Frequently asked questions

SowAndSpoon is a garden-to-table app for parents. It connects your vegetable garden to your baby's feeding journey. Enter your baby's birthday and we calculate what to plant, when to harvest, and how to prepare each crop for their age.

Yes. The free plan includes up to 30 garden crops, 2 child profiles, family meal planning, harvest reminders, allergen tracking, food log, crop library, the planting calculator, and the BLW readiness quiz. Pro unlocks unlimited crops, unlimited children, the smart meal planner, season plan builder, and more.

$4.99/month or $29/year (saves 50%). You can also get a free 30-day trial when you join via a friend's referral link.

No. The food log, allergen tracker, rainbow diet tracker, and age-safe prep guidance all work without growing anything. If you do want to grow food, any space works: a pot on a windowsill, a few containers on a balcony, a raised bed, or a full backyard garden.

Baby-led weaning means offering your baby soft, whole foods from around 6 months and letting them self-feed alongside or instead of purees. SowAndSpoon's prep guidance is BLW-focused (soft spears, sticks, and mashed textures by stage), but the food log, allergen tracker, and rainbow tracker work for any feeding approach.

Most babies are ready around 6 months. Look for all four signs: they can sit upright with minimal support, they have good head and neck control, they've lost the tongue-thrust reflex (no longer automatically pushing food out with their tongue), and they show interest in food (reaching for it or watching intently when others eat). All four signs should be present before starting. Starting before these signs develop, even at 4-5 months, carries choking and digestive risks. Always confirm readiness with your pediatrician.

When introducing a new food, pediatricians recommend waiting 3 full days before introducing another. This applies to all new foods, not just allergens. It gives you a clear window to spot any delayed reactions. SowAndSpoon tracks this automatically. If you do see a reaction, see the question below on what to do.

Use adjusted (corrected) age for starting solids. To calculate it: take your baby's actual age in months and subtract the number of weeks they were born early (meaning before their due date, typically 40 weeks), converted to months. For example, if your baby was born 8 weeks (2 months) early and is now 8 months old, use 6 months. If the weeks don't divide evenly (e.g. 10 weeks early = 2.5 months), round down to be conservative, so a baby 10 weeks early at 8 months would use 5 months. AAP and WHO guidelines both recommend adjusting for prematurity when assessing developmental readiness, including for baby-led weaning. Always confirm with your neonatologist or pediatric team, especially if your baby had a NICU stay.

Know the difference between gagging and choking. Gagging is loud, the baby is red-faced and working it out on their own. Stay calm and let them. Choking is silent or near-silent, the baby cannot cough or cry effectively and may turn blue. If your baby is choking: hold them face-down on your forearm and give up to 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades. If the obstruction does not clear, call 911 immediately. We strongly recommend taking an infant CPR and first aid course before starting solids.

Stop offering the food immediately. For mild symptoms (rash, fussiness, loose stools) contact your pediatrician before reintroducing. For severe symptoms (swelling of the face or throat, difficulty breathing, vomiting, or sudden lethargy) call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room immediately. Log the reaction in SowAndSpoon so you have a record to share with your doctor.

No. SowAndSpoon is an informational tool. Always consult your pediatrician before introducing new foods, especially allergens. Our guidance is based on published pediatric recommendations but is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

The top 9: milk/dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat/gluten, soy, fish, shellfish, and sesame. These account for about 90% of food allergies. The allergen tracker is free for all users.

Enter your baby's birthday and optionally your zip code. We calculate which crops you can plant right now so the harvest lands when your baby is old enough to eat them, factoring in days to maturity and your local frost dates.

Free accounts support up to 2 children. Pro supports unlimited children. With Pro, it also applies what your older child loved to recommendations for your younger baby, so you're not starting from scratch. Each child has their own food log, allergen tracker, and milestone timeline.

Yes. Generate a partner invite code from your account page. Your partner creates their own account and enters the code. You'll both see each other's garden crops, food logs, and frozen stash.

Yes. Your data is only visible to you and any linked partner. We use row-level security to enforce this at the database level. We don't sell data or use advertising cookies. See our privacy policy for details.

Yes. Select Southern Hemisphere when setting up your planting plan and we'll shift all harvest windows by 6 months to match your growing season.

Yes. Cancel your Pro subscription at any time from your account page. You'll keep access until the end of your current billing period, then revert to the free plan.