First foods database

🍠 Sweet potato for babies: when and how to serve it

Can babies eat sweet potato? Yes, from about 6 months. Its soft, naturally sweet flesh mashes beautifully and it is packed with beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A, making it one of the easiest first vegetables to offer.

From 6 monthsLow choking risk when prepared well

Good source of: Vitamin A, Fibre, Vitamin C, Potassium

How to serve sweet potato by age

6 to 9 months

Bake or steam until very soft, then mash smooth with a little breast milk or formula. For finger food, roast thick wedges (about the length of an adult finger) until they squash easily between your finger and thumb.

9 to 12 months

Offer a lumpier mash or soft cubes your baby can pick up with a pincer grip. Mix into lentils, stir into porridge or serve alongside soft meat or fish.

12 months and up

Serve as wedges, cubes, mash or in curries, stews and pancakes, just as the rest of the family eats it, without added salt.

Choking safety

Raw or undercooked sweet potato is hard and can break into chunks, so always cook it until it is fully soft. Firm roasted edges can be crisp, so check that wedges squash easily before serving.

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

Lots of orange veg can tint skin slightly orange (carotenaemia). It is harmless and fades when you vary the vegetables.

Easy ideas

Mash with a pinch of cinnamon
Roasted wedges with hummus to dip
Stirred through red lentil dal

Goes well with

🫘Red lentilsFrom 6 months 🫘ChickpeasFrom 6 months 🍂CinnamonFrom 6 months 🍗ChickenFrom 6 months

Recipes with sweet potato

🌈Batch cook rainbow veg freezer cubesFrom 6 months · Lunch · 50 min 🍠Black bean and sweet potato mash with limeFrom 6 months · Lunch · 25 min 🍲Caribbean chicken and sweet potato stewFrom 7 months · Dinner · 55 min 🧁Cheddar, sweet potato and spinach frittata muffinsFrom 9 months · Lunch · 35 min 🍗Chicken thigh and apricot baby mashFrom 6 months · Dinner · 35 min 🐟First fish salmon and sweet potato mashFrom 6 months · Dinner · 30 min

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Questions parents ask

Can babies eat sweet potato?

Can babies eat sweet potato skin?

Yes, well-cooked skin is soft and edible, though some babies find it chewy. You can peel it for early meals and leave it on once your baby is managing textures well.

Is sweet potato better than ordinary potato for babies?

Both are good. Sweet potato offers far more vitamin A, while ordinary potato gives more starch for energy. Offering both adds variety.

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).