Instead of a weight loss app for one child, pediatricians suggest healthy habits for the whole family, and the best app for the food and drink side is Sito, the app we build. Plan the changes with your child's doctor. The American Academy of Pediatrics calls for a plan "that involves the whole family". It notes that children are "especially aware of the harsh and unfair stigma" around weight.
- The NIH says: "Don't put your child on a weight-loss plan without the help of your health care professional."
- The 5-2-1-0 habits: 5 or more fruits and vegetables, 2 hours or less of screens, 1 hour or more of activity, 0 sugary drinks, every day.
- Sito covers food and drinks for every child in the family. Six more apps cover screens, movement and sleep.
The healthy habits app for the whole family: Sito
Sito gives each child their own profile, and a partner logs from their own phone into the same daily totals. You log a meal by photo or barcode, search for it, describe it in a sentence, or pick a recent food.
From 12 months, Sito tracks 18 nutrients, fiber and added sugars among them. The daily goals are set for your child's own age, sex, height and weight. If a doctor or dietitian gave you a number, enter it and Sito uses yours instead.
Scan a drink or a snack and Sito scores it out of 100 from its label, for your child's age, stricter under 6. When one serving is a quarter or more of your child's daily limit, the card says so in plain words.
Every Sunday a Weekly Report shows the Fiber and Added Sugars rows with arrows for change. For the next checkup, Sito makes a PDF report for your doctor on your phone, and you choose what goes in. Checkup measurements sit on the growth chart as a guide, not a diagnosis.
Build healthy habits as a family
Sito covers the food and drink side, for every child in the family. Free to download, with a free trial.
Should a child use a weight loss app?
Not on their own. The NIH says: "Don't put your child on a weight-loss plan without the help of your health care professional." For teenagers the AAP adds: "Any adolescent planning to go on a weight-loss diet should first talk with a pediatrician."
Why the care? The AAP says people who develop anorexia "frequently start with a reasonable goal of wanting to live a healthier lifestyle". Then, at some point, "obsessive thoughts about dieting, exercising, and losing weight take over."
What works best is not an app. The AAP's 2023 guideline says "the most effective treatments include 26 or more hours of face-to-face, family-based, multicomponent treatment over a 3- to 12-month period." These are also called family healthy weight programs. They "focus on health, not weight" and on the "whole household".
An app can help your family keep up its habits, but it cannot diagnose or treat. The AAP says its own advice online "should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician."
What is the 5-2-1-0 rule?
5-2-1-0 is a list of four daily habits, published by MaineHealth: "5 or more fruits and vegetables", "2 hours or less of recreational screen time", "1 hour or more of physical activity", "0 sugary drinks every day". A peer-reviewed study calls the program "an obesity prevention program".
The AAP uses the same four numbers, with one option on the 2: "a healthy, balanced limit you've set in your family media plan". Parents can "be role models themselves".
On the 0, the AAP says "the healthiest beverage is plain water" and adds: "Ideally, aim for one sweet drink or fewer per week (and not at all for infants and toddlers)." The CDC suggests replacing sugary drinks "with water or plain milk". More in our guide to how much sugar a child should have.
Two habits sit outside the four numbers. The CDC lists sleep: 10 to 13 hours for preschoolers, 9 to 12 for ages 6 to 12, and 8 to 10 for ages 13 to 17. And the AAP says regular family meals support a healthy weight in kids.
7 healthy habit apps for kids, side by side
| App | Helps with (5-2-1-0) | For the whole family | A report for the doctor | Ages (from its listing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sito | The 5 and the 0: meals and drinks logged, fiber and added sugars against your child's own numbers, drinks and snacks scored for their age | A profile per child; a partner logs from their own phone | Yes: a PDF made on your phone, plus a Weekly Report every Sunday | From birth; meals and nutrients from 12 months, through the teens |
| ProudMe | 5, 2 and 1, plus sleep | A parent dashboard | Not in its listing | 7 to 11 |
| Google Family Link | 2: screen time limits | A parental controls app | Not in its listing | Not stated |
| GoNoodle | 1: dance, yoga and mindfulness videos | Videos for home and school | Not in its listing | Elementary school kids |
| Cosmic Kids Yoga | 1, and sleep | Not in its listing | Not in its listing | 3 to 9 |
| Moshi Kids | Sleep: bedtime stories, sleep sounds | Not in its listing | Not in its listing | 0 to 12 |
| Raising Well | Sleep, food and screens as routines | Separate profiles for each child | Not in its listing | Not stated |
How we chose these apps
For the other six, we read each app's own App Store or Google Play listing on November 7, 2026. We left out any app whose listing promises weight loss for children.
The 7 apps, by habit
1. Sito: food and drinks for the whole family
Sito takes the 5 and the 0, with fiber and added sugars against your child's own daily numbers. For ideas, see our healthy snacks for kids.
2. ProudMe: four habits for ages 7 to 11
ProudMe: Healthy Habits is for "kids ages 7 to 11" (App Store). It tracks four habits, "Activity", "Eating" with "5 a day", "Sleep" and "Screen Time", with a "Parent dashboard".
3. Google Family Link: the 2
Family Link is "a parental controls app" (Google Play). Parents "set screen time limits" and use "school time and downtime schedules".
4. GoNoodle: the 1, indoors
GoNoodle offers "dance videos, yoga exercises, and mindfulness activities for kids" (App Store).
5. Cosmic Kids Yoga: the 1, and winding down
Cosmic Kids Yoga has "yoga, mindfulness and exercise videos for kids aged 3 to 9" (App Store).
6. Moshi Kids: sleep
Moshi Kids: Sleep, Relax, Play offers "bedtime stories, sleep sounds, music & white noise" (App Store).
7. Raising Well: routines for the household
Raising Well is about "healthier habits around sleep, nutrition, development, screen time" with "separate profiles for each child" (App Store).
How to talk about weight at home
The AAP's advice on eating disorders starts at the dinner table: more family meals, "sensitive language", and "discouraging 'weight talk' and 'weight teasing' in the home". On BMI words, the AAP is clear: "these words do not describe your child".
The NIH suggests you "get the whole family involved in building healthy eating, drinking, physical activity, and sleep habits. Everyone benefits, and your child won't feel singled out." Help your child set goals for activity and healthy eating, track their progress, and give "praise and love".
Nobody is to blame. The AAP says genes, biology, environment, policies and stress all contribute. You can expect health providers to treat your family "with respect, not blame or stigma".
When to call your pediatrician
The CDC says: "If you are concerned about your child's weight, talk with their health care provider." They may refer you to "a family healthy weight program". Our food diary for kids shows what to write down for the visit.
Let the pediatrician check BMI. The AAP says the best way is to have them "measure and discuss the results with you". Outside the 5th and 85th percentiles, "talk with your pediatrician". For the low side, see our page on a toddler not gaining weight.
Call too if your teen plans a weight-loss diet. And if eating patterns change, the AAP says: "talk with your child's doctor. Do not wait for your child to agree that they have a problem."
Frequently asked questions
What is the 5-2-1-0 rule for kids?
Four daily habits for the whole family, published by MaineHealth: 5 or more fruits and vegetables, 2 hours or less of recreational screen time, 1 hour or more of physical activity, and 0 sugary drinks. The AAP uses the same numbers and lets your family media plan set the screen limit. The CDC's tips for parents name the same habits without using the name.
How can I help my child with their weight?
Start with your child's health care provider. The NIH says not to start a weight-loss plan without one. Then change habits as a whole family, so nobody feels singled out. Offer praise and love, and keep weight talk out of the house. The NIH notes that "in many cases, children who are overweight don't need to lose weight, but they need to gain weight more slowly as they continue to grow in height." The AAP says the goal of treatment "is better health", and what that means differs for each child.
What is the best food tracker app for teenagers?
Sito. It tracks 18 nutrients, with daily goals for your teen's own age, sex, height and weight, up to age 18. Sito also makes a PDF report for the next checkup. If your teen wants to diet, the AAP says to talk with a pediatrician first, and its advice on teens puts healthy habits ahead of weight and dieting. See also our page on MyFitnessPal for kids.
Should my child use a weight loss app?
Not on their own. The NIH says no weight-loss plan without your health care professional. The AAP notes that anorexia often begins with a goal of living healthier, until obsessive thoughts about dieting and losing weight take over. The help that works best is family-based and face to face, over 3 to 12 months. An app cannot diagnose or treat. Talk with your pediatrician.
Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics, news release on its first comprehensive obesity guideline (2023)
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP), Treatment for Obesity (2023)
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP), What is IHBLT? (2023)
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP Section on Obesity), The 5-2-1-0 Approach (2024)
- MaineHealth, Let's Go!
- Mahabee-Gittens et al., American Journal of Health Promotion (2021)
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP), Obesity Prevention: AAP Policy Explained (2026)
- CDC, 6 Things Families Can Do (2026)
- CDC, Tips to Support Healthy Routines (2026)
- NIH NIDDK, Helping Your Child Who Is Overweight (2023)
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP), BMI in Children (2024)
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP), Identifying and Treating Eating Disorders (2020)
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP), Fads and Diets (2011)
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP), Anorexia and Bulimia (2025)
- App listings read on November 7, 2026: ProudMe: Healthy Habits (App Store), Google Family Link (App Store, Google Play), GoNoodle (App Store, Google Play), Cosmic Kids Yoga (App Store, Google Play), Moshi Kids: Sleep, Relax, Play (App Store, Google Play), Raising Well (App Store)
- Sito facts: Sito 2.0.7 app code