Checking allergies and nutrition on your menu

See allergen alerts for the children booked in each day, share a kitchen prep sheet, and score the week's nutrition.

Written byDaniel Broadhurst (Founder)|Published: 18 June 2026|
Ofsted Aligned

ℹ️Who this is for

Childminders caring for children with allergies, or anyone who wants a check on the week's nutrition. Needs the Standard plan or a free trial, and allergies recorded on each child's profile. It takes about two minutes.

Video Walkthrough

KinderStart checks every meal you plan against the allergies of the children booked in that day. The kitchen prep sheet puts it all in one place for whoever's cooking.

1. Record each child's allergies

Open the child from the Children tab, tap Edit Full Profile, and add their allergies on the Health & Safety step. Tag allergens on your recipes' ingredients too (see Building your recipe library).

2. Plan a meal

In the Menu Planner, tap a meal and choose it from your library. Each day shows who's attending. If a meal contains an allergen a child that day is allergic to, the meal shows Allergen Alert with the child's name. Swap the meal, or plan a safe alternative for that child.

3. Open the kitchen prep sheet

Tap Kitchen Prep and choose the day. You'll see who's attending, every meal, the allergens in each, and a warning banner naming each child with an allergy. Foods that are a choking risk for young children, like whole grapes, are flagged with how to prepare them safely.

Tap Print / Share Kitchen Sheet to send it to whoever's cooking.

4. Check the week's nutrition

Tap Nutrition. The week gets a score and grade, badges for what's going well, and suggestions to balance the menu. Tap share to keep a copy for an inspection.

⚠️Allergy warnings don't replace your checks

Warnings only work when allergies are recorded on the child's profile and allergens are tagged on the recipe. A meal typed in by name, with no ingredients, can't be checked. When you log the meal in the diary you'll see the warning again.

Why KinderStart does it this way

Allergy mistakes happen between planning and serving. Checking at the menu, on the kitchen sheet and in the diary gives you three chances to catch one.

What to do next

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Track Your Progress
Don't get lost in the paperwork. Use our free interactive checklist to tick off each step as you complete it.

Next guide

Turning your menu into a shopping list

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KinderStart strives for accuracy. Competitor features and pricing comparisons are based on publicly available information as of May 2026. Details are subject to change by respective providers.

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