Continue cereal until age 2
Cereal is an important part of a baby’s diet until she’s 2 years old. Your older baby’s brain and body continue to develop rapidly, so make sure she continues to get the iron she needs with iron-fortified cereal. Infant cereal can be part of any of your baby’s meals throughout the day—it doesn’t need to be given only at breakfast.
Here are some ideas to provide variety for your older baby or toddler when eating cereal:
- Mix with toddler formula when your baby is at least 9 months old
- Mix with pureed vegetables such as sweet potatoes
- Mix with pureed meats for an iron boost
- Mix with yogurt for older babies
- Mix with 100% fruit juice or fruit purees to add vitamin C, which can help your baby absorb the iron in infant cereal