When can babies eat herring?

From around 6 months, once your baby is ready for solids, served in a safe shape and texture for their age.

Herring

A rich, oily, low-mercury fish. Fresh and fully cooked for babies, with every bone out.

Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review

Quick answer

Babies can eat herring from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.

From 6 monthsLow choking risk as servedAllergen: Fish

How to serve herring by age

6 months+

Flaked fresh herring or fish cakes

Use fresh or frozen herring, not pickled, smoked or kippered. Bake or poach it until opaque and flaky (145°F / 63°C), remove the skin, backbone and every bone, then mash the flesh into mashed potato or shape it into finger-sized fish cakes.

Size: Flaked and mashed on a pre-loaded spoon, or fish cakes shaped like a finger, about 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
Check before serving: Herring has many fine bones, so go slowly. Press the flaked fish between your fingers: you shouldn't feel any hard or sharp bits of bone; if you do, pick them out.

US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.

Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.

How to prepare herring

1
Buy fresh or frozen herring fillets for babies, not pickled, smoked or kippered herring. If you use canned herring, check the label: many are kippered or packed in brine or sauce, and the NHS suggests fish canned in water instead of brine. Thaw frozen herring in the fridge overnight.
2
Bake or poach it until the flesh is opaque, flakes easily and reaches 145°F (63°C). Don't add salt.
3
Let it cool, then lift off the skin and backbone, and pick out every bone. Mash the flesh with a fork and check again for bones.
4
Serve on a pre-loaded spoon, mixed into mashed potato, or shaped into finger-sized fish cakes.
5
First time? Pick a day your baby is well and at home, so you can stay nearby for several hours afterward. Fish can cause a delayed reaction: see when to call the doctor.

How much to offer

For the first taste, offer a small amount: a teaspoon or two of mashed fresh herring. For ages 1 to 3, the FDA suggests a fish serving of about 1 oz (28 g), twice a week, from its 'Best choices' list, which includes herring. The UK's weekly limit for oily fish is in the guidance note below. Kippers and pickled herring don't count as a baby's fish meal. Your baby decides how much to eat.

Common mistakes

Serving pickled herring

Pickled herring is raw fish cured in vinegar and salt, not cooked. The CDC lists raw or undercooked fish, including ceviche, as a riskier food for children under 5, the FDA lists children among the groups who should avoid it, and herring marinated in vinegar has caused herring worm disease (anisakiasis). Keep pickled herring out at least until age 5, then ask your pediatrician. It's also salty: about 870 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 2.2 g of salt).

Giving kippers or smoked herring to a baby

FoodData Central lists about 918 mg of sodium per 100 g of kippered herring (about 2.3 g of salt). The NHS calls more than 0.6 g of sodium per 100 g high, and says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day. Use fresh or frozen herring before 12 months.

Missing bones

Herring has lots of small, fine bones, and the CDC lists bones in fish as a choking hazard. Feel every flake with your fingers, even in fillets sold as boneless, and pick out every bone you find.

Undercooking it

Cook fresh herring to 145°F (63°C), until it's opaque and flakes easily. Never offer raw or marinated raw fish.

Where US and UK guidance differ on herring

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

Herring is on the FDA's low-mercury 'Best choices' list. For ages 1–3, a serving is about 1 oz, twice a week. That serving means fresh, fully cooked herring. The FDA says young children should avoid refrigerated smoked fish, including fish labeled 'kippered', unless it's cooked in a dish.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS counts herring, including kippers, as oily fish: up to 2 portions a week for girls and 4 for boys, because oily fish can contain low levels of pollutants that build up in the body. The NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day and children aged 1 to 3 no more than 2 g, and to eat cured fish less often or in small amounts.

We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.

Questions parents ask

Can herring be a choking hazard for babies?

Cooked, flaked fresh herring is a low choking risk once the backbone and every bone are removed, but the CDC lists bones in fish as a choking hazard. Herring has many fine bones, so feel every flake with your fingers before serving. Always cook herring fully, and never offer raw, pickled or marinated raw fish.

Can babies be allergic to herring?

Fish is a common allergen. Introduce it on its own first, in a small amount, and watch for signs of a reaction. If your baby reacts to herring, talk to your pediatrician before offering other fish. Herring can also cause a reaction that looks like an allergy but isn't one: scombroid poisoning, from fish that wasn't kept cold after it was caught. It usually starts within minutes to an hour, with a flushed face, itching, headache or tummy cramps, and cooking, smoking or freezing doesn't prevent it (CDC). Buy fish from a cold counter or the freezer and refrigerate it quickly. If your baby has breathing trouble, swelling of the lips, face or tongue, or becomes floppy, call your emergency number.

Is herring healthy for babies?

Rich in omega-3 fats: FoodData Central lists about 1.1 g of DHA and 0.9 g of EPA per 100 g of cooked Atlantic herring, along with vitamin B12 (about 13 µg) and vitamin D (about 5.4 µg). It is not a major source of iron (about 1.4 mg per 100 g). Pickled and kippered herring have about 870 to 920 mg of sodium (about 2.2 to 2.3 g of salt) per 100 g, against about 115 mg (about 0.3 g of salt) for fresh cooked herring.

Is herring safe for babies?

Fresh or frozen herring is, from around 6 months, cooked until opaque and flaky with every bone removed. Herring is on the FDA's low-mercury 'Best choices' list. Pickled, smoked and kippered herring are a different matter: see below.

Can babies eat kippers?

Not before 12 months: kippers are smoked herring and very salty, and the NHS says babies shouldn't eat salty foods. After 12 months, a small amount cooked into a hot family dish is fine now and then. The NHS says to eat cured fish less often or in small amounts, and the FDA says young children should avoid refrigerated smoked fish, including fish labeled 'kippered', unless it's cooked in a dish.

Can toddlers eat pickled herring?

Not yet. Pickled herring is raw fish cured in vinegar, not cooked. The CDC lists raw or undercooked fish as a riskier food for children under 5, and the FDA lists children among the groups who should avoid raw or undercooked fish. Wait at least until age 5, then ask your pediatrician. Fully cooked fresh herring is the safe choice.

How often can babies eat herring?

The FDA's twice-a-week fish advice is for children aged 1 to 3, with a serving of about 1 oz. In the UK, herring counts as oily fish: up to 2 portions a week for girls and 4 for boys. See the guidance note below.

If your baby refuses herring

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Herring has a strong taste. Mix a little into foods your baby already likes, such as mashed potato, pasta or rice.
Try fish cakes: they're easier to hold than loose flakes.
Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.

Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.

Buying and storing herring

Buy fresh herring from a cold counter or the freezer and get it into the fridge quickly. Cook it within 2 days, or freeze it. Fish that wasn't kept cold can look and taste normal but still cause scombroid poisoning, and cooking won't fix it.
Cooked herring keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Rice dishes are the exception: cool them within 1 hour, keep them in the fridge for no more than 1 day, and reheat them only once.
Fish cakes can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Reheat them only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool before serving.
Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).

When to talk to your doctor

Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:

Your baby vomits a few hours after eating fish. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy that fish can trigger. If they vomited once or twice and seem alert and like themselves, call your pediatrician or GP. If they vomit again and again, or are pale, floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, call your emergency number.
You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.

Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.

Offered herring?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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