Breakfast cereal
Plain, unsweetened and fortified with iron: the family cereal box can work for little ones too.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat breakfast cereal from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve breakfast cereal by age
6 months+
Infant cereal, or plain cereal soaked soft
Iron-fortified infant cereal is the simplest first cereal (see our infant cereal page). If you use a family cereal (see the US and UK note below), pick a plain, unsweetened one, such as whole-wheat cereal biscuits, soak it in breast milk or formula until completely soft, and mash it. Serve from a spoon, or let your baby scoop with their hands.
- Size
- A pre-loaded spoon of smooth infant cereal, or plain cereal soaked and mashed until completely soft.
- Check before serving
- Press a little between your thumb and finger. It should be mushy all the way through, with no crisp or dry bits.
US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.
9 months+
Soaked cereal, or small pieces that soften fast
Keep offering soaked cereal, a little lumpier. Once your baby can pick up small things between thumb and finger (the AAP says this pincer grip most often starts at 9 to 10 months), plain O-shaped or puffed cereal pieces can be a finger food. Choose pieces that go soft quickly when wet, not hard, dense ones.
- Size
- Small cereal pieces, each no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Wet a piece and press it between your thumb and finger. It should go soft and crush easily within a few seconds. If it stays hard, soak it first.
12 months+
A small bowl of cereal with milk
From 12 months, your toddler can have a small bowl of plain, unsweetened cereal with whole cow's milk, letting it soften for a minute or two. Top it with soft fruit cut into small pieces instead of sugar. Quarter or flatten small round fruit such as blueberries.
- Size
- Cereal pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), with any fruit cut to the same size.
- Check before serving
- Check that flakes have softened in the milk and any fruit squashes easily.
18 months+
Family cereal, still plain
Your toddler can share family cereal if it's plain, low in sugar and salt, and fortified with iron. Skip granola, clusters and cereals with nut pieces, seeds or dried fruit for now. Have your toddler sit down to eat, not graze from the box on the move.
- Size
- Cereal pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), with bite-sized fruit pieces.
- Check before serving
- Read the label: no honey, nut pieces or whole seeds, and total sugars of 5 g or less per 100 g, the NHS 'low' level.
Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.
How to prepare breakfast cereal
- 1
Read the label. Choose a plain cereal that is low in sugar (total sugars of 5 g or less per 100 g, the NHS 'low' level) and lower in salt, fortified with iron, and with no honey, nut pieces or whole seeds.
- 2
For babies, soak the cereal in breast milk or formula until it's completely soft, then mash or stir until smooth or lumpy, as your baby manages.
- 3
Add sweetness with mashed or chopped soft fruit, not sugar, honey or syrup.
- 4
Serve from a bowl and spoon, never in a bottle.
- 5
First time with a wheat cereal? Pick a day your baby is well, at home, when you can watch them for a couple of hours afterward.
How much to offer
Start with a few teaspoons of soaked cereal. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. For toddlers, a small bowl alongside fruit and milk is plenty. Rotate cereal with other breakfasts, such as oatmeal, eggs and toast strips.
Common mistakes
Sugary, frosted or honey cereals
Many breakfast cereals are high in sugar: on UK labels, more than 22.5 g of sugars per 100 g is high (NHS). No honey before 12 months, including honey-coated cereals, because of infant botulism, and US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar, including honey, up to age 4. Choose plain cereals.
Dry, hard pieces too early
The CDC advises avoiding small, hard foods that are difficult to chew and swallow. Soak cereal soft for young babies, and offer dry pieces only once your baby can pick them up and they soften quickly when wet.
Cereal with nuts, seeds or dried fruit
Whole or chopped nuts and seeds, and uncooked dried fruit such as raisins, are on the CDC's choking hazard list for young children. Pick plain cereals.
Putting cereal in a bottle
The AAP warns that cereal in a bottle can cause choking and can lead to your baby eating more than they need, and the NHS says not to put cereals in a bottle. If your baby has reflux, ask your pediatrician.
Where US and UK guidance differ on breakfast cereal
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
For babies, the AAP says that if you feed premade cereal, choose one made for babies and fortified with iron. It also lists dry cereals among finger foods once a baby has a pincer grip (most often 9 to 10 months). The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines advise cutting back on ready-to-eat breakfast options and avoiding added sugar up to age 4.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS lists fortified breakfast cereals among iron-containing foods to include from about 7 months, alongside meat, fish, dark green vegetables, beans and lentils. Sugar varies a lot between cereals, so check the label: 5 g of sugars or less per 100 g is low.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can breakfast cereal be a choking hazard for babies?
Plain cereal soaked soft is easy for babies to manage. Dry flakes and pieces are small and crisp, so offer them only once your baby can pick up small things and the pieces soften quickly when wet. Granola bars, nuts and seeds, and raisins and other uncooked dried fruit are on the CDC's list of choking hazards for young children, so skip granola and cereals that contain them. Have your child sit down to eat, and stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to breakfast cereal?
Many breakfast cereals are made with wheat, which can trigger allergic reactions, and they contain gluten. Corn and rice cereals can contain malt extract or malt flavoring, which is made from barley and also contains gluten (MedlinePlus), so check the label if your child must avoid gluten. Some cereals contain milk, soy, peanuts, tree nuts or sesame, so read the label and introduce each allergen on its own first. Oat, rice and barley cereals can trigger FPIES, a delayed reaction: see when to call the doctor.
Is breakfast cereal healthy for babies?
Iron-fortified cereals can be a real iron source: FoodData Central lists about 32 mg of iron per 100 g for fortified puffed wheat, so even 5 g gives about 1.6 mg, a good share of the 11 mg a day babies aged 7 to 12 months need. Not every cereal is fortified, and sugar and salt vary a lot from brand to brand, so check the label.
Can babies eat breakfast cereal?
Yes, if it's plain and prepared safely. The NHS lists fortified breakfast cereals among iron-containing foods for babies from about 7 months, and the AAP lists dry cereals among finger foods once babies have a pincer grip. Soak it soft for young babies, and skip sugary and honey cereals.
Which breakfast cereals are best for babies and toddlers?
Plain cereals that are low in sugar, fortified with iron and lower in salt, such as plain O-shaped cereal, puffed wheat or whole-wheat cereal biscuits. Check each box: on UK labels, 5 g of sugars or less per 100 g is low and more than 22.5 g is high.
Is breakfast cereal as good as infant cereal for iron?
It can be, if it's fortified, but amounts vary by brand, and not every cereal is fortified. In the US, the AAP advises choosing cereal made for babies and fortified with iron for babies. Either way, keep other iron-rich foods in the mix, such as meat, beans and lentils.
If your baby refuses breakfast cereal
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Try it thinner, thicker or lumpier, or stir in a fruit your baby already likes.
- Try a different plain cereal, or swap in oatmeal or infant cereal for a while.
- Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.
Buying and storing breakfast cereal
- Keep dry cereal sealed in a cool, dry place, and use it by the date on the pack.
- Soak only as much as your baby is likely to eat, just before serving, and throw away any soaked cereal left in the bowl after the meal.
- Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).
When to talk to your doctor
Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:
- Your baby has had any reaction to wheat, even a mild one. Stop offering wheat cereals until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- Your baby vomits a few hours after eating an oat, rice or barley cereal. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy that grains such as rice, oats and barley can trigger. If they vomited once or twice and seem alert and like themselves, call your pediatrician or GP. If they vomit again and again, or are pale, floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, call your emergency number.
- You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
- You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.
Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.
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Helpful guides
Sources
- AAP: When can babies start solid foods?
- AAP: Solid foods (baby foods) symptom checker
- CDC: Choking hazards
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Food labels
- HHS: Fact sheet on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
- MedlinePlus (NIH): Learn about gluten-free diets
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron
- USDA FoodData Central: Cereals ready-to-eat, wheat, puffed, fortified
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
More first foods
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