Meat & fish

Tuna for babies

Tuna is safe for babies with one important caveat: canned light tuna is a low-mercury best choice, while albacore and bigeye are not. The species matters more than the food.

Age suggestion 6 months+ Choking risk Low Iron-rich No Common allergen Yes

When can babies have tuna?

From around 6 months, choosing canned light tuna (skipjack) rather than albacore or bigeye. The FDA and EPA classify canned light tuna as a best choice and albacore as a 'good choice' with a lower weekly limit; bigeye tuna is on the avoid list entirely.

How do you serve tuna to a baby?

The shape is what makes a food safe, and it changes as your baby’s grip and chewing change. Find your baby’s age band.

6–8 months

Canned light tuna in water, drained well, mashed with avocado, yogurt or mashed potato so it binds. Dry flaked tuna is hard to pick up and hard to swallow.
9–11 months

Mashed into a spread on toast fingers, or in a fritter or fish cake.
12–18 months

Tuna pasta, tuna in a sandwich, or tuna fish cakes. Watch the mayonnaise salt.
18–24 months

Family portions, still using light rather than albacore tuna most of the time.

Prep tip

Buy tuna canned in water with no added salt and drain it thoroughly. Tuna in brine can carry a lot of sodium.

Storage

Once opened, decant tuna into a covered container and use within two days. Do not store it in the open can.

Is tuna a choking hazard for babies?

Choking risk Low

Canned tuna is soft, flaked and low risk. Check for the occasional bone fragment in cheaper cans. Fresh tuna steak is firm and dry and should be flaked and moistened.

Whatever you serve, stay within arm’s reach, keep your baby upright in a supportive seat, and never let them eat in a moving car, buggy or carrier. Gagging is loud and normal. Choking is silent.

Is tuna a common allergen?

Common allergen Yes

Tuna is fish, one of the nine common allergens. If your baby has had salmon or cod without incident the risk is lower, but different species carry different proteins, so introduce on its own the first time.

Is tuna healthy for babies?

Tuna is dense protein with high B12, selenium and vitamin D, and canned tuna is one of the cheapest ways to get fish into a family diet. Canned in water with no added salt is the version to buy. Its omega-3 content is lower than salmon or sardines but not negligible.

What tuna brings
Protein	Very high
Vitamin B12	Very high
Selenium	Very high
Vitamin D	Good source
Omega-3	Moderate
Iron per serving	~0.6 mg

Common questions about tuna

How much tuna can a baby have?

Following FDA and EPA advice, canned light tuna counts toward the one to two low-mercury servings a week for young children, where a serving for a 1–3-year-old is about 30 g. Albacore ('white') tuna should be limited to less often, and bigeye avoided entirely.

Fresh tuna steak or canned?

Canned light tuna is lower in mercury than most fresh tuna steaks, which are usually yellowfin or bigeye. For a baby, canned light in water is the safer and cheaper choice.

Reference material

Guidance on this page follows the sources listed below.

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