Sweet potato

Sweet potato can be offered once your baby seems ready for solids, usually at 6 months. Serve it as soft cooked wedges or as a purée.

The plant comes from the tropical Americas. The Spanish name batata was borrowed from Taino, the tongue of the island people there. It has many names around the world, such as camote, kumara, goguma and satsumaimo. In North America it is also called yam. Botanically, a true yam is a different plant.

Nutrition

It is rich in carbohydrate, fiber, potassium and zinc. It carries vitamin A, mostly as beta-carotene. It also holds vitamins B6, C, E and K. These matter for energy, gut health, immunity and blood clotting.

Like many crops, sweet potato can take up trace lead and arsenic from polluted soil. Organic crops are no different. There is no need to avoid it. Include it within a varied diet.

Every baby develops at their own pace. These tips are general guidance.

At 6 months, give thick wedges cooked fully soft. The skin may be on or off. You can enrich mash with breast milk, formula, butter, yogurt or ground spices. Fill the spoon and wait for your baby to take it.

At 9 months the pincer grasp develops. Chop cooked sweet potato into bites. Add thick sticks for biting practice. Baby may chew the skin and then spit it out. It looks wasteful, but it helps them get used to skins.

At 12 months, keep serving bites and big wedges. Load the fork and hand it over, and make spearing fun. Fork skill settles in most children after the second birthday.

Cooked, soft sweet potato is low risk. Still, in theory any food can cause choking. Cut it to suit your child's age. Stay within arm's reach during meals and set up a safe eating space.

Sweet potato is not a usual cause of IgE-mediated allergy. Some allergy cases have been reported. Oral allergy syndrome has also been reported. It gives a brief itch in the mouth and is not expected to be dangerous. Cooking may ease the reaction.

FPIES warning

Sweet potato can trigger a delayed allergy called FPIES. It is uncommon in children but can be severe. The reaction comes hours later, not within minutes. Vomiting can start 1 to 4 hours after eating, and diarrhea 5 to 10 hours after. Pallor, low body temperature, low blood pressure and fluid loss can follow. Most children outgrow it fully in early childhood. A child with a diagnosis needs close follow-up by an allergist. If your baby has FPIES to another food, ask the allergist before adding new solids.

Start with a small amount for the first servings. If there is no reaction, increase it slowly.