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Sardines

A tiny oily fish that punches way above its weight - loaded with omega-3s, and the canned ones bring soft, edible bones full of calcium.

Sardines
Starting age
6+ months
Choking risk
Moderate
Common allergen
Fish

Choking risk

Sardines are a moderate choking risk for babies - the flakes are soft, but bones are the part to manage.

Mash the soft bones into canned sardines, or flake and bone fresh ones. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.

Allergens

Sardines are a fish, and fish is a common food allergen. There's no reason to delay it, though - waiting doesn't prevent allergies, and allergens can start alongside other solids from around 6 months.[2]

Fish and shellfish are separate allergens, so doing fine with one doesn't tell you anything about the other.

If your baby has severe eczema or an existing food allergy, check with your pediatrician before starting allergens.

Start with about ¼ teaspoon of well-cooked, finely flaked sardine mixed into a familiar food, earlier in the day, not near bedtime. Wait 10 minutes, and if all looks well, carry on with the meal. Watch for a reaction over the next couple of hours. Build up gradually from there, and keep fish in the diet a few times a week.[3]

If baby refuses

Sardines have a strong, oily flavor that can be a lot at first. Mash them with cream cheese or avocado, then mix into mashed potato or pasta where it fades. Keep offering - tastes change with repeat tries.

Food safety

Canned sardines are already cooked - choose water-packed with no added salt, then drain, rinse, and mash. Skip brined and smoked sardines: both are heavily salted, and cold-smoked fish is cured rather than cooked.

Cook fresh sardines until opaque and flaking easily all the way through - 145°F - and never serve them raw or undercooked. Babies are more vulnerable to food poisoning than adults.

Sardines are among the lowest-mercury fish you can buy, so they can be a regular fish.[5]

How to serve

6+ months old

Smooth mashed paste, whole soft fillet, or flakes

A whole fillet to hold, or a paste stirred into soft food

Drain and rinse canned sardines - water-packed or olive oil, no salt added - and mash the soft bones right into the flesh until smooth, then stir the paste through mashed potato, avocado, or soft vegetables. The canned bones are safe once mashed in, and they're where the calcium is.

A whole fillet works too: canned fillets are soft enough to hold as they are, or offer a cooked fresh fillet - a sardine fillet is naturally finger-length, just right for baby to hold and eat from. On fresh sardines, check every flake for bones and peel off the skin first.

How to cook

Canned sardines are already cooked - drain, rinse, and mash, or lift out whole fillets. Grill or bake fresh sardines until opaque and flaking easily all the way through - 145°F - and never serve them raw or undercooked. Babies are more vulnerable to food poisoning than adults.

12+ months old

In family meals - on toast, in pasta

Mashed or flaked into dishes, or on toast fingers

Offer sardines in low-salt family meals - mashed on toast, stirred through pasta, or mixed into a tomato sauce - and let your toddler practice with a fork. Keep the fish moist and skip dry, firm pieces. Mash the soft bones right into canned sardines; on fresh sardines, check every flake for bones and peel off the skin first. Choose cans water-packed or in olive oil with no salt added.

How to cook

Canned sardines are already cooked - drain, rinse, and mash, or lift out whole fillets. Grill, bake, or pan-fry fresh sardines until opaque and flaking easily all the way through - 145°F - and never serve them raw or undercooked. Babies are more vulnerable to food poisoning than adults.

Tips

  • The can is the good version. No need to hunt down fresh - canned sardines keep the soft bones and all the calcium, cost little, and sit in the cupboard until needed. Keep a couple of cans in; they're the fastest iron-and-omega-3 meal in the house.
  • Check the label for salt, not just the packing water. "In water" doesn't mean unsalted - many water-packed cans are brined. The ingredients list should read sardines, water or olive oil, and nothing else.

Sources

  1. Choking Hazards (Infant & Toddler Nutrition) - CDC
  2. Fish - FARE
  3. When to Introduce Egg, Peanut Butter & Other Common Food Allergens - AAP HealthyChildren
  4. Advice About Eating Fish - FDA
  5. EPA-FDA Advice about Eating Fish and Shellfish (Best/Good/Avoid chart) - EPA
  6. When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods - CDC
  7. Fish, sardine, Atlantic, canned in oil, drained solids with bone (FDC 175139) - USDA FoodData Central

See also: Mackerel, Catfish, Smoked Salmon, Trout, Tilapia, Pollock