Baked Sweet Potato for Baby (BLW, Puree & Mashed)

Baked sweet potato is one of the best first foods for baby when they start eating solid foods. What is great about this ingredient is that you can use one method of preparing the it and serve it either as baby-led weaning, sweet potato puree or as a mashed version to introduce your baby to different textures.

*This post has been reviewed by Dora Babic-Cikos, PhD Nutritional Science

And even make a few slight changes and you have a great recipe that adults can also eat.

It's pretty overwhelming to start weaning and introducing solids to your little one. You are probably not sure when to start, with what food, how to prepare it or offer it to your baby. You're not sure how your baby will take it and what to do next. 

We chose sweet potatoes. Why? Well, it is a popular first food with great nutrients. It is full of texture and sweet taste and should make it easier for the baby to accept it.  

Sweet Potato Benefits for Baby

Here we use the most common orange sweet potatoes. 

We find that the purple varieties and Japanese varieties become quite firm and crispy so they are not the best to use for baby-led weaning. You can however use them to puree or mash the potatoes for baby. 

So, back to why orange sweet potatoes are a great first food for 6 month old babies:

• Nutrient-Rich: they are rich in essential nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber. These nutrients are important for the healthy growth and development of babies.
• Vitamin A: high in beta carotene, a precursor to vitamin A. Vitamin A is crucial for healthy vision, immune function, and skin health.
• Digestive Health: The fiber content can contribute to healthy digestion and regular bowel movements, which is important for a baby's developing digestive system.
• Energy Source: good source of complex carbohydrates, providing a steady release of energy. This can be beneficial for a baby's growing body and active lifestyle.
• Easy to Digest: well-tolerated and easy to digest, making them a suitable first food for many babies.

How to make sweet potato for babies? 

Sweet potatoes for babies can mainly be cooked in 3 different ways such as steaming, boiling and baking (roasting). 

Steaming retains the most nutrients, then comes baking and finally boiling. 

I prefer to bake the potato because it has the most flavor and is a little bit more firm to hold for baby-led weaning. Also, it means that at the same time I can prepare sweet potato wedges or fries for the rest of the family and don't have to wash up a steamer and a baking tray. 

Baked sweet potato is suitable for 6 month old babies and older, once they have shown signs of readiness. 

How to make baked sweet potato for baby?

Follow this simple recipe for a perfect first solid baby food and one that can be used to bake the potato for the whole family. 

Heat the oven. The easiest way to prepare sweet potatoes is to bake them in the oven for about 30 minutes. So preheat your oven to 360°F / 180°C. 

Prepare the sweet potatoes for baking. Wash and peel the potato and cut into wedges about the width of two of your fingers stuck together. 

Coat in olive oil. Place the wedges on a baking sheet (add parchment paper if it is not a stainless steel baking sheet) and drizzle with olive oil. Use your clean hands to mix it all up to make sure each sweet potato wedge is coated. If you coat it in olive oil it will keep it soft enough for a baby-led weaning baby to chew on and give it flavor and healthy fats to keep the baby full. 

Bake. Place the baking tray in the oven for about 30 minutes. The potato needs to be so soft that you can mash it between your fingers. Wait 10 minutes for the potatoes to cool before serving them blw style, as sweet potato mash or pureed. 

Pureed sweet potato for baby 

To puree baked sweet potatoes, place them in a high speed blender or food processor with a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of water. Blend until you have a smooth sweet potato puree. 

Place puree on a pre-loaded spoon in front of the baby so they can explore. Or place a tiny bit of puree on the tray so they can dip their finger and then lick it. 

The more we allow children to have control over their feeding the better their relationship with food will be.

This recipe is for a stage 1 baby food puree. You can also mix this puree with other fruit or vegetables and create baby food combinations such as the Apple Sweet Potato Baby Food Puree, Zucchini Sweet Potato Baby Food Puree, or the Sweet Potato Fruit Pudding for baby made with peach and apple.  

Mashed sweet potato for baby food

If you feel like your baby is ready to transition from purees to more textured food you can easily mash the potato and offer it to them on a pre-loaded spoon. 

Place the potato in a bowl, drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil and use the back of a fork or a potato masher to mash it leaving some texture. 

How to serve sweet potato baby-led weaning?

For a blw sweet potato the most important thing is that the baby can easily grab the sweet potato wedges and also that they are soft enough for your baby to easily mash with their gums. 

You can check that by seeing if the potato is soft enough for you to easily mash it between your fingers. 

Other great ways of serving blw is in sweet potato pancakes for baby or delicious sweet potato fritters. 

Sweet potatoes are generally not considered a choking hazard which is why it is great baby finger food. 

How to serve sweet potatoes to older babies? 

Once your baby is passed 9 months or you see that they are slowly developing their pincer grasp, you can cut up the sweet potato wedges into smaller pieces, the size of a pinky fingernail. 

FAQ

How to store sweet potatoes for homemade baby food?

• Sweet Potato Puree or mash is best stored in airtight containers in the fridge. In freezer use ice cube trays or specific trays for baby puree like this one from Keedo Feedo, or a reusable freezer bag.
• Baked Sweet Potato Wedges can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and freezer
• Store in fridge for 3 days and freezer for up to 6 months
• Thaw overnight in fridge in airtight container
• To serve remove it 2 hours in advance from the fridge so the puree or blw version reaches room temperature and then you don't have to reheat it
• Reheat in a small saucepan on the stove with a teaspoon of water

Additional starting solids tips

Just remember – this is completely new for your baby and if they show signs of resistance at first (or even a few times), that's completely fine. Just keep going with it and over time your baby will get used to eating. 

Wean With Confidence eBOOK

This is so much more than a recipe book. This is a full weaning plan written by a PhD nutritionist for your child's entire first year, based on the latest science. This will take away the mental load of wondering if you're feeding your child the right food. It's what we wish we had when we were weaning our own children.

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