Is High Mercury Fish Safe for Babies 12–24 months?
For toddlers 12–24 months, High Mercury Fish is best avoided. Fish with high methylmercury content should be avoided entirely for this age group.
Why this rating?
Fish with high methylmercury content should be avoided entirely for this age group. FDA and EPA specifically list shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, bigeye tuna, orange roughy, and marlin.
At 12 to 24 months
The FDA and EPA advice for children aged 1 to 3 is two servings a week from the best choices list, with a serving of about 1 ounce. The highest-mercury fish should not be served at this age either.
More about fish and mercury for babies
What the FDA and EPA say to avoid
The FDA and EPA publish joint advice about eating fish, with a chart that groups fish by mercury level. The choices to avoid, which have the highest mercury levels, include shark, swordfish, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, bigeye tuna and tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico. The agencies say these should not be served to children, and that anyone who has eaten one should simply choose lower-mercury fish afterward.
Why mercury matters for small children
Large, long-lived predatory fish accumulate methylmercury from the fish they eat. Children are a focus of the advice because a developing nervous system is considered more vulnerable. The FDA also notes that mercury is found throughout the tissue of a fish, so cleaning and cooking do not reduce it, which means the choice of species is the only lever a parent has.
Fish is still worth serving
The same advice stresses that fish provides nutrients that support a child's brain development, including omega-3 fats, iron and choline. For children aged 1 to 11 the agencies suggest two servings a week from the best choices list, which includes salmon, sardines, pollock, shrimp, catfish and canned light tuna, with a serving of about 1 ounce at ages 1 to 3. The chart is written for ages 1 to 11, so ask your pediatrician about amounts and preparation if your child is under 12 months.
Which fish are lower in mercury
The FDA and EPA best choices list includes anchovies, catfish, crab, pollock, salmon, sardines, shrimp, tilapia, trout and canned light tuna. Their good choices list, which carries somewhat more mercury, includes albacore or white tuna, yellowfin tuna, halibut, mahi mahi and snapper. Fish and shellfish are also among the major food allergens, so introduce them the way you would any other allergen, with your pediatrician's guidance, and remove all bones from fish before serving.
Reading fish labels
Tuna is a good example of why species matters. Canned light tuna is on the best choices list, albacore is a good choice with more mercury, and bigeye is on the avoid list, yet a label may only say tuna. Look for the species name on packaged fish, sushi and restaurant menus, and be aware that fish sticks and some baby foods may name only a general type. When the species is not stated, treat it as unknown.
In short
In short, leave the highest-mercury species off the plate entirely, choose fish from the best choices list when your pediatrician says your baby is ready, and read labels for the species name. Fish is a valuable food, so the aim is to choose the right fish rather than to avoid fish altogether.
How High Mercury Fish is rated by age
The same ingredient can carry a different rating as a child grows. These are the ratings for each age group that has a guide for High Mercury Fish.
| Age group | Rating |
|---|---|
| babies 0–12 months | Avoid |
| toddlers 12–24 months | Avoid |
Other age group
Is High Mercury Fish safe for babies 0–12 months?Sources
- FDA — regulatory_or_public_health_body
- EPA — regulatory_or_public_health_body
Reviewed by Morvarid Nikousokhantayar, MSc Nutrition, Certified Naturopath & Nutritionist — last reviewed September 27, 2026.
This is general feeding information, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about your child's allergies and needs.
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