← Starting solids: the overview
Tuna for babies: when and how?
From the start of solids at around 6 months you can offer tuna. The way you prepare it decides. Cooked through and finely mashed, but only rarely.
Everything here comes from the food catalogue inside the HeyFini app: the traffic light, how to prepare it at 6, 9 and 12 months, and the source behind every safety statement.
With limitsallowed, but preparation decides
What you need to know
How to prepare it, by age
All three stages stand side by side. We don't know how old your child is, so read the stage that fits you.
At 6 months
Cooked through and finely mashed, but only rarely. Tuna contains mercury.
From 9 months
Soft flakes in a small amount, and still only rarely.
From 12 months
Now and then your child can join in. Smaller fish remain the better choice.
Sources: WHO and UNICEF on texture stages, ESPGHAN 2017 on the lumpy-food window in months 8 to 10.
This page gives general information and does not replace medical or dietetic advice. Every child develops differently. When in doubt, talk to your paediatrician or a registered dietitian.
The ages are rough guides. What counts is not the calendar but what your child can already do with mouth and hands.
Allergens
Main allergen under EU law: Fish. EAACI and the German S3 guideline on allergy prevention speak for introducing common allergens early and then offering them regularly. Avoiding them does not protect against an allergy.
Sources: EAACI and the German S3 guideline on allergy prevention. How to introduce allergens
The five safety rules
- Quarter round food lengthwise. Grapes, cherries and cherry tomatoes never go on the plate whole.
- Cook hard food soft or grate it finely. Raw carrot and raw apple break into hard pieces otherwise.
- Nuts are never whole, only as a butter or finely ground.
- Eating happens sitting upright, never lying down and never on the move.
- Stay with your baby while they eat. Choking happens silently.
Sources: AAP, the German BfR and Netzwerk Gesund ins Leben. All dangerous foods at a glance
All 234 foods in the app
HeyFini shows the preparation that fits your own child's age, plus the food passport and the allergen companion for all 14 main allergens.
Common questions
When can my baby eat tuna?
As soon as solids are under way, so at around 6 months. Cooked through and finely mashed, but only rarely. Tuna contains mercury.
What do I need to watch out for with tuna?
Big predatory fish like tuna accumulate mercury, so only rarely for babies. Better choose salmon, pollock or trout.
What changes with tuna from 12 months?
Now and then your child can join in. Smaller fish remain the better choice.
Is there an allergen in tuna?
Yes. Main allergen under EU law: Fish. EAACI and the German S3 guideline on allergy prevention speak for introducing common allergens early and then offering them regularly. Avoiding them does not protect against an allergy.
Read on
General guidance, not medical advice. For questions about your child, talk to your paediatrician or midwife. In an emergency call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US).