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Shrimp for babies: how to serve it safely & allergen info you need to know

Shrimp falls within the umbrella of seafood, but is technically considered shellfish. Even more specifically, shrimp belongs to the group of shellfish called crustaceans (1). This makes it one of the top allergens and a food that needs to be introduced following a specific protocol.

While it may seem intimidating to serve shrimp and other shellfish to your baby, we promise it doesn’t have to be complicated! Shelled and deveined shrimp can be safely served to your baby in many ways, regardless of the Texture Timeline™ phase you’re on!

Plus, it’s a nutrient-dense food rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and other essential nutrients that your baby needs to grow and thrive (2).

When can babies have shrimp?

Babies can have shrimp when they’re showing all of the developmental signs of readiness to start solids, which is typically around 6 months old.

Watch baby Hannah enjoy a tasty shrimp cake!

Hannah is 13 months old and self-feeding on a delicious shrimp cake!

Is shrimp a choking hazard for babies?

Yes, shrimp can be a choking hazard for babies because of its firm and slippery texture. This is especially true when shrimp is cut into small cubes that could easily block your baby’s airway.

Follow any of the modifications below to minimize choking risk. Check to ensure that you’re serving shrimp to your baby in the safest way possible, and within the texture phase that they’re ready for.

Always make sure you’re offering baby appropriate foods based on their skill level and ability to chew their food thoroughly.

Farmed vs. wild shrimp for babies

This is one of those topics that is frequently up for debate, so we understand wanting to have the answers – especially when it concerns your baby. We’ve researched everything to do with offering fish (shellfish included!) extensively, including concerns about mercury, farmed vs. wild, and nutritional content.

Read our Ultimate Guide on the Safest Fish for Babies for all of the info and to see the research completed.

To sum it up, wild fish or shellfish refers to seafood caught within their natural habitat, while farmed refers to fish raised on “farms” in a controlled environment.

In an ideal world, we would serve wild because you don’t have to worry about contaminants, antibiotics, etc. that come specifically from the production of farmed fish.

However, we don’t live in an ideal world, and in reality, more and more fish are coming to supermarkets from fish farms which can impact what is available to you depending on where you live.

Therefore, our recommendation is to serve shrimp – whether that be farmed or wild is up to you. The best-case scenario is that your baby is exposed to this flavor, texture, and top allergen (to rule out allergies and prevent any from developing in the future). This outweighs the risks of eating farmed fish, so if what you have access to or can afford is farmed – don’t worry – please still offer it to your baby.

If you’re concerned, we also recommend speaking to the fishery that is supplying your local stores to see if they’re practicing sustainable fishing methods, and if they’re operating in a way that is kind to the environment. Seachoice.org is a great option for getting more information on fisheries near you.

Shopping, prep, and cooking tips for shrimp

When shopping for shrimp to prepare for your baby, you can choose fresh, frozen, or canned. If choosing fresh shrimp, you should look for clear flesh with an almost pearl-like color to it (3). There also should be almost no odor (3). This indicates that the shrimp is fresh and safe to be eaten.

With fresh or frozen shrimp, you may need to remove the shell and tail and devein it. To remove the tail, gently grasp the body of the shrimp with one hand and the tip of the tail with your other hand. Pull apart in opposite directions until the tail slides off.

To devein shrimp, make a shallow cut down the length of the shrimp’s back, then lift out the vein with the tip of a knife. Alternatively, you can buy pre-shelled and deveined shrimp.

If using canned shrimp, look for one with no salt added. If you can’t find one, you can rinse the shrimp in a strainer under cold water to remove the salt.

Shrimp can be cooked by boiling, steaming, sautéeing (with butter, olive oil, etc.), or baking.

Follow the instructions below for how to boil shrimp for your baby.

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Step 2: Add shelled, deveined shrimp into the boiling water, and reduce heat to medium.

Step 3: Cook the shrimp for about 5 minutes until they turn pink in color and have reached an internal temperature of 145 °F (62.8 °C).

You can also cook shrimp from frozen because of how quickly it cooks (4). It’s even been suggested that this can make for more juicy shrimp, specifically when broiled, which is beneficial for babies (4).

Foodborne illness precautions

As with any food for babies, be sure to cook shrimp to the recommended internal temperature of 145 °F (62.8 °C) to decrease the risk of foodborne illness, which can be more severe in infants.

It is also important that you follow safe handling protocols for shrimp including keeping the shrimp frozen or chilled until use (chilled if bought fresh), thawing shrimp in the refrigerator instead of on the counter, and washing hands, counters, cooking utensils, etc. that have come in contact with raw shrimp (3).

If you smell a rancid, sour, or ammonia-like scent at any point when preparing or cooking the shrimp, or after it’s been cooked, do not eat it (3). This is a sign that the shrimp has gone bad and is no longer safe to eat (3).

Raw shrimp is only good in the fridge for up to 2 days, however, if the shrimp was not previously frozen, you can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months (5). Once shrimp has been thawed once, you can’t re-freeze it.

Cooked shrimp lasts for 3-4 days in the fridge (5). It should be stored in an airtight container, and it’s recommended to store the container in the coldest part of the fridge, which would be at the back (5).

When reheating leftover shrimp that’s been stored in the fridge, use a low temperature (5). This helps prevent the shrimp from taking on the rubbery texture that happens when shrimp has been overcooked – which wouldn’t be soft or safe enough for babies (5).

How to serve shrimp according to the Texture Timeline™

These are the safest, suggested ways to serve food to your baby based on the scientific, developmental, and clinical research and expertise available to date and are vetted by pediatric doctors, speech-language pathologists, and dietitians. However, please note that babies can technically choke on anything, including purees. Always take into account your child’s individual abilities and needs and check with your doctor or feeding therapist on the safety of offering these foods to your baby. Be mindful of how to set up a safe eating environment and please know that all material, opinions, advice, and information found on mylittleeater.com is for informational and educational purposes only. See our disclaimer for more information.

What is the Texture Timeline™?

A tool exclusive to My Little Eater that allows you to start solids with your baby using purées, finger foods, or a mixture of both. We sort all foods into different phases of the timeline based on texture difficulty, presenting multiple ways to serve each food depending on what you and your baby are ready for.

You can start with any phase of the Texture Timeline™. The goal is to always be moving forward on the timeline so that you can advance your baby to more challenging textures in a timely manner. This will allow your baby to develop and practice new eating skills and ensure that they don’t stay stuck on one texture for too long.

Using the Texture Timeline™ can help to prevent picky eating, all while keeping the feeding process enjoyable and less stressful for you because you can ease into the difficult textures that often cause more anxiety and worry.

Texture Timeline Phase 0

Thin purée (utensil)

Blend cooked shrimp with water, breast milk, or formula until a thin, smooth purée forms. The consistency should be thin enough that it drips off of a spoon when tilted.

Serve it to your baby on a preloaded spoon or, if your baby isn’t interested in using a spoon, you can let them dig in with their hands!

Texture Timeline Phase 1

Cooked, blended (utensil)

Add cooked shrimp into a blender and blend until a thick purée forms. You can add a little bit of breastmilk, formula, or water as needed to help with the blending process.

Serve it to your baby on a preloaded spoon or, if your baby isn’t interested in using a spoon, you can let them dig in with their hands!

Texture Timeline Phase 2

Option 1: shrimp cake, strips (palmar grasp)

Slice shrimp cake patties into strips about 2 inches wide. Then offer them to your baby for them to pick up using their palmar grasp.

Try our favorite recipe for shrimp cakes and let us know what you think!

Texture Timeline Phase 2

Option 2: shrimp cake, bite-sized pieces (pincer grasp)

Slice shrimp cake patties into bite-sized pieces about ½-1 inch in size, then offer them to your baby for them to pick up using their pincer grasp.

You can also find our recipe for shrimp cakes on page 79 of our 60-Day Baby Led Feeding Meal Plan!

Texture Timeline Phase 2

Option 3: cooked, chopped, mixed into a purée (utensil)

Start by cutting cooked shrimp into halves, lengthwise, then roughly chop the shrimp into bite-sized pieces about ½ – 1 inch in size. Mix chopped shrimp into a binding purée like yogurt, mayonnaise, guacamole, or mashed potatoes.

Serve it to your baby on a preloaded spoon or, if they’re not interested in eating from a spoon, let them dig in with their hands!

Texture Timeline Phase 3

Option 1: cooked, halved lengthwise (palmar grasp)

Cut cooked shrimp into halves, lengthwise. This will help ensure that when your baby bites into the shrimp, the pieces that they bite off won’t be completely round.

Offer shrimp halves to your baby for them to pick up and hold using their palmar grasp.

Texture Timeline Phase 3

Option 2: cooked, chopped (pincer grasp)

Start by cutting cooked shrimp into halves, lengthwise, then roughly chop the shrimp into bite-sized pieces about ½ – 1 inch in size. Avoid cutting the shrimp into perfectly cubed pieces. Small pieces of shrimp that are cubed or round pose more of a choking risk for new eaters.

Instead, chop the shrimp roughly so that the pieces are flakey and have jagged edges. Offer the chopped shrimp pieces to your baby for them to pick up and hold using their pincer grasp.

Nutritional benefits

Shrimp is a highly nutritious food! It’s an excellent source of complete protein, which means that it contains all of the essential amino acids that our bodies can’t make on their own (2,6).

Shrimp is also a source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 (2). Both of which help to support healthy brain development in babies (7, 8).

Several antioxidants are also found in shrimp including vitamin E, selenium, and astaxanthin (2). Astaxanthin is an especially powerful antioxidant from the carotenoid family and has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties (9).

Fun fact

As mentioned above, shrimp contains an antioxidant called astaxanthin. However, they don’t naturally make this antioxidant on their own – shrimp get astaxanthin from their diet of zooplankton and krill (10). It’s ultimately astaxanthin which is responsible for giving shrimp its pink color (10).

Mercury content in shrimp

With all types of seafood, it’s recommended to be cautious of mercury levels and avoid serving food high in mercury to your baby. It’s also recommended to limit foods that have a moderate level of mercury.

Shrimp is not considered to be a type of seafood that’s high in mercury. Therefore, you do not need to worry about offering it to your baby. Your baby can safely eat shrimp up to 2 times per week if you’d like!

To put your mind at ease, we’ve researched the topic extensively, and you can find our full breakdown of that research and how we rank various fish and shellfish as far as mercury content in our guide on the safest fish for babies.

Recommended next...

Find out which fish and shellfish are safe to serve your baby and which you have to avoid!

Can babies be allergic to shrimp?

Yes, shrimp is a type of shellfish, which is considered one of the top 10 allergens recognized in Canada and the United States. Around 2% of the world’s population is allergic to shellfish (11). Shellfish allergies are more likely to appear during adulthood, but it’s also possible for young children to become allergic (11).

Unfortunately, those allergic to shellfish often have to avoid it for life. Only about a third of those with a shellfish allergy will grow out of it (12).

Like with any top allergen, it’s recommended you introduce your baby to shellfish early after starting solids to help minimize the risk of developing an allergy to it (13). If no allergic reaction occurs after the initial introductions (at least 2), it’s recommended to keep the allergen in your baby’s diet often to help prevent an allergy from developing later on.

Learn all of the details on serving top allergens to babies.

Here’s the general protocol for introducing allergenic foods:

Stay home and offer the food in the first half of the day when your baby is healthy.
Introduce only one allergenic food per day.
Start small by introducing a small amount of the allergenic food on its own, then wait 10-15 minutes. If no sign of allergy develops, you can go ahead and offer the rest of the meal containing the allergenic food.
Record symptoms! While most allergic reactions occur within 10-15 minutes after eating the food, delayed reactions can also occur up to a few hours later. Be sure to monitor your baby closely after introducing the allergenic food.
If your baby has a reaction, stop serving the food and contact their doctor for further recommendations.
If no reaction occurred the first time, introduce the same allergen for a second time.
Offer the allergen regularly, as long as your baby did not react during the first two times.

FPIES

Shellfish can also be a trigger for Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES), which is characterized by a sensitivity to the protein in certain foods (14, 15).

Symptoms of FPIES include excessive vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and dehydration within 1-3 hours of ingesting the trigger food (11). FPIES is most common during infancy, and luckily, most infants grow out of it by around age five (17).

If you suspect your baby or toddler has an allergy to shellfish, it’s best to consult with your doctor for appropriate treatment, diagnosis, and medical advice. Discontinue offering the suspected allergenic food until you receive direction from your doctor regarding the next steps.

To get instant access to all of the foods in the Texture Timeline™ Food Video Library, along with our signature course for starting solids with evidence-based research and expert guidance, enroll in our Baby Led Feeding Program!

Complete with video lessons, printable resources for everything along the way, and an app to access it all at your fingertips, it’s like having a team of feeding experts in your pocket supporting you every step of the way.

Pin the info to save for later!

References

Government of Canada. (2017). Crustaceans and Molluscs – Priority food allergens. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/reports-publications/food-safety/seafood-fish-crustaceans-shellfish-priority-food-allergens.html
Dayal, J.S., Ponniah, A.G., Khan, I., Babu, E., Kondusamy, A., & Vasagam, K.P.K. (2013). Shrimps – a nutritional perspective. Current Science, 104(11). 1487-1491.
https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/safe-selection-and-handling-fish-and-shellfish
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-frozen-shrimp-247331
https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-essentials/how-long-does-cooked-shrimp-last-in-the-fridge
Hoffman, J. R., & Falvo, M. J. (2004). Protein – Which is Best?. Journal of sports science & medicine, 3(3), 118–130.
Hoffman, J. R., & Falvo, M. J. (2004). Protein – Which is Best?. Journal of sports science & medicine, 3(3), 118–130.
Venkatramanan, S., Armata, I. E., Strupp, B. J., & Finkelstein, J. L. (2016). Vitamin B-12 and Cognition in Children. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 7(5), 879–888. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.115.012021
Fassett, R. G., & Coombes, J. S. (2011). Astaxanthin: a potential therapeutic agent in cardiovascular disease. Marine drugs, 9(3), 447–465. https://doi.org/10.3390/md9030447
Yaqoob, Z., Arshad, M. S., Imran, M., Munir, H., Qaisrani, T. B., Khalid, W., Asghar, Z., & Suleria, H. A. R. (2021). Mechanistic role of astaxanthin derived from shrimp against certain metabolic disorders. Food science & nutrition, 10(1), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.2623
Lopata, A. L., Kleine-Tebbe, J., & Kamath, S. D. (2016). Allergens and molecular diagnostics of shellfish allergy: Part 22 of the Series Molecular Allergology. Allergo journal international, 25(7), 210–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40629-016-0124-2
American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. (2019). Shellfish. https://acaai.org/allergies/allergic-conditions/food/shellfish/
Kakieu Djossi, S., Khedr, A., Neupane, B., Proskuriakova, E., Jada, K., & Mostafa, J. A. (2022). Food Allergy Prevention: Early Versus Late Introduction of Food Allergens in Children. Cureus, 14(1), e21046. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.21046
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. (2024). Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES). https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/food-protein-induced-enterocolitis-syndrome-fpies#:~:text=In%20pediatric%20FPIES%2C%20common%20triggers,FPIES%20reactions%20to%20multiple%20foods .
Nowak-Węgrzyn, A., Jarocka-Cyrta, E., & Moschione Castro, A. (2017). Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome. Journal of investigational allergology & clinical immunology, 27(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.18176/jiaci.0135
Feuille, E., & Nowak-Węgrzyn, A. (2015). Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome, Allergic Proctocolitis, and Enteropathy. Current allergy and asthma reports, 15(8), 50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-015-0546-9
Caubet, J.C., Ford, L.S., Sickles, L., Järvinen, K.M., Sicherer, S.H., Sampson, H.A., & Nowak-Węgrzyn, A. (2014). Clinical features and resolution of food protein–induced enterocolitis syndrome: 10-year experience, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 134(2), 382-389.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2014.04.008.