Tuna
A pantry staple that's ready to mash. Canned light tuna is the low-mercury pick.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat tuna from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve tuna by age
6 months+
Mashed tuna or tuna cakes
Drain no-salt-added canned light tuna, mash it with a little breast milk or formula, or mix it into mashed potato and shape into finger-sized cakes.
- Size
- Mashed on a pre-loaded spoon, or tuna cakes shaped like a finger, about 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Squash a tuna cake between your thumb and finger. It should hold together but flatten easily. Canned tuna is already cooked.
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+
Small flakes
Offer small, moist flakes for pincer-grasp practice, or stir tuna into pasta, rice or mashed vegetables. Canned tuna can be dry, so mix in a little of the water from the can or some mashed avocado.
- Size
- Flakes no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Feel the flakes for any hard bits of bone or skin before serving.
12 months+
Flakes, cakes or in family meals
Serve flaked tuna in pasta, on soft toast, in tuna cakes or in family dishes. If you cook fresh tuna, cook it all the way through.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or tuna cakes.
- Check before serving
- Feel the flakes for any hard bits of bone. Cooked fresh tuna should be opaque all the way through and pull apart easily.
18 months+
In sandwiches and family dishes
Offer tuna in soft sandwiches, wraps, pasta bakes or rice dishes. Keep choosing canned light tuna most often; see the guidance note below on albacore.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Keep checking for hard bits of bone before mixing tuna into dishes.
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 tuna
- 1
Choose canned light tuna (often skipjack) packed in water, with no salt added. Drain it well.
- 2
Flake it with a fork and pick out any hard pieces of bone or skin.
- 3
Mash with a little breast milk or formula, or mix with mashed potato and shape into finger-sized cakes. If you use fresh tuna, cook it to 145°F (63°C), until it's opaque and flakes easily.
- 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 tuna, or one small tuna cake. For ages 1 to 3, the FDA suggests a fish serving of about 1 oz (28 g), twice a week, from its 'Best choices' list, which includes canned light tuna. Your baby decides how much to eat.
Common mistakes
Choosing albacore for every meal
Albacore (white) tuna typically has about three times more mercury than canned light tuna, and the FDA lists it as a 'Good choice', not a 'Best choice'. Make canned light tuna your everyday pick.
Using salted tuna or tuna in brine
Babies shouldn't have added salt. Look for cans labeled 'no salt added' and packed in water, and drain them well.
Serving seared or rare tuna
Fresh tuna steaks are often served pink in the middle. For babies and children, cook tuna all the way through to 145°F (63°C). Never offer raw tuna, such as sushi or poke.
Serving bigeye tuna
Bigeye tuna is on the FDA's 'Choices to avoid' list because it has some of the highest mercury levels. Don't serve it to children; check the label or ask at the fish counter.
Where US and UK guidance differ on tuna
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
The FDA sorts tuna by type: canned light tuna (including skipjack) is a 'Best choice', albacore (white) and yellowfin are 'Good choices', and bigeye is a choice to avoid. For ages 1–3, a serving is about 1 oz, twice a week, from the 'Best choices' list.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS doesn't count tuna as oily fish and gives no specific weekly tuna limit for children; its limit of 4 cans or 2 steaks a week is for people trying for a baby or pregnant. Children under 16 should not eat shark, swordfish or marlin.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can tuna be a choking hazard for babies?
Canned tuna is soft and flaky, and a low choking risk. It can be dry, so mix it with a little liquid or a soft food so it's easier to swallow. Check for any hard bits of bone. Never offer raw or undercooked tuna.
Can babies be allergic to tuna?
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 tuna, talk to your pediatrician before offering other fish. Tuna 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.
Is tuna healthy for babies?
Canned light tuna is a source of protein, vitamin B12 and selenium, with some omega-3 fat (DHA). It has some iron, but not enough to be a major source for babies.
Can babies eat canned tuna?
Yes, from around 6 months. Canned tuna is already cooked. Choose canned light tuna, which is on the FDA's low-mercury 'Best choices' list, packed in water with no salt added.
Is canned light tuna or albacore better for babies?
Canned light tuna. For children, the FDA recommends 2 servings of fish a week from its 'Best choices' list, which includes canned light tuna. Albacore (white) tuna typically has about three times more mercury and is only a 'Good choice'. The FDA gives no 'Good choices' amount for children: its '1 serving and no other fish that week' rule is for adults who are pregnant or breastfeeding. So use canned light tuna and other 'Best choices' for your child's usual fish meals, and serve albacore only now and then.
How often can babies eat tuna?
The FDA's twice-a-week fish advice is for children aged 1 to 3, with a serving of about 1 oz; it doesn't give a serving size for babies under 12 months. Varying the fish you offer, such as salmon, cod and sardines, is a good idea.
Can babies eat fresh tuna steak?
Yes, if it's cooked all the way through to 145°F (63°C), never seared or rare. Check the type: the FDA lists yellowfin and albacore as 'Good choices' and bigeye as a choice to avoid, so canned light tuna is the easier everyday option.
If your baby refuses tuna
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Mix tuna into foods your baby already likes, such as mashed potato, pasta or rice.
- Try tuna cakes: they're easier to hold than loose flakes.
- 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 tuna
- Keep unopened cans in a cool, dry cupboard.
- Once opened, move leftover tuna into a covered container in the fridge and use it 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.
- Tuna 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.
Last offered today. Once tuna is in your baby's diet, keep offering it regularly.
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Recipes with tuna
Helpful guides
Sources
- FDA: Advice about eating fish
- FDA: Questions and answers on the FDA/EPA advice about eating fish
- NHS: Fish and shellfish
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- USDA FoodData Central: Tuna, light, canned in water, without salt, drained
- CDC: Safer food choices for children under 5
- 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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