As you wolf down your dinner one evening, a crying baby supported by one hand, a forkful of salmon and broccoli in the other, you notice that the tears have suddenly stopped. Looking down, you find your baby staring intently at the delicious food on your plate. They’re even licking their lips!

They’ve been eating solid foods for a couple of weeks now but you haven’t yet considered giving them fish. After all, is it safe for a baby to eat salmon?

Is salmon safe for my baby?

So long as it’s fully cooked and nice and soft, salmon is considered safe for babies aged six months and older. And what’s more, it offers many health benefits for a growing baby. But what are those benefits?

Not only is salmon a great source of protein, especially for older infants who are transitioning fully to solid foods, but it’s also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are especially important for brain and cognitive development. Salmon also contains a lot of iron, an essential mineral many babies don’t get enough of.

But are there any potential risks with feeding my baby salmon?

Is there anything I need to be careful of when feeding my baby salmon?

One or two things to remember when giving your baby salmon:

Look out for allergies. Fish is one of the more common allergens, so make sure to introduce it on its own initially, and then monitor for any reactions.

Make sure it’s fully cooked. Raw meat and fish sometimes carry a bacteria known as listeria, which can cause serious infections in babies. So, avoid giving your little one raw, seared, or smoked salmon. You’ll know that salmon is fully cooked once the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit, or 63 degrees Celsius, and the flesh becomes opaque (non-transparent).

Limit servings. While you may have heard that mercury contamination in fish warrants some concern, this is less of a problem with salmon. In fact, salmon contains little to no mercury. However, it’s still recommended that you limit your baby’s consumption of salmon to twice a week.

So, by now, we have a pretty good idea of the benefits and potential risks of salmon, but how exactly do we go about introducing it to a baby's diet?

When and how can I introduce salmon to my baby?

Once your baby is ready to begin eating solids, serve up a small, mashed-up portion of salmon – no bigger than a teaspoon – once a day over several days. And monitor your baby closely for any signs of allergies.

Going forward, so long as no reactions come up and they seem to like it, you can give your baby one tablespoon of salmon twice a week!

Can my baby eat salmon?

Unii answers another important baby nutrition question. So, how about salmon?