Primal Pointers

  • Babies tin can eat properly cooked potatoes from six to seven months of age.
  • Potatoes are easy to consume for babies and rich in energy and micronutrients.
  • Introduce potato puree or brew to your baby and gradually add together baked, grilled, and roasted spud recipes to their diet.

If you are looking for foods to include in your little one's weaning diet, 1 of the most popular vegetables that nigh parents consider is potatoes for babies. Potatoes belong to the nightshade family of vegetables (also included in the aforementioned family are eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, and chilies) and are consumed worldwide for their high nutritional value (1). White tater is believed to have higher levels of the essential mineral potassium compared to bananas or sweet potatoes.

Desire to know some interesting recipes and age-appropriate age ways to include potatoes in your baby'southward diet? Then read on.

When To Give Murphy To Babies?

Infants can eat cooked potatoes from the age of six to seven months (ii) (3). You can begin feeding steamed or boiled potatoes every bit a puree or mash to let your infant develop taste and digestibility. Every bit the infant grows older, you can mix mashed or pureed potatoes with other pureed veggies and fruits.

Babies older than nine months tin can swallow baked, roasted, or grilled potatoes as finger food. If you intend to feed potato fries, wedges, or other potato snacks to your toddler, then cut them into thin and small chunks to avoid choking (4).

Nutritional Value Of Potato

Potato is a carbohydrate-rich vegetable with essential nutrients, including vitamin C, B6, and potassium (5). Some of its common varieties consumed in the US are white rounds, red rounds, russets, yellows, dejection, and fingerlings (6).

The nutritional value of these varieties vary, but on an approximation, feeding one boiled baby potato without skin (60 g) tin can provide the following nutrients to the baby (vii) (viii) (ix) (ten).

Proper noun Amount RDA (7-12 months)
Water 43.3 g
Energy 75 Kcal
Protein 1.12 yard
Carbohydrate, past difference 12.iii g
Magnesium, Mg 14.4 mg 60 mg
Phosphorus, P 28.8 mg 275 mg (AI)*
Potassium, K 223 mg 700 mg
Sodium, Na 100 mg 200 mg
Vitamin C, full ascorbic acid 7.26 mg fifty mg (AI)*
Vitamin B6 0.193 mg 0.6 mg

*AI = Acceptable intake – nutrient level assumed to ensure nutritional adequacy

Sources: U.Due south. Section of Agriculture, Globe Wellness Organization, and Oregon State University

Possible Wellness Benefits Of Irish potato For Babies

Murphy is rich in starch and several micro nutrients, thus making it an essential addition to a infant'southward well-balanced diet. The following are some of the notable benefits of potatoes for babies.

  1. Easy to consume: Well-cooked potatoes are easy to swallow due to their soft and mushy texture. Besides, its neutral gustatory modality makes information technology an excellent choice to alloy with dissimilar foods, like cereals, pulses, meat, and leafy vegetables.
  1. Rich in energy: One baby white potato provides approximately 75 Kcal of energy (7). Babies older than six months crave an energy-rich diet to support their rapid growth, development, and salubrious weight gain (2).
  1. Contains micro nutrients: Potatoes contain considerable amounts of magnesium, potassium, sodium, vitaminC, and vitamin B6 that are required to maintain the wellness of a babe.
  1. Helps in proper digestion: Potatoes contain resistant starch. Clinical studies reveal that regular consumption of resistant starch can heave healthy gut bacteria growth, maintaining the digestive system's health (11).

Besides these, based on the variety and color, potatoes may have high amounts of phytochemicals, such asanthocyanins, phenolic acids, and flavonoids possessing antioxidant effects (12). Antioxidants in food are beneficial from an early age to maintain overall wellness.

How To Select And Shop Potatoes?

Here are some simple tips to follow while selecting and storing potatoes (13).

Tips for selecting potatoes

  • Prefer organic fresh potatoes that look firm and dry.
  • Discard potatoes with greenish and creased skin, pits, cuts, and sprouts.

Tips for storing potatoes

  1. Keep the potatoes in a absurd, dry, and dark place, loosely covered in a paper handbag or storage basket. Do not continue them in the refrigerator.
  1. Store the potatoes away from fruits and other vegetables since they may emit ethylene gas that may over ripen the potatoes.
  1. Store cooked potatoes in BPA-complimentary plastic containers or closed boxes in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking.

Precautions To Take While Feeding Potatoes To Babies And Toddlers

  1. Innovate peeled and boiled or steamed potato puree or mash to your baby. Gradually include baked, grilled, and roasted potato recipes to your baby's weaning diet.
  1. Begin by feeding a teaspoon in a repast and gradually increase the intake to a tablespoon so to two.
  1. If the baby looks uncomfortable after ingesting potato, discontinue feeding, and try subsequently some time.
  1. Potato allergy is uncommon simply possible. Its symptoms may come up up immediately after touching or ingesting tater (14). Stay alert to its signs, like skin rash (hives), coughing and wheezing, vomiting, and diarrhea.
  1. If the baby has a family unit history of allergies, especially to foods belonging to the nightshade family unit (tomato, chili peppers), then consult a doctor before introducing potatoes to your baby.
  1. For toddlers, serve thinly sliced or bite-sized, small pieces of potato finger foods to prevent choking.
  1. As your toddler grows, encourage them to swallow potatoes with the pare to raise the meal's fiber content.

Good for you And Tasty Potato Recipes For Babies And Toddlers

Here are some historic period-appropriate tater recipes you can prepare for infants and toddlers.

ane. Potato puree

Mild potato puree for babies

Image: Shutterstock

You will demand:

  • one medium-sized potato (peeled)
  • 1 loving cup h2o

How to:

  1. Cut the murphy into four halves and melt them in a steamer over medium heat for xv minutes or up to when they plow soft and mushy.
  1. Turn off the flame, put the potato pieces into a bowl, and set aside to cool.
  1. Blend potato into a smooth puree using a blender or food processor. Ensure no lumps are left. If required, add together 2 to three tablespoons of h2o to adapt consistency.
  1. Transfer the puree to a serving bowl, and y'all are prepare to feed.
  1. One time your baby is comfortable eating potato puree, y'all can mix it with other foods to make delectable recipes, similar potato and squash mash (recipe shared below).

two. Potato brew with squash

Squash & potato mash for babies

Image: Shutterstock

You lot will demand:

  • ½ loving cup potato (peeled and cubed)
  • ½ loving cup butternut squash (peeled and cubed)
  • ½tsp cumin seeds
  • ½tsp olive oil
  • Pinch of salt

How to:

  1. Put squash and potatoes in a stockpot, comprehend them with water, and bring the veggies to boil over medium heat.
  1. Afterwards five minutes, reduce rut, and permit the veggies melt with a covered chapeau over low oestrus for 15 minutes.
  1. Once the potato and squash turn soft and mushy, switch off the flame, bleed the h2o, and let the vegetables absurd for 10 minutes.
  1. Put the vegetables in a bowl and brew them using a fork. Add together one or 2 tablespoons of water and ensure no lumps are left.
  1. Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat and add together cumin seeds.
  1. Equally cumin seeds begin to flutter, lower the flame, and add together the mash with constant stirring. Melt for twenty seconds or and so and and then switch off the flame.
  1. Transfer the mash into a bowl, and feed information technology warm.

3. Creamy potato and spinach soup

Spinach & potato soup for babies

Prototype: Shutterstock

You will demand:

  • i russet potato (peeled and diced)
  • ane cup baby spinach (chopped)
  • 1-2 cups bootleg vegetable stock
  • ¼ cup light-green onion (diced)
  • 1 clove garlic (minced)
  • 1tbsp olive oil
  • Common salt, to taste

How to:

  1. Oestrus the oil in a medium-sized bucket over medium heat.
  1. As the oil warms, saute the onions for well-nigh three minutes or until they turn soft and lightly golden. Add together garlic and cook for four to v seconds.
  1. Add the vegetable stock and potatoes to the saucepan and let the ingredients simmer on depression oestrus for virtually xv minutes, or until the potato pieces are soft.
  1. Add spinach and salt, cook for another 3 minutes, and remove the pan from the heat.
  1. Blend the ingredients in one case cool. Ensure no lumps are left.
  1. Transfer the soup to a serving basin and serve immediately.

four. Flossy irish potato salad

Creamy potato salad for babies

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

  • 2 baby potatoes (peeled and boiled)
  • ½ carrot (grated and cooked)
  • 1 small cherry-red onion (finely chopped)
  • ½ cup plainly Greek yogurt or natural yogurt
  • ¼ cup fresh dill (chopped)
  • 1tbsp parsley (chopped)
  • 4tbsp olive oil
  • Black pepper powder, to taste
  • Salt, to gustation

How to:

  1. Mix potato, olive oil, and blackness pepper in a basin using a fork.
  1. Add onion, carrot, yogurt, dill, parsley, and salt and mix gently then that the tater is nearly mashed and mixed well with other ingredients.
  1. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl to feed right abroad.
  1. You can add a few other cooked vegetables and cereals to this recipe.

v. Baked spud fingers

Baked potato fingers for babies

Image: Shutterstock

You lot volition need:

  • 2 yellow potatoes (peeled and julienned)
  • four tbsp Parmesan cheese (grated)
  • one tbsp parsley (chopped)
  • ane tbsp garlic powder
  • ii tbsp dried oregano
  • ½tsp chili powder
  • Salt, to sense of taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

How to:

  1. Preheat the oven to 392°F (200°C) and line a baking tray with a baking sheet or aluminum foil.
  1. In a large bowl, mix potatoes slices with ii tablespoons of olive oil and cheese. Set the mix aside to remainder.
  1. Have a split up mixing bowl, add together chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, and salt and mix thoroughly.
  1. Add together the seasoning mix to the potatoes and coat the potatoes thoroughly with the seasoning.
  1. Accommodate the irish potato slices on the baking tray and bake for 40 minutes. Cheque occasionally to forbid over baking.
  1. Subsequently xl minutes, bank check if the potatoes are soft enough to intermission using a fork.
  1. Serve right abroad with a homemade mint or avocado dip.

6. Seize with teeth-sized spud sandwich

Bite-sized potato sandwich for babies

Image: Shutterstock

You will demand:

  • i yellow spud (peeled and boiled)
  • 2 whole-wheat breadstuff slices (edges removed)
  • one loving cup carrot and cucumber (grated)
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp tomato sauce
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

How to:

  1. Put the tater in a mixing bowl and mash information technology into a smooth paste using a fork.
  1. Add carrot, cucumber, mayonnaise, and tomato plant sauce to potatoes and mix everything thoroughly.
  1. Rut olive oil in a skillet over depression oestrus and lightly toast the bread slices.
  1. Spread the spud filling on a piece of bread and embrace it with another bread slice to make a sandwich.
  1. Cut the sandwich into 4 equal halves and serve as yummy finger food for your infant and toddler.

Potato is a versatile vegetable that tin add together texture and vital nutrients to a babe or toddler's meals. Its regular consumption with a well-balanced diet tin be benign in the long run. Serve different potato varieties to your baby and toddlers through age-appropriate and highly-seasoned recipes.

References:

MomJunction's manufactures are written after analyzing the research works of skillful authors and institutions. Our references consist of resource established past regime in their respective fields. You can learn more nearly the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.

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Swati Patwal is a clinical nutritionist and toddler mom with over eight years of experience in diverse fields of nutrition. She started her career as a CSR projection coordinator for a healthy eating and agile lifestyle project catering to schoolhouse children. Then she worked every bit a diet kinesthesia and clinical diet coach in different organizations. Her interest in scientific writing... more