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Kary Rappaport

Kary Rappaport

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Executive Director, Pediatric Feeding & Swallowing Specialist

OTR/L, MS, SCFES, IBCLCMom of two

About

Kary is a licensed pediatric occupational therapist, certified feeding and swallowing specialist, and international board-certified lactation consultant. With over 20 years of clinical experience and as a mom of two, she passionately advocates for clinical care that improves family access to connection-driven, research-supported interventions for infant feeding, from birth to solid foods and family meals.

Credentials

  • Licensed pediatric occupational therapist
  • Board-certified feeding and swallowing specialist
  • International board-certified lactation consultant

Education

  • University of Southern California
  • Mary Mount University

Expertise

Kary evaluates and treats infants and toddlers with feeding and swallowing challenges, including aversions related to cancer, prematurity, and sensory processing disorder, and dysphagia from cardiac and gastrointestinal conditions. She specializes in interpretation of modified barium swallow studies and complex feeding therapy cases, but has extensive experience supporting typically developing babies and toddlers with learning to eat.

“Babies are naturally wise and resilient. A safe feeding environment and the encouragement of a loving caregiver is typically all it takes for babies to build new skills.”

By Kary Rappaport

50 Fantastic - Apple

Choking Hazards for Babies

9 min read
a baby hovers over his edible finger paints and tastes them

10 DIY Toys for Babies

7 min read
A baby in a striped top reaches toward three black olive slices on a white high chair tray, practicing the pincer grasp.

6 Ways to Help Baby Practice the Pincer Grasp

13 min read
a pile of cannellini beans on a table before being prepared for babies starting solids

Iron-Rich Foods for Babies

12 min read
a small brown swirl, meant to look like poop, with a smiley face on it

When to Worry About Baby's Poop

7 min read
side view of a baby drinking a glass cup of water

Water for Babies

9 min read
A 7 month old baby holding an open cup

How to Teach Baby to Drink from a Cup

18 min read
Sick baby

How and What to Feed a Sick Baby

13 min read
a baby in a high chair with their tongue out and eyes closed after tasting a tart strawberry

Is This Normal? Things Babies Do When Tasting New Foods

8 min read
a 10 month old with facial swelling and rash from allergic reaction to cashews

Signs of Anaphylaxis in Baby

8 min read
Alt text: A close-up of a newborn breastfeeding, with the mother's hand supporting her breast and the baby's tiny fist visible.

Breastfeeding Latch Tips

A baby in a white dotted onesie lying on a soft surface, sucking on their fist while an adult holds their other hand, with a teal pillow in the background.

Baby Hunger & Fullness Cues

8 min read
A close-up of a wide-eyed baby with bright blue eyes and mouth open, with an adult's finger touching their lower lip, against a soft blurred background.

Newborn Feeding Reflexes

4 min read
A toddler in a grey sweater sitting in a white high chair, drinking from a small stainless steel cup with both hands, with a matching steel bowl and spoon on the tray in front of them.

What’s the Best Cup for Babies?

20 min read
Baby Spitting Food Out_Solid Starts

Baby Spitting Food Out?

11 min read
a photograph of a baby in a high chair with a few pieces of cooked vegetables on the tray in front of him and a piece of zucchini in his outstretched hand

How to Safely Cut Food for Babies

18 min read

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