Tuna
- First taste
- 6 months
- Choking risk
- low
- Common allergen
- yes
- Iron
- high
Fish allergen · choose skipjack for mercury
Note
Prefer canned light tuna. Limit albacore and yellowfin to 1 serving a week (about 1 oz for ages 1 to 3); do not serve bigeye tuna.
Contains allergens
Each new allergen is offered on its own and watched for two hours. Our allergen introduction guide is available in Turkish for now.
When can babies eat tuna?
Skipjack tuna can be offered in moderation once your baby is ready for solids, around 6 months. Tuna is a family of large, fast-swimming fish found in oceans worldwide. Skipjack, yellowfin, bluefin, bigeye, and albacore are the species caught most.
Tuna supplies protein, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12 and selenium, all useful for growth and brain development.
The main concern is mercury, a toxin that babies are especially sensitive to. Levels vary widely by species.
Mercury warning
Albacore (white tuna), bigeye, yellowfin and canned white tuna are very high in mercury. Wait until at least age 3 to serve them regularly. An occasional taste is fine. If you serve tuna often, choose skipjack (light or chunk light), which is lowest in mercury.
How do you prepare tuna for babies?
Which tuna
Read the label when buying canned tuna. Skipjack is the usual canned type, but some products contain albacore, which is higher in mercury. Skipjack has far less mercury and can be served once or twice a week. For even less mercury, you can pick mackerel, salmon or sardines.
Raw and smoked tuna
Raw or undercooked fish can make a child sick from bacteria, and babies get hit harder. No age makes raw fish risk free. Cook fish until the center reaches 145 F (63 C) to kill bacteria.
Fully cooked smoked skipjack can be served in moderation. If it is a high-mercury species, give only a nibble now and then until your child is nearly 3. Not all smoked tuna is cooked through, and it is usually quite salty.
Preparation by age
The same food is served differently at each age. What matters is how your baby sits, grasps and chews, more than the calendar.
6 months
6 months · How to prepare as a mashmash
Cut: Fork mashed
Mash canned skipjack tuna (the label says light or chunk light) then stir a spoonful into a soft food that baby can scoop up, like yogurt or porridge. You can also spread the mash on a strip of toast. Canning softens the bones, so you need not pick them out. With freshly cooked skipjack, remove the skin and bones. To keep mercury low, choose skipjack and serve it one or two times each week.
9 months
9 months · How to prepare as small piecescube
Cut: Bite sized piece
Once your baby starts picking things up between thumb and forefinger, offer well-cooked skipjack in bite-sized pieces. Canned skipjack works too. There should be no skin or bones. You can keep stirring mashed tuna into soft meals. White tuna (albacore), bigeye, and yellowfin contain very high mercury levels, so they should not be a regular food.
12 months
3 years · How to prepare as strips and spreadsstrip
Canned skipjack remains fine in moderate amounts, as a spread, on toast, or alone. With fresh tuna, cook it well and remove every bone, then give small pieces or long strips. For albacore, bigeye and yellowfin, watch how often and how much, since mercury builds up in the body over time. Waiting until age 3 is advised before serving these regularly.
Is tuna a choking hazard for babies?
Choking risk: low
Bones in canned tuna are soft. Fresh tuna can have bones that lodge, so remove every bone from cooked fish.
Well-cooked tuna without skin or bones, and canned tuna, are low risk. Bones left in canned fish turn soft, so you need not remove them. In fresh fish, bones may get stuck in the esophagus, the throat, or the mouth. Pick through cooked fish and stay close during meals.
Is tuna a common allergen?
Fish is a common allergen. Tuna is one of the fish that cause allergy most often, as do salmon, cod, and halibut. About 0.2 percent of people worldwide have a fish allergy. Most do not outgrow it, and around 40 percent have their first reaction as adults.
About half of people allergic to one fish react to others. Proteins in the steam from cooking fish can trigger some people too. Fish can also cause FPIES, a delayed allergy. Scombroid poisoning, from fish kept too warm, looks like an allergy but is not one.
First try
If you suspect a fish allergy, see an allergist first. Begin with a small amount and watch your baby. Once a food is tolerated, keeping it in the diet regularly is advised, and you can rotate fish species.
Key nutrients
Frequently asked questions about tuna
How many times a week can babies eat tuna?
Skipjack (light or chunk light) is low in mercury and can be served once or twice a week.
What type of tuna should I pick for my baby?
Skipjack, the lowest in mercury. Check the label on canned tuna, since some products contain albacore.
Can babies have tuna sushi?
Raw fish carries a foodborne illness risk, and babies are hit harder. No age is risk free. Whether to serve it is an informed decision for you to make.
Is it necessary to take bones out of canned tuna?
No. Canning softens the bones. You can still remove them if you like.
Why not serve white tuna regularly?
Mercury is very high in yellowfin, bigeye, and albacore, and it accumulates in the body. Wait until at least age 3 to serve them regularly.
Sources for this page
- Rice KM, Walker EM, Wu M, Gillette C, Blough ER. (2014). Environmental Mercury and Its Toxic Effects. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. doi:10.3961/jpmph.2014.47.2.74
- Karimi R, Fitzgerald TP, Fisher NS. (2012). A Quantitative Synthesis of Mercury in Commercial Seafood and Implications for Exposure in the United States. Environmental Health Perspectives. doi:10.1289/ehp.1205122
- Moonesinghe H, Mackenzie H, Venter C, Kilburn S, Turner P, Weir K, et al. (2016). Prevalence of fish and shellfish allergy. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. doi:10.1016/j.anai.2016.07.015
- Tsabouri S, Triga M, Makris M, Kalogeromitros D, Church MK, Priftis KN. (2012). Fish and shellfish allergy in children: Review of a persistent food allergy. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. doi:10.1111/j.1399-3038.2012.01275.x
- James JM, Crespo JF. (2007). James J.M., Crespo J.F., Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 7:167-174. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports. doi:10.1007/s11882-007-0017-z
- CDC, Infant and Toddler Nutrition. (n.d.). Choking Hazards.
Guides on iron, allergen introduction, gagging and drinks. Read the starting solids guides
Medical note
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Talk to your pediatrician before any feeding decision, especially about allergen introduction and reactions.
The Lokmini app
Log tuna, reactions and your allergen journey in the app.
Open in LokminiLokmini is coming soon to the App Store.
Astro Tasarım Simay Yenice · Türkiye · merhaba@lokmini.com