted resource for parents on a variety of topics from starting solids and picky eating to growth and feeding issues. Follow Jessica on Instagram, too, where she focuses on realistic nutrition education for parents to help them raise healthy eaters.

Other Infant Resources:

• Born to Eat, by Wendy Jo Peterson, MS, RDN and Leslie Schilling, MS, RDN
• • I had a good handle on what BLW was before having Cooper, but read this book myself for the reassurance. I whole-heartedly recommend it to any new parent before starting their feeding journey with their infant!
• The Smart Mom’s Guide to Starting Solids, Jill Castle

Other Toddler Resources:

• The “Turnips & Tantrums” Facebook group, Lindsay Livingston & Mary Ellen Phipps
• Try New Food (book), Jill Castle

Toddler & Child

Experience Delicious, Dani Lebovitz MS, RDN, CSSD, CDE
With a colorful and exciting site as well as an engaging Instagram account, Experience Delicious’ mission is to engage children and families to develop healthy eating habits that last a lifetime through experience-based learning.  She also authored the fun books, Where Does Broccoli Come From and Where Do Bananas Come From. 

The Food Tree, Rachael Wilson, RD (New Zealand)
Rachael runs The Food Tree with her business partner Lorren, who is an early childhood teacher. They cover family nutrition, specifically focusing on the feeding relationship and promoting positive body image. “It’s handy having a teacher as a partner as she has such insight in to child behaviour and development.” They’ve created “A place where happy families can raise healthy kids, connect with each other and find peace at the dinner table.” Follow them on Facebook, too.

Amy Reed Nutrition, by Amy Reed, MS, RD
With close to 20 years of experience as a pediatric dietitian, Amy tells it like it is and shares that even she had struggles feeding her own children. She shares her experiences on her blog, but also offers virtual pediatric nutrition services in case your child requires at home feeding therapy for weight gain.

The Fussy Eating Doctor, by Jennifer Cohen, PhD, RD (Australia)
Take the free quiz on Jennifers site to see if you have a fussy eater at home that needs some help. She calls her resources (like her Understanding Fussy Eating Mini-Course ) “the fussy eating academy”, but her site of course offers free information and recipes as well.

Feeding Bytes, by Natalia Stasenko, RD
Natalia’s goal is to empower parents all over the world to raise happy and thriving children who enjoy a variety of nutritious food. She has two courses, too. The first is a flexible approach to starting solids that includes purees. Follow on Facebook, too.

Mama Knows Nutrition, by Kacie Barnes, MCN, RDN
Kacie wants to help you feed your family the stress-free way. She specializes in toddler nutrition, but has resources on her blog for the whole family. Follow her on Instagram, too!

BeeKay Nutrition by Bracha Kopstick,  RD
Bracha is a family dietitian who helps you and your kids eat well. I love that she has an emphasis on developing healthy eating behaviors and a positive body image! Follow her on Instagram, too.

School Aged and Older

Cleverful Living, by Holley Grainger, MS, RD
I can’t do Holley’s philosophy justice with a 1-2 sentence blurb here. You definitely need to read her letter to you in her “about” section on her website. You also need to follow her on Facebook and tun into her Facebook Lives with her adorable little girls.

The Nourished Child, by Jill Castle, MS, RDN
I linked to a couple of Jill’s amazing books above, but The Nourished Child Project is the resource of hers that caught my eye the most! She also has a blog and podcast of the same name.

Real Mom Nutrition, by Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD
“My brand is a no-judgments zone all about feeding a family with feeding advice, simple recipes, and most of all reassurance and encouragement.” Any mom who’s ever felt like they were going to lose it (aka every mom) should be following her! She released a new book in 2018: The 101 Healthiest Foods for Kids“, but also authored the “Cooking Light Dinnertime Survival Guide: Feed Your Family. Save Your Sanity.” You definitely want to follow Sally (along with 44k others) on Facebook.

Create Kids Club, by Jodi Danen, RDN
Jodi’s business focuses on feeding elementary and middle school aged kids. She created the adorable Lunch Bites; note cards you leave in your kid’s lunchbox with positive sayings and cute jokes. You can also follow her on Instagram and Facebook where she has a kids cooking e-book available.

Sarah Remmer, RD is a family and pediatric nutrition expert. Her most popular articles give tips for BLW, provide an understanding of why your child may not be eating at meal time, and provide tips for your kids to be less wiggly at meals, among others! You can follow her on Instagram, too.

Jessica Levinson, RD
I’ve followed Jessica for quite some time and while she provides recipes that I wanted to eat before having Cooper, her main focus is sharing tips and recipes for feeding families, primarily with school-aged kids. Follow Jessica on Facebook and Instagram, too!

Halsa Nutrition, by Maria Adams, MS, MPH, RD, RYT-200
The goal of Hälsa Nutrition is to help families eat healthier by cooking more at home and getting more real food into their days. Maria also focuses on making eating joyful by giving families strategies to deal with picky eating, allergy-friendly recipes, and ways to sprinkle joy into everyday snacks and meals.

Bite of Health Nutrition, by Lauren Sharifi, RD
Lauren helps families make eating and cooking fun, easy and nourishing.  She’s also there to empower parents to raise healthy, intuitive eaters who have a positive relationship with food and their body. You can also follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Feeding Bliss, by Courtney Bliss, RD
This blog is dedicated to empowering moms with the knowledge and tools they need to eliminate stress around meal time. You can also follow along on Instagram.

How to Eat, by Dara Gurau, RD and Erin MacGregor, RD
This blog shares easy, family friendly, recipe and meal ideas with tips for raising happy and healthy eaters. These two RDs are sensitive to the fact that you don’t have tons of time, but want to make nourishing meals available to your family. You can also follow on Facebook.

Crystal Karges Nutrition, Crystal Karges, RD, IBCLC
Crystal specializes in maternal and child health, raising intuitive eaters, and eating disorders. Check out her free resources for a healthy mom and healthy family. Crystal is also active on Instagram!

Sunny Side Up Nutrition, Anna Lutz, MPH, RD, LDN, CEDRD-S and  Elizabeth Davenport, MPH, RD, LD
This dietitian duo writes about family feeding, simple cooking, and raising children with a positive relationship with food and their bodies. You can follow on Instagram, too.

360 Family Nutrition, by Kristen Smith, RD
360 is a family focused blog that offers recipes for both families and children (toddler/elementary). Kristen has a little one on the way, so expect more infant posts in the near future, too! You can also follow on Instagram.

Teens and College

This category is a bit sparse, but I will update as I come across more dedicated accounts!

Mom’s Kitchen Handbook, by Katie Morford MS, RD
Katie focuses on school age, teens, and college age kids. She’s “Raising Fresh-Food Kids in a French-Fried World”! Find her on Instagram, too!

Heather Mangieri, MS, RDN, CSSD
Heather is a sports dietitian who focuses on fueling young athletes, and even has an amazing book to share her expertise.

I hope this is helpful to any parents or parents-to-be out there. Remember, there is no one right way to feed and raise your family. We’re all doing out best, but inspiration from experts is so important when there is so much advice on social media coming from non-credentialed individuals, who really only have their own experiences to reflect on. Cheers to raising happy healthy kids!