Is Baby Rice Cereal Good for Babies?
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As a parent, introducing your baby to solid foods is an exciting milestone. While rice cereal has long been a popular choice for a baby's first food, recent insights from health organizations and nutrition experts suggest that it might not be the best option.
As a pediatric dietitian specializing in feeding babies and children, my goal is to provide you with the most up-to-date information we have from the best available peer-reviewed research and infant feeding guidelines.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the reasons why rice cereal may not be an ideal choice for babies, and I’ll provide you with some alternative options that can better support your baby's overall growth and development.
What is infant rice cereal?
Rice cereal has historically been recommended as a first food for babies. In fact, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), fortified rice cereal is the most commonly introduced food in the diets of infants. It has a smooth texture and is fortified with iron, which is important for infants as their iron stores from birth begin to wane around 6 months old. This is right about the time when babies should start eating solid foods, partly so that they can begin getting key nutrients like iron from their diet.
Nearly one in five (18%) infants between the ages of 6–12 months fall short of the recommendations for dietary iron, making it the most common nutrient deficiency, according to data from the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study in 2016. As a result, it is somewhat understandable that fortified iron cereal has long been recommended as a first food when you consider how critical iron is for neurodevelopment.
Many pediatricians used to recommend starting babies between 4-6 months of age on fortified rice cereal because it is easily spoon-fed, readily accepted, easy to digest, unlikely to cause an allergic reaction, and fortified with iron, which theoretically would help with weight gain and growth. However, because of the presence of arsenic in rice, fortified rice cereal also comes with risks. At this point, even the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes that rice cereal may not be an ideal early food and is certainly not a necessary food for infants. Keep reading to find out why…
Why should I avoid giving my baby rice cereal?
When it comes to nutritional value, baby rice cereal falls short. It is mostly made up of refined carbohydrates, lacking the essential nutrients that your baby needs for growth and development, such as healthy fats, protein, and vitamins. It is also very filling and, therefore, likely to replace some of the more nutrient-dense foods in a baby’s diet.
Furthermore, introducing your baby to a variety of flavors and textures early on is crucial for developing their palate and promoting a diverse diet later in life. Rice cereal is fairly bland in flavor and uniform in texture, both qualities which will not help expand a child’s palate.
In fact, studies now show that introducing babies to more flavors between 4-7 months may actually increase the likelihood that they accept those foods later on. As much as possible, opt for flavorful foods like fruits, vegetables, and meats to help your baby develop a more adventurous palate.
The timing of introducing allergenic foods to your baby's diet is also an important consideration. The latest guidelines suggest that introducing allergenic foods, such as peanuts, eggs, and dairy, early in a baby's diet may actually reduce the risk of allergies. Choosing rice cereal as a first food might delay the introduction of these allergens, potentially missing the window of opportunity to help build your baby's tolerance.
MYTH: It is a myth that feeding your baby rice cereal will help them sleep longer stretches at night. There is no evidence to support this claim, and it is not recommended to give rice cereal mixed in with your baby’s formula or breast milk, unless clinically indicated by your healthcare clinician (for an issue like reflux).
Lastly, feeding your baby rice cereal with a spoon may not promote self-feeding skills or allow for self-regulation while eating. Remember that if spoon feeding, always try to feed responsively based on your baby's hunger and fullness cues, and when able, allow your baby to feed themselves using age-appropriate food sizing and portions. (You can also try using these spoons* designed for tiny hands to practice self-feeding.)
Is baby rice cereal dangerous?
One of the most concerning aspects of rice cereal is its potential to contain harmful levels of arsenic. Rice is known to absorb higher levels of arsenic from the environment compared to other grains—even rice grown organically—making rice-based products a source of concern.
According to Consumer Reports, infant rice cereal has been found to contain up to six times as much inorganic arsenic as other grain-based cereals. In 2017, Healthy Babies Bright Futures tested 42 containers of infant cereals and found that the arsenic levels in infant rice cereal were too high.
Arsenic exposure, even in small amounts, can compromise healthy growth and healthy brain development and pose long-term health risks for babies, including developmental issues, such as lower IQ and ADHD, and an increased risk of certain cancers. For these reasons and more, it’s crucial that we limit exposure to heavy metals and high levels of inorganic arsenic as much as possible, especially in baby food.
What are alternatives to rice cereal for babies?
If you want to offer your baby an iron-fortified infant cereal, serving a little baby rice cereal is fine on occasion, but there are better nutrient-dense choices without the higher risk of toxic metals. There are great iron-fortified single-grain baby cereals made with oat*, as well as mixed grain options made with whole grains like barley*, wheat, quinoa, and buckwheat*. Some of my favorites are the ancient grain cereals from Amara*.
And if you are looking for other foods that are rich in iron to serve as baby’s first foods, try offering meat or fish (such as salmon or turkey), beans (like kidney beans or chickpeas), tofu, or green leafy vegetables (such as spinach).
** TOP TIP: Your baby’s body will absorb more iron from meat and seafood than from plant-based iron foods, but you can help increase the absorption of iron from plant foods by pairing them with a food high in vitamin C, which helps boost non-heme iron absorption.
While baby rice cereal has been a staple for decades, it is time to move towards more nutrient-rich, allergen-introducing, and diverse foods with less risk of inorganic arsenic content to help lay a strong foundation for your baby's lifelong health and eating habits.
If your baby is starting to show signs that they are ready for solids, download my FREE Baby-Led Feeding Essentials Checklist to make sure you have everything you need to get started. You might also want to check out my online course for parents, based on my best-selling book, which will walk you through the whole process of starting solids using a baby-led approach.
Alternatively, if your baby is almost ready to start solids and you’re looking for someone you trust to map out the entire first 12 weeks of your baby’s solid food feeding journey, check out my Safe & Simple 12-Week Meal Plan! Over 30 recipes, weekly shopping lists, tons of balanced baby meals, a complete plan for top allergen introduction, plus lots of guidance (with photos) on how to safely serve each food. Thanks for reading!