When thinking of “first foods“, especially for BLW, sweet potato is often on the top of the list. In fact, it was one of the first things I made for Jax when he started self feeding. Check out how happy he was munching on sweet potato for the first time (at 6.5 months old).
Sweet potato is an awesome food to introduce when starting solids. Not only it is a good source of fiber but it also packed full of important vitamins (vitamin A, C, B6) and minerals (manganese, niacin, pantothenic acid, potassium and copper).
How to Serve Sweet Potatoes to Babies
You can safely introduce sweet potato at around 6 months (after your baby is showing all the physical signs of readiness).
1. Cooked and mashed on a preloaded spoon (if you aren’t fully ready to jump into BLW this is a great way to start because it still allows your baby to control overall intake)
2. Roasted in a long, thin piece
3. Steamed in a long, thin piece
4. Cooked and diced on a preloaded fork
5. Cooked and diced (this will be most appropriate after baby has developed their pincer 👌 grasp which is usually aroung 8-10 months old)
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How to Cook Sweet Potatoes for Babies
Sweet potatoes are classified as “tubers” meaning that they grow underground. Because of this they are very dense and require cooking before they can safely be offered to your baby.
When cooking for babies we want to try to retain as much of the nutrients as possilbe so steaming or roasting are the best options instead of boiling. Whn you place sweet potato into water directly for cooking it allows the water-soluble nutrients (like vitamin C and B6) to move freely fromthe food into the water being used for cooking. Learn more about how cooking method can affect overall nutreint content here.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my full disclosure here.
Add Essential Nutrients and Calories with Fat
In order to increase overall nutrient content and increase the calories per bite – which is important because they won’t eat much in the beginning so nutrient density is important. Fat is incredibly important during infancy and toddlerhood for healthy brain development!
To increase the overall caloric density of each bite roast sweet potato in:
- Olive oil
- Avocado oil
- Coconut oil
- Grass-Fed Butter
Add Flavor
With BLW, there is no need to deprive your baby of herbs, spices, or seasonings. And almost every seasoning in your pantry is completely fine for you baby- even more than just what you see in this picture!
In fact, their using spices/seasonings makes the whole experience more delicious and interesting for your baby. It also makes it easier to feed your baby what the rest of the family is eating. There’s no need to make bland food!
The only things we really want to focus on NOT adding are
- NO added sugar(s)
- NO added salt
- NO honey (no honey under 12 months old due to risk of botulism)
Generally speaking, if it tastes good to you, it will taste good to your baby. So have fun with it, experiment, and play around!
But be more cautious with hotter spices like white and black pepper, chili powder, and cayenne pepper, as many babies are sensitive to spicy food. Start very, very small when using these seasonings but do not feel like you have to avoid them completely.
If you don’t feel comfortable experimenting while you cook, which I completely understand, here are some tips!
As a general rule, less is more! Start with a small amount of a seasoning or spice, such as just ¼ teaspoon. Remember that you can always add more spices/seasonings, but you cannot take them out if you put too much in initially. While cooking, you can taste the food and see how it is; trust your gut about deciding to add more or leave it as is.
Alternatively, you can cook foods plan and then sprinkle with a small amount of various seasonings for your baby!
Remember that the adults can always add additional seasonings to suit their taste at the table such as salt or spicy seasonings.
Some great seasonings to use with sweet potatoes are:
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Paprika
- Crushed Rosemary
- Thyme
- Turmeric
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
Snacks with Jax 
I’ve loved roasted sweet potato! So yummy
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