If you are looking for foods to include in your little one’s weaning diet, one of the most popular vegetables that most parents consider is potatoes for babies. Potatoes belong to the nightshade family of vegetables (also included in the same family are eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, and chilies) and are consumed worldwide for their high nutritional value (1). White potato is believed to have higher levels of the essential mineral potassium compared to bananas or sweet potatoes. Want to know some interesting recipes and age-appropriate age ways to include potatoes in your baby’s diet? Then read on.
When To Give Potatoes To Babies?
Infants can eat cooked potatoes from the age of six to seven months (2) (3). You can begin feeding steamed or boiled potatoes as a puree or mash to let your baby develop taste and digestibility. As the baby grows older, you can mix mashed or pureed potatoes with other pureed veggies and fruits. Babies older than nine months can consume baked, roasted, or grilled potatoes as finger food. If you intend to feed potato chips, 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, blues, and fingerlings (6). The nutritional value of these varieties vary, but on an approximation, feeding one boiled baby potato without skin (60 g) can provide the following nutrients to the baby (7) (8) (9) (10). *AI = Adequate intake – nutrient level assumed to ensure nutritional adequacy Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture, World Health Organization, and Oregon State University
Possible Health Benefits Of Potato For Babies
Potato is rich in starch and several micro nutrients, thus making it an essential addition to a baby’s well-balanced diet. The following are some of the notable benefits of potatoes for babies. Besides these, based on the variety and color, potatoes may have high amounts of phytochemicals, such as anthocyanins, phenolic acids, and flavonoids possessing antioxidant effects (13). Antioxidants in food are beneficial from an early age to maintain overall health.
How To Select And Store Potatoes?
Here are some simple tips to follow while selecting and storing potatoes (14). Tips for selecting potatoes
Prefer organic fresh potatoes that look firm and dry.
Discard potatoes with green and creased skin, pits, cuts, and sprouts.
Tips for storing potatoes
Precautions To Take While Feeding Potatoes To Babies And Toddlers
Healthy And Tasty Potato Recipes For Babies And Toddlers
Here are some age-appropriate potato recipes you can prepare for infants and toddlers.
1. Potato puree
You will need:
1 medium-sized potato (peeled) 1 cup water
How to:
2. Potato mash with squash
You will need:
½ cup potato (peeled and cubed) ½ cup butternut squash (peeled and cubed) ½tsp cumin seeds ½tsp olive oil Pinch of salt
How to:
3. Creamy potato and spinach soup
You will need:
1 russet potato (peeled and diced) 1 cup baby spinach (chopped) 1-2 cups homemade vegetable stock ¼ cup green onion (diced) 1 clove garlic (minced) 1tbsp olive oil Salt, to taste
How to:
4. Creamy potato salad
You will need:
2 baby potatoes (peeled and boiled) ½ carrot (grated and cooked) 1 small red onion (finely chopped) ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or natural yogurt ¼ cup fresh dill (chopped) 1tbsp parsley (chopped) 4tbsp olive oil Black pepper powder, to taste Salt, to taste
How to:
5. Baked potato fingers
You will need:
2 yellow potatoes (peeled and julienned) 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese (grated) 1 tbsp parsley (chopped) 1 tbsp garlic powder 2 tbsp dried oregano ½tsp chili powder Salt, to taste 2 tbsp olive oil
How to:
6. Bite-sized potato sandwich
You will need:
1 yellow potato (peeled and boiled) 2 whole-wheat bread slices (edges removed) 1 cup carrot and cucumber (grated) 1 tbsp mayonnaise 1 tbsp tomato sauce 1 tbsp olive oil
How to:
