When Can I Give Sweet Potatoes to my Baby?

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If you’re planning to do baby led weaning with sweet potatoes, they make the perfect first solid baby food beginning with six months of age. The sweet potatoes can be cooked first and then mashed / pureed, or cut into large enough pieces so your baby could grasp them with his little hands. You can make a large variety of sweet potato baby food combinations and finger foods with different textures adjusted by age.

If making sweet potatoes for babies know that you can use any sweet potato such as red sweet potato, white sweet potato, purple sweet potato, Japanese sweet potato etc.

Just like baby led weaning with carrots or butternut squash, the sweet potato has a nice soft texture (when cooked) and is nutritionally dense with a good variety of minerals and vitamins – actually one of the best sources of vitamin A. Plus it’s rich in resistant starch and dietary fiber which helps in digestion.

Related: Potatoes For Baby: Ways To Prepare & Serve (BLW)

Sweet potatoes can be cooked in a variety of ways from steaming to baking or grilling. You just need to peel off its skin (or you can peel the skin after the sweet potato has been cooked), cut to age appropriate sizes and cook.

If you prefer you can cook first, and then cut (or mash).

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How To Cut Sweet Potato For Baby Led Weaning

You have two options:

• Peel and cut first, then cook OR
• Cook first (cut in half) then cut into smaller pieces and serve to your baby.

For a fun crinkle-cut shape use a crinkle knife. It’s quick to cut and easy for babies to hold with their little hands because it doesn’t slide off.

You can also cut the sweet potatoes into other different shapes (cubes, strips, small sized half moon shapes, mashed with a fork, pureed or spiralized).

Steaming is one of the best ways to prepare sweet potato for baby led weaning. This method of cooking preserves the most of it vitamins as there is less contact with water and has a short exposure to heat.

To steam you need to:

1. Peel the sweet potato. Slice it into desired size pieces.
2. Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket and cover with a lid.
3. Steam on medium-low heat for approximately 15-20 minutes (it depends on the size) or until they are soft when pierced with a fork. Then you can cut into smaller pieces specific for your baby’s age and serve.

If you want to bake sweet potatoes for your baby, you have two options: cut then bake, or bake first (cut in half) and then once soft cut into smaller pieces.

If you intend to serve with a spoon, mashed or make a sweet potato puree, then you can bake (or steam) sweet potato whole.

1. Chop the sweet potatoes into desired size. I like to cut it in half before roasting. And then slice into smaller pieces after baking.
2. Brush with oil (healthier oil to use is olive oil, avocado oil or grape seed oil).
3. Spread on a parchment paper lined sheet pan (try not to use foil, aluminum when exposed to high heat can leach into food).
4. Roast until soft, approximately 30-40 minutes. Then you can cut into desired shapes.

Also bear in mind that if you prepare the sweet potato as baby finger food, it should be cooked until tender but still firm enough to keep its integrity.

Boiling sweet potatoes usually is the least preferred method if you need just plain soft sweet potato pieces. The most nutrients will leach into the boiling water that you will likely discard. This method is best when you make soups and purees as you would keep the water with all the leached nutrients.

Sweet Potato Baby Puree (Stage 1)

You can make baby sweet potato puree by itself with a very smooth and soupy texture. This is usually suitable for babies between 5-8 months of age and 6+ months for baby-led weaning.

After baking, roasting or steaming, you just take the soft flesh, mash and puree the sweet potato in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water as needed to reach the desired consistency. No salt or spices needed.

Sweet Potato Baby Food Puree Combinations (Stage 2)

After a while of stage 1 (single-ingredient purees), your baby will probably start expressing readiness for the next phase (stage 2 – typical for babies 8 months of age and older): more kinds of food, thicker textures and larger portions. So you can only roughly mash the sweet potato with a fork and serve.

• steamed kale (or other greens) and sweet potato puree
• sweet potato and cauliflower puree
• pureed sweet potato and cooked chicken or beef
• steamed broccoli, apple and sweet potato puree
• cooked beans (black, white beans, chickpeas) and sweet potato puree
• steamed apples (or pear) and sweet potato puree
• steamed peas and sweet potato puree
• mashed avocado and sweet potato puree
• steamed zucchini and sweet potato puree
• pureed sweet potato with rice or oatmeal porridge
• puree sweet potato with a some broth/stock or cream and add seasonings of your choice.

Sweet Potato Finger Food Recipes For Baby

Serve sweet potato as first solid baby food beginning wit six months of age. Cook by steaming, roasting or boiling, mashed or pureed, cut into strips or cubes – perfect for baby led weaning.

• 1 sweet potato (medium size, peeled)
• 1-2 cups water (if steaming)
• 1 tsp oil (if roasting)
• dash of salt (for babies older than 12 months)

• You have two options: Peel and cut first, then cook ORCook first (cut in half) then cut into smaller pieces and serve to your baby. For a fun crinkle-cut shape use a crinkle knife. It’s quick to cut and easy for babies to hold with their little hands because it doesn’t slide off.You can also cut cubes, strips, sticks or small sized half moon shapes, mashed with a fork or spiralized.

• Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket and cover with a lid.

• Steam on medium-low heat for approximately 15-20 minutes or until they are soft when pierced with a fork. Then you can cut into smaller pieces specific for your baby’s age and serve.Note: it should be cooked until tender but still firm enough to keep its integrity.

• Chop the sweet potatoes into desired size. I like to cut it in half before roasting. And then chop into smaller pieces after baking.

• Brush with oil (healthier oil to use is olive oil, avocado oil or grape seed oil).

• Spread on a parchment paper lined sheet pan (try not to use foil, aluminum when exposed to high heat can leach into food).

• Roast until soft, approximately 30-40 minutes. Then you can cut into desired shapes. If I want soft sweet potatoes, bake at 380F, to get a caramelized, golden brown crust: 410-425F.

• This method is best when you make soups and purees as you would keep the water with all the leached nutrients.Boiling sweet potatoes usually is the least preferred method if you need just plain soft sweet potato pieces. The most nutrients will leach into the boiling water that you will likely discard.

• After baking, roasting or steaming, you just take the soft flesh, mash and puree the sweet potato with a hand blender or a baby bullet blender until smooth.

• Add water as needed to reach the desired consistency. No salt or spices needed.

You can serve chunky mashed sweet potato by itself or combine with other foods. Here is what sweet potato puree combination you can try:

• steamed kale and sweet potato puree
• sweet potato and cauliflower puree
• pureed sweet potato and cooked chicken or beef
• steamed broccoli and sweet potato puree
• cooked beans (black, white beans, chickpeas) and sweet potato puree
• steamed apples (or pear) and sweet potato puree
• peas and sweet potato puree
• mashed avocado and sweet potato puree
• zucchini and sweet potato puree
• pureed sweet potato with rice or oatmeal porridge
• puree sweet potato with a some broth or cream and add seasonings of your choice.

Serving: 0.25cooked potatoCalories: 25.7kcalCarbohydrates: 5.9gProtein: 0.6gSodium: 10.3mgPotassium: 135.4mgFiber: 0.9gSugar: 1.8gVitamin A: 34.2IUVitamin C: 6.8mgCalcium: 0.9mgIron: 1.7mg

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