First foods database

🐟 Sardines for babies: when and how to serve it

Can babies eat sardines? Yes, from about 6 months. Sardines are an oily fish full of omega-3, and the soft edible bones in tinned sardines add calcium.

From 6 monthsAllergen: FishLow choking risk when prepared well

Good source of: Omega-3, Calcium, Vitamin D, Protein

How to serve sardines by age

6 to 9 months

Choose tinned sardines in water or olive oil, not brine or salted tomato sauce. Mash well, soft bones included, then spread thickly on toast fingers or stir into mashed potato.

9 to 12 months

Offer flaked sardine on toast fingers, mixed into pasta with tomato, or shaped into soft fishcakes.

12 months and up

Serve on toast, in pasta sauces, fishcakes or on jacket potatoes. Grilled fresh sardines are lovely once bones are removed.

Choking safety

Tinned sardine bones are soft and mash easily, so they are safe when well mashed. Fresh sardines have firmer bones and a central spine, so fillet them carefully and check each flake with your fingers before serving.

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.
Fish is an allergen; introduce on its own first.

Introducing it as an allergen

It contains fish, one of the 14 major allergens. How to introduce fish

Easy ideas

Mashed sardines on toast fingers
Sardine and tomato pasta
Sardine and potato fishcakes

Goes well with

🍞BreadFrom 6 months · Gluten 🥔PotatoFrom 6 months 🍝PastaFrom 6 months · Gluten 🍅TomatoFrom 6 months

Recipes with sardines

🐟Sardine and avocado smash on toastFrom 9 months · Breakfast · 7 min 🥫Sardine and tomato pasta sauceFrom 7 months · Lunch · 20 min

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Questions parents ask

Can babies eat sardines?

Can babies eat sardines? Yes, from about 6 months. Sardines are an oily fish full of omega-3, and the soft edible bones in tinned sardines add calcium.

Can babies eat sardine bones?

Yes, the soft bones in tinned sardines are safe when mashed well, and they are a useful source of calcium. Remove the larger bones of fresh sardines.

Are tinned sardines salty?

Some are. Choose sardines in water or olive oil, avoid brine and check labels for lower salt. Mixing them with potato or avocado also spreads a small amount further.

Sources

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).