Brown rice
Nutty, filling and part of family meals. Cook it extra soft and mix it up with other grains.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat brown rice from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve brown rice by age
6 months+
Mashed brown rice or soft rice fingers
Cook brown rice until very soft, then mash or blend it with breast milk, formula or water. Load a spoon and hand it to your baby, or gently shape the soft mashed rice into fingers that just hold together. Don't pack it tight: it should stay soft and squash easily.
- Size
- A pre-loaded spoon of mashed rice or smooth rice porridge, or soft mashed rice gently shaped into fingers about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Squash a little between your thumb and finger. It should mash flat, with no firm grains. Rice fingers should squash with gentle pressure.
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+
Soft rice in moist foods
Stir soft brown rice into moist foods your baby already eats, like mashed vegetables, mashed lentils, or flaked fish once your baby has had fish on its own. Moist rice is easier to manage than dry, loose grains.
- Size
- Soft rice stirred into moist foods, with any other pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each grain should squash flat between your thumb and finger.
12 months+
Brown rice in family meals
Serve soft-cooked brown rice with moist family dishes, such as stews, curries, or rice with lentils and vegetables. Leave salt out of your toddler's portion.
- Size
- Soft rice, with other foods cut to about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Still check that the grains are soft, not dry or chewy.
18 months+
Rice dishes
Offer brown rice the way your family eats it: rice bowls, or fried rice with soft vegetables and egg. Leave out crunchy bits from the bottom of the pan, and keep rotating brown rice with white rice and other grains.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) for anything mixed in.
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 brown rice
- 1
Cook brown rice in plenty of water, like pasta (about 6 to 10 parts water to 1 part rice), then drain the extra. FDA research found this lowers inorganic arsenic by 40 to 60 percent, depending on the type of rice.
- 2
The AAP suggests rinsing rice first, but FDA research found rinsing has little effect on arsenic. Cooking it in extra water and draining does more.
- 3
Cook it until very soft, a little past how adults like it, adding more water if needed. Don't add salt to the water.
- 4
Mash or blend it for young babies, then let it cool before serving.
- 5
First time? Offer rice earlier in the day, so you can watch your baby for a few hours afterward. Rice can cause a delayed reaction: see when to call the doctor.
How much to offer
Start with a few teaspoons of mashed rice. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Rotate brown rice with other grains, such as oats, barley, quinoa and couscous.
Common mistakes
Serving only brown rice
Rice takes up more arsenic than other grains, and FDA testing found brown rice has more inorganic arsenic on average than white rice. Rotate it with oats, barley, quinoa, couscous and pasta.
Leaving cooked rice out
Cooked rice can carry bacteria that grow at room temperature. Cool leftovers within 1 hour in shallow containers, refrigerate, eat within 1 day and reheat only once.
Serving it chewy or dry
Dry, chewy grains are hard for babies to manage. Cook brown rice until very soft, keep it moist, and leave out crispy bits from the pan.
Using rice drinks or brown rice syrup
The NHS says children under 5 shouldn't have rice drinks instead of milk, because of arsenic, and the AAP advises avoiding rice milk and brown rice syrup, which is sometimes used to sweeten toddler foods.
Where US and UK guidance differ on brown rice
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
The CDC advises cooking rice and other whole-grain kernels, then mashing or finely grinding them for babies, and lists whole kernels of cooked grains as a choking risk for young children. The AAP and FDA advise a variety of grains, and FDA research found cooking rice in extra water lowers arsenic.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS lists cooked rice among finger foods from around 6 months and says you can give children brown rice, but not only wholegrain foods under age 2. It says children under 5 should not have rice drinks instead of milk, because of arsenic, and notes the UK sets maximum arsenic levels for rice products, with stricter limits for foods for young children.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can brown rice be a choking hazard for babies?
Cooked brown rice is soft when cooked well, but loose grains can be hard for young babies to manage. The CDC lists whole kernels of cooked grains as a choking risk for young children, and advises cooking rice and other whole-grain kernels, then mashing or finely grinding them for babies. Keep brown rice soft and moist, and stay with your child during meals. See the US vs. UK note below.
Can babies be allergic to brown rice?
Brown rice is not a common allergen. Rice is, though, one of the most common grain triggers of FPIES, a delayed reaction that causes repeated vomiting a few hours after eating: see when to call the doctor.
Is brown rice healthy for babies?
Mostly starch for energy, with some fiber (about 1.6 g per 100 g cooked) and magnesium (about 39 mg). It isn't a source of iron to count on: about 0.6 mg per 100 g cooked.
Is brown rice or white rice better for babies?
Both are fine as part of a varied diet. FDA testing found brown rice has more inorganic arsenic on average than white rice, and the NHS advises against giving only wholegrain starchy foods to children under 2. Mixing brown and white rice with other grains works well.
How can I lower the arsenic in brown rice?
Cook it in plenty of water, about 6 to 10 parts water to 1 part rice, then drain the extra. FDA research found this lowers inorganic arsenic by 40 to 60 percent. Serving a variety of grains also helps.
Can babies have brown rice cereal?
It can be one of several cereals, but it shouldn't be the only one. The CDC suggests offering a variety of fortified infant cereals, such as oat, barley and multigrain, because only feeding rice cereal can increase arsenic exposure.
If your baby refuses brown rice
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Mix it into a food your baby already likes, such as mashed vegetables or lentils.
- Try a different texture: smooth rice porridge, or a mix of brown and white rice.
- 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 brown rice
- Keep uncooked brown rice in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.
- Cool cooked rice quickly, ideally within 1 hour: spread it in shallow containers, then refrigerate. Eat it within 1 day, and reheat it only once.
- Or freeze cooked rice within 1 hour of cooking, for up to 3 to 4 months. Thaw it in the fridge, eat it within 24 hours of thawing and reheat it only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let it cool before serving.
- 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 vomits a few hours after eating rice. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy, and rice is one of the most common grain triggers. 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
- FDA: What you can do to limit exposure to arsenic
- FDA: Arsenic in rice and rice products risk assessment
- AAP: Heavy metals in baby food
- CDC: When, what, and how to introduce solid foods
- CDC: Choking hazards
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: What to feed young children
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- USDA FoodData Central: Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked
- Food Standards Agency: Home food fact checker
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
More first foods
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