7 Best Sweet Potato Baby Food Recipes For Your Child

Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious and delicious, which makes sweet potato a perfect first solid food for your baby. They are soft, creamy texture, less allergenic in nature and high in vitamin A and E.

Starting sweet potato too early means you might increase the risk of choking and belly aches, but starting too late means you might slow down your baby’s growth. Hence it is important to know when to start giving sweet potato to your baby.

In this article, you will learn 7 best sweet potato baby food recipes along with the sweet potato benefits for babies and things to take care of.

The Right Time to Start Giving Sweet Potato Food to Your Baby

For the first 6 months, your baby should receive only breast milk and nothing else. This is called exclusive breastfeeding and is recommended by the WHO (World Health Organization)

Sweet potato can be introduced after your baby turns 6 months old

The following are some guidelines to check the signs of readiness to try sweet potato

1. Your baby can hold his head up and sit upright in a high chair comfortably.
2. Your baby shows interest in the food you are eating
3. Your baby tries to put things in his/her mouth

How Much Quantity per day and in what form

Begin with 1/2 teaspoon of puree of sweet potato with semi-solid consistency. You can also mix it up with 4 to 5 teaspoons of breastmilk. Increase to 1 tablespoon and gradually thicken the consistency by using less liquid.

Now that you came to know the right time and how much sweet potato to feed your baby, its time to check the nutritional value of sweet potato.

Nutritional Value of Sweet Potato Baby Food

Here is the nutritional value per 100gm of sweet potato baby food

Now that you know the nutritional value of the sweet potato baby food, it is now time to look at the different ways to cook sweet potatoes.

How to Cook Sweet Potatoes Food for Babies

Following are the different methods to cook sweet potatoes for your baby

Method 1: Sweet Potato Puree

#1. Wash and Dice the Sweet Potato

Rinse the fresh sweet potato in clean water. Scrub the skin with the vegetable brush to remove the dirt from the surface. Rinse again and then peel the potato with a vegetable peeler. Dice the potato into small parts.

#2. Cook the Sweet Potato

Bring water to boil in a saucepan. Reduce the flame and cook the sweet potato parts until it becomes tender. Drain the water and rinse the sweet potato with cold water for three minutes to stop the cooking process.

#3. Puree the Sweet Potato

Add the cooked sweet potato in a food processor or a blender until it becomes smooth. Add water to reach the desired level of consistency.

#4. Mix with spices or fruits (optional)

Try mixing the sweet potato puree with

• Dash of cinnamon
• Raisins

Method 2: Roast, Blend and Freeze

#1. Roast the Sweet Potatoes

Wrap the sweet potatoes in the foil and bake. After baking, scoop out the insides of the sweet potatoes and add it into a food processor or a blender.

#2. Add water to the blender

Add half glass of water and blend for about 60 seconds. Add more water if necessary after checking the consistency.

#3. Freeze the content for later

Scoop the sweet potato into the wells of the ice cube tray. You can store it for up to 3 months for further use.

7 Different Sweet Potato Baby Food Recipes

#1. Sweet Potato and Pear Puree Baby Food Recipe

Appropriate for

Babies between 4 to 6 months of age

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 pear

How to cook Sweet Potato and Pear Puree

• Wash both sweet potato and pear with warm water.
• Cut both sweet potato and pear into small pieces.
• Steam all the ingredients.
• Blend the ingredients in the food processor until the content turns smooth.
• Add water as per the consistency.
• Serve fresh and deep freeze the leftover puree for future use.

#2. Sweet Potato Soup Baby Food Recipe

Appropriate for

Babies above 8 months of age.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups sweet potato puree
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 ½ cup chicken soup
• ¼ teaspoon ginger
• ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

How to Cook Sweet Potato Soup

• Mix the flour and butter in a saucepan.
• Add the chicken soup and sugar.
• Bring the mixture to boil, then lower to a simmer.
• Add sweet potato puree and spices and stir the content frequently.
• Bring to a simmer again and cook for 5 minutes.
• Blend the entire mixture in a food processor or a blender and add milk in the end.
• Add salt and pepper to the taste and serve.

#3. Sweet Potato Apple Mash Baby Food Recipe

Appropriate for

Babies between 4 to 6 months of age

Ingredients

• 1 Large Sweet Potato
• 1 Apple

How to Cook Sweet Potato Apple Mash

• Wash both the sweet potato and apple thoroughly with warm water.
• Cut the ingredients into fine pieces and steam it for 30 minutes.
• Add water as per required and crush the content until it turns pulpy.
• Deep freeze the leftover for future use.

#4. Sweet Potato, Apple and Chicken Puree Recipe

Appropriate for

Babies between 6 to 8 months of age

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked diced chicken
• ½ sweet potato
• ½ apple

How to cook

• Wash chicken, sweet potato and apple thoroughly with warm water.
• Cut all the ingredients into small pieces.
• Heat the water in a saucepan and bring it to boil.
• Reduce the simmer and add all the ingredients into the saucepan.
• Allow the content to boil further for 30 minutes.
• Blend the content in the food processor until it turns smooth.
• Add more water if necessary, to achieve consistency.

#5. Peachy Sweet Potato Bake Baby Food Recipe

Appropriate for

Babies between 4 to 6 months of age

Ingredients

• 4 cups mashed sweet potatoes
• 2 cups fresh mashes peaches
• 3 tablespoon flour
• ½ tablespoon nutmeg and cinnamon
• 2 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup sugar (optional)

How to cook Peachy Sweet Potato

• Mix sugar and flour.
• Cut the butter and add it to the mixture.
• Add sweet potatoes and peaches into the mixture.
• Bake the mixture at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.
• Allow the mixture to cool and add water as per consistency.
• Caution: If your baby has dairy issues, do not use butter.

#6. Sweet Potato Risotto Baby Food Recipe

Appropriate for

Babies above 8 months of age

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Vegetables: 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 2 bay leaves, 3 basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic
• 1 ½ cups of rice
• ¾ cup grape juice
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon black pepper

How to cook Sweet Potato Risotto

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Peel the sweet potato and cut it into small pieces.
• Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and roast the content for about 30 minutes.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil, cut vegetables and sweet potato over medium-high heat in a saucepan.
• Cook for about 3 minutes until it turns pulpy.
• Add garlic and rice and cook further for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the grape juice and stir the content frequently.
• Add the sweet potato puree, rosemary, butter and simmer on low flame for 10 minutes.
• After the risotto turns soft, add salt and pepper to taste if desired.

#7. Sweet Potato Pancakes Baby Food Recipe

Appropriate for

Babies above 8 months of age

Ingredients

• ½ cup mashed sweet potato
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup milk

How to Cook Sweet Potato Pancakes

• Mix egg and mashed sweet potato in a mixing bowl.
• Add flour and baking powder and stir the mixture.
• Add milk and butter while stirring. Make sure that the mixture has a thick consistency.
• Medium heat a non-stick pan and add ½ teaspoon butter.
• Cook until the bubbles rise to the surface and then cool it for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Remove the pancake from the non-stick pan and freeze it.

Now that you come to know the different sweet potato recipes for your baby, let us look at the benefits of sweet potato for your baby.

Benefits of Sweet Potato Baby Food

Here are the significant benefits of sweet potatoes for your baby

#1. Prevents Constipation

Sweet Potato is a good source of fibre. As fibre moves through the digestive tract, it absorbs some water and keeps the stool soft and easy to pass. This prevents constipation in your baby and helps to maintain a healthy dietary tract.

#2. Improves Eyesight

Sweet potato contains a high amount of beta-carotene, and more than 100% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A is present in beta-carotene. The vitamin A in beta-carotene improves your baby’s eyesight.

#3. Boosts Immunity

Your baby is prone to catch a common cold and infections very quickly. The vitamin C and E in the sweet potato helps to fight the cold and infections in your baby’s body. Thereby sweet potato aids in strengthening your baby’s immune system.

Sweet potato is also good for your baby’s skin and protects your baby from various skin diseases.

#4. Prevents Anaemia

Sweet potato is loaded with calcium and iron. The iron in the sweet potato helps to improve the haemoglobin (red cell) in your baby’s blood. This helps to prevent your baby from pallor and weariness and thereby prevents anaemia.

#5. Promotes Weight Gain

The high-calorie levels in the sweet potatoes help to gain weight in your baby. Sweet potato also helps your baby’s overall physical development.

#6. Promotes Metabolism

Sweet potato contains essential minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, calcium and iron. The minerals in the sweet potato quickly burn calories to fats and thereby promotes a healthy metabolism.

Now that you know all the major benefits of sweet potatoes for your baby, let us look at the things you need to take care of sweet potato baby food.

Things to Take care for Sweet Potato Baby Food

Though sweet potatoes are easy to digest and a good source of beta carotene and vitamin B6, some babies may show sensitivity to sweet potatoes occasionally. Here are the things you need to take care for sweet potato while feeding your baby

#1. Allergens

If your baby is allergic to sweet potatoes, he will react shortly after consuming the food. Common symptoms could be facial swelling, rashes or itchiness, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. If your baby displays such worrying symptoms, take him to the doctor immediately.

As a precaution – always do a skin test before serving the food by smearing a little bit on the baby’s face. Also give your baby a very tiny quantity to eat the first time.

#2. Diarrhea

Sweet potato contains a sugar called mannitol. Excess mannitol in your baby causes stomach pain if your baby has a sensitive stomach. This leads to stomach bloating and diarrhoea.

If your baby frequently shows such signs after the consumption of sweet potatoes, he is intolerant to foods containing mannitol. The best way is to stop feeding sweet potatoes to your baby and switch to other solid foods like avocados, bananas or carrots.

Conclusion

Check with your baby’s pediatrician before you give your baby sweet potatoes or any other solid food, particularly if your baby has food allergies.