Coming soon to the App Store for iPad

A magic mirror for tricky mealtimes

Munch Mirror turns an iPad into a mirror that paints the child's own face, one brave step at a time. Made for families where eating is hard.

  • Each step adds a part. Nothing is ever taken away.
  • You decide what a step is today: a touch, a lick, a bite, a new food.
  • Nothing about your child leaves the iPad.

See how it works

A child's face in the mirror with lion face paint appearing part by part

Munch MirrorConnected

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Bites

Try it: tap Bite!

How a meal goes

Munch Mirror is a mealtime activity, not a screen to stare at. The child watches themselves, and the grown-up quietly marks each step.

  1. Choose the activity and today's goal

    Face paint, or a jungle or garden scene that grows around them. Then pick what today is about: brave steps, bites, different foods tried, or how much of the plate is finished. Goals run from one step up to eight.

  2. Prop the iPad on the table

    The child sees their own face in the mirror, with a faint hint of the finished design so they know what they are working towards. There are no timers and no countdowns.

  3. Every step adds a part

    Mark each step with a tap on the iPad or from your phone. A part of the design appears with a shimmer. When the goal is reached, the whole thing comes to life. Finishing early is always fine, and what they made stays made.

Two kinds of magic

Some children love seeing paint on their own face. Others would rather be surrounded by animals. The child can choose each meal, and you can compare which works better.

Face paint

Painted onto their face in the mirror and tracked as they move, outline first, then colour, then the details.

Butterfly
Tiger
Robot

Scenes

A world that grows around the child, far to near, until they are sitting right inside it with the animals.

JungleSloth, monkey, parrot, frog
GardenBunny, hedgehog, snail, bee
Child choosesThey pick each meal

Steps that meet the child where they are

A bite is a big ask for some children. Munch Mirror lets you count whatever today's brave thing is, and every step earns something no matter what you are counting.

  • Brave stepsTouching, smelling, licking, tasting or biting all count the same.
  • BitesThe classic. Brave steps still earn a little sticker on the side.
  • Foods triedName the foods on the plate and each new one tried adds a part.
  • The plateSplit the plate into pieces and count the pieces finished, even if the goal is half.
The phone remote: five butterflies showing 2 of 5 bites, a big Bite! button, a Brave step button, and Undo and Finish meal links

Your phone is the remote

Scan the code on the iPad's setup screen and your phone becomes a quiet remote for the meal. Big buttons, live progress, and an undo for mistakes.

  • Nothing to install. It is a web page served by the iPad itself.
  • Works over your home Wi-Fi with no internet connection.
  • Marking steps from across the table keeps the pressure off the child.

Nothing about your child leaves the iPad

A camera pointed at a child at the dinner table should be held to a high standard. Munch Mirror was built to that standard from the start.

  • The camera is a live mirror. Frames are used on the spot and thrown away. Nothing is ever recorded unless a grown-up chooses to, and you will always see when it is.
  • No accounts, no profile. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing that identifies your child.
  • Nothing sent anywhere today. The only network traffic is the local Wi-Fi remote, protected by a code in the QR. If the app ever counts how its features are used, that will be optional, anonymous, and about the app rather than your child.
  • No ads, and no data sold or shared. That one does not change.
  • Photos only when you choose. When your child reaches their goal, you or they can save a picture of what they made. Permission is asked at that moment, and only to add to your Photos.

Read the full privacy policy

Low pressure, by design

Munch Mirror follows the ideas that feeding therapists use with picky eaters and children with ARFID: tiny steps, celebrated as they happen, with no bribes and no losing what was earned. There are no failure states anywhere in the app. Nothing says "only two more", nothing counts down, and ending a meal early just means the butterfly is a little less finished today.

It is an activity to use alongside the support your family already has, not a treatment. If you are working with a feeding therapist, dietitian or doctor, Munch Mirror is designed to fit around their advice.

Questions

Which iPads does it work on?
Any iPad running iPadOS 17 or later with Face ID or an A12 chip or newer, which covers most iPads sold since 2019. Face paint uses the TrueDepth or front camera's face tracking. The app checks at launch and tells you if your iPad can't do it.
Does it record my child?
No. The camera is a live mirror only. Nothing is recorded unless a grown-up switches recording on, and today the app has no recording feature at all. When your child reaches their goal, you or they can choose to save a picture of what they made.
Does it need the internet?
No. The phone remote uses your local Wi-Fi only, and every part of the app works with no connection at all.
Can my child use it alone?
It is designed for a grown-up to run while the child watches the mirror. The settings sit behind a two-finger hold so the child can't wander into them.
When can I get it?
Munch Mirror is being prepared for the App Store. This page will link to it as soon as it is available. Until then, say hello if you'd like to know when.