Plaice

You can offer plaice once your baby is ready for solids, usually around 6 months. Like most fish, plaice holds trace methylmercury because pollution from the air ends up in the sea and attaches to the flesh of fish. Its mercury is fairly low compared with other fish, and it is seen as safe for babies 1 to 2 times a week.

Plaice is a name for a group of fish that live on the sea floor, found off Europe, North America, and northern Asia. It belongs to the flatfish family, like flounder and sole. Camouflage covers its skin: the upper side blends with the water, and the lower side matches the sand. At hatching its eyes sit on opposite sides of the head, then as the fish grows, one eye shifts across to join the other.

Plaice is a complete protein source. It carries vitamins B6 and B12, which matter for heart and nerve health. It holds healthy fats and vitamin D for brain growth and immunity. It is low in fat, so a knob of butter, or an oil like olive, avocado, or coconut, can add fat, since babies need a lot of fat for brain growth.

Preparing and cooking

Cook the fish well and pick out the bones. Plaice can be baked, boiled, pan-fried or fried. Its mild taste goes well with lemon and fresh vegetables. It is also battered and fried with chips in the British dish fish and chips. For your baby, baked or steamed fish is better than battered and fried.

Bowels

Plaice is not seen as a food that eases bowel movements. Within a varied diet it may encourage helpful gut bacteria. Bowel patterns differ from child to child. If you are worried, ask your pediatrician.

Plaice seldom causes choking. However, bones in fresh fish are a choking risk if not removed.

To lower the risk, always pick out any remaining bones before serving. Stay close while your baby eats and keep them upright.

Plaice is a common allergen. The World Health Organization counts finned fish as a Global Priority Allergen. Only about 0.2 percent of people worldwide are thought to be allergic to finned fish, and the rate in children is even lower than in adults. About 40 percent of people with fish allergy have their first reaction as adults. Most people do not outgrow it.

Some people can react by breathing in proteins that become airborne while fish cooks. If this applies to your baby, avoid cooking fish at home while your baby is there.

Around half of people with one fish allergy react to another fish too, because the main allergen, beta-parvalbumin, is found in most fish. Because of cross-contamination and mislabeling risks, allergists often advise people allergic to one fish to avoid all finned fish until they find out which are safe. This advice is personal to each person.

FPIES is a delayed allergy, and finned fish are one of its known triggers. It shows up as repeated vomiting and diarrhea a few hours after eating and can cause dehydration if untreated. Fish FPIES can start later in life and usually lasts for life.

Scombroid poisoning is sometimes mistaken for fish allergy. It happens when histamine builds up in fish that was not kept cold enough, and it mimics allergy symptoms. Keeping fish cold enough lowers the risk.

If you suspect your baby is allergic to fish, ask an allergist before offering plaice. Give a small amount the first time and watch closely while your baby eats. If there is no reaction, increase the portion. After you introduce common allergens successfully, keep offering them about twice a week if you can. You do not need to offer every fish species several times a week, because finned fish share the same main proteins, so you can rotate species.