The AAP supports the FDA's proposal. Rice cereal for babies- bottom line. The following article throws some light on the ill effects of giving white rice cereal to young ones. Is White Rice Cereal Dangerous for Babies? Here’s some advice for parents who are wondering if, why and when to consider feeding rice cereal to babies. We studied whether feeding infants rice cereal before bedtime promotes their sleeping through the night. Don’t feed your baby rice cereal—or any other solid food—prior to six months of age. Sleep: It’s something babies do inconsistently and something most parents are lacking. “Our actions are driven by our duty to protect the public health and our careful analysis of the data and the emerging science,” said Susan Mayne, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. It was thought that because it is essentially a very bland and flavorless food, it would be a good start for babies. So, in 2016, they proposed a limit on the amount of inorganic arsenic that baby rice cereal can contain. But we know better now! The FDA has been studying this problem, and has decided to propose a new upper limit , or “action level,” for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal of 100 parts per billion (ppb), consistent with levels recently set by the European Commission. Follow the “six-month” rule. The FDA knows that this is dangerous, especially for babies who eat baby rice cereal. One hundred six infants were randomly assigned to begin bedtime cereal feeding (1 tablespoon per ounce in a bottle) at 5 weeks or at 4 months of age. Because babies tend to love rice cereal and it is often one of their first foods, rice cereal has become a “leading source of arsenic exposure in infants,” the FDA said. Rice cereal was originally recommended as a first food for babies because it wasn’t an allergen like wheat. Babies who ate rice cereals had higher concentrations of arsenic than those who didn’t. Dr. Alan Greene, with DrGreene.com explains that in some babies, adding rice cereal to baby bottles may lead to lung problems if the mixture comes back up … Many parents have been adding cereal to their babies bottles with the hopes that baby will sleep better through the night or because they feel the baby is not getting enough to eat. The CPSC report said that babies who eat two servings of rice cereal a day could double their lifetime cancer risk. Babies with severe reflux may require thickened feeds, often with the addition of rice cereal to infant formula. If you are looking for a good first solid food option for your baby, white rice cereal is surely not a good choice.