Can Babies Eat Cheerios? - First Foods for Babies

Can my baby consume Cheerios? (I hear yous…"For the love of my sanity, tell me Cheerios are okay!")

Short reply: Yes! Babies can have Cheerios. Parenting is difficult! Fun foods similar Cheerios brand it easier. (Never sponsored, always.)

Cheerios take saved us several times. Gridlock traffic later a long bulldoze. Flight delays. Or having to await 3 hours before takeoff. And, you know, yesterday, when nosotros just couldn't muster upwards the energy to make a snack.

Merely are Cheeriosgood for babies? And when can nosotros introduce them? Let'southward dive in.

Are Cheerios Good for you for Babies?

It depends. Showtime, let'due south investigate actual nutrition.

Original Cheerios (the kind in the yellow box) are often cited as a healthy cereal choice for kids because information technology is low in sugar and has a decent amount of cobweb. ^one This is valid: compared to other cereals marketed to kids, Original Cheerios are often a healthier choice.

According to the Cheerios characterization, ¾ loving cup serving size of Original Cheerios offers:

• negligible fat
• two grams of fiber
• ii grams of protein
• ane gram of sugar
• 100 mg of sodium
• half-dozen.3 mg of fe

Not off the charts nutritious, but relatively depression in sugar and fortified with critical vitamins and minerals, including a notable amount of atomic number 26, a critical nutrient babies and toddlers need. And so are Cheerios a great source of iron? Sort of.

Iron added to cereal is in thenon-heme form. Non-heme iron is not about as well absorbed as iron fromheme (animal-derived) sources. ^two  Farther, the natural phytates in grains (like the oats in Cheerios) inhibit iron absorption. ^{three 4 five 6}

So while Original Cheerios can help increase overall iron intake, it would be wise to focus on iron-rich whole foods every bit your child'south primary source of fe.

When it comes to diet for babies, we want to focus on foods that are loftier in fat to support cell growth and structure, loftier protein, and foods high in fiber. While Cheerios offer some fortified fe, overall, they lack the levels of fat, protein, and fiber we like to come across in nutrient for babies and toddlers.

What are the ingredients of Cheerios?

According to the label, the ingredients in Original Cheerios are:

Ingredients: Whole Grain Oats, Corn Starch, Carbohydrate, Common salt, Tripotassium Phosphate. Vitamin East (mixed tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness.

Oats. Bank check, all good in that location.

Corn starch, check.

Carbohydrate. Non much, shrug.

Common salt. Predictable, a bit high but nothing crazy.

Tripotassium wha…?

Cheerios (and many other processed foods) contain tripotassium phosphate, a common food condiment, and h2o-soluble common salt used every bit a preservative, texturizer, and stabilizer. ⁷

 Phosphates are arable in candy foods and generally idea to be safe in limited amounts. Nonetheless, this is a point of contention amongst consumer advocacy and food safety groups; when phosphates start adding up in the diet, they can start causing problems—and this is peculiarly true for babies and young children. Of note, the European Nutrient Safe Authority recently published advice for the regulation of phosphate food additives, including tripotassium phosphate, stating a business concern that these additives may crusade the full daily phosphorus intake to exceed recommended limits. ⁸

It's worth noting that earlier the apply of tripotassium phosphate, Full general Mills used a controversial ingredient calledtrisodium phosphate (a common salt used in cleaning agents) in its Original Cheerios cereal recipe. After mounting public criticism, the visitor replaced trisodium phosphate with tripotassium phosphate. The criticism died down but what most people don't realize is that the two are very similar. Both are ionic salts commonly used equally a stabilizing nutrient additive and accept other commercial applications. ^{nine ten}

Our take? Your baby will be exposed to phosphates sooner or subsequently. Endeavor to limit phosphate exposure past focusing on whole foods only don't feel bad well-nigh offering Cheerios every now and and so.

When can babies take Cheerios?

Cheerios may exist introduced as soon as your baby can pick them up and bring them to their mouth. For many babies, this will be somewhere between 7 months of age and 9 months of age. If your baby can option upwards Cheerios and bring them to their mouth independently, it's okay to serve them. (And O-shaped cereals, in general, are fantastic for honing the pincer grasp.)

From a perspective of preventing picky eating, it would be wise to concord off on processed foods (including puffs) in favor of whole, fresh foods for as long as you can. Once babies go used to processed foods, information technology can be hard to dial back.

Caden, viii months, eats Cheerios for the first fourth dimension.

Cooper, 10 months, tries Cheerios for the first time.

Are Cheerios a Choking Risk?

No. A Good day is a dissolvable food, requiring just a small amount of liquid (or saliva) to get a mushy texture, and then there is little chewing or mashing needed to dispense the food in the mouth earlier swallowing. The doughnut shape (with the hole inside each Adieu) besides reduces whatsoever risk. If y'all find Cheerios are sticking to your infant's tongue and causing a off-white amount of gagging; try soaking them in breastmilk, formula, moo-cow'south milk, or h2o.

Kalani, vii.5 months, eats Original Cheerios.

Adie, 11 months, eats Original Cheerios.

Practise Cheerios have GMOs?

It depends on the blazon. General Mills states that Original Cheerios (the kind in the yellowish box) are non made from GMO grains. ¹¹  They are 100% oats, and oats are non commonly genetically modified. Original Cheerios do contain corn starch, however, which is i of the most commonly grown genetically modified foods. ¹²  We reached out to the company to ostend and have yet to receive a response.

Notwithstanding, other types of Cheerios, including MultiGrain and Honey Nut, are fabricated from GMO grains or oils, including corn, rice, or wheat. ^{13 fourteen 15} If fugitive GMOs (and, therefore, the pesticides that many GMO foods are designed to withstand) is important to you, opt for Original Cheerios or other organic cereal brands. To be labeled equally "organic" in the United States, foods cannot be sprayed with toxins, cannot exist genetically modified, and must abide by other environmentally-friendly guidelines. ¹⁶

What about glyphosate in Cheerios?

Glyphosate is the almost normally used pesticide in the earth. ¹⁷ Its use continually increases with exposure and rubber evaluations dating some thirty years ago. ¹⁸ While many studies try to understand long-term health effects of glyphosate from food production, key takeaways include the following: ¹⁹

• Children are more vulnerable to chemicals than adults. ²⁰
• Children tend to have higher levels of glyphosate in their urine. ²¹
• Early on exposure is linked to many preventable diseases and endocrine disruption. ^{22 23}

Glyphosate is usually sprayed on fields before planting oats – the main ingredient in Cheerios – and for corn or maize production for making corn starch – the second most abundant ingredient in Cheerios. ^{24 25 26}

The second exam for glyphosate in oats conducted by the EWG establish glyphosate in all 28 oat products sampled (including x Cheerios cereals) with 26 of the samples testing higher than is probably prophylactic. ²⁷ It's worth noting that the FDA'due south glyphosate tolerance level is much wider than EWG. ²⁸ It'due south besides important to note that USDA Certified Organic practices prohibits the use of glyphosate. ²⁹

Can babies have Dear Nut Cheerios?

No. Our strong opinion is that it'south best to hold off on sugar cereals similar Beloved Nut Cheerios altogether. First, as the name suggests, Honey Nut Cheerios contain beloved, which technically should never be offered to children nether 12 months (fifty-fifty in processed forms). And second, practically speaking, Honey Nut Cheerios are full of sugar with a whopping 9 grams of added sugar per ¾ loving cup serving. As any experienced parent volition tell you, sugar is a glace gradient with toddlers.

Our accept? Hold off on the Honey Nut Cheerios and stick with the yellow box Original Cheerios.

The Bottom Line on Cheerios for Babies

Making decisions about nutrient for your family can bring up a lot of competing priorities.

Health!

Safety!

Environment!

Convenience!

In our feel, information technology's challenging to eat if all of your priorities are given equal emphasis. Simply put, you accept to prioritize your priorities.

If more ofttimes than not, you are prioritizing fresh, healthy food, a little processed food here and there — including Original Cheerios — is fine. Your baby will be fine. But, if the scales commencement to tip and your family is eating more candy food than fresh nutrient, information technology's time to reevaluate.

Unless, of course, that'southward all you have access to. Food is improve than no food.

Reviewed by:

Jamie Truppi, MSN, CNS

Andrea Gilbaugh, RD, CNSC

Kimberly Grenawitzke, OTD, OTR/Fifty, SCFES, IBCLC, CNT

Rachel Ruiz, MD Board-Certified General Pediatrician and Pediatric Gastroenterologist

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