Take the confusion out of the cereal aisle and learn which healthy cereal for kids are best—and what to look for on a label to help you feel confidence in the choices you’re making at the store.
Kids Cereal
With so many options at the store, choosing a kids cereal for the family can be totally daunting. But this post will help you know a few good brands to turn to, as well as give you pointers on how to read an ingredient label to ensure that you’re buying what you think you are.
I love having cereal on hand for easy breakfasts and to use as snack components and find them to be a favorite shortcut meal. It’s easy to round them out with fresh fruit and milk to make a satisfying, nutritionally dense breakfast—that the kids like too!
TIP: These cereals are great for breakfast and snack time.
Ingredients in a Healthy Cereal
When buying a cereal from the store, you’ll want to look for one that includes:
- whole grains
- fiber
- protein
- 0-5 grams of added sugar
TIP: I prefer to buy cereals less sugars since they still taste great, aren’t overtly sweet, and you can add sweetness with fruit.
How to Choose a Cereal for Kids, Step-by-Step
No matter which store you shop at, the process of choosing a healthy cereal is the same. Here’s what I recommend:
- Look for a box that has a whole grain as one of the first three ingredients.
- Look for a box that has fewer than 5 grams of sugar, plus some fiber and protein.
- Do not stress about it—this is just one food in the overall bigger picture of your child’s diet so it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Best Cold Cereal for Toddlers
When buying a cereal for toddlers, I like this group which has less than 2 grams of added sugars. These are less sweet and still taste really good.
They also are easy to eat and can be served dry or softened slightly in milk. Here are my favorites.
TIP: That New England Naturals granola is the first granola I’ve seen without added sugar. It’s also free from large clumps and it softens nicely in yogurt and milk, making it a great options for kids.
Best Cold Cereal for Kids
If you have older kids who want a little more going on in their cereal, these options have a little more added sugar, but are still considered to be “healthy” due to their overall mix of nutrients.
TIP: We sometimes mix these (or any other) sweeter cereals with plainer ones for a fun bowl with a little less sugar.
Best Hot Cereal for Kids
When looking for a hot grain or oatmeal for kids, the same tips apply: low sugar, high fiber, and some protein if possible. The easiest hot cereal to buy is old-fashioned rolled oats, though any oatmeal can work, even flavored ones that say “unsweetened” on the label.
TIP: Find my favorite Oatmeal with Fruit recipes here.
Best Cereal for Babies
It’s recommended that younger babies have cereal with added iron since their iron stores begin to deplete around the age of 6 months. I love the Clearly Crafted line from Happy Babies since they have fewer ingredients than most other baby oatmeals AND the ingredients are actually easy to understand.
TIP: If you’re worried about heavy metals, oat cereals usually are less of a concern than rice based ones. You can also make homemade Baby Oatmeal and Baby Rice Cereal.
High Fiber Cereal for Kids
Shredded wheat cereals typically have about 4 grams of fiber, so they are a good option. You can also look at bran cereals, though do check the label to make sure you choose one with low sugar too.
Best Tips for Kids Cereal
- I started serving cold cereal to my little guy around 16 months. Start with just a little milk to soften the cereal (but not make a giant mess).
- You can serve cereals dry as a snack or meal component if you prefer.
- Remember that it takes kids time to become proficient in using a spoon, so expect a little bit of a mess for a while.
- Use dry cereal as an easy toddler snack too.
- If you are seeing and hearing ads for Magic Spoon, I’m glad I’m not the only one! Please know that you can find a lot of great options at your regular grocery store that are MUCH more affordable. Not to mention that kids don’t need keto-friendly cereals or to have so much protein but I digress…).
- You may also like Apple Raisin Oatmeal, Applesauce Granola, Favorite Store-Bought Snacks for Kids, and my go-to Peanut-Free Snacks.
If you have a favorite kids cereal that you love that I didn’t include here, I’d love to know about it so please comment below to share!
This post was first published August 2019.
