Is it safe to eat conventional baby rice cereal as a first food?

What's actually in it

Infant rice cereal is made from ground rice and fortified with iron. Rice concentrates arsenic, cadmium, and lead from soil. Fortification doesn't change the metal content of the rice starting material. A cereal-based feeding schedule of 2 or 3 servings a day, at 6 to 12 months, hits during the fastest period of brain development in the whole human life.

The "first food" tradition of rice cereal was based on iron fortification and bland flavor. Neither of those reasons requires rice specifically.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill tested toxic elements in baby and young children's foods in the US and correlated levels to ingredients. Rice-based products were consistently the highest for arsenic. Some brands had levels above the FDA's 2021 guidance limit. Correlation to ingredients pointed firmly at rice as the source.

First-food alternatives: oatmeal, barley, or multigrain baby cereal (all lower in arsenic), pureed avocado, banana, or sweet potato, or lentil puree for iron. A single-grain oat cereal fortified with iron does everything rice cereal was supposed to do. When rice cereal is used, keep it to once a week rather than daily. Brands that publish third-party metal testing (Serenity Kids, Yumi, Once Upon A Farm) give parents real numbers.