#287 Fussy Eaters, Weaning & How to Foster Healthy Eating Habits in Children with Charlotte Stirling-Reed
5th Mar 2025
Feeding children can feel like a minefield. When should you start weaning, what should you start with, how to handle fussy eaters, and whether certain foods should be avoided altogether?
In this episode with Charlotte Stirling-Reed, we’re diving into the science and practicalities of feeding babies, toddlers, and beyond to help parents feel more confident and less overwhelmed .. like me!
We explore weaning from the ground up, covering key questions like:
✔ How do you know when your baby is ready for solids?
✔ Should you start with vegetables?
✔ Is baby-led weaning (BLW) the best approach?
✔ What foods should be avoided in the early years?
But we don’t stop at weaning—we tackle common struggles like:
🥦 How to encourage kids to eat more than just beige foods?
🍽️ Managing food refusal and picky eating (why toddlers reject food at home but eat it at nursery!)
🥕 The best ways to sneak more fruit and veg into your child’s diet
🥜 Navigating food allergies and safe school lunch alternatives
This episode is packed with practical tips, expert insights, and realistic strategies to help make mealtimes smoother and healthier.
Charlotte Stirling-Reed, known as “The Baby & Child Nutritionist”, is a registered nutritionist, bestselling author, and founder of SR Nutrition. She started her career in the NHS before specialising in maternal, baby, and child nutrition.
Charlotte is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller How to Wean Your Baby, an incredible book. Her latest book “The Ultimate Weaning & Toddler Cookbook” will be a go to for me and my family for sure!
And here are links to some of the articles we mentioned during the podcast:
Probiotics and Children, Kids eating fish, Kids throwing food, Vegan weaning
Note: At one point, we said "normal birth" but quickly corrected it to "non-C-Section birth". Some people use "normal birth" to mean vaginal birth, but that can be a bit confusing because vaginal birth isn't always the "normal" choice for everyone.
Episode guests
Charlotte Stirling-Reed – “The Baby & Child Nutritionist” – is a registered nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition (AfN), as well as a bestselling author, mum and founder of her own consultancy, SR Nutrition. It’s her mission to give parents confidence in feeding their children.
Charlotte began her working life in the NHS after gaining a first-class honours degree in Nutrition and Human Biology and then a postgraduate degree from Bristol University in Nutrition and Public Health. Since then, Charlotte has worked in various fields of nutrition but enjoys nothing more than reading, writing and talking about her specialist area – maternal, baby and children’s nutrition.
With over ten years’ experience working closely with large and small brands supporting their communications and new product development, Charlotte now works with a variety of global brands, including Pampers, Aveeno, Gousto, Knorr and Tommee Tippee. Her expertise is highly sought-after amongst the media and celebrities alike, having been quoted in Mother & Baby, Harper’s Bazaar, the Metro, the Guardian, The Telegraph, Women’s Health, Red magazine, and many more. She has featured in the BBC programme ‘Food: Truth or Scare’ over three years and has appeared across all main UK channels and radio stations, including an appearance on ‘Jamie & Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast’ talking about iodine and children’s health. Charlotte recently worked alongside Joe Wicks, AKA The Body Coach, and his Wean in 15 campaign, as well as consulting on his book (released in May 2020).
Charlotte has received numerous awards for her work, including Best Blog and Best Online Resource for Weaning Week 2020, after many years producing evidence-based online content for families. She continues to support thousands of families with feeding their babies, toddlers and young children via her social media platforms, website and book – How to Wean Your Baby – which became an instant Sunday Times bestseller.
- Access over 800 research backed recipes
- Personalise food for your unique health needs
