9. Dark Marketing in Motherhood: Emotionally Manipulative Hooks, Expert “Word Salad,” and Simple Steps to Spot Pseudoscience

Welcome back to 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. In this episode, we talk about how parents can confidently navigate the minefield of social media and spot misleading or pseudoscientific claims. Bri shares practical tools for identifying red flags like unfalsifiable claims, exaggerated proof statements, emotional testimonials, cherry-picked studies, and overly technical “technobabble”. 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 created by Dr. Jessica Stokes-Parish 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 it. 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.” Connect with Bri on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pediatricfeedingslp Bri’s Podcast Episode with Dr. Jessica Stokes-Parish on the CRABS Framework: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4eSwFr0tpUPG21Z6UQHjOD?si=k5jzl0DaQ8O8KBiBTexcRA&nd=1&dlsi=9bb41e6995b7466d Links 💻 Website & Blog: https://www.milestonesandmotherhood.com/ 📱Follow KC for daily motor milestone tips & parenting support: https://www.instagram.com/milestones.and.motherhood/ 🎧 Follow podcast updates & new episode drops: https://www.instagram.com/more.than.milestones/ 🆓 Get my free tummy time training: Mastering Milestones with Confidence https://www.milestonesandmotherhood.com/freetraining 📬 Join the email list for milestone tips + podcast updates https://idyllic-hat-942.myflodesk.com/fwefz61097 🛒 Shop KC’s favorite mom & baby finds: https://links.milestonesandmotherhood.com/amazon/amazonstorefrontmm Go deeper with KC on Substack More Than Milestones: Unfiltered is my subscription channel where I release 2 exclusive bonus episodes every month. Even more raw, unfiltered motherhood chats you won’t hear anywhere else. https://substack.com/@morethanmilestones