When can babies eat trout?

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

Trout

Mild, soft and flaky. A low-mercury oily fish that cooks in minutes.

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

Quick answer

Babies can eat trout 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 trout by age

6 months+

Soft flakes or fish cakes

Bake or poach trout until it is opaque and flakes easily (145°F / 63°C), remove every bone and the skin, and offer large soft flakes, or mix with mashed potato and shape into finger-sized fish cakes.

Size: Large soft flakes, or fish cakes shaped like a finger, about 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
Check before serving: Run your fingers through every flake to feel for bones. Trout has fine pin bones, so go slowly. Cooked trout is opaque all the way through and flakes easily with a fork.

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 trout

1
Bake a trout fillet at 200°C (390°F) for about 10 to 15 minutes, or poach it, until it's opaque and reaches 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part. Don't add salt.
2
Let it cool, then remove the skin and pull the flesh apart with your fingers, feeling every flake for bones.
3
Offer large flakes, or mix with mashed potato and shape into finger-sized cakes.
4
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 few flakes or one small fish cake. 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 freshwater trout. The UK's weekly limit for oily fish is in the guidance note below. Your baby decides how much to eat.

Common mistakes

Missing pin bones

Trout fillets have thin pin bones that are hard to see. Feel every flake with your fingers, even in fillets sold as boneless.

Serving smoked trout

The FDA says young children should avoid refrigerated smoked seafood, and names trout, unless it's cooked in a dish. Smoked fish is also salty. Use fresh or frozen trout, fully cooked.

Undercooking it

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

Skipping the fish advisory for trout caught by family or friends

The FDA says trout caught by family and friends are more likely to have local fish advisories. Check the advisory for that water. If there isn't one, the FDA says children under 6 should have only 1 to 2 oz (about 28 to 56 g) of that fish that week, and no other fish.

Where US and UK guidance differ on trout

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

Freshwater trout is on the FDA's 'Best choices' list, and among the fish it names as even lower in mercury. For ages 1–3, a serving is about 1 oz, twice a week. Seatrout (weakfish) is a different fish and a 'Good choice'.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS counts trout 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.

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

Questions parents ask

Can trout be a choking hazard for babies?

Cooked, flaked trout is a low choking risk, but bones are a hazard. Trout has fine pin bones, so check every flake with your fingers before serving. Always cook trout fully, and never offer raw or undercooked fish.

Can babies be allergic to trout?

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 trout, talk to your pediatrician before offering other fish: people allergic to one type of fish often react to other types (NHS).

Is trout healthy for babies?

An oily fish with omega-3 fats: FoodData Central lists about 0.6 g of DHA per 100 g of cooked farmed rainbow trout, along with vitamin D, vitamin B12 and protein. It is not a major source of iron.

Is trout safe for babies?

Yes, from around 6 months, cooked until opaque and flaky with every bone and the skin removed. Freshwater trout is on the FDA's low-mercury 'Best choices' list, and among the fish it names as even lower in mercury.

Can babies eat trout skin?

Take it off for babies. It's chewy and hard for them to break down.

Can babies eat smoked trout?

It's best not to. Smoked trout is salty, and the FDA advises young children to avoid refrigerated smoked seafood unless it's cooked in a dish. Fresh or frozen trout is a better choice.

How often can babies eat trout?

The FDA's twice-a-week fish advice is for children aged 1 to 3, with a serving of about 1 oz; it doesn't give a serving size for babies under 12 months. In the UK, trout 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 trout

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Mix flakes into foods your baby already likes, such as mashed potato, rice or pasta.
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 trout

Keep raw trout in the fridge and cook it within 2 days, or freeze it. Thaw frozen trout in the fridge overnight.
Cooked trout 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 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 trout?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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