First foods database
Can babies eat tuna?
The short answer: yes, with preparation. Here's the safe way to do it.
When can babies eat tuna?
Tinned tuna can be offered from around 6-7 months and is a convenient protein and iron source — with a mercury-driven frequency limit worth knowing.
Is tuna a choking hazard?
Low: flaked tuna is a friendly texture. Mix with yogurt, mashed beans or olive oil so it isn't dry.
Choose skipjack ('light') tuna over albacore and limit tuna to about 1-2 servings a week for babies and toddlers; cover other days with lower-mercury fish like salmon or cod.
Is tuna a common allergen?
Fish is a top allergen — if fish hasn't been introduced yet, treat the first tuna serving as an allergen introduction.
How to serve tuna by stage
Flaked into a creamy white-bean or yogurt base, served on a spoon or as a thick dip.
Tuna-bean pasta with small shapes; tuna melts cut into strips.
Tuna pasta, jacket potato filling, small sandwiches.
For more depth on this topic, see our guide: A Simple One-Week Baby Meal Plan (6–12 Months).
Track every new food in BabyEats
Checking foods one by one is exactly what the BabyEats app streamlines: age-appropriate serving guidance for the food in front of you, allergen introduction planning, and a tracker that logs everything your baby has tried — so the "can they eat this?" moment takes seconds, not a search.