Feeding Babies Fish

How much to give, what types to give and the low down on canned tuna!

Fish is a wonderfully healthy food to include in a little one's diet. It's a great source of protein, minerals and rich in the healthy fats our growing babies need for their central nervous system to develop. It's also one the 9 main foods responsible for most childhood allergies and as such its highly recommended to be introduced and offered frequently in the diet before the age of 12 months.

It can be a little confusing with all the information out there and some of the fear around mercury intake to really figure out exactly what fish we should be offering our little ones and exactly how much. In this resource we help debunk some myths around canned tuna and make it a little easier for our Mummas to feed their little ones a healthy, stress free diet!

So how much fish is a good amount?

Like most things we like to let our little ones take the lead and control their own intake however like all foods, fish is best eaten as part of a wide varied diet. For safety reasons we do sometimes need to limit their access to excessive quantities of certain things and fish happens to fall into this category as over consumption can lead to increased intake of mercury that could potentially be harmful.

How much is a serve of fish for children?

A serve of fish for a child under 6 years is considered 75g.

A recommended maximum intake for children under 6 (including infants) would be 2-3 serves per week.

The only reasons we would need to consume less than this is if we are consuming higher mercury fish such as:

· Catfish or orange roughy - limit these to 1 serve a week and no other fish.

· Shark (flake), or billfish (swordfish or marlin) - limit these to 1 serve per fortnight with no other fish.

What types of fish would we recommend?

Some great options to include frequently would be mackerel, Atlantic salmon, canned salmon and canned tuna in oil, herrings, sardines, whiting, herring, snapper, bream, and mullet. These fish are good sources of omega fats and lower in mercury.

Why the confusion over canned tuna?

Tuna fish that are caught for canning are generally smaller, immature fish that are younger than a year old. Because of their immaturity and small size they have lower levels of mercury in their system than other more mature fish.

Its generally considered safe to consume 2-3 serves of canned tuna per week for most population groups (including children) however remember in the age group variety is the spice of life and ideally we would be offering a wide variety of flavors and textures and this included flavors of fish!

Looking for some easy ways to include fish?

1. Tuna patties
2. Tuna mornay
3. Homemade fish fingers
4. Salmon and Broccoli Fritters
5. Oven baked Atlantic salmon

Check out our fish and potatoes reel on Instagram!