While serving rice cereal is a common recommendation for one of baby’s first foods, rice for baby-led weaning can be slightly trickier. The reasons are simple – rice is teeny tiny and tends to be sticky, making it hard for babies to self-feed themselves. But don’t don’t worry, I’ve got you.
Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Rice for Baby-Led Weaning Video
Because a baby is not going to be able to pick up a single grain of rice and put it into their mouths (though I’m sure some toddlers have tried during their ‘I can do it myself’ stage), it’s important to serve rice to your baby in an approachable way.
Over the years, I’ve tried numerous recipes and ways for babies to self-feed rice. While some of the recipes I have attempted have mostly ended up on the floor, I have learned what works (and what doesn’t) with how to feed rice to babies.
For starters, it’s totally acceptable for you to load a self-feeding spoon with a rice puree and hand it to your baby so they can feed the puree to themselves. You can also use any solid food (steamed broccoli, carrots, or lightly toasted bread) as a dipper in the rice cereal.
If you are looking for a solid rice finger food – rice balls and rice mixed with mashed avocado, have been game changers in my house. Rice balls are great for younger babies as they will have an easier time picking them up with their palmar grasp. Another easy way to serve rice to your baby is by mashing a little avocado and mixing whole rice grains. For babies 6-9 months, you can serve on a pre-loaded spoon, and for babies 9-12 months, you can serve in a bowl and have them go at it with their hands.
#momhack – while you can serve these rice balls plain, I love to add in a little spice to kick up the flavor profile a little bit. Some of my kiddos faves were cumin, cinnamon, or paprika.
Expert Feeding Tips
- Since we don’t eat rice just one grain at a time, baby will be putting several grains in their mouth at once. Sometimes, this can make rice a little tricky for baby to manage, especially if they take larger bites, as the rice can spread all around their mouth and possibly get down into their airway. Although uncommon, this can cause some coughing and gagging. To minimize this risk, encourage small bites and mix rice with a puree or sauce, such as yogurt, hummus or butter.
Easy Rice Balls for Baby-Led Weaning
- 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
Avocado Rice
- 1/4 cup cooked brown rice
- 1/4 mashed avocado
Prevent your screen from going dark
Easy Rice Balls for Baby-Led Weaning
-
Let cooked rice cool. Take a tablespoon of rice and gently press the rice grains together and then roll them into a ball. If the rice is sticking to your hands, lightly coat them in warm water with a little olive oil. Repeat until you have enough rice calls.
How to Serve Rice to Baby
-
6+ months – Whole, Rice Balls: Rice balls are great for younger babies as they will have an easier time picking up the balls with their palmar grasp. You can also serve rice with a sauce, butter or avocado on a self-feeding spoon to make it easier for your baby to swallow.9+ months – Rice Balls, In Sauce: You can put rice in a bowl with sauce, butter or avocado to help your baby self-feed with their hands. 12+ months – In Sauce: Toddlers can really eat rice in any form at this point. You may want to serve it with a fork or spoon to give baby practice with utensils.
Seasonings that pair well with rice:
- Cinnamon
- Cumin
- Bay leaf
- Garlic
- Allspice
- Paprika
- Saffron
- Turmeric