Little Eaters & Talkers

About Little Eaters & Talkers

Welcome to Little Eaters & Talkers, where we empower parents, caregivers, and professionals with practical insights to support children’s feeding and communication development. Hosted by Jean Hawney, a pediatric speech-language pathologist and feeding specialist, this podcast explores everything from introducing solids and tackling picky eating to promoting speech and language milestones.

Publisher

Jean Hawney

Category

kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

19 Dec 2024

Latest episode

28 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

39 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Sept 2026

   Episode 39: Nursing Strike or Feeding Aversion? Why Breast Refusal Is Communication

   If your baby has suddenly started refusing the breast and everyone keeps telling you it's "just a nursing strike," this episode is for you. Sometimes it is a nursing strike. Sometimes it's the beginning of a feeding aversion — and the difference matters, because what helps one can make the other worse. Jean Hawney, M.A., CCC-SLP, a pediatric feeding and swallowing specialist and lactation counselor, walks through how to tell them apart, the cycle that quietly turns refusal into aversion, and what to do first. The message she most wants you to take from this one: breast refusal is communication. The question isn't "how do I get my baby to nurse?" It's "why doesn't my baby want to nurse right now?" No judgment. No "wait and see." Just a clear way to read what your baby is telling you. 🎙️ What We Cover • What a nursing strike is, and the many reasons it happens • What a feeding aversion looks like — and the sign that always gets Jean's attention • The refusal → worry → pressure → more refusal cycle • Why feeding pressure almost always comes from love, not force • Breast refusal as communication, and the question to ask instead • How to take the pressure off without under-feeding your baby • When to call your pediatrician promptly, and when to bring in a feeding specialist • Why the feeding relationship matters as much as the ounces 📚 Free Resources 📄 Free feeding downloads: thelittleeaters.com/FreeDownloads 📝 Browse the blog: thelittleeaters.com/blog 🛒 20% off EZPZ feeding gear: partners.ezpzfun.com/LITTLEEATERS 🤝 Connect with Jean 🌐 Website: thelittleeaters.com 📸 Instagram: @littleeaters_talkers 🔗 Everything: linktr.ee/thelittleeaters Little Eaters & Talkers is hosted by Jean Hawney, M.A., CCC-SLP, a pediatric feeding specialist and speech-language pathologist in Houston, Texas. Disclaimer: This episode is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical or therapeutic advice. If you're concerned about your child's eating, speak with your pediatrician or a qualified feeding specialist.

2. 

   18 Sept 2026

   Episode 38: Why "Just One Bite" Backfires (And What to Say at Dinner Instead)

   You said it before you even heard yourself say it. Just one bite. And the whole table changed. Their shoulders came up. The fork went down. The food that was almost, maybe okay a second ago is suddenly the enemy. And dinner is over before it started. In this episode, Jean Hawney, a pediatric feeding specialist and speech-language pathologist, explains what that one sentence actually does to a child's nervous system and gives you five things to say instead, word for word, that you can use at dinner tonight. Why pressure at the table does not just fail in the moment, it teaches your child to file that food under danger. Once a food is attached to a fight, it stops starting from neutral, and the list of foods your child will try quietly gets smaller. What the division of labor at the table really is, and why letting go of the outcome is the thing that finally makes eating grow. You decide what is served, when, and where. Your child decides whether they eat, and how much. Five things to say instead of just one bite, including the exit that makes a child willing to explore a food, and the one move, saying nothing at all, that does more than any sentence you could add. What actually counts as a win, because if you are waiting for a bite you will miss the real progress and give up right before it works. A look, a touch, a lick, and a face are not rejection. They are data. How to tell the difference between a cautious eater who is growing slowly and a sign that needs a real evaluation, including when you can self-refer without waiting for anyone's permission. Whether your child has been selective since the very first spoon, whether the food list has been shrinking and you cannot figure out why, whether you have tried every version of just one bite and it keeps backfiring, or whether your gut is telling you this is more than a phase, this episode gives you a clear way to see what is happening and exactly what to do next. Resources Mentioned: Courses: thelittleeaters.com/Courses (https://thelittleeaters.com/Courses) Free Downloads: thelittleeaters.com/FreeDownloads (https://thelittleeaters.com/FreeDownloads) Book an Evaluation: thelittleeaters.janeapp.com (http://thelittleeaters.janeapp.com/) Follow Jean on Instagram: @littleeaters_talkers (https://www.instagram.com/littleeaters_talkers/) If this episode helped, share it with a parent who has been fighting the same green bean for a month and wondering why nothing is changing.

3. 

   31 Aug 2026

   Episode 37: Why Your Child Won't Eat at School (And What to Actually Put in the Lunchbox)

   You packed it carefully. The sandwich cut the way they like it. The crackers in the separate container so they don't get soggy. The fruit on the side. You knew exactly what was in that bag when you zipped it shut at seven-thirty. And then the lunchbox comes home. Same sandwich. Same crackers. Same fruit. All of it. And when you ask how lunch was, they shrug and say the cafeteria was loud. In this episode, Jean Hawney, a pediatric feeding specialist and speech-language pathologist, explains what a school cafeteria actually asks of a child's nervous system and gives you five specific things you can change about what you're packing before Monday morning. Why the same food your child eats at your kitchen table comes home untouched from school, and why it has nothing to do with the food itself. The cafeteria is a sensory environment that looks nothing like the place where your child learned to eat that food in the first place. What a "regulation budget" is and why school spends most of it before your child ever sits down with their lunch. By the time the tray hits the table, eating something unfamiliar may simply be out of reach. Five lunchbox changes you can make this week, including why cutting portions in half works better than packing more variety, and the one thing you can do on a Saturday that fixes more lunches than anything else Jean recommends. The one question to stop asking in the pickup line and what to ask instead. Parents who make this switch say they learn more in a week than they had in the previous month. How to tell the difference between normal back-to-school adjustment and a sign that your child's eating needs a real evaluation, including when you can self-refer without waiting for a pediatrician. Whether your child has always been a selective eater and school just makes it harder, whether you noticed the food list shrinking a few weeks into the school year and assumed something went wrong, whether you've been told to just keep trying different foods and it hasn't worked, or whether your gut is telling you this is more than the cafeteria, this episode gives you a clear framework for what you're actually looking at and what to do next. Resources Mentioned: Courses: thelittleeaters.com/Courses Free Downloads: thelittleeaters.com/FreeDownloads Book an Evaluation: thelittleeaters.janeapp.com Follow Jean on Instagram: @littleeaters_talkers If this episode helped, share it with a parent who is packing that first lunchbox this week and wondering why it keeps coming home full.

Who has been a guest on Little Eaters & Talkers

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Speech Language Pathologist
• International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
• Jean Hawney
• Jean Hwanean Hwaey

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

18,299

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 46 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

32

Social presence

94

YouTube

72

Engagement

32

Contact Little Eaters & Talkers

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.