Porridge with cereals: when can you start taking them? 2026

As we have explained in detail in other topics, in Spain there is a general consensus among pediatric professionals and institutions about when to start complementary feeding at six months of age. Until that moment, the baby is fed exclusively with breast milk, or failing that, formula milk suitable for that age group. As far as possible, even water should be avoided until the child is half a year old.

This means that no complementary foods of any kind can be introduced until this age. Nor cereals, in any of their presentations. Not in porridge either. Yes, they can be introduced from the aforementioned six months of life because cereals, such as fish, fruit, vegetables or meat, among other food groups, provide necessary nutrients to a child already in this stage of their growth, and do not present contraindications, unless some type of abnormal reaction is detected when trying them - it could warn of celiac disease or intolerance. It is therefore not necessary to wait for one year of age, as one should do with cow's milk, for example.

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Of course, when introducing cereal porridge into your child's diet for the first time, the guidelines recommended by the pediatrician must be followed at all times, which you can also consult in guides like this one from the Spanish Association of Pediatrics. These involve incorporating foods one at a time, maximum two at a time, and with enough time between them to be able to observe the reaction of the baby's body to their ingestion.

How to enter them

Before giving him a porridge exclusively composed of milk and cereals, you can also give him a try of a certain type of cereal by introducing a little into the fruit porridge or salty puree, which rice, for example, will also help to thicken. If you are going to give him cereal porridge itself, you can make it with breast milk or formula milk, never with cow's milk before one year of age, as we have already clarified previously.

It is important to take the quantities into account, since a baby bottle in which a teaspoon of cereal is added is not the same as a thick porridge, in which a greater amount of cereal is needed. Therefore, in this case, use less milk, especially the first few times, so that the porridge is not of a disproportionate size.

For the rest, it is advisable not to abuse them if the child is accepting well the rest of the foods that you are introducing into his complementary diet, and it is also very interesting to avoid all cereals "enriched" with cookies, sugar or some other sweetener, such as honey. They do not contribute anything good to the child's diet and on top of that he will get used to a very sweet taste that will make it difficult for him to get used to unsweetened cereals or natural yogurts as soon as possible, another example in which the mistake of giving him sugary or flavored ones is usually made just because as an adult you think he will not like it, which is not true. We guarantee it to you.

The best formula

Finally, if you buy the cereals already made into powder industrially, also keep in mind that not all formulas are the same. In this way, if you choose two brands whose cereals do not contain added sugar, you should also look on the labeling at the amount of sugars they release per 100 grams. You will see then that if they are hydrolyzed they release more sugar than recommended and that if they are not, the difference is abysmal in that data, being noticeably lower. The ideal, since it is not necessary for cereals to be hydrolyzed because the baby will tolerate them well if they are not, is to give the latter. And if the flour is mostly whole wheat, even better, as recommended by all food experts.