Sardines
Tiny tinned fish that mash in seconds. A low-mercury oily fish.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat sardines from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve sardines by age
6 months+
Mashed sardines
Drain canned sardines, lift out the backbone and any larger bones, and mash the rest completely flat with a fork. Serve on a pre-loaded spoon, mixed into mashed potato, or spread thinly on toast fingers once wheat has been introduced. Check the bread label for honey, which isn't safe before 12 months.
- Size
- Mashed on a pre-loaded spoon, or spread thinly on toast fingers about 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Check that the backbone and larger bones are out. Press the mash between your fingers: you shouldn't feel any hard or sharp bits of bone; if you do, pick them out.
US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.
9 months+
Mashed or small flakes
Offer small mashed flakes for pincer-grasp practice, or stir mashed sardines into pasta, rice or mashed vegetables.
- Size
- Flakes no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Make sure the backbone and larger bones are out, mash the rest flat, and feel for hard bits before serving.
12 months+
Mashed, flaked or in family meals
Serve mashed sardines on toast, in fish cakes, or stirred through pasta with tomato sauce. Keep removing the backbone and larger bones, and mash the rest flat.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or spread on toast.
- Check before serving
- Press the mash between your fingers before serving, and pick out any hard or sharp bits of bone.
18 months+
Flaked into family meals
Offer sardines on toast, in pasta or in fish cakes. Keep lifting out the backbone and larger bones of canned sardines and mashing the rest flat. Bones in fresh sardines are firm and sharp, so remove every bone if you serve fresh sardines.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Press the flakes between your fingers to check that no hard or sharp bones are left.
Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.
How to prepare sardines
- 1
Choose canned sardines in water or olive oil, with no added salt or the lowest salt you can find. Drain them well.
- 2
Lift out the backbone and any larger bones. Mash the rest completely flat with a fork, and pick out any piece of bone that stays hard or sharp.
- 3
Serve on a pre-loaded spoon, mixed into mashed potato, or spread thinly on toast fingers once wheat has been introduced.
- 4
First time? Pick a day your baby is well and at home, so you can stay nearby for several hours afterward. Fish can cause a delayed reaction: see when to call the doctor.
How much to offer
For the first taste, offer a small amount: a teaspoon or two of mashed sardine. For ages 1 to 3, the FDA suggests a fish serving of about 1 oz (28 g), twice a week; sardines are on its 'Best choices' list. Canned sardines contain salt, so keep portions small. Your baby decides how much to eat.
Common mistakes
Leaving bones in
The CDC lists bones in fish as a choking hazard. Lift out the backbone and any larger bones, mash the small soft ones completely flat with a fork, and pick out anything that stays hard.
Choosing salty cans
Canned sardines contain salt, and babies shouldn't have added salt. Compare labels, choose 'no salt added' if you can find it, and drain well.
Picking sardines in sauce
FoodData Central lists more sodium for sardines canned in tomato sauce (about 410 mg per 100 g) than in oil (about 310 mg). Choose plain sardines in water or oil, and add your own unsalted sauce.
Undercooking fresh sardines
Canned sardines are already cooked. Fresh sardines need cooking to 145°F (63°C), until opaque and flaky, and their bones aren't softened like canned ones: remove them all. Never offer raw or marinated raw fish.
Where US and UK guidance differ on sardines
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
Sardines are on the FDA's 'Best choices' list, and among the fish it names as even lower in mercury. For ages 1–3, a serving is about 1 oz, twice a week.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS counts sardines as oily fish: up to 2 portions a week for girls and 4 for boys, because oily fish can contain low levels of pollutants that build up in the body.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can sardines be a choking hazard for babies?
Mashed canned sardines are a low choking risk once the backbone and larger bones are removed, but the CDC lists bones in fish as a choking hazard, and any bone that isn't mashed flat can be a hazard. Mash every piece with a fork before serving. Fresh sardines have firm bones: remove them all.
Can babies be allergic to sardines?
Fish is a common allergen. Introduce it on its own first, in a small amount, and watch for signs of a reaction. If your baby reacts to sardines, talk to your pediatrician before offering other fish. Sardines can also cause a reaction that looks like an allergy but isn't one: scombroid poisoning, from fish that wasn't kept cold after it was caught. It usually starts within minutes to an hour, with a flushed face, itching, headache or tummy cramps, and cooking, smoking or freezing doesn't prevent it (CDC). Buy fish from a cold counter and refrigerate it quickly. If your baby has breathing trouble, swelling of the lips, face or tongue, or becomes floppy, call your emergency number.
Are sardines healthy for babies?
Canned sardines with their bones are rich in calcium, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fats (DHA and EPA), and provide iron (about 2.9 mg per 100 g, or about 0.8 mg in a 28 g serving, the FDA's serving size for ages 1 to 3) and vitamin D. They also contain salt: FoodData Central lists about 300 mg of sodium per 100 g for sardines canned in oil.
Can babies eat sardine bones?
Only the tiny soft ones, mashed completely flat. The CDC lists bones in fish as a choking hazard and says to remove bones from fish for young children, so lift out the backbone and larger bones first, mash the rest flat with a fork, and remove any bone that is still hard. The NHS notes that the edible bones in canned sardines are a source of calcium.
Are sardines too salty for babies?
Canned sardines contain some salt. Choose 'no salt added' or the lowest-salt can you can find, drain it well, and keep portions small. Plain sardines in water or oil are a better pick than sardines in sauce, which FoodData Central lists as higher in sodium.
How often can babies eat sardines?
The FDA's twice-a-week fish advice is for children aged 1 to 3, with a serving of about 1 oz. In the UK, sardines count as oily fish: up to 2 portions a week for girls and 4 for boys. See the guidance note below.
If your baby refuses sardines
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Mix mashed sardines into foods your baby already likes, such as mashed potato, pasta or rice.
- Try sardine cakes: they're easier to hold than loose mash.
- Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.
Buying and storing sardines
- Keep unopened cans in a cool, dry cupboard.
- Once opened, move leftover sardines into a covered container in the fridge and use them within 3 to 4 days, like other leftovers. Rice dishes are the exception: cool them within 1 hour, keep them in the fridge for no more than 1 day, and reheat them only once.
- Sardine cakes can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Reheat only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool before serving.
- Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).
When to talk to your doctor
Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:
- Your baby vomits a few hours after eating fish. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy that fish can trigger. If they vomited once or twice and seem alert and like themselves, call your pediatrician or GP. If they vomit again and again, or are pale, floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, call your emergency number.
- You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
- You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.
Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.
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Helpful guides
Sources
- FDA: Advice about eating fish
- NHS: Fish and shellfish
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- USDA FoodData Central: Sardine, Atlantic, canned in oil, drained solids with bone
- USDA FoodData Central: Sardine, Pacific, canned in tomato sauce, drained solids with bone
- CDC: Safer food choices for children under 5
- CDC: Choking hazards
- CDC: When, what, and how to introduce solid foods
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- CDC: Food poisoning from marine toxins
- Food Standards Agency: Home food fact checker
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
- NHS: Help your baby enjoy new foods
More first foods
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