The 7 Best Baby Cereals to Buy

Thinking of starting your infant off on solid foods? It’s a big decision with many considerations. Most pediatricians recommend waiting until four to six months before introducing solid food.

When your baby can support her head, her tongue thrust has given way to swallowing, and she’s drinking 32 ounces of milk daily, she may be ready. At this point, your baby is a Stage 1 eater, the first step on the road to eating like a big kid.

A parent’s guide to baby cereals

So we’ve learned that, at six months, when your baby can swallow successfully and sit on her own, it’s time to learn to eat like a big girl. Many parents choose infant cereals to begin the big adventure.

Which grains are healthiest for babies?

Iron and zinc are the two nutrients that your baby will need in addition to breast milk or formula. He can get these in iron-fortified, single-grain cereals.

Whether you choose rice, barley, quinoa, amaranth, or oats, they are single grains. None contain gluten. Don’t mix them yet. Wait for that, ‘this might be an allergy’ signal that a single ingredient provides.

Do baby cereals contain gluten?

Rice and oats do not contain gluten; while wheat, rye, and barley do. Persons with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity need to stay away from these grains for the rest of their lives. It’s important to understand clearly about intestinal disorders.

Celiac disease occurs in about 1% of the U.S. population. About 0.4% have a medically diagnosed allergy to wheat. So, this may necessarily only apply to a very few. While living gluten-free may appeal to persons wanting a more natural diet, it’s important to know the facts about gluten.

What is a probiotic baby cereal?

Probiotics, a mixture of ‘good’ bacteria which are considered protective when introduced into the gut via food, is a controversial subject.

Premature infants are given probiotics to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis. Probiotics do help temporarily with diarrhea resulting from antibiotic use. Doctors often recommend probiotics for breastfed babies with colic.

For now, the research is too scarce, and some babies might react poorly to probiotics. These are not vitamins, but live bacteria. If your pediatrician recommends probiotics for your child, ask for the name of the product your doctor recommends.

What about stories that rice cereal contains arsenic?

This is an issue that may or may not be a problem. Arsenic is everywhere in nature. Rice is very good at accessing arsenic and making it part of its structure. Some advocacy groups are sounding the alarm about infant rice cereal.

Baby food manufacturers are testing and trying to solve the problem. Very few infants show any signs of damage, probably because they eat rice cereal for such a relatively short time. Here is an instance of parents’ judgment superseding all.

Feeding baby like a boss

According to the guidelines published by the famed Cleveland Clinic, there are some pro methods that will make learning to eat easier for both you and your baby.

You are embarking on eating habits for your child that will last well into the future. Here are some tips from experts and also from my hard-won experience with Jack and Alice.

Which food, how much, and when (tips from a mom of two)?

• Don’t rush your baby onto solids. With adequate breastmilk or formula milk intake, there’s generally no need to introduce solid foods before 4 to 6 months. In fact, doing so can have adverse health effects. (Source) Always speak to your doctor when considering introducing solid foods early.
• Start small, offering your baby a spoonful or even less. You want to tempt her with a taste, not shovel an entire bowlful into her! You can offer a bit more at each feeding, progressing to one to two spoonfuls within three or four days. Eventually, you might plan a goal of one small jar (about four ounces or half a cup) of strained baby food at each of three meals a day.
• Smart parents are always alert to possible food allergies. You may wish to introduce only one new food every three to five days. If your child gets diarrhea, vomits, or develops a rash, stop the new food and call your pediatrician.
• Most parents begin solid feeding with infants’ cereal and vegetable and fruit purees. Solid food can also include meat, such as turkey, chicken or beef. These are iron and zinc rich foods. It’s important to note that during the first year, any solids are complementary to breast or formula milk. They do not replace them as a primary source of nutrition.
• Doctors recommend giving your baby no more than four ounces of 100% pasteurized fruit juice no earlier than seven months old.
• Here’s a pro tip I learned the hard way: Let mealtimes last no more than 15 to 20 minutes. This will reduce distractions, keep the focus on the meal, and minimize the time they spend throwing food at you or the dog!
• How often does mealtime come around? Usually, most little ones should eat from three to six times each day, three meals and two snacks.
• Here are some foods that pediatricians recommend parents to avoid: sugary, spicy, or salty foods, honey in any form at all in the first year. Beware of choking hazards like popcorn, chips, raw fruits and vegetables, raisins, whole grapes, hot dog pieces, sticky peanut butter, or marshmallows.
• Cow’s milk is not suitable for children less than a year old.

Our top picks for best baby cereals

Making your own baby cereal

If planning to make your baby’s food in your own kitchen, as every loving parent means to do at some point, there are some hazards that can easily be avoided with some basic baby-centered information.

• In the vegetable family, use only pureed peas, sweet potatoes, and corn.
• Do not use homemade spinach, green beans, squash, beets, or carrots. These vegetables contain nitrates that may cause anemia (low blood count). These vegetables can be used if they are commercially prepared because they have been tested for nitrates.
• Prepared foods last longer than those you make from fresh food, so keep an eye on the leftovers.
• Do not add flavorings, sugar, or salt.

The hardware and software

There’s more to successful feeding than the choice of foods. How you feed your child, and with what implements, make a lot more difference than you’d imagine.

Again, let’s look at the general rules that can set you up for success at lunchtime before that desperately needed nap (by the baby!)

• Pediatricians recommend against feeding solid foods or juice drinks in bottles. The point isn’t to get the child to eat more, but to eat well. Some infants get dependent on the bottle alone providing all that great flavor of rice cereal and applesauce. They see no reason to slow down and eat with that spoon mom keeps shoving in his mouth.
• At around nine months to one year, your child will begin to bring her hand, and any other reachable object, to her mouth. At this time, you can slowly decrease the baby jar and mashed foods and introduce finger foods. Babies don’t normally use spoons or forks until after they reach the magic age of one year, so finger foods are a perfect transition. Of course, to prevent choking, cut the finger foods into very small pieces.
• Don’t warm your baby’s formula or food in the microwave. Things get very hot very fast in those machines, and it’s easy to burn their tender mouths. Instead, put the bottle or jar into a pan of warm water, or place them under a stream of warm tap water.
• When your infant is eating, he should be sitting up straight. This posture helps prevent choking and allows for proper swallowing. Ask your doctor about adaptive seating if your child has special needs.

And the winner is…

Earth’s Best Organic Infant Cereal (cheap price on Amazon). The ingredients, and care with which they are grown, harvested, and prepared, are exemplary examples of responsible baby food preparation.

This cereal is certified organic and uses no modified artificial starches, colors, or flavors in its preparation. The squeezable, resealable pouches make serving a snap both at home, in the car, and at grandpa’s house.

This is a product that kids can enjoy for years. Parents commenting on this cereal are uniformly happy with the product.