Parent questions
Starting solids & food allergy FAQ.
Short, sourced answers to the questions that come up once your baby starts eating, each with a longer page if you want the detail. This is general information, not medical advice: your pediatrician knows your child.
Introducing new foods & allergens
What is the 3-day rule for baby food?
It's the habit of waiting a few days after a brand-new food before adding the next one, so a reaction is easy to pin on a single food. The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest one new single-ingredient food every 3 to 5 days. It matters most for common allergens like egg, peanut and dairy. Ask your pediatrician what pace suits your baby.
Learn more →What order should you introduce allergens in?
There's no single required order. Guidelines suggest introducing common allergens such as peanut and egg from around 6 months, alongside other first foods and one at a time, then keeping each one in the diet regularly. Babies with severe eczema or a known egg allergy may need a different plan, so ask your pediatrician first.
Learn more →How many times should a baby have an allergen before it counts as tolerated?
There's no official number. Many families look for a few uneventful servings of the same allergen before treating it as a regular food. After that, the bigger job is keeping it in the diet: Australia's allergy society (ASCIA) recommends offering each one at least once a week.
Learn more →How many times should you offer a food your baby didn't like?
Keep going. The NHS says it can take 10 or even more tries before a baby accepts a new food, and the CDC puts it at 8 to 10 exposures for young children. Offer small amounts next to foods they already like, without pressure, and keep a note of each try so a "no" today doesn't become "never".
Learn more →How do I keep track of which allergens my baby has had?
Use a checklist of the major allergens with the date of every serving and anything you noticed afterwards. In AllerLog, flagged allergens sit under their own filter and each serving schedules a check-in an hour later, so the record builds itself as you log meals.
Learn more →Reactions & symptoms
How long after eating can a baby have an allergic reaction?
Immediate reactions such as hives, swelling or vomiting usually start within minutes and up to about 2 hours after eating. Delayed reactions, like some cow's milk allergy symptoms, can take hours to days and often show up in poop, skin or sleep. Repeated vomiting 1 to 4 hours after a food can be FPIES and needs a doctor.
Learn more →My baby has a rash after eating a new food. Is it an allergy?
Not always. Redness around the mouth after acidic foods like tomato, citrus or strawberries is often skin irritation that fades within an hour or so. Raised, itchy hives on the body, swelling or vomiting point to an allergic reaction: stop the food and call your doctor, or emergency services if breathing is affected.
Learn more →Why is my baby gassy after starting solids?
A baby's gut is getting used to fiber and new carbohydrates, so extra gas is common in the first weeks, especially after beans, broccoli, cauliflower, prunes or pears. Gas with pain, vomiting, diarrhea, blood in the poop or poor weight gain is worth raising with your pediatrician.
Learn more →Can food affect my baby's sleep?
It can. Tummy discomfort from gas, constipation or a food that doesn't agree often shows up first as restless nights, though teething, illness and sleep regressions are more common causes. If bad nights keep following the same food, that pattern is worth tracking and sharing with your pediatrician.
Learn more →What's the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance?
A food allergy involves the immune system and can cause hives, swelling, vomiting or, rarely, anaphylaxis, sometimes from a tiny amount. An intolerance doesn't involve the immune system. It mainly causes digestive symptoms like gas, bloating or loose stools, and usually depends on how much was eaten.
Learn more →Poop & digestion
What does food intolerance poop look like in babies?
There's no single look. Signs that a food may not agree include runny or very frequent stools, mucus, unusually hard or painful poops, or a sore, red bottom that keeps coming back after the same food. Blood in the poop always needs a call to your doctor.
Learn more →Is mucus in baby poop after starting solids normal?
A little mucus now and then is common. The AAP says stools that are very loose, watery or full of mucus can mean the gut is irritated, so ease back on new foods and call your doctor if it continues. Mucus with blood, diarrhea or a fussy baby, or after the same food each time, can point to infection or cow's milk allergy.
Learn more →How long does it take food to show up in a baby's poop?
Usually within a day or two. There's little research in babies: newborns move food through fast, while one study of 1 to 4 year olds found an average of about 33 hours. Because a meal's effects can show up later, AllerLog lets you add or change a poop score at any time.
Learn more →What does normal baby poop look like after starting solids?
Thicker, darker, smellier and more varied. Bits of undigested food and colors that match the food, like green after vegetables or red after beets, are usually normal. Call a doctor about white or black poop, blood, or diarrhea that won't settle.
Learn more →My baby is constipated after starting solids. What helps?
It's common while the gut adjusts. From around 6 months, offer sips of water with meals and fiber-rich foods like pears, prunes, plums, peaches, peas and beans. The AAP notes that lots of milk and cheese can cause constipation. Call your doctor if it lasts more than a week, seems painful, or comes with blood or vomiting.
Learn more →About AllerLog
What is AllerLog?
AllerLog is an iPhone app for tracking a baby's first foods. You log meals and ingredients, rate how your baby liked them, and add a 1–5 sleep and poop score. AllerLog then charts every ingredient so the foods that line up with bad days stand out.
Learn more →Is AllerLog free?
Yes. AllerLog is free to download, and the core tracker is free too: meal logging, sleep and poop scores, ingredient charts, allergen flags, check-in reminders and history. An optional Premium subscription adds Insights (possible intolerances, a watch list, new this week) and AI Insights.
Learn more →Does AllerLog work for baby-led weaning?
Yes. Whether you start with purées, finger foods or a mix, you log the ingredients you offered and rate how it went. Many BLW parents use the notes field to record how much was actually eaten versus explored.
Learn more →Can AllerLog remind me to check for a reaction?
Yes. AllerLog sends a check-in 3 hours after a brand-new ingredient and 1 hour after any ingredient you've marked as an allergen, plus an optional daily logging reminder. You can change each delay or turn it off in Settings.
Learn more →How does AllerLog spot possible intolerances?
Each meal's mood, sleep and poop scores count toward every ingredient in it. Premium Insights flag ingredients averaging 3 or less across two or more meals. Opt-in AI Insights look across your recent meals and describe the pattern in one plain sentence.
Learn more →Where is my baby's data stored?
Your baby's profile and meal log are stored on your iPhone, and AllerLog doesn't need an account. Only the optional AI Insights feature sends meal data to a third-party AI service, and only after you agree to a consent screen. Usage analytics and crash reports are collected as described in the privacy policy.
Learn more →Is AllerLog a medical device?
No. AllerLog is a tracking and journaling tool that helps you and your pediatrician spot patterns. It doesn't diagnose allergies or intolerances and isn't a substitute for medical advice. If your child shows signs of a severe reaction, call emergency services.
Learn more →