Pathways Baby App Review 2026: A Free Milestone Tracker, and What to Add
Pathways.org shows you what babies typically do, and when. Mooshie covers the hours in between: what to play today, with your child off-screen.
- Free to download
- No account needed
- No screen time for your child
On a laptop?Scan to get Mooshie on your iPhone.
The quick answer
- Is it free? Yes, entirely. It’s made by a US non-profit and the UK App Store lists no in-app purchases.
- What it does: milestone tracking with real-baby videos, 300+ play activities, and feeding, nappy and tummy-time trackers.
- For UK families: milestones follow US CDC and AAP guidance. You may prefer to go by NHS guidance and your health visitor’s reviews.
- For everyday play: Mooshie picks a screen-free activity for your child’s age, your time and your day, from 6 months to 4 years. 3 a week are free.
Pathways.org vs Mooshie at a glance
| Pathways.org | Mooshie Moments | |
|---|---|---|
| Who uses the screen | The parent (tracking milestones, watching demo videos) | The parent only. Your child never uses the screen. |
| Ages | Content from pregnancy up to 6+ years, with the emphasis on birth to 3 | 6 months to 4 years |
| Main job | Tracking milestones, with activities to support each one | Choosing today’s play for your child’s age, your time and your mood |
| Free version | The entire app is free | 3 coached activities a week, no account needed |
| Price (UK) | Free | Free to start; Premium £9.99 a month or £29.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial |
| Videos | Real-baby videos of milestones and play | No video demos; written steps and words to say |
| Platforms | iPhone and Android | iPhone only for now (Android and iPad coming later) |
| What you need at home | Nothing | Nothing, or everyday household items |
| Best for | Free, expert-reviewed milestone tracking with video examples | Daily play ideas, plus help with tantrums, sleep and other hard moments |
Prices and features checked November 2026 from each app’s own website and the UK App Store. They can change, so check before you subscribe.
What is the Pathways.org baby app?
Pathways.org Baby Milestones is a free app from Pathways.org, a US non-profit. It shows what babies typically do and when, using short videos of real babies so you can see a milestone rather than just read about it.
Around the tracker there’s a lot packed in: more than 300 expert-recommended play activities and daily suggestions, a Tummy Timer, nappy and feeding trackers with reminders, and articles, tips and checklists reviewed by paediatric therapists. You can share progress with a partner, grandparents, carers or your child’s healthcare provider, and the app comes in 21 languages.
The milestones are based on CDC and AAP materials and reviewed by more than 70 paediatric specialists. The official site lists content from pregnancy up to 6+ years, with most of the focus on birth to 3.
Is the Pathways app really free?
Yes. At the time of writing (November 2026), the whole app is free, and the UK App Store lists no in-app purchases. With no in-app purchases listed, there’s no premium tier waiting further in.
Mooshie is free to start too, with 3 coached activities a week and no account. If you want unlimited activities and family sharing, Premium is £9.99 a month or £29.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial.
What Pathways does well
- Seeing is easier than reading. Real-baby videos make it much clearer what a milestone actually looks like.
- Expert-reviewed. Content is based on CDC and AAP materials and reviewed by 70+ paediatric specialists.
- Handy trackers in one place. Feeding, nappies and tummy time sit alongside milestones, which is useful in the early months.
- Easy to share. Grandparents, carers or your child’s healthcare provider can see progress too.
- Well recognised. It has won a Good Housekeeping Parenting Award and is rated 4.8 on the UK App Store.
Try Mooshie free this week.
3 coached activities every week, free. No account, no toys to buy, and your child never touches the screen.
A note for UK parents
Pathways is a US app, and its milestones follow US CDC and AAP guidance. That’s a well-respected basis, but it isn’t the same as the guidance used in the NHS. In the UK, your health visitor checks in on your child’s development at set points, and you may prefer to go by those reviews and NHS advice.
There are a few other things worth knowing before you download:
- It’s a tracker first. The activities are there to support milestones rather than to give you a full plan for each day.
- On Apple, it’s iPhone only. There’s no iPad version.
- Fewer UK reviews. It has 78 ratings on the UK App Store, so there’s less UK feedback to go on.
If you’re ever worried about your child’s development, talk to your health visitor or GP rather than relying on any app.
Tracking milestones vs playing every day
A milestone tracker answers “Is my baby on track?” That’s a useful question, but it isn’t the one most parents ask at 10am on a wet Tuesday. That one is “What do we do now?”
Mooshie is built for that second question. It picks an activity for your child’s age and stage, the time you’ve got and how today is going, whether that’s high energy, a hard moment or winding down. Each one has “How to play” steps, words to say, and a Brain Bit explaining what it does for your child. Afterwards, “What that built” shows the skills you practised. The Growth tab shows development over time and the journal saves a note and photo of what your child did.
If your child has additional needs, such as motor delay, hearing or vision impairment, Down syndrome or cerebral palsy, you can add them. Activities that won’t suit are filtered out and adaptation tips appear on the rest. And your child’s details stay on your phone, never uploaded.
To be straight with you: Mooshie doesn’t have milestone checklists or video demos, it starts at 6 months, and it’s newer, with fewer reviews. It’s also iPhone only for now. Many families will happily keep Pathways for tracking and use Mooshie for play. See our 6-month-old activities for a taste.
Parents and experts on Mooshie
“I used to spend 30 minutes looking for an activity on Pinterest, get overwhelmed, and just turn on the TV. Mooshie takes 5 seconds.”
“Finally, an app that tells me to put my phone away. The activities are actually doable with stuff I have in my junk drawer.”
“As a pediatric OT, I love that these activities build core developmental skills without feeling like ‘homework’ for parents.”
Why parents choose Mooshie over Pathways.org
A plan for today, not a checklist
Instead of ticking off what your baby can do, Mooshie gives you one thing to play right now, matched to their age and stage.
Help with the tricky bits
Lifesavers for sleep regression, separation anxiety, bedtime, tantrums, potty training and picky eating go beyond what a milestone tracker covers.
Fits the day you’re having
Tell Mooshie how much time you have and how things are going, and the activity changes to suit.
Other Pathways.org alternatives
- BBC Tiny Happy People (now CBeebies Parenting): A free UK website of age-banded talking activities and short films, from pregnancy to age 5.
- Kinedu: A paid, assessment-led programme with video activities and milestone tracking from pregnancy to age 6.
- The Wonder Weeks: A leap chart for the first 20 months that explains fussy phases, based on a long-running book.
- BabySparks: Video-demonstrated daily activities with milestone tracking and reports for 0 to 3 years.
Questions parents ask
Is the Pathways baby app free?
Yes. At the time of writing, it’s completely free on iPhone and Android, with no in-app purchases on the UK App Store. It’s made by Pathways.org, a US non-profit.
Is the Pathways app suitable for UK babies?
It can be a helpful guide, but its milestones follow US CDC and AAP guidance rather than NHS guidance. You can use it alongside your health visitor’s reviews and NHS advice.
What is the Pathways app best for?
Tracking milestones for free, with real-baby videos showing what each one looks like. It also has feeding, nappy and tummy-time trackers and 300+ play activities to support milestones.
Does the Pathways app work on iPad?
On Apple devices it’s listed as iPhone only. It’s also available on Android. Mooshie is iPhone only for now too, with Android and iPad coming later.
What’s a good app to use alongside Pathways?
If you’d like a daily play idea as well as milestone tracking, Mooshie Moments picks a screen-free activity for your child’s age, your time and your mood, from 6 months to 4 years. Browse our baby activities to see the style.
Make memories. Build skills. Play together.
Your first activity is ready as soon as you tell us their age.
