From First Bites to First Words: How Feeding Helps Babies Learn to Talk
I loved chatting with Katie Ferraro on the Baby-Led Weaning Podcast about the incredible link between early feeding and early communication — and how everyday mealtime moments build the foundation for speech.
Excerpt:
“Those early mealtime experiences are critical to establishing attachment and bonding and trust,” Stephanie shares. “If I do something and someone responds, I’m going to be motivated to do it again — especially if that adult understood what I wanted and I got another piece of avocado.”
Stephanie explains that babies “talk” long before they use words. Gestures, facial expressions, sounds, and even the way they reach for food are all forms of communication. When caregivers respond consistently at mealtimes, children learn that their communication matters — and this lays the groundwork for future speech.
She also describes how eating real food offers rich sensory and motor experiences that naturally support early sound production.
“When babies chew and move food around in their mouths, they turn their voices on accidentally — and that’s often how early consonant sounds emerge.”
Listen to the full podcast here: https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/from-first-bites-to-first-words-the-link-between-feeding-and-talking-stephanie-cohen
