First foods database
🐟 Herring for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat herring? Yes, from about 6 months. Fresh herring is an oily fish full of omega-3 and vitamin D, but pickled and smoked versions are salty.
Good source of: Omega-3, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Protein
How to serve herring by age
6 to 9 months
Cook fresh herring until it flakes, remove bones carefully, then mash with potato. Mash well with potato or vegetables.
9 to 12 months
Offer flaked herring in fish cakes or mixed into rice. Fresh herring fillets can be baked or grilled. Fish cakes made with herring and mashed potato are easy to hold.
12 months and up
Serve fresh herring grilled with potatoes. Kippers and pickled herring are best kept occasional. Herring is an affordable oily fish.
Choking safety
Herring has many small bones. Flake carefully and check before serving. Fresh herring has many fine bones, so take your time flaking it.
Gagging is common and noisy while babies learn to eat. Choking is usually silent. Always stay with your baby while they eat, sitting upright. How to help a choking baby (NHS).
Good to know
- Oily fish limits: up to 2 portions a week for girls, up to 4 for boys.
- Pickled and smoked herring are high in salt.
- Fish is a common allergen.
Introducing it as an allergen
It contains fish, one of the 14 major allergens. How to introduce fish
Easy ideas
- Herring and potato mash
- Herring fish cakes
- Herring with rice and peas
Goes well with
Weaning with OBubba
Log first foods in seconds. OBubba spots the allergens for you.
Track every food your baby has tried, see reactions over time, and let OBubba gently pace new allergens one at a time. Free to download.
Questions parents ask
Can babies eat herring?
Can babies eat herring? Yes, from about 6 months. Fresh herring is an oily fish full of omega-3 and vitamin D, but pickled and smoked versions are salty.
Can babies have pickled herring?
It is salty and vinegary, so it is best avoided for babies. Pickled herring is also high in salt.
Are herring bones safe?
Remove them carefully. They are small and sharp. Use tweezers to remove them.
Sources
- NHS Start for Life: Weaning
- NHS: Fish and shellfish
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).