Charlotte Hudson
Recently, at Carter's nine month appointment, we got the "okay" to introduce him to fish -- not shellfish, which can be highly allergenic, but fish with fins. I am very excited about this because I have a background in marine biology and have worked on protecting the oceans for the better part of my career. But now that the door has been opened to eating seafood, I need to find out what fish is safe for my son to eat.

I grew up eating tuna fish sandwiches, but today, tuna is known to be high in mercury and the FDA has warnings indicating that pregnant women and small children should not eat too much of it. You can find out more information at this website, which is hosted by the FDA and EPA. I also found a more user-friendly site for information: KidSafeSeafood.org.

While I know I cannot protect Carter from everything, I feel that if I can reduce the things I know might be harmful during the years when he is rapidly growing and developing, at least he will be starting from a cleaner slate when he does choose to eat the things that are less good for him!