When can babies start eating cereal?

According to WebMD, the majority of babies will be developmentally ready to start consuming solid foods, including cereal, between four and six months. Waiting until this point allows the baby's digestive system to handle solids better and minimizes the impact of potential allergies.

Other developmental hallmarks of readiness for solid foods are sitting up with support, holding up the head and neck steadily, keeping food in the mouth rather than letting it leak out, showing interest in food adults are eating and still acting hungry just after finishing a bottle. Good first solid foods according to WebMD are iron-fortified single-grain cereals such as rice or oatmeal and pureed fruits and vegetables.