Herring

When to start

Herring can be offered once your baby is ready for solids, usually around 6 months. Pick Pacific herring over Atlantic when you can. Avoid herring caught in the Baltic Sea. A rinse under running water lowers the sodium in canned fish.

Herring is a small forage fish that lives in cold water. It migrates in huge schools along coasts and in open sea. Most commercial herring comes from northern waters. Its shiny skin earned it the nickname silver of the sea. For hundreds of years it has been a staple for Jewish communities and for coastal regions in the north. Pickled herring is still a favorite on holiday tables. It is sold under many names, such as bloater, kipper, matjes, rollmops, sild, and surströmming.

Why it matters

Herring gives plenty of protein and all the essential amino acids. It carries omega-3 fats, including DHA. DHA helps the heart and blood vessels, the growth of cells and the nervous system, and vision. Herring is a very rich source of vitamin B12 and has other B vitamins too. Few foods contain vitamin D naturally, and herring is one of them. Vitamin D is needed for bone growth. It also has vitamin E, selenium, and iron.

Herring has less mercury than many other fish. Mercury is a heavy metal that babies are very sensitive to. Herring is among the low-mercury fish.

Cook fresh fish thoroughly and remove the bones. Canned or packaged herring can be served with skin and bones, because canning softens both. Rinse these products under water first.

If you need a preserved product, pick pickled herring over smoked. Hunt for lower-sodium choices, ideally in glass jars or cans without BPA. If none are available, rinsing removes some of the sodium.

Choking on the fish itself is unusual, yet the small bones can cause trouble. Herring, sardines and other small fish have such fine bones that even a fishmonger cannot take them out of fresh or frozen fish. Canning softens the bones and makes them safe for babies and toddlers.

With bones or without, stay near your baby during meals. Set up a safe eating space. In theory, any food can cause choking.

Finned fish are on the World Health Organization's list of global priority allergens. Only about 0.2 percent of people worldwide are thought to be allergic to finned fish. Rates in children are even lower than in adults. About 40 percent of people with fish allergy have their first reaction as adults. Most do not outgrow it.

Some people also react to proteins that float into the air while fish cooks. If that is the case for your baby, you may want to avoid cooking fish at home while the baby is present.

About half of people allergic to one fish react to other fish as well. The main allergen, beta-parvalbumin, is found in most fish. Because of cross-contact and mislabeling, allergists often advise people allergic to one finned fish to avoid all of them. If your baby is allergic to herring, ask an allergist before offering any other fish.

First try

If you suspect fish allergy in your baby, talk to an allergist before offering herring. The first time, give a small amount and watch closely. When it goes well, raise the portion slowly. Once a common allergen has been introduced, it helps to keep it in the diet, about twice a week if possible. That does not mean each species must appear several times a week. All finned fish carry the same main proteins, so you can rotate the fish by availability and preference.