Cod

Cod can start when your baby is ready for solids, around 6 months. Compared with other fish, its mercury level is low to moderate.

Cod is among the most widely eaten fish in the world. The taste is mild and the flesh falls into flakes. That makes it handy for dishes such as fish cakes. To keep for long, it is dried and salted. In that form it goes by names such as bacalao, klippfisk and saltfish.

Nutrition

Cod gives plenty of protein and omega-3 fats. It also supplies choline, selenium, magnesium, potassium and the vitamins B6 and B12. Together they help growth, the brain, eyesight, the heart, body salts and hormones.

Fresh, boneless, skinless

Cook the cod fresh. Remove the skin and all bones. After cooking, run a finger through the fish. Even one bone can slip through.

Salted and dried cod

Dried, salted cod (such as bacalao) is very salty. To suit a baby, it must be soaked in water for a long time to draw out the salt. Ask a health professional about salt.

How often

Once common allergens have been tried, regular servings are advised, ideally twice a week. It does not have to be the same fish each time. Finned fish share the same main proteins, so you can rotate species by availability and taste.

Cooked cod without bones and skin is low risk. In theory, any food can cause choking. A fish bone, however, may get stuck in baby's mouth, throat or food pipe. To lower this risk, pick out the bones with care after cooking. Prepare it for your child's age and stay close at meals.

Cod is a common allergen. Finned fish are counted as common allergens. Cod, halibut, salmon and tuna are among the most frequent triggers. Around 0.2 percent of the world's population has an allergy to finned fish. The rate in children is lower than in adults. About 40 percent of people with fish allergy have their first reaction in adulthood. Most do not outgrow it.

Some people also react to proteins that become airborne while fish cooks. If this applies to your baby, you may avoid cooking fish at home while your baby is present.

Reacting to other fish

About half of the people allergic to one fish react to another. The cause is beta-parvalbumin, a protein found in most fish. Because of cross-contact and mislabeling risks, allergists often advise avoiding all finned fish. The allergist decides which fish may be safe. If your baby is allergic to cod, ask an allergist before offering any other fish.

FPIES

Fish with fins can set off FPIES, short for food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome. FPIES is a delayed allergy. A few hours after eating, it causes sudden, repeated vomiting and diarrhea. Left untreated, it can lead to serious fluid loss. FPIES to fish can also start later in life and often lasts a lifetime.

Scombroid poisoning

Histamine builds up in fish that was not kept cold. Eating it can cause symptoms that look like an allergy. This is a kind of food poisoning, not an allergy. Keeping fish cold enough lowers the risk.

If you suspect a fish allergy, talk to an allergist before offering cod. For the first try, offer a small amount and watch. If all goes well, raise it slowly.