Feeding babies correctly right from the first steps of their life is necessary, providing a good foundation of a healthy and nutritious lifestyle for babies to grow up. Rice cereals are considered a good source is providing nutrients for babies.
Among a significant number of available options and choices in the market, moms often get confused about which best rice cereals for babies are. This guide will offer helpful information on rice cereals for baby first food and help moms with their best decision.
There are various important factors for you to consider for the babies’ health carefully. Therefore, you should start searching and looking at the information on cereals considerately before you try to decide the best rice cereal for your baby.
Reviews on Top Rated Rice Cereals for Babies
Nowadays, rice cereals are putting their efforts into innovating new ingredients and flavors for babies to eat readily. Below is among the top 5 most recommended babies’ rice cereals with their pros and cons so that you can easily make your best decision accordingly.
1. Earth’s Best Organic Cereal
The Earth’s Best Organic Cereal is considered the best organic rice cereal for babies, including four different flavors: rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, oatmeal cereal with bananas, and multi-grain cereal. It is an ideal cereal for toddlers and infants who have had some initial acquaintance with solid feeding.
This cereal is available with or without fruit, contributing to the primary source of the iron daily required for the baby. With vitamins, dietary fiber, and minerals made of pure organic has grown whole grains; pediatricians recommend the Earth’s Best Organic Cereal as an excellent organic food of good taste for babies.
The Earth’s Best Organic Cereal is an entirely natural and organic food containing no salt, preservatives, or refined sugar and no artificial colors and flavors. This cereal can be served with water, formula, or breast milk for babies. It is also very easy for the babies’ digestions and provides an excellent development basis.
Earth’s Best Organic taste is better than other single grain organic cereal. It isn’t salty or sweet and can blend well with milk. Since Earth’s Best is locally grown and sourced from organic farmers, it is certified-free from pesticides.
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Pros
- 100% Organic with the mixture of brown rice, rice bran, oats, millet, etc
- No salt, refined sugar added and no preservatives
- Right proportion of necessary nutrients
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Cons
- Not ideal as first food for babies susceptible to food sensitivities
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2. Gerber DHA and Probiotic Single-Grain Rice Baby Cereal
Containing DHA, which is known to support eye development and brain of the kids and having iron essential for the complete story of babies’ brain, Gerber DHA, and Probiotic Single-Grain Rice Baby Cereal helps to maintain a healthy digestive system for the babies and support the development process. This cereal also contains vitamin C, 6, calcium, and B vitamins, which enormously enhance the overall growth and development of the baby.
This cereal’s flavor is excellent, with a smooth and consistent texture. Therefore, the baby can enjoy the easy digestion process from a filling meal. Besides, this product can mix with some vegetable puree or fruits or be served with water, formula or breast milk, or even microwaved.
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Pros
- With DHA & Iron content
- Easy to digest
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Cons
- Quite short expired date
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3. Happy Organic Probiotic Baby Cereal with DHA & Choline
This cereal is a significant flavor of the Happy Baby Cereal brand, considered the top-rated baby cereal with a desirable balance of nutrition and taste. The Happy Baby Organic Probiotic Baby Cereal with DHA & Choline, Brown Rice is an organic baby cereal and a perfect choice for babies to start with. Its taste is tailored for babies and infants.
It is an iron-fortified rice cereal with the right proportion of calcium and other nutrients vital for the baby’s development. Containing choline and DHA, this cereal is also helpful and supportive for eye and brain development.
With probiotics, it can help maintain the healthy digestive system of the baby and fulfill a considerable required fraction of daily calcium to the baby. Furthermore, the good microorganisms, including Bifidus and Lactobacillus of this Happy Baby cereal, can improve gut health.
This cereal can be prepared with breast milk, water, or baby formula. Other purees can be added to The Happy Baby Organic Probiotic Baby Cereal with DHA & Choline, Brown Rice for better taste.
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Pros
- An Iron Fortified cereal
- DHA & Choline good for brain health
- Easy to digest
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Cons
- Some babies may have reactions with allergies
- A bit pricey
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4. Gerber Baby Cereal, Rice
Gerber Baby Cereal Rice is a perfect rice cereal and a great alternative if the baby can’t be fed well with other cereal types. Containing Vitablocks Nutrient Blend, this cereal is specially formulated with the nutrient blend to provide a good source of zinc, iron, and vitamins, which are very helpful for the overall development and growth of the baby.
This cereal also contains vitamins E and C. Without artificial flavors, or colors added, this cereal is an excellent choice of a completely natural cereal. It can be prepared with water, formula, or breast milk.
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Pros
- Nutritious
- Affordable price
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Cons
- Short expiry date
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5. Happy Bellies Organic Brown Rice Cereal
Enriched with Choline and DHA suitable for eye and brain development, Happy Bellies Brown Rice Baby Cereal is considered the perfect choice of first solid food to feed the baby. This cereal is also very good for the baby’s immune system support with pre and probiotics.
It offers a vast source of nutrients to babies, such as brown rice and vitamins and minerals, including B1, B2, B6, B12, B3, and other different cofactors. With DHA & Choline content, it can strongly support the baby’s brain and eye health. Primarily, probiotics in Happy Bellies Brown Rice Baby Cereal can keep the balance of the digestive system. Calcium in this cereal is also helpful for the solid teeth and bones of the baby.
It is easy to mix this cereal with others to provide a similar taste to the infants, such as water, baby formula, or breast milk.
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Pros
- Affordable
- 100% natural ingredients
- Rich in probiotics
- A variety of vitamins
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Cons
- Some babies might not like the taste
- Some babies might be allergic with sunflower extracts
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Basic Understanding of Rice Cereals
As a new mom, you might wonder about rice cereals as the first solid for your babies. Most pediatricians recommend using rice cereals to start a baby, but it is not recommended for less than 4-month-old babies, except there is a specific recommendation of pediatricians. As gluten-free, rice cereals are the first food for gassy babies and breastfed babies.
Fortified with iron, rice cereals are an ideal food source for babies after about six months of age. At this stage, babies need to look for other sources to obtain iron besides formula or breast milk.
Rice cereals are also an excellent option for moms to consider when their babies have milk allergies, which prevents them from eating and digesting protein and soy milk.
Rice cereal is a single grain, so it rarely causes an allergic reaction. Thanks to this being hypoallergenic, rice cereal is recommended for babies to start with. Some moms complimented that feeding rice cereal to babies can provide longer sleeps at night. There are also compliments on the taste of white rice cereals that offer great food to teach the baby how to swallow correctly.
Rice cereals are considered reasonable if they can ensure all the nutrients necessary for babies with correct proportions and without added preservatives and other harmful additives. Therefore, it is essential to look for non-GMO or organic options among various best rice cereals.
Brown Rice Cereals or Homemade Rice Cereals
Brown rice cereals, ideal for feeding babies a boxed rice cereal, are becoming more popular for moms. Made with organic brown rice, this homemade rice cereal will not regret you as it keeps nutrients intact for babies.
It is undoubtedly an excellent try to have homemade rice cereals, especially organic brown rice, to keep nutrients intact. There are several ways to prepare a rice cereal.
- Grind the rice properly before cooking: Grinding will make the cooking faster and result in a smooth and great texture for the baby.
- Soak the rice instead of grinding: It is another preference for most moms. Soaking rice or other grains can help increase the digestibility and limit the phytic acids.
Steps to Make Homemade Brown Rice Cereals
- Prepare half a cup of the organic brown rice, use cold water to rinse the rice.
- Soften the rice by soaking from one to eight hours to increase the digestion ability as well as minimize the phytic acid.
- Boil the rice in a pot with water.
- Since the water is boiled, you should reduce the heat for the water to be absorbed and keep it within around 45 minutes without stirring.
- To better serve, you can mash the rice further by using a fork then dilute with breastmilk, water or even formula.
This is how to make homemade brown rice cereal.
How To buy The Best Baby Cereal
Organic and Non-GMO
Organic and non-GMO food is most recommended for your baby and your family; don’t settle for anything less. Try to read the product information carefully before you decide to buy and feed your baby.
Artificial sweeteners and artificial colors
Pediatricians recommend not buying cereals molded in various kid-friendly shapes, tainted in eye-catching colors, and added sugar. It is said that cereals’ lack of nutrients is often made with sweetness, fancy marketing, and shades to compensate.
It is pretty harmful to consume foods with sweeteners and artificial colors to the baby’s health, gradually being poisoned in the long run.
Taste
Taste is also an essential factor when looking for the best baby cereal, which balances both nutrition and taste. While whole grains are full of minerals and fiber but their taste is often bland; rice can provide a better taste to the baby.
Ideally, do not buy cereals in considerable amounts, especially when your baby starts using grains. It is better to buy small packets first and allow your baby to have a taste.
Conclusion
With tons of different brands and types of rice baby cereals, it will be a pretty tricky job for you to make the final decision. To check if the new rice cereal fits your baby’s demand, you had better try the taste yourself first as the taste is significant for the baby to start with the first solid.
To make the taste more similar to the baby, you can also mix the cereal with breast milk. Most importantly, it is better to spend time reading the labels considerately to become an intelligent shopper purchasing the best value-for-money products for your baby. Hopefully, the above information is helpful enough for you to select the best for your baby.
