canned tuna?

[Izzy-B's mommy]

Does anyone feed their lo's canned tuna?  If so, what do you do with it?  Mix with mayo & make a sandwhich?  give it alone(seems dry)
If not, why?
Hope to here your comments

[Fife_Mum]

I give him with pasta and a white sauce (and veg) or mixed with baked potato, cheese, sweetcorn and creme freche or mayonaisse. Tomorrow I am sending him to nursery with tuna sandwiches - probably tuna, mayo and either sweetcorn or cucumber pieces.

I only give him tinned tuna once a week at most due to the possible contaminants - mercury I think? I also look for a tin with the least added salt - i.e. in oil not brine.

I am interested in other ideas since I really struggle with checking for bones in fresh fish. (I'm vegetarian and DH doesn't like fish so it is not something I have dealt with before.)

Cheers,
Vicky

[amheusser]

You might introduce it dry - they don't know the difference, and it's less messy that way.  My older dd LOVES tuna salad - I pack that with crackers for picnics and we don't have sandwiches to get squashed.  I don't remember when I started to give it to her with the mayo, but probably around 12 months, when the allergy concerns lessen.

[Izzy-B's mommy]

Thanks for the idea's...   I did not know to look for tuna in oil and not brine... I don't even know what brine is to be honest with you  Vicky :oops: ....   
I was worried that the tuna would be dry all by itself but I guess not if you gave it to ur lo's    Thanks Aubrey 
Izzy-b will be having some tuna tomorrow!  I really like it when I find new things to give to her... This site is such a wonderful thing :!:

[matt&chris mom]

I remember eating so much tuna during my college days that I can still smell the last can of tuna I opened if I think about tuna. It's been 11 years since I had any. I never thought of introducing it to DS#1. I have a feeling DS#2 would like it. He likes anything these days.


Minerva

[Deb_in_oz]

hi - you can also use tuna in springwater rather than oil.
there is minimal- to- zero risk of mercury with tinned tuna because they use the little baby tuna not the large ones you get as tuna steak

a good simple recipe i fed alex from 9mo - 1 year was:
1 tin drained tuna
1 tomato chopped (can de-seed if you want)
1 small tin creamed corn
small sized pasta (can cut up penne or spirals or use risoni or "baby" pasta - about a lg handful or so of cooked pasta
grated cheese (cheddar or similar)

just mix them all together  in a pot and stir until cheese melts and is mixed through the dish.

it freezes fine so you can put leftovers in sm. containers for other meals.  kind of tastes like tuna noodle casserole

[15milner]

Tuna fishcakes

I mix tuna with mashed potato and nowadays some fresh herbs or some corn and take little balls (about a teaspoons worth) pat until it's flatter, coat with a little flour and fry until golden. I make a batch of them, then freeze the ones I don't use in portions of 4/5 fishcakes ready just to heat through another time.

FYI - tuna in brine is basically tuna in salt water.  I use either in oil or in spring water.

alex

[Jess-J&E]

I just fed Ethan some tuna for the first time last night and he loved it!  I just gave him little pieces on his try right from the can.  It was easy for him to pick up too.  I got mine in water not in oil but I think either one is just fine.  I found the water to be a little less messy though.
Jess

[Izzy-B's mommy]

Well; dd hated the tuna!  She got one whiff and turned her head!  So; I put some on toast with mayo and tried it that way.... Still no go. (she's a fussy little eater....)
So... I'll try it again tomorrow and if it's still not working, I'll move onto some of these recipies you have given to me...
~~ gotta love a fussy eater ~~

[Fife_Mum]

Hi,

It is good to see some other ideas - and good to find out not to worry about mercury. I noticed when I got the tuna out the cupboard last night that it was actually in springwater - my local supermarket doesn't stock that which is why I was thinking oil.

Cheers,
Vicky

[Sam's mommy]

Hi - just thought I'd pass on some tuna info:
Get chunk light tuna instead of Albacore, as it has 3 times less mercury.  The Environmental Working G-roup has some great info on fish contamination (eg: Pacific Salmon and sardines have low mercury but high levels of PCBs).

A moist way to serve is blended with mashed avocado.

http://www.ewg.org/issues/mercury/20031209/index.php

[Izzy-B's mommy]

Thank You So Much Sam's mommy!!   I am anxious to check out that website ~~ I have so many questions when it comes to feeding my lo fish as I'm sure alot of people do.

[Gareth - Harvey & Theo's Dad]

I don't even know what brine is to be honest with you  Vicky :oops: ....   

Brine is water that is nearly saturated, or saturated in salt.

[Izzy-B's mommy]

Thank you Harvey's folks   

[evanskimberley]

Holly loves tuna with canned tomatoes, ready chopped are the best. Such an easy meal to make as very little preparation, all in the store cupboard! Also tried mixing it with potato or sweet potato

[phoebesmum]

Tuna pasta bake is my dd's favourite!

Put cooked pasta in an ovenproof dish and add cooked brocolli and any other veg you fancy, one can of chopped tomatoes and sprinkle with grated cheese
Cook in oven at 180c for about 20 mins then blend as appropriate for your lo's age.

Really easy and tasty for adults too!

[evanskimberley]

I've just checked out that website and found it very interesting, although confusing.
I referred to a different page for fish to avoid during pregnancy, I couldn't find one specifically for babies, so thought this was the nearest thing. It said that pregnant women should only eat cod, pollock and canned tuna once a month. That seems very sensitive!!!

Does anyone know if that is American fish, is the stuff I buy in GB any better? I know I ate cod and tuna each once a week during pregancy and DD has it about that frequently now.

Anyone got any advice?

[shir_shir]

he likes to eat it like that. fresh.

[klt]

Help!  I am freaking out as I just read this post and thought: I'll double check the ingredients on the tuna I;ve been giving dd this week.  I thought it wasok if it said it was in water not brine but the ingredients say tuna, water, SALT  :shock: so now I feel terrible - have I damaged her kidneys, ruined her tastebuds or something like that?   PLease help I feel like such an idiot I have been trying to be so careful with what she eats and then I do this  :oops:

[amheusser]

Kit - I'm sure it's fine.  I was surprised yesterday to read that my frozen peas contain salt - no salt was the reason why I buy frozen rather than canned!  :x    Unless you've been giving her a full can of salty tuna 3x a day, you haven't done any damage.  You can try to read more carefully in the future, but it's not a big deal, especially in a baby-sized serving.

[micah'smom]

resurrecting an old thread - sounds like GB and US regulations may be different on canned tuna?? recently there's been a whole hoopla about how the USFDA is totally not regulating the amt of mercury in canned tuna. there are most likely more amts than we thought, even the chunk light - depending on what kind of tuna they use (yellow or skipjack), info not found on the can, so you have no idea. so my gut instinct is that if you're from the U.S., to avoid it alltogether until your lo is older.

[Izzy-B's mommy]

What about if your from canada?  Do we eat the same tuna as the states I wonder???

[micah'smom]

izzyb'smomma, good question? i have no idea...but do you have the same brands? that may be a better indicator (starkist, etc).

here's the article i read about it last month:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0512310211dec31,1,2450043.story

basically some cans labelled "light tuna" are made with yellowfin tuna, a species that have as much mercury as albacore. the article lists some brands that use those.