Potatoes For Babies - When to Introduce, Benefits and Precautions

Each new day with your baby means a new phase of learning. From making the baby sleep, and eat to habituating to a growing lifestyle – it’s a wholesome learning process for parents. There you can feel several shades of this complex process in your life. However, being a parent, you are responsible for introducing healthy, sound, and blissful habits to your baby in the initial year. Introducing the right foods at the right time is one of them. In this article, we discuss all about the goodness of potatoes for babies.

Is Potato Good For Babies?

Potatoes are a storehouse of energy for everyone, especially growing babies. This vegetable is highly beneficial and essential for your infant’s growth. It is rich in Vitamin C, A, B, B6, folate, zinc, iron, potassium, and more minerals. Like bananas and apples, potatoes also boost the immunity system. It has a vital nutrient property called choline – essential for a baby’s brain development.

When Can You Introduce Potatoes to Your Baby?

Potatoes are an excellent first food to introduce to your baby once they are ready for solids. Potatoes are easy to digest and form an excellent source of nutrition for babies. You can introduce mashed potatoes at the 6th month mark or whenever your baby is ready for solids.

Nutritional Value of Potatoes

This vegetable is low in calories and enriched in nutrients and minerals that help babies during their growth period.

Nutrients	Value
Protein	1.87 g
Carbohydrate	20.13 g
Fat	0.1 g
Energy	87 kcal
Water	77g
Fiber	1.8 g
Calcium	5 mg
Potassium	379 mg
Iron	0.31 mg
Niacin	1.44 mg
Vitamin C	13 mg
Phosphorus	44 mg
Thiamine	0.106 mg
Riboflavin	0.02 mg

Amazing Top 5 Health Benefits of Potatoes For Babies

Alongside nutrients, potatoes are an excellent source of valuable antioxidants. Following are some of the health benefits of potatoes for babies.

1. Strengthen Bone Health

Due to rich iron, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, and magnesium, potatoes strengthen the baby’s bone structure. They help build and maintain bone strength and produce collagen in the body.

2. Boost the Immune System

Infants have naturally low immunity since their immune systems are still immature and slowly developing. Anything that can boost their immune system is a blessing for babies. Due to their vitamin B and vitamin C contents, potatoes help in boosting the immune system and keep your baby safe from illnesses.

[Read : How to Increase Immunity in Babies?]

3. Maintain Heart Health

Enriched in Vitamin C, B6, potassium, and fiber content – potatoes support good heart health. They no cholesterol content yet a significant amount of fiber, a healthy combination and a must-add to your baby’s diet.

4. Boost Brain Functioning

Due to the high level of carbohydrates, potatoes offer some immense advantages to the baby’s body. So, if you feed potatoes to your baby, it will help maintain a good amount of glucose in the blood. And it’s crucial for the proper brain functioning in babies.

Potato intake at a moderate level increases glucose in the body. It nourishes memory and learning skills. Plus, potassium in the potato stimulates the process of widening blood vessels. Therefore, it ensures the brain gets proper blood and develops brain power and functioning.

5. Regularize Digestion

Another the biggest health benefit of potatoes is that they boost the digestion process in the body. Babies require frequent feeding in small amounts. However, their digestive system is still developing which can cause frequent stomach issues such as constipation and gas.

Since potatoes have high carbohydrate and fiber content, they help with proper digestion making it easy for babies to digest and assimilate the food they take.

Precautions to Take While Introducing Potatoes to Babies

Potatoes are very healthy for a growing infant. However, these are some precautions a parent must consider while giving potatoes to their babies. Read below.

Rinse the potatoes thoroughly before cooking them. Potatoes grow under the soil. Hence, you should wash them properly and thoroughly to rinse all dirt and pesticides.
Peel the potato skin off before feeding your baby. This will get rid of any residual dirt.
Cook the potatoes well in water and make sure the potatoes are cooked properly by pressing them with your fingers and checking the cooked potato before feeding your baby.
When you initially start feeding potatoes to your baby, start with small portions. Do not overfeed your baby. Start giving them a few spoons of mashed potatoes only.
Potato mash is a good way to start feeding potatoes. Don’t give them into cube form as it increases the risk of them getting choked.
Observe for any adverse reactions after feeding your baby potato for the first time. Though rare, some babies can show allergic reactions. In such cases, stop feeding immediately and take your infant to the pediatrician if needed.

[Read : Infant Choking]

Top 5 Healthy and Tasty Potato Recipes For Babies

You can steam, roast, bake or mash the potatoes and feed your baby. Or else, make a puree or paste form and add this to a tasty meal for your baby. You can make any dish with potatoes since they blend beautifully with any vegetable.

Here are a few healthy and tasty recipes to encourage your little one to have potatoes.

1. Potato Puree

The best way to feed babies is potato puree or paste. Since a 6-month-old baby can’t chew the food, you can mash the boiled potatoes, make a puree or mash out of it and feed your baby.

2. Broccoli and Potato Mash

While you boil and mash the potato, you can add cooked broccoli into the preparation. Chop and steam both the vegetables together and make a mash. This dish is an excellent way of adding nutrient-dense foods to your baby’s diet.

3. Squash and Potato Puree

Potato acts as an excellent vehicle to carry a combination of vegetables such as squash. Add a small portion of squash while steaming and mashing your potato. This will be a great source of nutrients for your 6months old junior.

4. Steamed Potato

It’s another best way to give your infant potato in your baby’s daily diet. The steaming method preserves all vitamins and other nutrients within the potatoes. You can shred or slice it into long strips and steam it with less exposure to heat and water. Remember that finger foods can be given to your baby once they develop teeth and a proper pincer grasp. Never leave your baby unsupervised when they are having finger foods.

5. Baked Potatoes

Another finger food recipe that you can add to your grown up baby’s diet, baked potatoes taste sweet and flavorful. For this recipe, you can cut the potatoes into long strips and bake them first followed by roasting

Potatoes are one of the most common and popular vegetables in several regions worldwide and are a powerhouse of energy and multiple nutrients. However, when planning to feed potatoes for babies, make sure you don’t feed excessively. You can consult with a pediatrician to understand the appropriate quantity of potatoes you can give to your little one.

FAQ’s

1. Do Potatoes Give Babies Gas?

Steamed potato puree does not cause gas in babies as they are not a gaseous vegetable. However, you must maintain a proper gap in feeding potatoes to your baby. Frequent feeding can cause gas.

2. Can Potatoes Cause Constipation in Babies?

Potatoes are high in dietary fiber. They make the digestion system smooth and functional. So there’s no scope for constipation because of potatoes. However, give it in moderation to avoid constipation.

3. Can a Baby Experience an Allergy to Potatoes?

Potatoes generally do not create any allergic symptoms in babies. Yet, it reacts differently in different bodies. If you observe any illness or discomfort in your babies after feeding them potatoes, you may need to have a quick word with the pediatrician.

Potatoes For Babies – When to Introduce, Benefits and Precautions

Is Potato Good For Babies?

When Can You Introduce Potatoes to Your Baby?

Nutritional Value of Potatoes