It’s always an exciting time when your baby can start eating solid foods. Most doctors recommend waiting until baby is six months old before starting. Once you get the OK from your pediatrician, your little one is ready to start on solid foods — a whole new world opens up for them (and you).
Sweet potatoes are a perfect first food for your baby to try. They’re inexpensive, easy to cook, and mash up well. They’re on the sweeter side, so most babies take a liking to sweet potatoes over other veggies. More importantly, sweet potatoes are filled with Vitamin C, potassium, beta-carotene, and fiber your baby needs as they grow and develop.
Homemade or store-bought sweet potato baby food?
Now that it’s time to start your little one on sweet potato baby food, the first decision is whether to go homemade or store-bought. Many parents like the convenience of prepackaged baby food. While others prefer making their own. If you’re trying to decide to give your baby homemade sweet potato or jars from the store, keep these things in mind.
- Homemade baby food can be more economical.
- Making your own baby food is time-consuming.
- When you make your own baby food, you control the ingredients.
- Homemade baby food is not processed.
- Homemade baby food must be stored properly.
Once you decide to make your own baby food, remember sweet potatoes are the ideal veggie to introduce your baby to solid food. When you’re making sweet potato baby food, you don’t have to stick to puree only. Sweet potatoes are a versatile vegetable that goes well with other fruits and veggies. You can combine sweet potato baby food with other foods that will benefit your baby’s diet while introducing them to different tastes.
Making your own sweet potato baby food isn’t as difficult as you think. Remember, if you try it and don’t like making your own, there’s always store-bought sweet potato baby food to fall back on. Homemade baby food really is simple to make. So, let’s learn how to make your own batch of sweet potato baby food.
How to make sweet potato baby food
If you’re not a fan of pre-made baby food, it is easy to make your own sweet potato baby food. When you make your own baby food, the main perk is that you know exactly what’s going into your little one’s tummy. Use as many or as few sweet potatoes as you want, but be careful not to go overboard. You’re not using preservatives.
- Clean, peel, and dice the sweet potatoes.
- Add them to a pot of water.
- Boil the water on the stove until the sweet potatoes are soft enough that they begin to break apart when you stab them with a fork or knife.
- Boiling the sweet potatoes should only take about half an hour.
- When the sweet potatoes are finished cooking, transfer them to a blender and puree until smooth.
- If you don’t have a blender or food processor, use a masher.
- Add a little of your cooking water to the mix until you reach your desired consistency.
- Allow the mixture to cool and it’s ready to give to baby.
Making sweet potato baby food is that simple. Now let’s check out plenty of ways to keep your tot loving sweet potatoes and maybe find a combination or two that you like, too.
9 ways to switch up sweet potato baby food
As wonderful as sweet potatoes are for baby, eating them plain can get boring. Making sweet potato baby food combinations can also make the veggie more inviting to your baby. Mix in any of these fruits and vegetables to make sure your baby’s sweet potatoes go in their mouth and not to the family pooch. Once you get the hang of it, go crazy and do three ingredient combinations and see how things taste.
Carrots
For an even greater hit of that beta-carotene, add chopped carrots to the boiling water as you cook your sweet potatoes. Puree it all together for a delicious mixture that’s even healthier than plain sweet potatoes.
Bananas
You want to limit the amount of natural sugar your child is consuming, but if you find they’re not taking to the sweet potatoes on their own, add a banana to make the mixture more tempting.
Mangos
Just like with the banana, if you want your sweet potato mixture to be just a touch sweeter, add in mango. The great thing about mango is you don’t need to cook it beforehand because of its naturally softer texture. Just peel and dice before adding it to your cooked sweet potato. Then blend together.
Apples
For a flavorful mash that you’ll like yourself, add a peeled and chopped apple to your boiling water as you cook your sweet potatoes. No apples on hand? Swap the chopped apples for applesauce. Take the flavor up a notch and add a pinch of cinnamon. We wouldn’t be surprised if you gave this one a try and your child loves it! Serve it warm for a delicious autumn treat.
Pears
Similar to the apple, just peel and chop the pear and then add it to the boiling water during the cooking process. This one would also be great with a bit of cinnamon sprinkled in.
Chicken
Does your baby need a little more protein in their diet? If you’ve already introduced them to boiled chicken, add some of it to the sweet potato puree for a savory option. Just make sure the chicken is fully cooked and blended properly.
Beans
Another tasty way to go is to add cooked beans to the sweet potato before pureeing. You can use a variety of beans for this, including black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans.
Spinach
If you’re struggling to get some greens into your kiddo’s diet, hide them in the sweet potatoes. During the last five minutes of boiling, toss in the spinach with your sweet potatoes, and then puree it all until smooth.
Peas
Want to get more vitamins A, B1, B6, C, and K in your little one? Mix peas with the sweet potato puree. Either cook fresh peas with the potatoes or use precooked peas and add them to the blender when you puree.
How to store sweet potato baby food
Making your own sweet potato baby food is relatively simple, since it only has two ingredients: sweet potatoes and water. Homemade baby food lacks preservatives, which is one of the benefits of pureeing your own. Unlike store-bought baby food, homemade sweet potato baby food doesn’t have a long shelf life.
How long can you store extras of this food in the fridge? Homemade sweet potato baby food or any puree for your little one should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Only keep your baby’s homemade puree in the refrigerator for 48 hours. It’s also a good idea to reheat the sweet potato baby food before serving it, making sure to check the temperature before feeding it to baby. A tip for making your own baby food is to avoid making too much. Err on the side of caution and toss any homemade sweet potato puree that’s been in the fridge past the two-day mark.
Can you freeze homemade sweet potato baby food?
You can freeze homemade baby food, but make sure to date and label it before placing it in the freezer. Frozen baby food can stay in the freezer for three months. Once defrosted, you should heat it and feed it to your little one right away. Don’t refreeze any leftovers. Toss it.
Baby food shouldn’t be boring
Babies get bored eating the same thing over and over again, just like adults. Making your own sweet potato baby food, doesn’t have to be the only option. With these tasty and healthy sweet potato baby food combinations, your little one’s tastebuds will be getting a delicious introduction to solid foods.
Raising children who love to explore with their taste buds starts as soon as you begin begins using a spoon. Sweet potatoes are an excellent way to introduce them to a variety of new and exciting food combinations. With our nine ways to jazz up plain sweet potatoes, you’ll be sure to find at least a few ways your little nugget (and you) will enjoy them.
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