Rice

Rice may be introduced as soon as baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age. 

Rice was domesticated in Asia thousands of years ago, and today it is a beloved staple food for nearly half of the world’s population. While “brown rice” and “white rice” are common ingredients across cultures, rice is actually incredibly diverse in flavor and origin. Arborio rice, basmati rice, bomba rice, sticky rice—there are more than 100,000 varieties in this diverse family of grasses, and each has distinct tastes and culinary applications.

Yes. Rice is an excellent source of carbohydrates to provide quick energy, and enriched white rice offers great amounts of folate and a dash of iron. Generally speaking, brown rice and other whole-grain varieties of rice contain more protein, vitamins, and minerals than white rice. Note that rice and, particularly, processed rice products like infant rice cereal can contain varying amounts of arsenic, a heavy metal the grain soaks up from polluted environments that can cause negative neurodevelopmental effects when consumed in great excess. In general, you need not be concerned with baby consuming rice as one of a variety of foods in the diet.

Both white and brown rice can be a part of a balanced and healthy diet for babies. Generally, brown rice tends to have more arsenic than white rice, but also offers more vitamins and minerals, while white rice commonly has less arsenic but fewer nutrients. Keep in mind that rice can be prepared in a number of ways to help reduce the overall arsenic content.

No. Rice is not a common IgE-mediated food allergen. However, rice is a known trigger for FPIES—food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome, an increasingly recognized non-IgE mediated food allergy in children that can be severe and life-threatening. Unlike most food allergy reactions that occur within minutes of contact with a specific food trigger, FPIES allergic reactions occur within hours after consuming a particular food. For this reason, FPIES is sometimes known as a delayed food allergy. Symptoms include delayed vomiting (typically 1 to 4 hours after ingesting the food trigger) and/or experiencing diarrhea 5 to 10 hours after ingestion. Other symptoms include low blood pressure, low body temperature, extreme pallor, repetitive vomiting, and significant dehydration. Thankfully, most cases of FPIES will completely resolve during toddlerhood. Children who have been diagnosed with FPIES must be followed closely by an allergist or pediatric gastroenterologist. If baby has pre-existing FPIES to another food, talk to your allergist about how best to introduce other solid foods that may have a higher risk for inducing FPIES.

As you would when introducing any new food, start by offering a small quantity of rice for the first few servings. If there is no adverse reaction, gradually increase the serving size over future meals.

No. Cooked grains of rice present a low risk when safely prepared for a child’s age and developmental ability, though, in theory, an individual could choke on any food. That said, rice products like mochi and other steamed rice cakes are a common cause of choking in some regions, due to their chewy, dense, and sticky consistency. To reduce the risk, prepare and serve rice in an age-appropriate way as described in the How to Serve section. Note that loose grains of rice are more likely to scatter in the mouth, which can cause gagging or coughing. If baby is struggling to manage the food, consider mashing the grains with the back of a fork or adding ingredients like broth, coconut milk, or sauce to help the grains stick together. As always, make sure you create a safe eating environment and stay within an arm’s reach of baby during meals. 

Learn the signs of choking and gagging and more about choking first aid in our free guides, Infant Rescue and Toddler Rescue.

Store-bought rice cereals are a condensed form of rice, meaning that they can be higher in arsenic. When possible, choose fortified cereals that use multiple grains, including oats. Alternatively, consider making rice cereal from scratch at home and use a variety of rice that tends to have lower levels of arsenic, such as white basmati or white sushi rice. You can also serve warm cereals made with alternative grains that tend to have less arsenic, including amaranth seed, barley, bulgur (wheat), corn, farro (wheat), or millet, which have been shown to contain the lowest levels of heavy metals compared to other grains. Store-bought fortified infant rice cereal is a common first food in some regions, but there’s no developmental or nutritional need to start solids with baby cereal, since there are lots of age-appropriate, iron-rich first foods to help baby meet their early nutritional needs.

In general, we look for thin, soft multi-grain “rice” cakes or teething rusks that soften easily on contact with saliva and do not rely solely on rice as an ingredient. Examples include Suzie’s corn and quinoa cakes or Lundberg’s whole grain cakes. This information is not sponsored—we simply want to give you examples as a starting point in your research. Avoid rice crackers, thick puffed rice cakes, and steamed rice cakes such as mochi, all of which pose a higher choking risk.

Rice (along with many fruits, vegetables, and other edible plants) has trace amounts of arsenic due to arsenic present in the water and soil in which the plant grows. Arsenic gets into the soil and water through the use of arsenic-based pesticides, animal feeds, fertilizers, and other contaminants, and once there, the arsenic is absorbed by the plants growing in that area. The amount of contamination varies by location, and as a result, the amount of arsenic in rice depends on where it grew and how it was processed.

Generally, white or polished rice tends to be lower in arsenic compared to brown rice. This is because arsenic is more concentrated in the grain’s outer layer, which is stripped off to make white rice. Varieties like white basmati rice and white sushi rice generally tend to be lower in arsenic, although it varies by region.

Yes, the arsenic in rice can be reduced in a variety of ways. First, to minimize arsenic exposure, purchase white rice (also called “polished” rice). You can also follow these steps to reduce the arsenic in any variety of rice:

The 2-part cooking method can work with a rice cooker: simply boil rice in a large pot of water, drain and rinse, and then proceed with using the rice cooker. It also works with an Instant Pot or pressure cooker: use the “sauté” function to boil rice in water, drain, and proceed with a recipe’s instructions.

If you do not have time to take these steps, try not to stress. Know that by simply avoiding arsenic-contaminated well water, fruit juices, and highly processed forms of rice such as infant rice cereal and puffed rice cakes, you are already avoiding the biggest sources of dietary arsenic.

★ Tip: Research suggests that a varied diet with nutrients like folate and vitamins B12, C, and E can help the body combat arsenic’s effects. 

Not necessarily. Organically-grown rice absorbs arsenic in the same way as conventionally-grown rice. Arsenic levels depend on where the rice was grown, and even organic rice can be exposed to environmental arsenic.

Many grain varieties are low in arsenic, like amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, farro, millet, polenta, quinoa, and teff. Generally, these alternatives are lower in arsenic than rice, although quantities vary depending on where the plants grew. Including these grains in your rotation of foods is a helpful way to incorporate more variety, help expose baby to new foods, and reduce baby’s arsenic exposure.