The best first food apps for starting solids
Last updated
Quick answer
For learning how to serve foods safely, Solid Starts is the standout, and its food database is free. For a free log of what your baby ate and which of the top 9 allergens they've been exposed to, bao tracks it alongside feeds, sleep, and diapers, shared with every caregiver. Many families use one of each.
Full disclosure: we make bao, so weigh our take accordingly. We've tried to be fair to every app here, and we say where another app is the better pick. Prices and features change; check each app's store listing before you commit.
| # | App | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | bao | A free food and allergen log next to feeds and sleep | Free |
| 2 | Solid Starts | Learning how to serve each food safely | Database free; Tracker about $19.99/mo or $99.99/yr |
| 3 | Starting Solids: BLW & Purees | A cheaper all-in-one solids app | About $29.99–$59.99/yr; $39.99 Premium option |
| 4 | BabyPlate: Starting Solids | Allergen repetition counting | About $79.99/yr (subscription required) |
| 5 | Baby Led Weaning App – BLW | A big recipe library | About $29.99/yr, or a one-time purchase |
Food guides vs. food trackers
First food apps tend to do one of two jobs:
- Guides tell you how to cut, cook, and serve each food for your baby's age, and which foods are common allergens or choking risks.
- Trackers record what your baby actually ate, how they reacted, and how often each allergen has been offered.
Some apps do both, usually behind a subscription. If you're already using a baby tracker for feeds and sleep, logging solids in the same app keeps everything in one timeline.
#1 · Best for: A free food and allergen log next to feeds and sleep
bao
Price: Free · Platforms: Android, Wear OS, web; iPhone app coming soon
bao isn't a recipe app. It's a free baby tracker that adds a solids log when you start food. Log each food, whether your baby loved it, and any of the top 9 allergens it contained. An allergen map shows how many times each allergen has been offered, and every meal sits on the same timeline as bottles, nursing, naps, and diapers.
Why we like it
- Free food log with likes and dislikes
- Exposure map for the top 9 allergens: milk, egg, peanut, tree nut, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, sesame
- Every caregiver logs meals into one shared timeline, free
- Meals sit alongside feeds, sleep, and diapers
Watch out for
- No food database or serving guides; pair it with a guide like Solid Starts
- No meal plans or recipes
#2 · Best for: Learning how to serve each food safely
Solid Starts
Price: Database free; Tracker about $19.99/mo or $99.99/yr · Platforms: iPhone, Android (free food guide also on the web)
Solid Starts is the best-known starting-solids resource. Its First Foods® database of 400+ foods, with age-by-age preparation, choking, and allergen information, is free. The food tracker, allergen-introduction guidance, and 100-foods plan are part of a paid subscription.
Why we like it
- Free database of 400+ foods with preparation and choking guidance
- Structured allergen introduction and a 100-foods plan (paid)
- Very highly rated
Watch out for
- The tracker itself is paid, and one of the pricier subscriptions here
- Some reviewers report logging bugs, such as wrong default dates
#3 · Best for: A cheaper all-in-one solids app
Starting Solids: BLW & Purees
Price: About $29.99–$59.99/yr; $39.99 Premium option · Platforms: iPhone, iPad
Starting Solids covers 200+ foods for both baby-led weaning and purees, with an allergen exposure log and a food diary you can share with a partner or your pediatrician. It's actively updated and costs less than the biggest names.
Why we like it
- Food guide plus allergen log in one app
- Cheaper than the biggest names
- Shareable food diary
- Updated roughly monthly
Watch out for
- Small number of ratings so far
- Paid
- No Android version
#4 · Best for: Allergen repetition counting
BabyPlate: Starting Solids
Price: About $79.99/yr (subscription required) · Platforms: iPhone, Android
BabyPlate has 380+ foods, a food log with reactions, and allergen repetition counting, with caregiver sharing. It's effectively subscription-only: nothing works until you subscribe.
Why we like it
- Counts repeated allergen exposures
- Caregiver sharing
Watch out for
- No free tier
- New, with few ratings
#5 · Best for: A big recipe library
Baby Led Weaning App – BLW
Price: About $29.99/yr, or a one-time purchase · Platforms: iPhone
This app has the largest library here, with 1,000+ foods and recipes, plus a food diary with allergen and reaction tracking. Updates are infrequent: before a February 2026 crash fix, the previous update was in 2024.
Why we like it
- 1,000+ foods and recipes
- One-time purchase option
Watch out for
- Infrequent updates
- Reviewers find the interface busy
Worth knowing: Feeding Littles
Feeding Littles is popular for its courses and recipes. Its app, launched in 2026, is an iPhone meal planner with a free tier and an optional Premium plan (about $39.99/yr). It doesn't log foods tried or allergen exposures, so it isn't a tracker.
How to track first foods and allergens
- Log every new food with the date, so you can look back if a reaction appears later.
- Tag allergens each time a food contains one, not just the first time. Regular exposure matters as much as the first taste.
- Note how it went: loved it, okay, or not yet. Many babies need repeated tries before accepting a new food.
- Share the log with anyone who feeds your baby, so daycare lunches and grandparent visits count too.
- Bring it to checkups. bao's PDF report gives your pediatrician a clean summary.
Allergen introduction is a medical topic: follow your pediatrician's guidance, especially if your baby has eczema or an existing allergy. Once solids are going well, see our guide to the best baby tracking apps for the rest of the day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free app for tracking first foods?
bao is a free option that logs each food, whether your baby liked it, and exposures to the top 9 allergens, shared with every caregiver. Solid Starts has a free food database, but its tracker is part of a paid subscription.
What should I track when starting solids?
Track each new food, the date, how your baby responded, and which common allergens it contained. Many parents also note how many times each allergen has been offered, since repeated, regular exposure is usually recommended once an allergen is introduced. Follow your pediatrician's advice on allergen introduction.
What are the top 9 food allergens?
In the United States the nine major food allergens are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame.
Is Feeding Littles a food tracker?
No. The Feeding Littles app is a recipe and meal-planning app. It doesn't track foods tried or allergen exposures, so pair it with a tracker if you want a record.
Can I use a food guide app and a tracker together?
Yes, and many parents do: look up how to prepare a food in a guide like Solid Starts, then log what your baby ate in a free tracker like bao, alongside their feeds, sleep, and diapers.
Sources
Facts in this guide were checked against: