First foods database
🐟 Pilchards for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat pilchards? Yes, from about 6 months. Pilchards are adult sardines, an oily fish full of omega-3 and calcium (from the soft bones).
Good source of: Omega-3, Calcium, Vitamin D, Protein
How to serve pilchards by age
6 to 9 months
Mash tinned pilchards (in water or tomato sauce with no added salt) with potato or spread on toast. Mash well with a fork so the soft bones are completely broken down.
9 to 12 months
Offer pilchards on toast fingers or mixed into pasta. Mix mashed pilchards into soft tomato pasta or spread thickly on toast fingers.
12 months and up
Serve pilchards on toast or in fish cakes. Pilchards in tomato sauce on toast is a quick, iron and calcium-rich toddler meal.
Choking safety
The bones are soft and mash in, but check for any firmer bones. The soft bones mash in easily, but remove the backbone if it is firm.
Gagging is common and noisy while babies learn to eat. Choking is usually silent. Always stay with your baby while they eat, sitting upright. How to help a choking baby (NHS).
Good to know
- Oily fish: up to 2 portions a week for girls, up to 4 for boys.
- Choose pilchards in water or tomato sauce, not brine.
- Fish is a common allergen.
Introducing it as an allergen
It contains fish, one of the 14 major allergens. How to introduce fish
Easy ideas
- Pilchards on toast
- Pilchard fish cakes
- Pilchard pasta
Goes well with
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat pilchards?
Can babies eat pilchards? Yes, from about 6 months. Pilchards are adult sardines, an oily fish full of omega-3 and calcium (from the soft bones).
Are pilchard bones safe?
They are soft and edible once mashed. They also give calcium.
Are pilchards salty?
Some are, choose those in water. Pilchards in tomato sauce can contain added salt, so check the label.
Sources
- NHS Start for Life: Weaning
- NHS: Fish and shellfish
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).