Rice was a popular first food for babies over generations. Rice cereal is the first food offered to little ones when they are transitioning from breastmilk/baby formula to semi-solid food. You might have heard or been advised to feed rice to your baby, and it might have brought you to this article. Although rice was believed to be good food for the kids, it is no longer the same. Many new research findings question the suitability of rice as baby food.
Keep reading this article, and you will learn all you need to know about offering cooked rice to your baby; when, how, and what to be concerned about.
CONTENT
1.  When can I give cooked rice to my baby?
2.  Can babies choke on cooked rice?
3.  Is cooked white rice good for my baby?
4.  Should I be concerned about arsenic in rice?
5.  Can I offer rice milk to my baby?
1. When can I give cooked rice to my baby?
Starting solid food is a major developmental milestone for your baby. Before commencing the transition to solid or semi-solid food, you have to ensure that your baby is ready for food other than milk. Below are few signs that your baby is ready for solid food. Usually, the babies show these signs when they are around six months. Breastmilk or baby formula should be their only food until then.
- Can keep their head straight and sit upright on their own
- Do not push away food from the mouth with his tongue (this is a reflex that your baby should grow out before starting solid food)
- Grabs food and tries to put them in the mouth
After six months of age, the babies need other sources of nutrition to meet their increased nutritional needs such as the iron requirement. If your baby is ready for other solid foods, he is ready for cooked rice too. But, rice does not have to be your baby’s only first food. The common belief is that babies should start solid food from pureed or mashed versions.
As long as the food you offer is soft enough, it is suitable for your baby. There are only a few foods that you should avoid offering your baby such as honey. All the other food that goes to your table is good for your baby too.
2. Can babies choke on cooked rice?
The fear of the baby getting choked is one reason that keeps parents from starting solid foods. We are protective of our babies, and the last thing we want to do is watching them suffer as a result of a decision we made.
Cooked rice is not dangerous if your baby is above six months and has reached the developmental milestones which confirm his readiness for solid food.
A choking hazard can be avoided simply by applying common sense. It is a choking hazard if it is too big and hard to pass through your baby’s esophagus. Whatever the food you offer, you should never leave a baby unsupervised with food.
3. Is cooked white rice good for my baby?
White rice is a staple in most Asian countries. They eat considerably large amounts of rice daily. Is it a healthy food for babies and adults?
White rice can fill up the stomach quickly. It has starch, carbohydrates, and a low amount of other nutrients. The risk of eating cooked white rice comes to top with the arsenic present in rice.
The babies eat a small amount of solid food in addition to breastmilk or baby formula until they turn twelve months. Therefore, it is necessary to give the maximum possible nutrients from the little food he eats. Rice is not the food to serve this purpose as it increases blood sugar rapidly without offering any other nutrient.
4. Should I be concerned about arsenic in rice?
American Academy of Pediatrics states that rice contains a high amount of arsenic compared to other cereals. Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment, in water, air, and soil. But arsenic can cause skin, lung, kidney, liver, and bladder cancer in humans.
Rice absorbs arsenic from water and soil. Absorbed arsenic deposits in the rice grains. Brown rice has the highest amount of arsenic as it traps arsenic in its fibrous hull.
With these recent findings from research, some organizations have recommended avoid feeding cooked rice to babies. It is advisable to prevent eating rice during pregnancy to minimize developmental problems at birth. If you choose to offer rice to your baby, do not make it a staple or feed it many times a week.
5. Can I offer rice milk to my baby?
There is a large amount of arsenic present in rice milk. You will consume more amount of arsenic with rice milk than eating cooked rice. It is not recommended to offer rice milk to babies who are aged under five. There are many alternative types of milk that you can give to your baby.
Kids drink more milk than adults. With their low body weight, arsenic concentration in their body systems will spike up by consuming rice milk.