Introducing Salmon to Your Baby

Salmon is one of the very best catches when it comes to brain-boosting foods for your baby or toddler. And it’s an easy finger food, thanks to its soft, flaky texture — making salmon an especially good choice for families trying out baby-led weaning.

So when is it okay to put the pink fish on your new eater’s plate or tray, and how should you serve it? Let’s dive on into the details.  

When can babies have salmon?

Your little one can try her first serving of salmon whenever she starts solids, usually sometime around 6 months.

Salmon’s soft, flaky texture is easy for new eaters to manage, making it a good choice for little ones who are following a baby-led weaning approach (which involves introducing solids in the form of soft, gummable finger foods instead of purées). Because it's easiest to prepare as a finger food (although still possible to incorporate in a purée), babies who are being spoon-fed purées may try salmon a little later, once they've graduated to finger foods.

How to prepare salmon for your baby

You can offer salmon baked, broiled, steamed, grilled or poached. Just make sure it's is fully cooked through to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, or cook until flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.

Offer salmon flaked in small pieces, taking care to remove any tiny bones. (Run your fingers around the salmon pieces to check.) You can serve the nutrient-rich salmon skin, too, as long as it’s crisp and firm, not flappy. Be sure to cut the skin into thin, finger-sized strips.

The tips below can help parents determine how to serve salmon at different stages, but keep in mind that all babies develop at their own pace. Speak with your pediatrician before beginning baby-led weaning, and talk to him or her if you have any concerns about your child's oral-motor skills, chewing skills, swallowing skills or if you're unsure whether or not your baby is ready for certain food preparations.

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How to prepare salmon for a 6-month-old

Erin Lenczycki/What to Expect

Cut salmon into strips (about the size of two adult fingers) for your baby to palm and gum. If the fish is too flaky for your baby to handle, try mixing the flakes into mashed avocado to form clumps that she can rake her fingers through.

How to prepare salmon for a 9-month-old

Erin Lenczycki/What to Expect

At this age, help your baby hone her emerging pincer grasp by cutting salmon into small, thumbnail-sized pieces or flakes for her to pick up.

How to prepare salmon for a 12-month-old and up

Erin Lenczycki/What to Expect

Your toddler can practice using her fork to spear small chunks of salmon. Or try serving salmon patties or cakes, cut into small pieces, for her to grab with her fork.

Salmon recipes for babies and toddlers

A simple salmon filet might be your idea of delicious. But for some babies and toddlers, salmon’s fishy taste can be a tough sell.

There are many ways to make salmon more appealing (or just switch it up, if your sweetie’s a natural-born seafood lover). Just remember to always introduce one food at a time, especially top allergens like eggs, peanuts, soy, wheat, dairy and seafood. 

• Simple salmon salad. Mix cooked, flaked salmon with Greek yogurt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve with whole grain toast strips.
• Sweet potato salmon cakes. Combine cooked, flaked salmon with mashed baked sweet potato and enough bread crumbs and beaten egg to bind the mixture together. Form into small patties and bake or lightly pan-fry.
• Salmon fried rice. Sauté cooked and flaked salmon with cooked brown or white rice, frozen peas, diced carrot and beaten egg until the egg is fully cooked.
• Salmon-veggie frittata. Stir cooked, flaked salmon into beaten eggs; add whatever finely diced veggie you have on hand. Pour into a pie plate or nonstick skillet and bake until puffed and golden.
• Creamy salmon pasta with peas. Toss flaked salmon with well-cooked whole wheat pasta, diced bits of cream cheese and thawed frozen peas.
• Baked salmon nuggets. Combine flaked salmon with enough flour and beaten egg so the mixture binds together. Form into small nuggets. Dip mixture in flour, then beaten egg, then panko breadcrumbs. Spray or brush lightly with oil and bake until golden.

What are the benefits of salmon for babies and toddlers?

It’s no secret that salmon is a nutritional superstar. The fatty fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, essential fats that support your baby or toddler’s rapidly developing brain and eyes. Salmon is also one of a handful of food sources of vitamin D, which is a must for bone health because it aids in calcium absorption. 

As for concerns about mercury, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)? Experts agree that the benefits of seafood for babies and toddlers outweigh the risk of possible contaminants, as long as you stick with low-mercury fish. Luckily, salmon is among those tot-safe picks, along with options like pollack, tilapia, shrimp and canned light tuna.

What’s more, you generally don’t have to limit portions of low-mercury fish like salmon — two to three servings a week is considered healthy. But consider checking with the pediatrician if your sweetie is a serious seafood fanatic. Her doc may recommend offering salmon or other fish just once a week. 

Can babies be allergic to salmon?

Allergies to finned fish (like salmon, tuna or halibut) are less common than allergies to shellfish. (And being allergic to one doesn’t mean you’ll be allergic to the other.) What’s more, up to 40 percent of finned fish allergies don’t develop until adulthood.

Though the chances of your child having a reaction to salmon may be unlikely, it’s always a good idea to know the signs of a possible allergy, especially when you’re serving it for the first time. Your baby or toddler might have a food allergy if, soon after eating (within minutes to a few hours), she experiences:

• Hives
• Itching
• Skin, lip or tongue swelling
• Sneezing
• Wheezing
• Throat tightness or trouble swallowing
• Nausea, vomiting, stomach pain or diarrhea
• Trouble breathing 

Call your doctor right away if your child experiences symptoms of an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction may be more severe or possibly life-threatening (called anaphylaxis) if multiple areas of the body are affected. In the rare event that your child shows signs of a life-threatening allergic reaction like trouble breathing or swallowing, call 911 right away.

Is salmon a choking hazard for babies?

Fish bones can be a choking risk for babies and young children. Serve salmon and other finned fish safely by removing all bones and offering it in age-appropriate pieces.

Make sure, too, to always supervise your young child when she's eating, sit her upright during mealtimes and never serve food while she's reclining, walking, sitting in a car seat or playing.