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Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

Tinned tuna - which type to give to 9 month old?

21 replies

Hels67 · 27/09/2007 20:24

My DD is 9 months old and seems so far to like fish - she's had cod and salmon and enjoyed them both.

I haven't tried to give her tuna yet, as I'm not sure which type of canned version to give her - is the one in olive oil better than the one in spring water or in brine?

OP posts:
EmsMum · 27/09/2007 20:25

definitely not in brine!
even the spring water type has added salt . We buy that and rinse it (not for a babe, for high blood pressure DH).

bookthief · 27/09/2007 20:28

I've got the oil one. I seem to recall spending a long time in Asda checking the salt content in each and then buying half a dozen tins of the lowest.

But to be honest, brine aside obv, if you're mixing it in with other stuff how much is she actually going to be eating at one go for it to be too important?

Seona1973 · 27/09/2007 22:02

there is one in spring water without salt added which is the one I used. The next best after spring water is tuna in oil. Avoid tuna in brine.

AitchTwoOh · 27/09/2007 22:18

i like the olive oil one best myself, so that's what dd got.

Original poster
Hels67 · 28/09/2007 09:07

Thanks everyone - my gut instinct was for either the spring water or the olive oil (which I prefer myself ) - so I shall certainly try the olive oil version and see if I can find the salt-reduced spring water one too.

OP posts:
willowsmom · 28/09/2007 20:31

Over here in the US we are told not to give babies any kind of fish before 12 months - after that, only those that do not contain high mercury which must come later. Tuna is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of high mercury fish (also not to be eaten when pregnant). Do not give this to babies or even children. Instead by the 'light' kind that contains half the amount of mercury and give no more than once a week.

bookthief · 28/09/2007 21:19

Hi willowsmom, in the UK the advice is to avoid swordfish and a couple of other unlikely species - shark is one I think (the British being less than adventurous when it comes to sea food this advice is pretty redundant imo ). Tuna is considered safe as we pretty much only eat it tinned and don't have the varieties that you get in the US which are more contaminated.

Other popular oily fish (white fish is ok iirc) are salmon, sardines and mackerel. which are also not risky in terms of heavy metal contamination. British people mainly eat white fish though.

It is actively encouraged over here for babies and children to eat fish. Yet another example of advice differing which does make things confusing!

AitchTwoOh · 28/09/2007 21:23

i think in the UK they tell you not to binge on tuna while pregnant rather than anything else and i amn't aware of there being such a thing as light tuna. we're so backward in this country...

willowsmom · 28/09/2007 21:23

Thanks for the reply bookthief, I was referring to the canned kind (I'm unadventurous too as I'm from the UK originally. Moved here a couple of years ago when I got married). But it's the canned kind that pregnant women and children are not to eat as well as the fresh kind. It's also my understanding that the canned tuna here contains the same high levels of mercury that the british kind do. If it's ok'd by doctors then by all means, follow what the doc says. But to Hels, I would really try to find the low-level of mercury tuna called 'light chunk tuna' in the US.

AitchTwoOh · 28/09/2007 21:26

il n'existe pas, willowsmum...

mawbroon · 28/09/2007 21:53

I recall standing in the supermarket for yonks looking at all the labels and it turned out they were all the same - even the ones in spring water and brine. Isn't the recommendation that you should hold off on fish until a year IF you are following the more cautious introduction of foods for allergy purposes? It's amazing how quickly one forgets all this stuff.

Seona1973 · 28/09/2007 23:15

seafood is only not recommended before 6 months in the UK and there is no limit on tinned tuna as it is not an oily fish. Fresh tuna does have a limit as it is an oily fish. The only fish that children should avoid are shark, swordfish or marlin as they have high levels of mercury

fish and shellfish

Flibbertyjibbet · 28/09/2007 23:29

We only eat the type in sunflower oil. The olive oil type doesn't taste right imo, and the spring water doesn't seem to have the right mouthfeel.
I do drain off as much oil as poss.

willowsmom · 29/09/2007 02:40

Seona1973, canned tuna has high levels of mercury. That's why it should not be given to pregnant women. As far as children go, it appears to be only in the US that doctors (such as mine) will say do not give. If it's ok'd by a doctor in the UK I would go ahead if I really wanted to give the tuna but would try to find the light kind.

Seona1973 · 29/09/2007 10:01

pregnant women can still eat canned tuna but there is a limit to how much i.e. 4 cans per week. The limit on fresh tuna is 2 tuna steaks per week. There is only a limit for women trying to conceive or who are pregnant - there is no limit on canned tuna for anyone else.

The fish that are complete no no's for children and those trying to conceive or who are pregnant are shark, swordfish or marlin as they have higher levels of mercury than tuna.

p.s. we dont get light tuna here so that isnt an option.

willowsmom · 29/09/2007 15:58

If that's true then it's just in England. I think if you looked it up you would actually find that no more than 1 can of LIGHT tuna is recommended a week for a child and it is debated as to whether a pregnant woman can have one can a week or none. When i was pregnant I erred on the safe side.

willowsmom · 29/09/2007 16:00

Oh, and I know there is no limit for anyone else. I was simply referring to whilst pregnant and for young children. As there are no light tuna cans in the UK that's probably why you don't get that option. If you did, they would probably recommend only light there also.

bookthief · 29/09/2007 22:23

I think I might have worked out what this is about now. Light tuna is mainly skipjack tuna apparently. Skipjack tuna are smaller fish so presumably absorb lower levels of heavy metals?

Anyway, iirc, most of the tinned tuna sold in the UK is skipjack tuna, therefore we are all eating what in the US you call Light tuna. We just don't call it that (and don't have the option of eating the other stuff).

So if that's right, hence lack of government warnings re: canned tuna for babies/children.

AitchTwoOh · 30/09/2007 17:28

aaaah, so that would account for the different ruling on fresh/canned tunas. well done, detective inspector bookthief.

nappyaddict · 30/09/2007 18:07

we use the one with spring water where there's no salt added. its from asda i think or morrisons.

My3ofakind · 18/11/2018 18:02

I tried my nearly ten month old after reading your post got a piece of bread and pressed it down just to draw the oil out she loves anything but yes tuna is now in her food of likes

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