When can babies eat sweet potato?

From around 6 months, once your baby is ready for solids, served in a safe shape and texture for their age.

Sweet potato

Soft, sweet and easy to mash. A gentle first food for little hands.

Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review

Quick answer

Babies can eat sweet potato from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.

From 6 monthsLow choking risk as servedNot a common allergen

How to serve sweet potato by age

6 months+

Soft wedges or mashed sweet potato

Peel and cut into finger-sized wedges, then steam or bake until very soft. Or mash cooked sweet potato with a little breast milk or formula and serve it on a pre-loaded spoon.

Size: Wedges about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
Check before serving: Squash a wedge between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily. If you have to press hard, cook it longer.

US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.

Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.

How to prepare sweet potato

1
Scrub the sweet potato with a clean vegetable brush under running water, then peel it.
2
Cut it into finger-sized wedges (6 months), or bake it whole and cut or mash it afterward.
3
Steam wedges for about 10 to 15 minutes, or bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 25 to 30 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance.
4
Do the squash test, then let it cool before serving. Don't add salt.

How much to offer

Start with one or two wedges or a spoonful of mash. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Lots of licking, squashing and dropping is normal at first.

Common mistakes

Serving firm or crisp pieces

Roasted edges and undercooked middles can be hard. Cook it until it squashes between your fingers all the way through.

Cutting medium-sized cubes

Offer long wedges your baby can hold in their fist, or small pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) once they can pick them up. Medium cubes are too short to hold in a fist and too big for pincer-grasp practice.

Adding salt, sugar or honey

Babies shouldn't have added salt or sugar. Never use honey before 12 months, including a honey glaze baked on: honey can cause infant botulism. Sweet potato is sweet enough on its own.

Only offering sweet vegetables

Sweet potato is easy to like. Offer less sweet vegetables too, like broccoli and spinach, to help your baby get used to a range of flavors.

Questions parents ask

Can sweet potato be a choking hazard for babies?

Sweet potato cooked until very soft is a low choking risk. Raw or undercooked sweet potato is hard, so never serve it raw, and trim crisp or browned edges from roasted pieces for babies and young toddlers. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to sweet potato?

Sweet potato is not a common allergen.

Is sweet potato healthy for babies?

Rich in beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A, and a source of vitamin C, potassium and fiber. It is not a major source of iron.

Can babies eat sweet potato skin?

Peel it for babies. The skin can be chewy and hard to break down. Rinse and scrub sweet potatoes before peeling, so dirt isn't carried from the skin onto the flesh.

Can babies eat sweet potato every day?

Yes, as part of a varied diet. Mix it up with other vegetables, including ones that aren't sweet, so your baby gets used to lots of flavors.

Can sweet potato turn my baby's skin orange?

Eating a lot of beta-carotene, from foods like sweet potato and carrot, can turn the skin yellow-orange. It's harmless and fades when your baby eats less of these foods. The whites of the eyes stay white. If they look yellow, see your doctor: that isn't from food.

Can babies eat sweet potato fries?

Homemade oven wedges, cooked until soft all the way through and without salt, are fine. Skip crisp fries and restaurant fries: they're often hard at the edges and salted.

If your baby refuses sweet potato

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try another form: wedges, lumpy mash, or mixed into lentils or rice.
Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
Funny faces don't mean they dislike it. They're getting used to a new taste and texture.

Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.

Buying and storing sweet potato

Store whole raw sweet potatoes somewhere cool and dry, and use them before they go soft or sprout.
Cooked sweet potato keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Rice dishes are the exception: cool them within 1 hour, keep them in the fridge for no more than 1 day, and reheat them only once.
Cooked wedges or mash can be frozen and used within 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge, use them within 24 hours of thawing, and reheat them only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool before serving.
Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).

When to talk to your doctor

Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:

Your baby's skin looks yellow and the whites of their eyes look yellow too. Beta-carotene colors the skin but not the whites of the eyes, so yellow eyes need a check-up.
You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.

Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.

Offered sweet potato?

Add it to your first 100 foods.