Inside: We love sweet potato for baby! Learn why sweet potatoes make a great first food for babies and how to serve it as a puree and for baby-lead weaning.
Sweet potatoes are a great first food choice for babies starting solids because they are lower in risk for choking and highly nutritious.
Considered an underground tuber that is part of the morning glory family, the sweet potato is easily recognizable due to its bright orange interior flesh, but it can also have white or purple flesh as well.
In this article, we discuss why we love sweet potatoes for baby. We’ll talk about whether sweet potatoes are choking hazards or allergens. Plus, we’ll teach you how to serve it as a puree or for baby-led weaning, and what to do if your baby doesn’t want to eat it.
Article contents:
Are sweet potatoes good for babies?
Are chickpeas a choking hazard?
How do you prepare sweet potatoes for baby?
How do you make sweet potato puree?
How do you prepare sweet potatoes for baby-led weaning?
Are sweet potatoes an allergen?
How can I get my baby to like sweet potatoes?
What do I do if my baby is a picky eater?
Are sweet potatoes good for babies?
Yes. Sweet potatoes are full of nutrients for babies and they offer babies many benefits.
Sweet potatoes are high in the following vitamins and minerals:
- Vitamin A (beta carotene): good for eye, cognitive and immune health.
- Vitamin C: an antioxidant that can help to fight off the common cold.
- Copper: an important mineral for iron metabolism, immune system function and brain development.
- Manganese: important for energy production, strong bones and maintenance of the immune system.
- B vitamins (pantothenic acid, B6): both are involved in energy production, with vitamin B6 also involved with brain development.
Sweet potatoes are also a good source of potassium and they contain fiber as well.
Related: Get expert guidance on feeding children over age 1 in our fundamentals of feeding toddlers course.
Are sweet potatoes a choking hazard?
Sweet potatoes, when properly prepared and cooked, are considered a lower-risk choking food compared to other foods.
However, the skin of a sweet potato can pose a possible choking hazard, so it may be best to peel sweet potatoes and offer them skinless at first, until your baby becomes more proficient with eating.
Related: Find out the top choking hazards for baby and learn how to modify foods to serve them safely.
Gagging vs. choking
Gagging is the body’s natural protective response to prevent choking.
When your baby gags while learning to eat new foods and textures, it means their body is protecting them while they learn a brand new skill.
The symptoms of gagging include:
- Gurgling
- Coughing
- Spitting
- Audible gagging noises
The most important thing to remember is that you can expect gagging to occur. Remain neutral as your child works through their protective gag to continue eating and engaging with the new foods.
Choking is very different from gagging. Choking is when an object or piece of food has either partially or completely blocked their trachea (windpipe/airway). Choking can be life-threatening and requires immediate intervention.
The symptoms of choking include:
- Silent/quiet struggling
- Inability to cough
- Inability to or difficulty breathing.
If available to you, we recommend taking an infant CPR class.
Related: Make sure baby is seated when eating to help prevent choking. Learn about high chairs and footrests for babies to help your little one sit comfortably at the table.
How to prepare sweet potato for baby
Readily available as a root vegetable, sweet potatoes can be prepared for baby in a variety of ways including boiling, baking, frying or drying and grinding into a flour.
The leaves and shoots of the sweet potato are also edible, although they can taste a little bitter. They can be boiled first prior to cooking to remove the bitter flavor.
How to puree sweet potato for baby
Check out these steps for making sweet potato puree for babies.
- Thoroughly wash and dry a sweet potato.
- Peel and cube into smaller pieces.
- Steam the cubed pieces in a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket and water until pierceable with a fork.
- Blend the sweet potatoes cubes in a blender until smooth. Add water, formula or milk as needed until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Once pureed, you can add different seasonings, such as cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired.
- Offer the sweet potato puree to baby on a spoon.
Related: Whether you’re spoon-feeding or self-feeding, some baby utensils can help make sure your baby is eating safely.
How to cook sweet potato for baby-led weaning
If your family is starting with finger foods, here’s how to prepare sweet potato for baby-led weaning.
- Thoroughly wash and dry a sweet potato.
- Peel the sweet potato and cut it into thick finger-like wedges.
- Brush the pieces with olive or avocado oil and place the wedges on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Roast sweet potato until soft and easily pierceable with a fork.
- Serve the wedges to the baby to hold and eat.
Pincer grasp tip
Once your baby develops their pincer grasp, you can cut the sweet potato into cubes, cook them until soft and fork-tender, and serve them so your baby can practice picking them up with their fingers.
Are sweet potatoes an allergen?
Sweet potatoes are considered low in risk for food allergies. However, any food has the potential to trigger an irritation or allergic reaction, so it is good to be mindful of what is happening when a baby tries sweet potato for the first time.
Typically, signs of an allergic reaction happen soon after eating.
It is important to know that sweet potatoes are one of the commonly presented food triggers for a rare food allergy disorder called food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), in which a reaction to the food consumed is delayed, about 1-4 hours afterwards.
Related: Need to find your baby a reliable, easy-to-clean suction plate? See our favorite plates for babies and toddlers.
How to tell if your baby is having an allergic reaction to sweet potatoes
Common allergen symptoms include:
- Hives
- Itching
- Swelling of the lip or tongue
- Rashes
If you notice signs of wheezing, throat tightness, difficulty swallowing or trouble breathing, call your pediatrician immediately.
The hallmark feature with FPIES tends to be profuse and repetitive vomiting or chronic watery diarrhea. If any of these symptoms are observed, then contact the doctor immediately.
Related: Here’s when and how to introduce peanuts and other allergens to your baby.
How to help your baby learn to like sweet potatoes
We never recommend pressuring your child to eat food regardless of their age.
The Division of Responsibility says that while it is the parents’ responsibility to decide what foods are served, it’s up to the child to decide whether or not to eat.
But you can help encourage your child to try new foods by using these two strategies.
Model eating sweet potatoes for your baby
Having your baby join you at the table while you eat is a great way to lay the foundation for eating. You can expose them to foods common in your home and build positive associations with eating.
If your baby shows interest in sweet potato when you’re eating it, offer them a small sample.
Use simple, clear language to describe the situation to your baby:
- “I’m eating sweet potatoes today.”
- “Sweet potatoes for dinner!”
- “Warm and soft sweet potatoes.”
Get more tips for talking about foods with kids from our “How to Talk” Printables.
Do food activities with sweet potatoes
Food activities are a great, low-pressure way to get babies to engage with their food.
For 101+ food play ideas to encourage your child to interact with their food, see Food Play Everyday.
For a baby-friendly sweet potato activity, place a small scoop of mashed sweet potato on your child’s high chair tray. Allow them time to explore, bring the sweet potato to their mouth, rub it back and forth, and smear it around.
Add a plastic ball or toy with wheels and invite them to roll it back and forth over the mashed sweet potatoes.
Here’s what you can say to your baby to communicate what’s happening:
- “Sticky sweet potatoes.”
- “Rub that sweet potato.”
- “Roll, roll, roll in the sweet potatoes.”
Related: Get more tips for getting kids to like sweet potatoes.
Early signs of picky eating in babies
Picky eating is common in toddlers, and you may see early signs of picky eating in babies. If you are starting to suspect your child is a picky eater, check out our expert tips to prevent picky eating and start incorporating the ideas right away.
Additional feeding & nutrition resources
- 25 Best First Foods for Babies
- When to Introduce Cups to Babies
- Why Do Babies Need Iron?
- Top Baby Books About Food
- How to Create Your Child’s Feeding Routine
References
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/sweet-potatoes/
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168483/nutrients
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Manganese-HealthProfessional/
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Copper-HealthProfessional/
- https://worldcrops.org/crops/sweet-potato
- https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12072086
- https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/may2017/caring-relationships-heart-early-brain-development
- https://doi.org/10.1111/nbu.12191
