The PedsDocTalk Podcast: Child Health, Development & Parenting—From a Pediatrician Mom

Feeding choices carry an enormous emotional weight for new parents, often shaped more by online narratives and cultural pressure than by balanced evidence. In this conversation, we unpack formula guilt, breastfeeding myths, and how distorted risk messaging fuels shame. We talk about how understanding research in context can help parents move away from fear-based thinking and toward informed, values-based decisions that support both parent and baby.

The episode also explores the long-term impact of early feeding shame on maternal confidence. Feeding is often the first major parenting decision, and how a parent navigates it sets the tone for future choices. We focus on strengthening self-trust, rejecting stigma, and recognizing that child outcomes are driven by complex environmental and social factors, not a single feeding method.

What we discussed:


Why parents feel guilt around formula feeding


How online activism shapes feeding narratives


Evaluating whether sources of information are trustworthy


Misleading statistics and risk exaggeration


Relative risk vs absolute risk in infant illness


The psychological harm of formula shaming


Why stress can worsen milk supply struggles


Breastfeeding benefits in realistic context


Why breastfed babies still get sick


The role of environment and exposure to germs


Myths about allergies, IQ, and milestone differences


How child development is multifactorial


Socioeconomic factors in feeding research


Sibling comparison studies and feeding outcomes


Why shame damages maternal bonding


Strengthening decision confidence early in parenting


Owning feeding choices without apology


How openness reduces stigma for other parents


Modeling self-trust for the parenting journey


Letting go of guilt about long-term outcomes

Want more? Listen to the full, original episode.

Check out Mallory's new book, "Bottle Service": https://www.amazon.com/Bottle-Service-Encouragement-Guilt-Free-Successful/dp/1668088762

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If mealtimes feel heavier than they should, this episode is going to make a lot click. I sit down with dietitians Diana and Dani to unpack how diet culture quietly slips into everyday parenting and shapes how kids see food, their bodies, and themselves. Their new book offers a roadmap for raising kids who trust their bodies and feel safe at the table, and our conversation goes far beyond picky eating. We talk about the language we use, the pressure we don’t realize we’re applying, and how small daily moments build a child’s long-term relationship with food.

What we discuss:


Why diet culture starts affecting kids as early as preschool


The “invisible curriculum” kids absorb from our modeling, messaging, and moments


What food positivity actually means and how it goes beyond food neutrality


How the Division of Responsibility supports trust and self-regulation


Common ways parents accidentally misapply feeding advice


Why labeling foods as good or bad backfires long term


The connection between pressure, restriction, and future dieting patterns


Reframing picky eaters as “learning eaters”


Why fewer than 5 percent of so-called picky eaters are truly nutrient deficient


How values like control vs connection influence feeding decisions


Small shifts parents can make to protect a child’s relationship with food

To connect with Diana Rice follow her on Instagram @anti.diet.kids and check out all her resources at https://tinyseednutrition.com/ 

Follow Dani Lebovitz at @kid.food.explorers and visit her website: https://kidfoodexplorers.com/ 

Their new book “Food Positivity: How to Ditch Diet Culture and Talk to Kids About Food“ is available for pre-order https://www.amazon.com/Food-Positivity-Ditch-Culture-About/dp/1394335202?&linkCode=sl1&tag=dianakrice-20&linkId=cb9fdb7069f2f96a3f795cbd75485914&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl 

Enjoy Diana Rice’s first episode, “Your kid doesn’t need a diet“ on the PedsDocTalk podcast. https://pedsdoctalk.com/podcast/your-kid-doesnt-need-a-diet-approaching-conversations-about-our-childs-weight-and-health-in-a-productive-way/ 

00:00 Welcome + What Is Food Positivity?
02:29 Meet Diana and Dani
04:24 How Diet Culture Starts in Early Childhood
06:09 The Invisible Curriculum: Modeling, Messaging, Moments
07:59 Food Positivity vs Food Neutrality
14:43 Division of Responsibility Made Simple
18:59 Why Red Light, Green Light Backfires
20:15 Felt Safety, Trust, and Confident Food Leadership
33:22 Rethinking “Picky Eating” as Learning Eating
38:10 Pressure, Restriction, and Self-Regulation
42:01 Small Shifts to Protect Your Child’s Relationship with Food
48:43 Where to Get the Book + Final Takeaways

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sleep training is one of the most emotionally charged parenting topics online, and this conversation pulls it back to what actually matters, evidence. We talk about how social media amplifies fear and confusion, why parents are told to “trust” personalities instead of data, and how looking directly at research helps cut through the noise. While opinions are loud, the body of evidence around behavioral sleep interventions is far less controversial than the internet suggests.

We also walk through what the data says about timing, safety, and developmental readiness. From common myths about brain development to the fear of letting a baby cry, this episode centers on nuance. Sleep training is not all-or-nothing, not one rigid method, and not a replacement for parenting. It is a flexible set of tools families can adapt based on temperament, comfort, and goals.

What we discussed:


Why social media creates confusion around sleep training


The importance of trusting research over personalities


What the literature says about behavioral sleep interventions


Why there is less scientific debate than people think


Typical age ranges supported by evidence, around 4 to 6 months


Developmental readiness and self-soothing ability


The difference between sleep training and night weaning


Why babies vary widely in temperament and sleep patterns


The myth about prefrontal cortex development


Why infants are capable of learning sleep skills


Fear-based messaging and misuse of scientific language


How parental anxiety gets amplified by misinformation


Modifying sleep training methods to match family comfort


Graduated extinction, parental presence, and flexible approaches


The role of compromise between caregivers


The core goal, helping a child fall asleep without active intervention


Why sleep training does not replace responsive parenting

Want more? Listen to the full, original episode.

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is one of the most important conversations I’ve had about vaccines. I sit down with a leading vaccine expert to slow down the noise and talk honestly about where we are right now in America. We discuss how vaccines went from one of the greatest public health successes in history to something many families feel unsure about, and what that shift means for children. This is not about politics or headlines. It’s about what I see as a pediatrician, what clinicians across the country are experiencing, and why protecting kids still has to be the center of the conversation.

We talk about fear, misinformation, and the very real consequences of falling vaccination rates. I share personal stories from training and practice that still stay with me, and we unpack how trust eroded, how Covid changed the landscape, and what parents deserve to understand moving forward. My hope is that this episode helps families step back from the chaos and reconnect with the core goal we all share: keeping children safe, healthy, and out of hospitals whenever we can.

What we discuss:


The current state of vaccines in America


Why vaccines are a victim of their own success


How misinformation spreads faster than evidence


Turning points that eroded public trust in vaccines


The impact of Covid on vaccine perception


Real clinical consequences of falling vaccination rates


Stories of vaccine-preventable illness from practice


Why personal choice affects community safety


Changes to vaccine recommendations and public messaging


What parents should understand about risk vs benefit

To connect with Paul Offit follow him on Instagram @pauloffitmd and check out all his resources at https://www.paul-offit.com/ 

00:00 Opening Message: The Real Risk of Skipping Vaccines
02:12 Meet Dr. Paul Offit
03:30 The Current State of Vaccines in America
05:04 Vaccines Are a Victim of Their Own Success
06:12 Why We Still Need Vaccines for “Rare” Diseases
08:27 Where Modern Vaccine Distrust Began (1982 Turning Point)
10:34 Pandemic Fallout and Vaccine Hesitancy
12:02 Frontline Stories from COVID
15:06 Denial in the Face of Evidence
17:11 How Vaccine Communication Should Change
19:00 Operation Warp Speed and Scientific Breakthrough
21:13 Politics and Public Health History
23:18 Measles Deaths Are Not “The Cost of Doing Business”
25:20 Medical Freedom vs Public Responsibility
28:23 Schedule Changes and Shared Decision Making
32:49 Life Before Rotavirus Vaccine
34:02 RSV Breakthroughs and Modern Progress
38:31 The Emotional Toll of Vaccine Misinformation
40:02 Residency Stories: When Prevention Fails
43:30 A Message to Vaccine-Hesitant Parents
45:35 What Keeps Dr. Offit Fighting
47:04 Final Takeaway: Vaccines Succeeded So We Forgot

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Motherhood can quietly shift the emotional balance in a partnership. In this conversation, we explore why resentment toward a partner is so common after having a baby and why it is not a personal failure, but a researched, predictable relationship stress point. The transition to parenthood often exposes invisible labor, unequal expectations, and emotional strain that many couples were never taught how to name, let alone fix.

We also talk about practical starting points for repairing connection. From making invisible labor visible, to changing how conflict is communicated, this episode focuses on teamwork, fairness, and ongoing conversations that prevent resentment from hardening into distance. The goal is not perfection or 50-50 equality, but shared understanding and intentional partnership.

What we discussed:


Why resentment often grows after becoming parents


The emotional and physical load many mothers carry


Research showing relationship dissatisfaction in the first year postpartum


How partnership dynamics affect postpartum mental health


The concept of making invisible labor visible


Dividing responsibilities in a way that feels agreed upon, not forced


Why equality is not always 50-50, but fairness still matters


Separating the partner from the problem


Communicating needs without blame or accusation


How suppressed resentment turns into bitterness


The value of weekly relationship check-ins


Addressing partners who resist conversations about workload


Explaining impact instead of arguing details


How shared labor improves emotional and physical intimacy


Why connection is built through everyday support, not grand gestures

Want more? Listen to the full, original episode.

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices