First foods database
🥔 Potato for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat potato? Yes, from about 6 months. Potatoes are filling, easy to mash and a familiar starchy food that carries other flavours well, making them a reliable weaning staple.
Good source of: Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin B6, Carbohydrate
How to serve potato by age
6 to 9 months
Boil, steam or bake until soft, then mash with your baby's usual milk or a little unsalted butter. For finger food, offer thick, soft wedges with skin on for grip. Sweet and white potatoes can be mixed for colour and flavour.
9 to 12 months
Offer soft cubes or wedges, mashed potato with mixed vegetables, or potato cakes made without salt. Baked potato flesh with cheese works well. Leftover mash can be shaped into small potato cakes and pan-fried in a little oil.
12 months and up
Serve potatoes in any form the family eats, without added salt. Oven-baked chips are fine occasionally; shop-bought crisps and chips are salty.
Choking safety
Undercooked potato is hard and can break into chunks. Cook until soft right through. Avoid hard, crunchy roast potato edges for young babies.
Gagging is common and noisy while babies learn to eat. Choking is usually silent. Always stay with your baby while they eat, sitting upright. How to help a choking baby (NHS).
Good to know
- Do not add salt to cooking water.
- Do not serve green or sprouting potatoes.
Easy ideas
- Potato and broccoli mash
- Soft baked potato wedges
- Cheesy potato with grated cheddar
Goes well with
Recipes with potato
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat potato?
Can babies eat potato? Yes, from about 6 months. Potatoes are filling, easy to mash and a familiar starchy food that carries other flavours well, making them a reliable weaning staple.
Can babies eat potato skin?
Yes, cooked skin is fine and gives grip on wedges. Peel if it causes gagging.
Can babies have mashed potato?
Yes, mash with milk or unsalted butter and no salt. Butter or a splash of whole milk keeps it smooth without salt.
Sources
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).