Baby cereal mixed with breast milk or formula has always been a classic first food. But you might be wondering how cereal fits in if you’re trying baby-led weaning, or if you’re getting ready to offer non-baby cereals like whole grain O’s.
In fact, traditional infant cereals can be an important source of nutrition for new eaters, whether they’re being spoon-fed or starting off with self-feeding. And baby-friendly types of regular cereal make for a fun, easy snack once your little one has the skills to pick them up.
When can babies have cereal?
Fortified infant cereals are designed to be a first food, so you can spoon-feed them to your cutie as soon as she starts on solids, usually around 6 months. If you plan to feed baby-led weaning style (an approach that introduces solids in the form of soft, gummable finger foods instead of purées), you can offer infant cereal on a preloaded spoon or roll slippery foods (like strips of avocado) in infant cereal to make them easier to hold.
Single-grain cereals like rice, oatmeal or barley are best at the beginning, so you can introduce your baby to one ingredient at a time. (But avoid serving just rice all the time, since it can expose your baby to too-high levels of arsenic.) If you’d like, you can move onto fortified multigrain cereals after your little one has tried and tolerated all the individual grains within a blend.
Non-baby cereals like O’s are a good choice starting around 9 months, when your baby has the fine motor skills to try picking them up. Stick with cereals where whole grains are the main ingredient; they should contain at least 2 grams of fiber per serving (more is even better) and be free of added sugars.
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Pay attention to the cereal’s size and texture, too. Starting off, cereal pieces should be small, with a consistency that dissolves fairly easily. Whole grain O’s or puffs are some of the best choices.
How to prepare cereal for your baby
Mixing up infant cereal is as easy as combining a tablespoon or two of the cereal with enough formula or breast milk to achieve a thin, soup-like texture and spoon-feeding it to your little one. As your cutie gets comfortable with the texture, you can gradually cut back on the amount of liquid to make the cereal thicker.
If you’d prefer to make your own baby cereal, you can do so by grinding short grain brown rice in a blender or coffee grinder until it’s finely ground. (Prepare the ground brown rice cereal just like store-bought cereal.) Since homemade baby cereal isn’t fortified, you’ll need to make sure your cutie is getting her fill of other iron-rich foods.
Once your mini muncher is ready to try non-baby cereals like O’s, start by offering them plain for her to pick up individually. But hold off on an actual bowl of cereal and milk until your little one is well into toddlerhood and her spoon skills are fairly solid (plus, children should not drink cow's milk until age 1).
The tips below can help parents determine how to serve cereal at different stages, but keep in mind that all babies develop at their own pace. Speak with your pediatrician before beginning baby-led weaning, and talk to him or her if you have any concerns about your child's oral-motor skills, chewing skills, swallowing skills, or if you're unsure whether or not your baby is ready for certain food preparations.
How to prepare cereal for a 6-month-old
Start by mixing a tablespoon or two of fortified infant cereal with enough breast milk or formula to reach a soup-like consistency. You can let your baby dive in with her hands or offer the cereal on a preloaded spoon for her to put in her mouth. (Though it might take her a bit to get the hang of it, especially if this is her first foray into solids.)
Keep the cereal plain at first. You can mix in other flavors as your baby has been introduced to them — think mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce. But avoid adding sweeteners like sugar or maple syrup. And never serve cereal in a bottle, since it can be a choking hazard.
A bowlful of cereal isn’t the only option. If you’re doing baby-led weaning, you can also roll slippery finger foods — think avocado, banana or sweet potato strips — in baby cereal to make them easier to grip. This tactic will also sneak in some extra nutrition, too.
How to prepare cereal for a 9-month-old and up
Once her pincer grasp begins emerging, you can start putting non-baby cereals like O’s on your baby’s plate or tray. You can soak cereal pieces in formula or breast milk for a softer texture (or cow's milk after her first birthday).
Your older baby will still benefit from the iron in fortified baby cereal, so it’s fine so keep on serving it, upping the portions as needed to satisfy her growing appetite. Letting her eat with her hands or offering the cereal on a preloaded spoon for her to put in her mouth both work.
Rather switch to a regular hot cereal like oatmeal? That’s fine, too. With fortified baby cereal off the menu, just make sure your little muncher is still getting plenty of iron from other foods.
Cereal recipes for babies and toddlers
There are plenty of wholesome ways to dress up cereal (once your baby has gotten the hang of eating the plain stuff) and incorporate it into meals for a nutrition boost. Just remember to always introduce one food at a time, especially top allergens like eggs, peanuts, soy, wheat, dairy and seafood.
Some ideas to try:
- Fruity cinnamon cereal. Stir mashed fresh fruit and a pinch of cinnamon into baby cereal.
- Baby cereal pancakes. Combine baby cereal with mashed banana and a beaten egg to make a pancake-like batter. Cook in an oiled skillet until golden.
- Baby cereal teething biscuits. Combine baby cereal with mashed banana and enough melted butter to form a stiff dough. Form into long, thin rectangles and bake until dry and crisp.
- O’s snack plate. Serve O-shaped cereal with a mound of shredded cheese and thinly sliced fruit, like strawberries or kiwifruit.
- Cereal and yogurt. Most young toddlers don’t have the spoon skills to manage a bowl of milk and cereal. Instead, serve plain yogurt thinned with a little bit of milk with cereal. The yogurt-milk combo will stay on your tot’s spoon more easily and hold onto pieces of the cereal.
What are the benefits of cereal for babies and toddlers?
Fortified cereals are a good source iron. They also serve up zinc, which plays a key role in supporting your little one’s immune system and is also involved in healthy growth.
Cereals made from whole grains like oats, barley or whole wheat also contain complex carbohydrates, giving your child lasting energy (read: she’ll be fuller for longer) and delivering fiber to keep constipation at bay. Whole grains also offer important vitamins and minerals like B vitamins and magnesium.
Can babies be allergic to cereal?
It depends what’s in it. Ingredients like barley and oats — which tend to be the main ingredients in fortified infant cereals — rarely trigger allergic reactions. But wheat, which often shows up in the regular cereals you might give your older baby or toddler, is a common allergen.
No matter what kind of cereal you’re serving, it’s always worth reading the ingredient list thoroughly and knowing the signs of a possible allergic reaction.
Your baby or toddler might have a food allergy if, soon after eating (within minutes to a few hours), she experiences:
- Hives
- Itching
- Skin, lip or tongue swelling
- Sneezing
- Wheezing
- Throat tightness or trouble swallowing
- Nausea, vomiting, stomach pain or diarrhea
- Trouble breathing
Keep in mind, too, that exposure to wheat can trigger symptoms in babies and toddlers with celiac disease. Celiac disease, when the body is unable to digest the proteins in wheat, is different from a wheat allergy, and is often marked by symptoms like poor growth, diarrhea, gas, constipation or bloating.
If you suspect that your baby or toddler has an allergy to an ingredient in her cereal or a wheat intolerance, take the cereal (and other foods containing the ingredient) off the menu and discuss her symptoms with the pediatrician. The doctor might recommend blood or skin testing to confirm the diagnosis.
Call your doctor right away if your child experiences symptoms of an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction may be more severe or possibly life-threatening (called anaphylaxis) if multiple areas of the body are affected. In the rare event that your child shows signs of a life-threatening allergic reaction like trouble breathing or swallowing, call 911 right away.
Is cereal a choking hazard for babies?
Cereal is not considered a common choking hazard for babies, but you should still make sure to prepare it safely for your little one by thinning infant cereal with breast milk or formula (for the earliest eaters), then gradually increasing the thickness as your child gets more comfortable with the texture.
Make sure, too, to always supervise your young child when she's eating, sit her upright during mealtimes and never offer food while she's reclining, walking, sitting in a car seat or playing.
Once your bigger baby graduates to regular cereal, serve baby-friendly varieties like whole wheat O's or puffs that are small and will dissolve easily in her mouth.
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