Purple potato
- First taste
- 6 months
- Choking risk
- low
- Common allergen
- no
- Iron
- low
Peel and cook until soft
When can babies eat purple potato?
Purple potato can be offered once baby is ready for solids, around 6 months. Orange sweet potato is a familiar baby food, and purple potato is just as tasty and nourishing.
There are many purple varieties, for example Adirondack Blue, Purple Majesty, Purple Creamer and Purple Peruvian. Moisture and starch levels resemble Yukon Gold, so it can stand in for that type in recipes. If you cannot find purple, ordinary potato is just as good.
Nutrition
Purple potato provides potassium along with vitamin B6 and vitamin C. The pigments that give the color, anthocyanins, are antioxidants. Blueberries, currants and purple grapes contain the same pigments. The benefits of anthocyanins for babies are not yet firmly proven.
How do you prepare purple potato for babies?
Peel the purple potato and cook it until soft. Serve it as a mash or as long sticks. With a suction bowl on the table, baby scoops the mash by hand.
Purple mash is one of the messiest dishes. Keep warm cloths and a bib ready.
Preparation by age
The same food is served differently at each age. What matters is how your baby sits, grasps and chews, more than the calendar.
6 months
6 months · How to cut and serve for baby-led weaningstrip
Cut: Finger strip
Peel purple potato, cut it into long sticks and cook until soft. Baby grabs the sticks and takes them to the mouth. Do not be surprised if baby spits out a fair amount. Babies learn to spit before they learn to swallow well.
6 months · How to prepare as a puréemash
Cut: Fork mashed
Mash cooked purple potato. Use a suction bowl stuck to the table so baby can scoop by hand. Also hold out a pre-loaded spoon. Held upright in the air, the spoon is easier for baby to grab from you. It gets messy, so keep warm cloths and a bib ready.
12 months
12 months · How to servecube
Keep offering mash or sticks. You can also give cooked potato in small cubes and encourage fork use. After 18 months the child will likely enjoy every form. To hold fussy eating at bay, vary the shapes of potato and other foods.
Is purple potato a choking hazard for babies?
Choking risk: low
Peeled, age-appropriately cut and soft-cooked purple potato is low risk.
Purple potato is not a common choking hazard when peeled, cut to suit the age and cooked until soft. In theory any food can cause choking.
Stay beside baby during meals.
Is purple potato a common allergen?
Purple potato is not a common allergen. Allergy to it is rare. Any food can cause an allergy in theory. Watch baby while trying new foods.
Give a small amount at the first servings. If there is no reaction, raise it slowly.
Key nutrients
Frequently asked questions about purple potato
Why should I peel purple potatoes?
The source advises peeled and cooked until soft. That keeps choking risk low.
Baby spits out the potato. Is that normal?
Yes. Babies learn to spit before they learn to swallow well.
What if I cannot find purple potato?
Ordinary potato is just as good.
Sources for this page
- Dünya Sağlık Örgütü. (2023). Guideline for complementary feeding of infants and young children 6-23 months of age.
- NHS. (n.d.). Preparing food safely for babies.
- CDC, Infant and Toddler Nutrition. (n.d.). Choking Hazards.
Guides on iron, allergen introduction, gagging and drinks. Read the starting solids guides
Medical note
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Talk to your pediatrician before any feeding decision, especially about allergen introduction and reactions.
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Astro Tasarım Simay Yenice · Türkiye · merhaba@lokmini.com