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.
Who this is for
Who this is forChildminders caring for children with allergies, or anyone who wants a check on the week's nutrition. Needs a Solo or Team plan, or a free trial, and allergies recorded on each child's profile. It takes about two minutes.
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
- Planning your weekly menu: publish the menu and log meals in the diary.
- Planning your menu with KinderAssist: plans that leave out your children's allergens.
Next guide
Turning your menu into a shopping list
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