Infant Feeding and Lactation
Helping families meet their infant feeding goals with confidence. Specialized guidance for tiny eaters, ages 0 to 2.
RECOGNITION AND VALIDATION
Does this sound familiar?
You are feeding a newborn and want highly personalized support and guidance with latch, supply, or bottles
You are choosing or changing a formula, or moving to combination feeding
You are observing slow weight gain or have a growth concern regarding your little one
You are managing reflux, colic, or a suspected milk protein allergy
You are approaching the introduction of solids and want to introduce allergens on a clear timeline
You are working through texture refusal or early oral sensory issues
You are living with a toddler whose eating has narrowed
You are aware that your own history with food and body may be shaping your feeding decisions, and you would like to address it to ensure the best feeding outcomes for your family
Scope, plainly
What is Infant Feeding and Lactation Care?
The first two years contain more feeding change than any other stretch of life. A baby moves from exclusive milk feeding from the breast, bottle, or both, to first solids (most often via puree), to more complex and layered textures, and finally to a seat at the family table for a typical family meal. Each of those transitions can raise myriad questions about adequacy and appropriateness, and the answers are rarely one size fits all.
This care covers that full arc: breastfeeding and pumping, bottle feeding and formula selection, feeding challenges, weight gain, the introduction of solids, and the eating habits that begin to take shape in toddlerhood. Because our feeding expert is a Registered Dietitian credentialed in both maternal and infant nutrition as well as lactation care, parent and baby are supported as one connected pair rather than understood separately.
Our approach
Our Approach to Infant Feeding
We treat feeding as a relationship, not a checklist of milestones.
Every feeding conversation involves at least two people. Alongside your baby’s growth, intake, and tolerance, we look at your own priorities and patterns, because each parent’s history with food and body informs the feeding goals and choices they make for their child. Understanding this information early on tends to decrease feeding pressures, increase feeding success at home, and make our guidance more useful.
Growth is assessed against your baby’s own curve and clinical picture rather than a single number on the scale, and always in collaboration with your pediatrician.
What sets our approach apart
- Our feeding expert is a Registered Dietitian credentialed in both maternal and infant nutrition, as well as lactation care, enabling us to support parent and baby together through every stage
- We account for a parent’s own relationship with food and body, which shapes early feeding decisions more than most guidance acknowledges
- We work in collaboration with your pediatrician on growth, allergy, and gastrointestinal concerns
- We build toward eating habits that hold as your child grows rather than short-term fixes
- Feeding method is your decision, and we support responsive feeding in whatever form fits your family
How we help
Areas of focus
Infant Feeding, 0 to 12 Months
- Breastfeeding and lactation support
- Bottle feeding, formula selection, and combination feeding
- Pumping and expressed milk management
- Bottle refusal and feeding difficulty
- Slow weight gain and faltering growth, in collaboration with your pediatrician
- Reflux and feeding-related gastrointestinal concerns
- Milk protein allergy and maternal elimination diet counseling
- Feeding support after tongue-tie release
- The transition from breastmilk or formula to whole milk
Introduction to Solids
- Starting solids and planning solid introductions
- Early allergen introduction
- Texture progression and oral feeding development
- Building the foundations of a healthy relationship with food
- Monitoring for signs of food allergy and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) that warrant referral
Toddler Nutrition
- Picky and selective eating
- Identifying natural food preferences
- Growth and nutrition concerns
- Iron deficiency and other micronutrient deficiencies
- Family eating habits that work for everyone at the table
WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH
Rebecca Appleman, RD
Founder & Executive Director
Care starts with a conversation with Rebecca Appleman, RD, our practice founder and executive director. She is the first point of contact for every person that reaches out to us; she completes every discovery call and supervises the clinical work of the team as a whole.
Meet RebeccaOur clinicians are introduced on our team page, which details each dietitian’s clinical focus.
WHAT TO EXPECT
How a first conversation works
Rebecca personally speaks with each new client to carefully guide best next steps and scheduling.
Connect with Rebecca & Schedule
You and Rebecca will discuss what is on your mind related to food and body, and Rebecca will determine the dietitian on our team best suited to guide you in meeting your needs. Appointment options are provided and fees are explained.
Begin Care
You have your full Nutrition Consultation, virtually or in person. This is the visit that creates a foundation for your work with us. Follow-up sessions are scheduled as indicated and in coordination with you.
How payment works
We are a private-pay practice. Clients are billed monthly, during the first week of the month, for all services provided during the previous month. We do not bill insurance or submit claims for you, however, we provide a detailed receipt (superbill) with procedure and diagnostic coding so you can seek reimbursement on your own if your plan has out-of-network nutrition benefits. Fees are discussed on the discovery call and a fee schedule is also included in our paperwork in your client portal.
Questions we can answer now
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age does this care start and stop?
It begins during pregnancy, if you want to prepare in advance, and continues to age two. From age two onward, our Pediatric Nutrition service picks up.
Do you help with formula, or only breastfeeding?
Both. Formula selection, bottle feeding, and combination feeding are a core part of this work. We support whatever feeding choices fit the needs of the family and optimize strategies for growth and development regardless of the chosen method.
My pediatrician flagged slow weight gain. What happens in a visit?
We take a full feeding and intake history, assess the mechanics of feeding, and look at what is limiting volume or transfer. We collaborate with your pediatrician to ensure quality of care and the best outcome for baby.
When should allergens be introduced?
Current guidance supports early introduction for most infants, generally alongside first solids, with individual timing and any needed precautions determined by your child’s history and guided by your pediatrician or allergist. We set out the sequence and the reasoning so the decision is well informed rather than improvised.
Is picky eating in a toddler something to be concerned about?
Selective eating is developmentally common in toddlerhood, and most of it resolves. It warrants clinical attention when the range of accepted foods is narrowing over time, when growth or micronutrient status is affected, or when mealtimes have become distressing for the family.
Do you coordinate with our pediatrician?
Yes. Growth, allergy, and gastrointestinal concerns are managed in collaboration with the pediatrician, and we communicate directly so guidance does not conflict.
Can you support both me and my baby?
Yes. We care for parent and baby together rather than referring each piece to a different provider.
What if our feeding goals change?
They often do, and the plan changes with them. Feeding is a moving target, and being well nourished is an evolving process no matter your age. Our guidance will always honor where you are in the moment and aim to help you and baby grow over time.
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READY TO TALK
Feeding Questions Deserve Real Answers
The first two years of life bring more feeding transitions than any other stage. Random search results do not provide the comfort or curated recommendations that new parents deserve. Our experts create accurate, tailored plans that meet the specific needs of you and your baby.
Insight from the practice
Occasional information and updates on nutrition and wellness from the Appleman Nutrition team.
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