Can Babies Eat Fish?

[mjaclyn]

I know this is probably a strange question, but when I was pregnant I wasn't able to eat a lot of fish because of the Mercury levels in them. DD is now 13 months old and basically eats whatever we eat for meals. We're having Red Snapper tonight and I"m not sure if I should let her eat it or not. I've never had it and I have no idea if it has Mercury in it or not. Is that something only pregnant women have to worry about or should I be careful with DD as well? She's had fish before, just not Snapper. I've also avoided giving her any kind of shellfish just in case she has an allergy to it. DH and I don't have any history of allergies, but DD is already allergic to milk and cheese so I don't want to take any chances.

[offwego]

She's had fish before, just not Snapper. I've also avoided giving her any kind of shellfish just in case she has an allergy to it. DH and I don't have any history of allergies, but DD is already allergic to milk and cheese so I don't want to take any chances.

Mecury is a compond that accumulates (and I believe the reason that pregnant women shouldn't have it is due to the formulation of the cells not normal growth of them). As long as your eating a varied diet (ie not only fish) and your aware of where your fish is from and the area's history of mecury levels it should be no problem. (of course as you seem to be doing you wouldn't want to introduce multiple new foods at one time)

[thrillme]

I vote go ahead and give it too her. There's a lot more health benefits from fish than the possible negatives.

The only thing I would watch for is the pieces that you give her...make sure they don't have any bones.

I grew up eating fish and ALL seafood. I LOVE it so does my DS (except I haven't convinced him to try calimari yet )

[Kidsmom]

I vote for the fish too, but not tunafish at this age. Also I would only give it your child only once a week. This is a great conversation to have at your next ped. appt. to get the best clarification.

My kids started eating dozens of clams and other fish at 2 years old and still love it all!! Its nice having little ones eating adult food and not caught in the mac & cheese, chicken tenders rut!

[SBETigg]

Keep in mind that the mercury warnings given to pregnant women also apply to small children. I would avoid the fish on the risks list. We have a friend who has been completely wiped out from mercury poisoning and it's not worth the risk of exposure. He can't work. He can't even walk across a room without exhausting himself. Exposure is cumulative, and his was mostly from work risks and tooth fillings, but it put us on alert.

Shark, Swordfish, King Mackeral, and Tile Fish is on the list to avoid. Fresh tuna is more of a risk than canned tuna, and the EPA website says that tuna is safe on a once a week basis. I think you're okay with Red Snapper. I Googled Mercury in Fish and came up with the information on several websites.

[tinklover]

the fish with the highest mercury levels are the steak fish i.e tuna, salmon and shark and shell fish. i am a big seafood eater and asked my pediatrician when i could feed my kids seafood and she said to wait til they are a year old due to seafood allergies. at 12 mnths and older you have a better chance of noticing an allergy and getting them to an er then if they were younger. my DD 3 yrs had crabs and shrimp for her first birthday meal and she loved it . I would give her a small bit of the snapper and see if ther eis a reaction to it over the next couple of days if ther eis no reaction then i would say go ahead and feed it to her when ever you have it.

[prprincess]

I make fish for dinner about once a week, and did feed it to DS#1 as soon as he was able to eat table foods. I think that as long as it's in moderation, and not a fish that usually has high mercury levels, she'll be okay.

[mjaclyn]

We usually eat fish once a week as well. She's had Salmon, Tilapia, Cod and Whitefish. We've also had Marlin but I wasn't sure about it so I didn't give it to her. I'll have to ask my pediatrician about it next time. It sounds like she'll be fine as long as it's in moderation.

[BrerGnat]

Our pediatrician advised us to wait until 12 months for most fish BUT wait until 3 years old for ANY sort of shellfish (including shrimp). Shellfish allergies are very serious and common, even without family histories of allergies. Waiting until 3 seems to provide the highest protection against developing a shellfish allergy.

She also advised to avoid the high mercury fish (the ones on the list for pregnant women to avoid), since babies are so much smaller, they can develop mercury poisoning very quickly.