Full Answer
When can I start giving my baby rice cereal?
When Is Rice Cereal Recommended? Most pediatricians recommend starting rice baby cereal at about 4-6 months old for baby’s first food. Some doctors will recommend it even earlier as a way to help newborns sleep. Mom’s are urged to add a little rice baby-cereal and formula to baby’s bottle as a way to keep him full and sleep through the night.
When should you start feeding your baby cereal?
- If your baby won't eat what you offer the first time, try again in a few days.
- Some doctors recommend that you introduce new foods one at a time. ...
- Unsafe levels of toxic heavy metals – arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury – have been found in store-bought baby food (including in organic brands). ...
- Get more detailed tips on how to introduce solids.
What rice can I give my Baby?
What can a 3 month old baby eat?
- Breast milk or formula, PLUS.
- Pureed vegetables (peas, squash)
- Pureed fruit (apples, bananas, peaches)
- Pureed meat (chicken, pork, beef)
- Semi-liquid, iron-fortified cereal (avoid rice cereal; instead choose a cereal made with oats or barley)
- Small amounts of unsweetened yogurt (no cow’s milk until age 1)
What kind of cereal should I start my baby on?
- Dairy products; wait for whole cow's milk until after a year 7
- Fresh fruit
- Meats; well-cooked and finely chopped so baby doesn't choke 8
- Ripe banana or avocado
- Steamed yam or sweet potato
- Whole-grain breads and cereals as opposed to baby cereal
- Vegetables
What’S Really in Baby Cereal?
Let’s first take a look at what baby cereal really is… because it’s not just plain rice. Since it’s usually made from white rice, there really isn’...
When Is Rice Cereal recommended?
Most pediatricians recommend starting rice baby cereal at about 4-6 months old for baby’s first food. Some doctors will recommend it even earlier a...
Supplementing With Baby Bottles
If your baby is colicky and fussy at night, this could be related to digestion or latent food allergies (source). Lulling them to sleep with rice b...
Why Rice Baby Cereal Is Not Good
Arsenic is naturally found in soil and water, however it can become concentrated due to conventional farming practices. When pesticides and herbici...
Best First Foods For Baby
So now that we’ve covered why rice baby cereal isn’t the best first food for baby, what is? Nutrient dense foods– animal foods, in particular– are...
What cereals are good for babies?
Baby cereal made from oats, barley or quinoa (4 to 5 mg iron per ¼ cup) Alternate brown rice cereal with these nutritious options. All of these cereals are low in arsenic, iron-fortified and easy to prepare. Stir them with some breastmilk or formula, and add pureed vegetables and fruit to help your baby better digest the non-heme iron.
What is the best food for a baby?
Here are some great foods to choose from. 1. Red meat (0.5 to 0.8 mg iron per ounce) Babies don’t have molars yet, so meat needs to be soft and easy to chew. Ground beef is an easy solution, since it’s already in small pieces. You can also puree beef or lamb with some formula or breastmilk, and serve it with a spoon.
How much iron should a baby have?
Babies need 11 milligrams of iron per day for normal growth and development, and iron is vital for brain health and red blood cell production. Though rice cereal is fortified with iron, it’s a kind of iron that doesn’t absorb well. Heme iron, found in meat, fish and poultry, is easy to absorb, while non-heme iron, ...
How to help a baby digest iron?
Stir them with some breastmilk or formula, and add pureed vegetables and fruit to help your baby better digest the non-heme iron. 5. Beans (1 to 2 mg iron per ¼ cup) Chickpeas and beans are rich in non-heme iron and are a good source of protein. If you buy canned beans, choose “no salt added” varieties.
How often should I serve rice cereal?
It’s fine to serve rice cereal a few times a week, but excessive arsenic intake can have detrimental effects on a baby’s immune system. Rice—whether as infant cereal, rice cakes or rusks—should not be served at three daily meals. Even organic brown rice.
What to feed a baby when they start solids?
Meat, poultry, beans, tofu and enriched pasta are common foods to start with instead. When babies start solids, it’s imperative that iron-rich foods are introduced. That’s because babies are born with a reserve of iron that begins to deplete by six month of age if they are breastfed.
Why is brown rice more arsenic than white rice?
Brown rice actually contains more arsenic than white rice, because the chemical stays trapped in the outer fibrous hull of the grain. Fortunately, there are plenty of other iron-rich options to feed your baby.
What is the best food for a newborn?
Pureed pastured/organic meats. Mashed ripe fruit like avocado and banana. Fruits high in pectin like apples, pears, peaches and plums should be cooked, cooled and then fed to baby. The Surprising Best First Foods for Baby by Mama Natural. Here’s more info on best choices for baby’s first foods.
What happens when you use pesticides on rice fields?
When pesticides and herbicides are used on fields, the runoff contaminates the so il and local water with arsenic. This irrigation water is then flooded over the rice fields for long periods of time. Arsenic accumulates in the soil and water, and rice absorbs more arsenic compared to other crops.
Is rice baby cereal low in nutrition?
2. Low in Nutrition. Rice baby cereal is naturally devoid of nutrition, so manufacturers add synthetic vitamins back in to fortify it.
Is baby rice cereal whole?
1. Highly Refined. Baby rice cereal isn’t whole rice for obvious reasons, but it’s not even just ground. Rice cereal is usually highly processed until it’s converted into light flakes, which are “instantly” ready for consumption.
Is iron in breastmilk good for babies?
If you indulge in high iron foods, like pastured beef and liver, then this nutrition is then passed through the breastmilk to baby in the right amount. ( Source ). Iron is a necessary nutrient, high levels of synthetic ferrous sulfate, which is hard to digest, is not.
Does rice cereal cause thyroid problems?
It can cause thyroid damage and health issues for the estimated 50% of the population with MTHFR mutations ( Source, Source ). 4. Fortified With Iron. Rice cereal is fortified with iron, and pediatricians and dietitians argue that a baby’s diet is too low in iron.
Is rice baby cereal good for babies?
Why rice baby cereal is not good. Best first foods for baby. Let’s delve into the science behind baby’s digestion, when to introduce solids, and the best first foods for baby. You’ll see that rice baby cereal is not the best choice for baby!
Why is rice cereal recommended for babies?
The first and biggest reason rice cereal is recommended at 4 months and up is because rice cereal is actually an iron supplement. Baby’s are born with sufficient iron stores, but as they near 6 months to 1 year old their stores of iron may become low or depleted thus needing an additional outside iron source.
When should I feed my baby rice cereal?
The third reason rice cereal is recommended at 4 months and up is to help baby sleep through the night. Without going into much detail about helping baby sleep, I will tell you that research does not back up the claim that rice cereal helps babies sleep through the night.
Why should I feed my 4 month old rice cereal?
The second reason rice cereal is recommended at 4 months and up is to help baby gain weight or to “fatten them up”. I have always had little babies that liked to hang out in the lower percentiles and kept me wondering if they will follow a growth curve.
When should I start my baby on cereal?
At around 4 months old, well meaning friends and pediatricians will recommend starting baby on solids – particularly rice cereal. Here are 4 common reasons rice cereal is recommended (but are actually not good reasons to use rice cereal).
Growing Pressure
In October, CR called on five baby food companies to suspend making and selling rice cereal because of its high arsenic levels. That request was made after a series of recalls and a pair of congressional reports that found alarmingly high levels of arsenic and other heavy metals in certain baby foods produced by these companies.
Still Too Much Arsenic
CR tested three samples from different lots of the rice cereals offered by each company.
Protect Babies From Arsenic Exposure
Sign CR’s petition to Gerber and Earth’s Best to suspend the sale of infant rice cereals until more protective standards and testing are in place for inorganic arsenic.
Tips for Limiting Arsenic Exposure in Babies
While it’s important to avoid heavy metal exposure, parents need to feed their children, and there’s no reason for panic. Parents can take steps to limit the amount children get in their diets. (See more advice on reducing exposure .)
Overview
Rice and oat cereals are often the first foods introduced into a baby’s diet because they’re less likely to cause allergies than other grains, particularly wheat. (1)
Infant Cereals Pros & Cons
These are the advantages and disadvantages of giving iron-fortified infant cereals to your baby, no matter which infant cereal you pick between rice and oatmeal options.
Best Baby Rice Cereals
The type of cereal you choose to give your baby depends on your preferences. But if you want to give one with rice grains, you can choose from these products:
Best Baby Oatmeal Cereals
Oatmeal cereals may be a healthier choice, especially if you want baby food that doesn’t have high levels of arsenic.
Baby cereal ingredients
This is the first place I look, not only when it comes to cereal, but also when it comes to food we consume ourselves.
Baby cereal nutritional values
Here I look at carbohydrates of which sugars and salt levels. I couldn’t find a brand that has both in small enough quantities to give to baby and be happy about it.
One cereal to rule them all
I know it might not be the most efficient way, buying all these grains and seeds and keeping them in your cupboard for long periods of time.
How much rice cereal should I give my baby?
Experts recommend limiting your baby’s rice cereal serving to no more than ¼ cup per day.
What cereals should I add to my baby's formula?
Adding single-grain cereals , like oatmeal and rice, to a little breast milk or formula is an easy way for baby to get accustomed to the exciting new taste and texture.
What to feed a baby with acid reflux?
Giving your baby thicker food reduces the chance of it coming back up. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends oatmeal cereal for babies with acid reflux.
What to feed a baby at stage 1?
Whether your baby starts with oatmeal or rice cereal, it’s best to offer your baby a variety of stage 1 foods with different flavors, textures and nutrients. Plus, your child will have many years ahead to enjoy tasty treats made with rice cereal— like these easy marshmallow cereal bar recipes.
How to help reflux in baby?
If your doctor recommends thickening your baby’s milk with oatmeal to help with reflux, mix in a small amount to formula or just-expressed breast milk. Keep your little one upright during feedings and take breaks as needed.
Is oatmeal safe for babies?
Because of the possible arsenic exposure with rice cereal, experts believe oatmeal is the safer choice. It’s also wheat-free, so won’t irritate your baby’s stomach if she is sensitive or allergic to gluten. If your doctor recommends thickening your baby’s milk with oatmeal to help with reflux, mix in a small amount to formula or just-expressed ...
Is oatmeal cereal good for breastfed babies?
This is especially important for breastfed babies because they haven’t been exposed to iron-fortified formula. Oatmeal cereal is also bland like rice but has a slightly nutty taste. One benefit of oatmeal is its nutritional component.
