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The Best Sweet Potato Baby Puree (Stage One)

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This Sweet Potato Baby Puree is a smooth puree with a pinch of mild curry powder that makes for a fun and tasty first food for your baby! Great Stage 1 baby food for babies 4-6+ months.

Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).

Sweet Potato Baby Food Puree

This deliciously rich baby food puree will take your little one on a fun culinary adventure ✈️ without ever leaving their high chair!

Sweet potatoes are one of my all-time favorite vegetables to puree for my baby. Not only do I find that most babies love their naturally sweet taste and creamy texture, but sweet potatoes are also loaded with essential nutrients for a growing baby. That’s a winning combo in my book! 🏆

In this recipe, we will roast the sweet potatoes to bring out their natural caramel-like, earthy goodness before adding a pinch of mild curry powder and blending to a light and smooth consistency. The result? A sweet yet slightly herbal puree with a silky texture that leaves a fine and captivating sleek feel in your baby’s mouth.

Don’t be afraid to eat this flavorsome puree right alongside your baby 👩‍👧- it’s that good!

Is it your first time making homemade baby food? If you answered yes, then I suggest you start this journey by reading my in-depth Guide on How to Make Homemade Baby Food. The detailed article goes over all the essential information such as the best cooking tools to have on hand, safe storage, knowing when your baby is ready for solids, introducing purees, making the best first foods for baby, and more! You can also check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes.

Sweet Potato Video

Watch this video to see how easy this Sweet Potato Puree recipe actually is!

Reasons to Love Sweet Potato Puree

smooth and creamy
great for babies 4-6+ months
stage one baby food
packed with essential nutrients for baby
easy to make — requires only 5 minutes of hands-on time
babies love the sweet and earthy taste
homemade
freezer-friendly

Ingredients

Make sure to read the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions!

Sweet Potatoes: These are at the top of the list when it comes to the first foods to introduce to your baby. The nutritional value of sweet potatoes is outstanding, and the sweet taste makes it easy to introduce to your baby. Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene as well as the ultra-important electrolyte mineral, Potassium. They also contain Vitamin E, calcium, folate, and plenty of other vitamins and minerals. Thanks to their high fiber content, sweet potatoes help support a healthy digestive tract and promote regular bowel movements for your baby. This recipe calls for 2 sweet potatoes, but you can use more or less depending on how much you want to make.
Mild Curry Powder: We are kicking up the flavor profile with mild curry powder to bring out the sweet potatoes’ earthiness, making the puree’s flavor a bit more robust. You can skip the curry powder if you prefer or add another spice like cinnamon, nutmeg, basil, or rosemary.

Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

A great source of fiber that can prevent and resolve constipation.
Contains a lot of beta-carotene, which converts into vitamin A for eye health.
Contain vitamins C and E to help strengthen immunity.
A high source of potassium to help maintain a healthy heart and blood pressure, fluid balance, and muscle function.

Shopping & Storing Tip: When purchasing sweet potatoes, look for small to medium sweet potatoes that are firm, smooth, even in skin tone, and without cracks or cuts. Why small to medium? Because the larger ones tend to be starchier. Sweet potatoes stay fresh longest in a cool or room-temperature location, away from moisture, heat, and light.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prep: Wash the sweet potatoes while ignoring the fact that you probably need a manicure.
Roast: Dry and prick sweet potatoes before popping them onto a baking sheet and into the oven to bake for 50-60 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork. Let cool to touch.
Discard Skin: Peel away the sweet potato skin and discard.
Place in Blender: Place the sweet potato and curry into a blender or food processor and add liquid of your choice.
Blend: Puree for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth, adding more
Eat: Serve or freeze for a later meal.

Tools Needed

These tools will make it a lot easier for you to make this healthy Sweet Potato puree. For more of my favorite kitchen tools make sure to check out my shop.

Baking Sheet
Blender or Food Processor
Freezer Tray
Storage Containers for Fridge
Stasher Bag
BEABA Babycook
bib with catch pocket

Other Cooking Methods

While I love the rich flavor of roasted sweet potatoes, there are several ways you can cook them to make into a baby food puree.

BEABA Babycook

With a touch of a button, the BEABA Babycook will cook the sweet potatoes for you! Place 1 peeled and chopped sweet potato into the stainless steel steamer basket, and place the basket into the glass container, closing the lid. Fill the reservoir tank to a level 3, close and lock the lid. Hit the steam button and let the machine do its magic. Once steamed, transfer the sweet potatoes into the glass container, leaving the water, close the lid, and hit the blend button for 1 minute or until the puree is smooth. You may need to add more water to the puree if needed in 2 tablespoon increments.

Full Review: read my full, in-depth and honest review of the BEABA Babycook Neo here! Make sure to grab 15% off your Babycook with code (BabyFoode15)!

Steaming

Peel and roughly chop 2 sweet potatoes. Place them into a steamer basket over 2 inches of boiling water for 10-15, or until tender when pricked with a fork. Puree in a blender as directed below.

Boiling

Place 2 peeled and roughly chopped sweet potatoes into a medium saucepan, add enough water to cover the sweet potatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork. Puree in a blender as directed below.

Instant Pot

You can cook the sweet potato in an instant pot as well. Add one cup of water to the bottom of your instant pot, and add the trivet. Prick the sweet potatoes a few times with a fork and place them on the trivet. Close the lid and set the valve to “sealing.” Turn on the instant pot, select “high pressure,” and set the timer for 30 minutes if you’re using medium sweet potatoes and 60 minutes if you’re using large ones. When the timer goes off, allow the pressure to do a “natural release” before you manually release the rest of the pressure. Let the sweet potatoes cool, and then peel and puree in a blender as directed below.

BEABA Babycook Neo

Our all-time favorite baby food maker! Comes with a large capacity glass bowl, stainless steel steam basket and has four cook settings: steam cook, blend, reheat or defrost. A must-have kitchen tool if you want a hands-free way to make homemade baby food.

View Product

Puree Feeding Tips

Follow your baby’s lead – when feeding purees from a spoon, sometimes there’s a tendency to keep offering bites past the point of your baby being full. Always follow baby’s cues for when they are done eating. Turning away from the spoon, closing her mouth, or pushing food away are all signs that baby is finished with the meal.
Try adding a little seasoning or spice to purees – babies like flavor! Or consider changing the temperature of purees from time to time, to slightly warmed or slightly chilled. Varying these aspects adds to the sensory experience!
Throwing spoons is a common phase that all babies go through at one point or another. One of the best ways to handle spoon throwing is to ignore it and keep feeding baby as usual (with an extra spoon you already have at the table). If baby ends up also throwing back up spoons #2 AND #3, simply encourage your baby to eat with their hands until they appear to be finished with the meal. ***Give baby plenty of opportunities to practice putting items in and taking items out of containers outside of meal times.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can baby have sweet potatoes?

Baby can eat sweet potatoes as one of their first foods. When a baby can start on solids is determined by their own rate of development, which generally comes between 4-6 months of age. Some of the developmental milestones babies need to reach in order to start solids include: if your baby has solid control of their head and neck, if your baby has doubled in weight, and if your baby is reaching for or opening their mouth when you eat (see my guide here). Before you start your baby on purees, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready for purees.

Can sweet potato be baby’s first food?

Sweet potato can 100% be baby’s first food if you want it to be. It is recommended to wait to introduce the top eight allergen foods to your baby once a few other well-tolerated foods have been introduced, but otherwise, foods can be introduced in any order so choose whatever you are most excited for your baby to have.

Is sweet potato a common allergen for baby?

No, sweet potato is not a common allergen, however, as with any food, start with a small portion and be aware of any signs that might be an allergic reaction after introducing it.

Does sweet potato cause constipation for babies?

Too much sweet potato may cause constipation in some babies but they are high in fiber so can also help alleviate constipation in others. If your baby is constipated and eating a lot of sweet potatoes, cut back and see if that helps.

Can I add spice to this sweet potato puree?

For this recipe, we are adding a pinch of mild curry powder, but feel free to use the following spices instead: cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, thyme, mint, basil, or fresh ginger (see quantity recommendations in the recipe card).
Tip on Spices: I always add spices or herbs to my baby food purees, but you can choose to leave them out. You do you! Either way, this puree will surely turn out scrumptious.

How to Store Sweet Potato Baby Food

REFRIGERATOR

You can store this puree in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

FREEZER

This puree can be frozen for up to 4 months.

Spoon the puree into a freezer storage container (this is my favorite freezer storage container). Do not overfill.
Place the lid on the storage container or cover with a piece of saran wrap — label with the date and recipe name.
Place the tray into the freezer and let it freeze completely — preferably overnight.
Pop-out the baby food cubes and place them in a zip-lock baggie or stasher bag. Don’t forget to relabel the baggie or stager bag for future reference.

Need more information on how to store your baby foods? Head over to my Best Baby Food Storage Containers – Plus 6 Tips on Freezing and Thawing post!

Sweet Potato Combination Purees

While this Sweet Potato Puree tastes satisfying to the tummy by itself, it’s also easy to mix and match with other nutrient-dense baby food purees. Give these fun flavor combos a try!

Apples
Carrots
Pears
Parsnips
Beets (golden or red)
Quinoa Baby Cereal
Chicken
White Beans
Soft Tofu
Pumpkin
Mango
Cauliflower
Yogurt
Beef
Canned Coconut Milk
Salmon

Recipe Tips

Sweet Potatoes: Look for medium sweet potatoes that are even in color with no scratches. Large sweet potatoes are starchier and might make the puree too thick.
Pureeing: Root vegetables absorb a lot of liquid while pureeing, so don’t be shy about adding extra liquid while blending. I had to add a full cup of liquid to the sweet potatoes to get them smooth. Start by adding 1/4 cup of liquid and slowly go up from there as needed.

Or watch a shortened version of this video here.

2 medium sweet potatoes
1/4 tsp mild curry powder (optional)
1/4-1 cup liquid or pureeing, (water, fresh breast milk, formula, or sodium-free chicken stock)

Prep: Heat oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with tin foil, parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Bake: Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Prick with a fork in several places and then place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until a fork can easily prick the sweet potato. Let sit until cool to touch.
Peel: Cut into the skin of the potato lengthwise and peel away the skin of the potato. Scoop out the sweet potato meat and place it into a blender or food processor, adding in the mild curry powder and liquid.
Blend: Puree on high for 1-2 minutes or until smooth, adding in additional liquid in 1/4 cup increments if needed. I had to add in 1 cup of water to the puree pictured.
Eat: Serve to baby or freeze for a later meal.

Age: 4-6+ months and up

Yield: 24 ounces

Additional Spices: Feel free to use the following spices instead of the curry – 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, 1/4 tsp of cloves, 1 fresh garlic clove, 1/2 tsp of chopped fresh thyme, 3-4 basil leaves, 1/2 tsp chopped rosemary or even a big pinch of fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp ginger powder. Or you can leave out the spices altogether.

Storage: Fridge – store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freezer – can be frozen for up to 4 months.

Blender

Freezer Tray

Bumkins Baby Bowl

Tripp Trapp High Chair

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Favorite Sweet Potato Baby Food (BLW & Pureed)

With one super simple cooking method, you can roast sweet potato wedges to serve one of three yummy ways—BLW style, mashed, or pureed into classic sweet potato puree. It’s the easiest way to make sweet potato baby food. (And the rest of the family can enjoy it, too!)

Sweet Potato Baby Food

Sweet potato is a perfect baby food. It’s nutritious, naturally flavorful, and cooks up nicely and softly. And no matter whether you’re starting your baby with the Baby Led Weaning style of feeding or more traditional purees, this one cooking method will work beautifully. And you can serve it to everyone at the table—big kids and grown-ups alike!

This recipe makes roasted sweet potato wedges, which you can serve as is or mash or puree them smoother with a fork. So easy.

This recipe has vitamins A and C, as well as fiber and healthy fats from the olive oil. It’s a perfect food to serve to a 6-month baby or older who’s starting on solids—or who is well-accustomed to eating.

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Ingredients You Need

To make this roasted sweet potato baby food, you just need the following ingredients.

Sweet potato: Look for a medium to large sweet potato with orange flesh for the best flavor. These are sometimes called “garnet yams.”
Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil, such as this one from California Olive Ranch. You could also use avocado oil if that’s what you have.
You can add salt to taste to your portion, though you’ll want to set aside a serving for your baby before adding salt.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s a look at how to make this simple recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information.

Choose a medium to large sweet potato with orange flesh. They are sometimes called “garnet yams” at the store.
Slice in half. Cut each half in half.
Cut each piece in half again to make wedges that are about ½ inch thick. You can cut them horizontally, too, if you’re working with a very large sweet potato.
Toss with olive oil in a bowl.
Spread on a foil-lined sheet pan.
Roast until soft.

TIP: You want the wedges to be about the size of one or two of your fingers, which is a good shape for BLW food for baby to self-feed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is sweet potato good for babies?

It’s such a great baby food because it’s rich in nutrients and fiber, has a naturally sweet flavor, and is very soft. It’s also an affordable veggie and stores well in the kitchen in a cool, dark place around room temperature.

Can I add seasoning to this recipe?

You can add crushed rosemary or cinnamon to this recipe. If serving to adults or older kids, you can also sprinkle with salt after cooking and setting a few aside for baby. Babies under the age of 1 shouldn’t have added salt, but they can have herbs and spices (as long as they aren’t hot-spicy).

What pairs well with sweet potatoes for babies?

You can combine this puree with apple puree, pea puree, avocado puree, banana puree, bean puree, or anything that sounds appealing to you.

Can I feed my 5 month old sweet potatoes?

Babies can have sweet potatoes after they start solids, which typically happens around 6 months old.

How to Make Sweet Potato Wedges (BLW)

Once you’ve followed the recipe instructions, you’ll have roasted sweet potato wedges that are ready to serve. You can let them cool slightly and offer to your baby to hold and gnaw on. They also store well in an airtight container in the fridge to serve at future meals.

TIP: I like to leave the skin on my sweet potato wedges since it helps them hold together a little better when a baby eats them baby-led weaning style.

How to Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes

To serve the sweet potato as a thick mash, simply mash it with a fork. You can discard the skin and any pieces that don’t mash easily. If you want to make a larger batch, simply remove the skin from as many wedges as you want and mash in a bowl with a potato masher or in a food processor.

This stays on a spoon nicely, so you can preload it and hand it to baby to feed themselves.

How to Serve Mashed Sweet Potatoes (Stage 2)

When serving this sweet potato puree to a baby, you can preload the spoon, hand it to them, and let them feed themselves. If the baby is used to eating solids, they will also likely be able to pick it up with their fingers, as it’s pretty thick.

How to Make Homemade Sweet Potato Puree (Stage 1)

To turn the roasted wedges into sweet potato puree, simply mash with a fork until very smooth, adding a 1 tablespoon of water at a time to reach the desired thin consistency. It purees SO easily this way!

TIP: I love this cooking method because I can serve the roasted sweet potato wedges to my whole family, and either a wedge or some puree for the baby without much extra work.

How to Store

Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the fridge. You can also freeze baby food in an ice cube tray, then transfer the frozen cubes to a freezer bag for longer-term storage.

Best Tips for Success.

You can sprinkle with salt for babies over 1 and any adults.
Add crushed dried rosemary OR cinnamon for additional flavor.
Spread the wedges out on the baking sheet so they aren’t overlapping. This will ensure even cooking.
Poke a wedge with a fork or small knife at the lower end of the baking time to see if it’s very soft.
Learn more about the basics of baby-led weaning if you are going with that style of feeding.
You can combine this puree with Apple Puree, Pear Puree, Avocado Puree, Banana Puree, Bean Puree, or anything that sounds appealing to you.

Related Recipes

I’d love to hear what your family thinks of this recipe, so please chime in below to share!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes

Total Time 27 minutes

Author Amy Palanjian

Cuisine American

Course side

Calories 80kcal

Servings 4

▢ 1 large orange-fleshed sweet potato (or garnet yam)
▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Coat with nonstick spray.
Wash and dry the sweet potato.
Cut in half, then cut lengthwise into strips. Cut each strip in half again until each is about ½ inch thick. Slice in half horizontally if the sweet potato is very long. (Each strip should be about the size of your finger.)
Place into a bowl and toss with the olive oil.
Spread onto prepared baking sheet and roast for 22-25 minutes or until soft.
Let cool slightly and serve as is for a BLW-style finger food.
To serve as a thick mash, remove skin and mash with a fork one at a time or in a larger portion in a food processor or blender.
To serve as a thinner sweet potato puree, mash with a fork and add 1 tablespoon warm water at a time to reach desired consistency.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the fridge.
You can sprinkle with salt for babies over 1 and any adults.
Add crushed dried rosemary OR cinnamon for additional flavor.
Spread the wedges out on the baking sheet so they aren’t overlapping. This will ensure even cooking.
Poke a wedge with a fork or small knife at the lower end of the baking time to see if it’s very soft.
Learn more about the basics of baby-led weaning here.

Calories: 80kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 31mg, Potassium: 190mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 8016IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Rate in the comments and tag @yummytoddlerfood on IG!

This post was first published August 2019.

cooking recipes and age limits

› ›

Publication date: 10/24/2020. Article updated: October 18, 2021.

Sweet potatoes or sweet potatoes are great choices for baby food. It is pleasant in taste (reminiscent of a mixture of potatoes and pumpkin or carrots with added sugar) and creamy texture (in the form of a puree), is liked by many babies and rarely causes allergies. But since this product is still a curiosity in Russia, our mothers will need explanations. So at what age can you give sweet potato to children and how to cook it properly for complementary foods?

Content

From what age to give
The composition of the product
Is the Batate. Is the battleship for children
Can sweet potatoes cause allergies
How to choose for children's food
Subtleties of storage
how to prepare for primacy
Sweet Potato Baby Recipes
- Smooth Sweet Potato Puree
- Carrot and Sweet Potato Puree
- Sweet Potato Chicken Soup
- Sweet Potato Milk Rice Porridge
- Sweet potato with peas and cauliflower
Video: how to make sweet potato for baby food

At what age to give

American parents start giving sweet potatoes to their baby, starting at six months. This is one of the first complementary foods introduced to a baby in the US after weaning.

The first sample (1 teaspoon is enough) is offered in the form of a thin, homogeneous puree. It is easily absorbed by the body of the baby. The delicate creamy texture makes it easy for the baby to swallow and digest such food.

After that, they wait three days without introducing other new foods into complementary foods. That allows you to track the negative reaction and stop feeding sweet potatoes in time.

After about 2 months, the baby can try boiled sweet potatoes, mashed with a fork or grated on a fine grater. Almost all children like its moderately sweet taste.

After a year sweet potatoes are good to combine with rice or oats to increase the nutritional value of dishes.

Can a child eat sweet potatoes raw?

Sweet potatoes contain complex carbohydrates, so the glycemic index (GI) of the product is lower (55) than that of the usual potato (from 70).

Is sweet potato good for kids

Baby likes sweet potato puree with turmeric

Sweet potatoes can bring many health benefits to a child if they are part of a child's diet. Key properties:

Fights constipation. Sweet potatoes are a valuable source of fiber. 100 g of the product contains about 3 g of dietary fiber, which prevent constipation and strengthen the baby's digestive tract.
Source of beta-carotene (provitamin A). This vitamin is essential for healthy vision. Its presence in the children's menu is a must and helps to improve eye health.
Strengthens the immune system. Vitamins C and E in the composition increase the body's defenses, help the child fight infections.
Good for the skin. Makes her look healthy and radiant.
Healthy calories. Sweet potatoes contain only 0.1 g of fat at 86 kcal per 100 g. Therefore, they are among the healthy foods for babies, especially those with insufficient weight (hypotrophy). High-calorie sweet potato promotes weight gain and physical development of children.
Prevents the development of anemia. Iron in the composition prevents anemia in a child with insufficient intake of a trace element with food or after severe blood loss (abdominal operations, injuries, etc.).
Strengthens bones. Calcium, which is also found in sweet potatoes, is vital for the growth and development of children's musculoskeletal system.

Can sweet potatoes cause allergies

Sweet potatoes rarely cause allergic reactions in babies. That is why it is suitable for complementary foods. However, it is possible.

Signs of sweet potato allergy:

vomiting,
rash (including around the anus),
diarrhea,
bloating due to indigestion.

Vomiting and diarrhea can sometimes cause not only allergies, but also intestinal infections in the finished dish. For example, with insufficient sanitation of tubers or children's dishes.

Babies may spit out sweet potato puree when switching to solid foods for a variety of reasons.

There may be other side effects, which are usually minor and easily manageable.

Caution! With ulcerative colitis and some other serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, sweet potato dishes are prohibited. Be sure to discuss the possibility of introducing sweet potatoes into complementary foods with your pediatrician.

Excessive consumption can provoke the formation of kidney stones.

How to choose baby food

The choice of food for a child's table should be taken seriously. If possible, choose organic sweet potatoes grown without the use of pesticides and other chemicals.

Here are a few tips to help you make your choice:

Choose medium-sized tubers with firm, smooth skins. If they are not on sale, take small ones (large ones have a lot of starch).
Set aside specimens that are too soft with brown spots on the skin, punctures, signs of rot, and emit an unpleasant odor.
The richer the color of the potato skin (white/cream, pink, red and purple), the more valuable antioxidants the product contains.

Storage details

In this case, the refrigerator is not the right place. Sweet Potato Storage Options:

in a covered box in the kitchen at room temperature for up to 1 week;
in a cool pantry or cellar at +13-16°C - up to 2 weeks.

Sweet potato purée can be frozen in ice cube trays

Boiled sweet potato purée can be frozen in advance (a drop of lemon juice is added to prevent browning). It can be kept in the freezer for up to a year, but it is better not to use it for feeding children - during the defrosting process, bacteria quickly begin to multiply in the starchy mass.

How to cook for weaning

The first thing to do is wash the tubers thoroughly before peeling and cutting. Then remove the skin or leave (for baking) and thermally process (until soft) in one of the following ways:

Baking. Preheat oven to 220°C. Pierce each tuber in several places and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool and remove the skin.
Cooking. Peel sweet potatoes, cut, boil in clean water.
Pressurized (pressure cooker). Peel the sweet potato, cut into slices or cubes, place in a pressure cooker and wait for 1-2 whistles (guided by softness).
For a couple. Peel and cut the product, place in a double boiler and cook.
Microwave. Peeled potatoes cut into small slices and do in each hole. Place in the microwave and turn on the maximum power for about 10 minutes.

Puree cooked sweet potatoes with a blender, potato masher or regular fork. If necessary, add some boiled water.

Baby sweet potato recipes

Let's see what can be done with sweet potato for a child.

Smooth sweet potato puree

One-component sweet potato puree

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato,
1 glass of water or vegetable broth.

Cooking method:

Prepare the sweet potato using any of the available methods.
Mash while still warm.
Add half a glass of water or vegetable stock and beat or stir well.
Add the rest of the water/broth to make a thin, smooth puree that a child can easily swallow.

Carrot and Sweet Potato Puree

This puree is rich in vitamin A. It is suitable for babies from 7 months old who have already become familiar with mixed foods (containing two or more ingredients).

Two-component puree with carrots and sweet potatoes

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato,
1 medium carrot,
1 glass of water or vegetable stock.

Method of preparation:

Thoroughly washed and peeled carrots, grate, and peeled sweet potatoes cut into small pieces.
Boil them together in the same water until soft.
Cool and puree.

Sweet potato chicken soup

This dish contains a nutritious broth rich in protein. But it is only suitable for children who are accustomed to non-vegetarian food.

Sweet Potato Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

100 g lean chicken mince,
5 cups water,
1 cup boiled sweet potato.

Cooking method:

Boil the minced chicken in a saucepan with a little water. Don't forget to skim off excess fat while boiling.
Transfer the boiled sweet potato to a blender and add the prepared chicken broth to it.
Blend until smooth.
If the soup is too thick, add boiled water.

Rice porridge with milk and sweet potatoes

This recipe is rich in dietary fiber, which helps prevent constipation. It is also a healthy dessert option for toddlers without the use of sugar.

Sweet potato rice porridge for children

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
4 medium sweet potatoes
3 cups water
1 cup breast, goat, coconut or cow milk.

Cooking method:

Boil diced sweet potatoes and rice in a little water.
10-15 minutes after boiling (when the food is half cooked), add milk and stir.
Let stand 10-15 minutes.
Cool slightly to serve to a child.

Sweet potato with peas and cauliflower

Another great recipe for babies from 7 months old. The dish has absorbed the virtues of three vegetables: sweet potatoes, peas and cauliflower.

Sweet potato puree with green peas and cauliflower

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato,
1/4 cup green peas,
1/2 cup cauliflower flowers, 9013 water
(depending on desired consistency).

How to cook:

Wash, peel and dice sweet potatoes.
Boil all vegetables in water.
Allow the mixture to cool slightly.
Blend with a blender until smooth.

Video: how to make sweet potatoes for baby food

Sweet potatoes also combine with other foods suitable for baby food, such as apples, pumpkin, zucchini, legumes, corn, cabbage and broccoli.

Nutritionists recommend pairing high-carbohydrate sweet potatoes with high-fiber greens (spinach, dill, and parsley). More recommendations and recipes in our Instagram. We look forward to visiting!

Parsley for children: from what age can it be given.

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Author: Yakusheva Tatyana

First feeding. Starting with vegetables and cereals

By the time your baby is 4-6 months old, it's time to start thinking about complementary foods. I am not a supporter of the introduction of complementary foods before the 6th month if the baby is breastfed and the mother produces enough milk. The introduction of complementary foods always entails the displacement of breastfeeding. If there is not enough breast milk, you can start introducing complementary foods both at the 5th and at the 4th month, as in the case when the baby is bottle-fed.
I consider it justified to introduce complementary foods at 4 months only if the production of breast milk has decreased, and there is a choice between the introduction of complementary foods and the selection of an adapted mixture. In this case, I would choose complementary foods for my child.
American pediatricians, authors of literature for young parents, strongly recommend introducing the first complementary foods only after the child can sit with support, has learned to control head movements, and if his weight has doubled since birth.
In general, in pediatrics, the topic of introducing the first complementary foods is quite controversial. I read a lot of literature in my time, talked with several specialists and, in the end, simply accepted one of the positions for myself.

By the age of 5-6 months, the baby is not getting enough nutrients from breast milk. The baby is growing fast, moving a lot. When mom begins to notice that he does not eat enough milk alone, it's time to introduce complementary foods.

True, all modern pediatricians are of the same opinion that the introduction of complementary foods before the age of 3 months is highly undesirable. Until this age, the process of adaptation of the body and intestinal microflora is underway, the likelihood of manifestations of diathesis and digestive disorders is high. Only after 3 months the activity of enzymes of gastric juice and pancreas increases. Can't believe it's still at the end of 90s in Russia, pediatricians recommended that young mothers introduce juices from the age of three weeks.

If the child is not gaining enough weight, then gluten-free cereal porridge is introduced as the first complementary food: rice, buckwheat, corn. Rice porridge is usually introduced as the first porridge, it is well absorbed and there is practically no allergic reaction to it. Buckwheat porridge is considered the most useful, as it contains essential amino acids.

Gluten protein in infants under 6 months of age can cause malabsorption of the bowel. As far as I understand, this disease is quite rare, but gluten can also cause an allergic reaction. Therefore, many pediatricians recommend the introduction of cereals containing gluten after the baby is 8 months old.

In a situation with normal weight gain, the pediatrician may give different recommendations.

The first position - we start complementary foods with vegetable purees. This position is the closest and most understandable to me, I am its supporter. Vegetable puree is close in composition to fruit puree, but is easier to digest. Vegetables do not contain fructose, which acts aggressively on the baby's stomach and pancreas, and puts less strain on the kidneys. In addition, vegetable purees perfectly normalize stools and less allergens.

Second position - we start complementary foods with fruit puree - green apple puree (sometimes, a few weeks before the introduction of puree, it is recommended to start giving juice). Fruit puree children ride with great pleasure and get used to it more easily. But this plus is also a minus. After fruit, the child is more difficult to transfer to vegetables. Fruits do not affect the fortification of the baby's food, since the baby receives all the necessary vitamins from breast milk or an adapted milk formula. Fruit juices put an additional burden on the pancreas, some pediatricians do not recommend giving juices to babies under six months of age.

Third position - we introduce baked apples and pears as the first complementary food . In this way, doctors recommending fruits as the first complementary foods introduce complementary foods in children prone to allergies. After heat treatment, some of the allergenic properties are lost. If there is no reaction to the baked fruit, it is administered raw.

Fourth position - porridge . Porridges are easily digested and the least aggressive for the baby's gastrointestinal tract. But porridge is not suitable as a first feeding if the baby periodically suffers from constipation.

So, white and green vegetables and green (by color, not by maturity) fruits are introduced first. But here the question arises why many baby food manufacturers offer, for example, carrots as the first complementary foods. Moreover, there are foreign producers who offer carrots as the first one-component product, and then offer to give the child the same carrots with other vegetables.

I'll try to answer. Carrots are sweetish and have a more interesting taste than, for example, cauliflower. Carrots are "light" and have a regulating effect on the child's stool. And yet, each country has its own specifics and its own food traditions. If you have read B. Spock or other American authors, then, of course, you were surprised that they offer to give the child orange and mango juice as the first product. By the way, this is why you should not be guided by the product management scheme recommended in the literature by foreign authors and foreign manufacturers of baby food. For example, my daughter's cheeks turned red after carrots, so we introduced carrots only closer to the year, at the same time as egg yolk.

Complementary foods should be introduced with hypoallergenic (low allergenic) foods such as zucchini and green apples.

Vegetable schedule:

Courgette or zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli. Some parents try to give patissons and turnips as the first product. If the baby does not like any of the vegetables, you can try the pumpkin, because. it has a sweetish aftertaste, children are more willing to try it. You may have an allergic reaction to pumpkin. If you're making your own puree, choose light-colored pumpkins.
Green peas and green beans. Then potatoes (easy on the stomach, but quite often gives an allergic reaction), corn, sweet potato, spinach. You can add green bell pepper. Quite often, pediatricians recommend that mothers pre-soak potatoes and introduce them in an amount of no more than 20% of the total mass of baby puree.
Carrots, beets, celery often cause an allergic reaction, so they are administered with extreme caution. Tomato is added last. I draw your attention to the fact that, unlike turnips, radish is a highly allergenic product. Pediatricians advise not to rush with greens. For example, parsley, even heavily chopped, is a very tough product for a baby. Greens can be used as a seasoning during cooking and stewing, but do not add it when grinding mashed potatoes. As the first spices during cooking, after the child turns 9-10 months, you can use: white pepper, bay leaf, dill and parsley.

Do not forget that different vegetables, like fruits, affect the child's intestines in different ways: potatoes - strengthens, spinach - weakens, white cabbage - a strong gas-forming product. Grapes also enhance the fermentation processes in the intestines, so you should not rush to include it in the diet of a child of the first year of life.

2 weeks after the introduction of vegetables, you can start giving the baby porridge, and after 2-3 weeks fruit purees and juices. As the first complementary foods, it is better to give preference to dairy-free cereals, diluting them with breast milk, milk formula familiar to the child or water.

Scheme for the introduction of berries and fruits:

Green apples and pears (fix).
Plums (prunes) and peaches (weak), bananas. I draw your attention to the fact that apricots, unlike peaches, are allergenic products. There are very few vitamins in bananas, so they are rather good as a filler for fruit purees (not everyone knows that a banana is a cereal, it contains: fiber, pectin, carbohydrates and a lot of potassium).
Black currant and blueberry (fortify), other berries. Try raspberries, strawberries, red apples, and pears with extreme caution.

Russian pediatricians recommend giving exotics, including pineapples and kiwi, only to children over 3 years old.

Lemon juice can be given to a baby from citrus fruits, by the way, it helps a lot if the baby often spit up. It is recommended to give grapefruit to a child not earlier than 1.5 years old, and tangerines and oranges to children after 2-2.5 years.

Rules for the introduction of complementary foods:

Introduce one vegetable (fruit, berry) each time. Feeding a baby with monocomponent purees will make it easier to recognize the product that caused the reaction when a food allergy manifests.
Complementary foods are introduced gradually. Starting with 0.5-1 teaspoon of puree per day and bringing up to 50 grams (norm in 5-6 months) in 1-1.5 weeks.
A teaspoon of each new product is added to the previously introduced puree and brought to the age norm (50-100 grams)
child's diet. Later, at an older age, introduce the product also with caution, starting with 1 teaspoon.
Multicomponent purees (from 2 or more products) can be given at both 5 and 6 months, but only if the puree contains no more than 1 new component.
Feeding porridge usually corresponds to breakfast. Porridge, at bedtime or twice a day, is given to children during illness and in case of weight loss. Vegetable puree is served for lunch. If the child already eats both vegetables and fruits, vegetable puree should be given for lunch, and fruit puree for afternoon tea. It is highly undesirable to mix fruits and vegetables and give the child in one feeding.
Complementary foods should be given while the baby is still hungry, before breastfeeding.
New complementary foods should not be introduced if the child is ill (SARS, intestinal infections, etc.) or vaccination is due.

And one more very important point. Babies, especially the first year of life, can be called gourmets. They evaluate the taste of food in a completely different way and are able to appreciate the natural taste qualities of products. At a time when the child is just learning the taste of food, you should not add spices and salt to vegetables. In addition, any supplements will simply be an additional burden for the body.

Jars help.

The opinion that it is better not to buy “baby puree”, but to cook the baby yourself, I would call an outdated delusion.
Firstly, when buying fruits and vegetables in the markets and shops, we do not have the opportunity to check their quality, to find out what kind of fertilizers the plant was watered with. And baby food of industrial production undergoes strict control.
Secondly, in jars of the first stage (for children from 3-5 months) puree is heavily crushed. You can achieve the same result only by manually rubbing vegetables and fruits through a fine strainer. Large pieces are difficult for a small child to swallow and it is not safe for him.

The baby can be gradually transferred to the common table by the year when his immunity is already getting stronger.
Third. It is very convenient to use ready-made purees, they only need to be warmed up. In addition, modern manufacturers offer a wide range. Jars are convenient to take on the road, like any canned food, they are protected without a refrigerator. Unlike canned foods for adults, only vitamin C is added to baby food, the use of any preservatives is prohibited. Long-term storage is ensured by vacuum packaging and modern heat treatment technologies.

It is important that when choosing industrial baby food for your baby, give preference to purees that do not contain additional components - thickeners, such as starch. The jars of the first complementary foods should not contain spices, salt and sugar. Here are some baby food manufacturers that produce products for the smallest consisting only of vegetables (fruits) and water: Gerber (Gerber), Beech nut (Bich nat), Semper (Semper).
You can give preference to home-made puree during the harvest season, if you have a summer cottage and a desire to cook your own baby. In this case, you need to take care of the variety of vegetables in advance.
In winter, many mothers prefer to cook baby soups, vegetable stews and frozen food purees. In order for vegetables, fruits and berries to retain all their vitamins as much as possible, they should be frozen immediately after harvesting.

In conclusion, I would like to remind you that the introduction of complementary foods always leads to a decrease in breast milk, as babies begin to suckle worse. Therefore, do not rush and give complementary foods too early (before the baby is 5-6 months old) if the baby is breastfeeding.

Complementary foods 2nd step: dairy, meat and other products

After vegetables, cereals and fruits are successfully introduced into the child's diet, the baby can be introduced to cottage cheese and fermented milk products.

Quite often, when a child is breastfed, complementary foods are introduced from the age of 5 months, so that by six months the complementary foods are “complete”, that is, they correspond in volume to the age norm.

Here is a sample feeding schedule:
At any age up to 4 months, but usually not earlier than 2 weeks of age, babies are given herbal teas, it can be fennel, chamomile and some others.
From 5 months - vegetable puree.
From 5.5 months - cereals, start with gluten-free.
From 6 months - fruit puree, baby biscuits. Freshly squeezed juices and juices of direct extraction, necessarily diluted with water.
From 6.5 months - cottage cheese and berry compotes.
From 8 months - fermented milk products, incl. yoghurts (for example, Agusha) and meat.
From 10 months - egg (yolk) and lean fish.

Allergenic foods such as chicken, fish and egg white are recommended by many pediatricians to be introduced as late as possible. From the year - fish and chicken; from 1.5 years - offal and egg white. It is advisable not to give red fish and sea bass to a baby under 2 years old.

All dosages below are per day and may be divided into several doses.

Fermented milk products should preferably be introduced into the child's diet starting with cottage cheese and, preferably, special - for children. Fermented milk products for babies are made at factories according to a special recipe, finely chopped and undergo the necessary processing. The preparation of baby food in the factory is really strictly monitored, so I never worried about the quality of the products. But I would not cook kefir and cottage cheese at home for a baby and I do not advise anyone. It is desirable to transfer a child to adult fermented milk products after 2 years. You just need to read the composition of the product on the package - there are many dairy products that are not children's curds, but are positioned by manufacturers as a product for children. They contain many chemical additives that adults should not eat. The most famous such product is Rastishka. However, this also applies to other children's products, and not only dairy products.

Cottage cheese, as well as other products, is introduced gradually - from 0.5-1 teaspoon and gradually brought to 30-40 grams. Up to 9 months, 40 grams is considered the norm, from 9 to 12 months - 50 grams. Cottage cheese is a very useful product, rich in protein and minerals, but pediatricians strongly do not recommend exceeding the established norm, because. This is a big burden on the kidneys of the baby.

For example, I really like Agusha children's curds, they have a soft texture, curds come in packs of 50 or 100 grams, there is a large selection of fruit flavors. When introducing cottage cheese into a child’s diet, do not rush to switch to cottage cheese with fruit fillings. It often happens that a child is not allergic to fruit puree, but there is a reaction to cottage cheese filled with the same fruit.

From 8 months you can start giving baby kefir (kefir enriched with bifidobacteria) and baby yoghurts. By the year, a child can be given 300-400 ml of various fermented milk products. Both kefir and yogurt should not be given more than 200 ml per day.

There is a point of view that yogurt should not be given to children under one year old, because of the load on the kidneys and stomach walls. Some studies prove that the use of this fermented milk product by children under the age of 9 months can lead to small punctate hemorrhages in the intestines.
On the other hand, kefir is considered a product that reduces allergic reactions and is recommended for children prone to diathesis.

Yogurt and kefir (thanks to the bifidobacteria with which it is enriched) have a positive effect on the intestinal microflora, normalize the activity of the digestive tract and reduce the risk of developing infectious diseases. The microorganisms that make up the sourdough aid the digestion of lactose and protein.

In principle, if there is no need for supplementary feeding, a baby up to a year old can be fed more breast milk, and limited to the introduction of 50 grams of cottage cheese and 100 ml (maximum 200 ml) of yogurt per day.

Meat is next introduced into the baby's diet. Meat puree, like other products, should be given starting from 1 teaspoon and brought up to 30 grams, by the year up to 70 grams.

Beef (veal) is a good source of iron and does not contain fats that are difficult to digest, therefore, I consider it the best choice for the first feeding. It will be possible to diversify the child's meat diet closer to the year: lean pork, turkey, and now you can increasingly see children's canned rabbit meat on sale. After a year, you can try introducing white meat chicken (breast).
Meat broth is not used in the preparation of baby food, including baby soups.
Meat for the baby is boiled for at least 2 hours. The first broth must be drained 20 minutes after the start of cooking, pour hot water over the meat and continue cooking until tender. You need to grind the meat in a blender very carefully, bringing it to complete uniformity.
You can start introducing meat by adding it to the porridge. After complementary foods are brought to the age norm, it is advisable to give meat to the child for lunch along with vegetables.

Many children like meatballs and steam cutlets more, and they cook faster than boiled meat. Minced meat for a child is passed through a meat grinder twice; white bread soaked in milk can be added to it. The broth, as with boiling meat, needs to be changed twice.

From the age of 10 months you can introduce some low-fat types of fish: Norwegian cod, hake, pike perch, walleye pollock. Steam or boil the fish for 20-30 minutes. Starting with 1 teaspoon, bring to a year up to 60 grams. Fish, as the main dish, is given for lunch with vegetables 1-2 times a week instead of mashed meat.

Egg is a very allergenic product and an allergic reaction to it is quite common. Therefore, if the first complementary foods are introduced at 6 months, it is undesirable to introduce an egg - egg yolk before 9-10 months.

Do not give eggs to children with allergic diseases. With a tendency to allergies, pediatricians sometimes recommend replacing chicken eggs with quail eggs.
An egg for a baby needs to be boiled for 30-40 minutes. The main allergen in the egg is protein, so it is advisable for a child under 1.5 years old to give only the yolk. At first, the child is given only that part of the yolk that did not come into contact with the protein - the yellow core. The yolk is kneaded and given along with breast milk, porridge or vegetables.
Egg yolk is given starting at 1/8 and working up to ½ yolk by the year.
Gradually, butter and vegetable oils are introduced into the child's diet, from 8 months you can give about 5 grams of both oils per day. So, the composition of the first vegetable purees should include only vegetables and water. After the child learns and loves different tastes, it is advisable to add vegetable oil to vegetable dishes. Butter is usually added to breakfast cereals.
From the age of 6-7 months, you can give your baby to chew on special baby biscuits and crackers. A one-year-old child can be given up to 30 grams of these products. Special children's cookies are always prepared in butter using a special technology, they dissolve under the influence of children's saliva (so that it is easy for the baby to eat them and not choke on crumbs). Many children like cookies dissolved in milk, such a dish can be served for breakfast instead of porridge.
Porridges can be prepared with baby milk (normalized for fat content) from 8 months. Since milk often causes an allergic reaction in children of the first year of life, it should be introduced gradually and it is better to use it for making mashed potatoes and cereals.