What Did Babies Eat Before Baby Food was Invented? with Amy Bentley, PhD

Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro · Oct 22, 2026 · 37m

#144: What did babies eat before baby food was invented? Food historian Amy Bentley, PhD, author of Inventing Baby Food, joins me to unpack how commercial baby food, changing medical advice and clever marketing transformed the way we feed babies. If you’ve ever stood in the baby food aisle wondering whether your baby actually needs all of those jars, pouches and products, this episode will help you understand how we got here—and why babies are capable of eating real food from the start.

Listen to this episode to learn:

1. What babies ate before commercial baby food became the norm

2. How…