Welcome back to More than Milestones! In part two of our conversation with speech-language pathologist and pediatric feeding expert Bri Miluk (@pediatricfeedingslp), we’re diving into one of the most important topics for parents today—misinformation and pseudoscience on social media.

If you haven’t listened to part one yet, be sure to go back to hear our discussion on primitive reflexes and why they matter for your baby’s development.

In this episode, we talk about how parents can confidently navigate the minefield of social media and spot misleading or pseudoscientific claims, even without a background in research. Bri shares practical tools for identifying red flags like unfalsifiable claims, exaggerated proof statements, emotional testimonials that replace real data, cherry-picked studies that use too few participants, and overly technical “technobabble” meant to sound scientific. She also explains why unchanging, absolute claims and a lack of peer review are strong indicators that something may not be based on solid evidence.

We also dig into the world of dark marketing tactics—how trauma-based storytelling and hidden pricing strategies can be used to manipulate parents’ emotions and influence their decisions. These methods often prey on fear, guilt, and trust, making it harder to recognize when information is misleading.

Bri introduces a simple but powerful framework called CRABS, which stands for conflicts of interest, references, author, buzzwords, and scope of practice. This quick mental checklist helps you pause and evaluate what you’re seeing online before believing, sharing, or acting on it. It’s not meant for a deep dive but rather to help you notice when something feels off so you can take a closer look.

We wrap up by exploring the issue of predatory journals—what they are, how people can pay to get published, and why not all research is created equal. Bri offers examples of how to verify if a study is credible and how to protect yourself from impressive-sounding but unreliable “science.”

Whether you’re a new parent, a therapist, or someone trying to make sense of all the conflicting information online, this episode will help you develop the awareness, confidence, and critical thinking skills you need to separate sound science from pseudoscience. Tune in to learn how to pause before you share—because awareness is a skill that can be strengthened over time.