Simple Sweet Potato Oatmeal Porridge For Baby & Toddlers 

Sweet Potato season is upon us, and like you, I’m always looking for new recipes to make with them.

That’s why I’ve created this sweet potato oatmeal for baby-led weaning.

This porridge recipe makes a great breakfast for both babies and toddlers. 

It is naturally sweet so it requires little to no added sweeteners.

Why I Created This Baby-friendly Sweet Potato Oatmeal Porridge 

A year ago, my mother received a huge bag full of sweet potatoes from her neighbor who had a backyard garden.

She didn’t know anything else to make with them except sweet potato fries, so she brought the rest to me.

As someone who’s always up for a challenge, I took it upon myself to create as many sweet potato recipes as I could. 

Check out some of my favorite sweet potato recipe below!

• Delicious Sweet Potato Rice For Babies – A Twist on Classic Risotto
• Simple Sweet Potato Tots For Baby
• Fluffy Sweet Potato Muffins For Baby & Toddler (3 ingredients)
• Easy Pastina Pasta For Babies With Sweet Potatoes 
• Sweet Potato Scrambled Eggs For Baby – Easy and Delicious!

Allergy Considerations For Baby-led Weaning Sweet Potato Oatmeal 

This recipe contains dairy 

I used milk to make this sweet potato oatmeal porridge. You can’t have oatmeal without a liquid to soften it up.

You can use oat milk, almond milk, or another milk alternative as a substitute. You can also use water in place of milk.

Important Recipe Notes for Baby & Toddler Sweet Potato Oatmeal 

Roast or steam the sweet potato 

To get the most flavor out of the sweet potato, I’d recommend that you roast them.

Roasting brings out more of the sugar and sweetness from the sweet potatoes.

This will make the oatmeal porridge more flavorful. 

If you’re short on time, you can steam the sweet potatoes until they’re soft enough to pierce with a knife.

Steaming prevents the loss of nutrients from the potatoes as opposed to boiling them.

Allow the oatmeal to soak before cooking 

One of my tricks for getting great oatmeal porridges is to soak them in the milk before cooking.

Soaking allows them to absorb some of the milk so they can soften up quicker before cooking.

This will help to quicken the cooking process.

You can soak the oatmeal in the cinnamon and vanilla while you prep the other ingredients. 

Ingredients For BLW Sweet Potato Oatmeal Porridge 

Rolled oats – you can use any type. If using rolled oats, see the important recipe notes above for best practices.

Milk – any type of milk will work here. I used lactaid milk because I’m lactose intolerant.

Sweet potato – you can use any cooking method you prefer. See the important recipe notes above for best practices.

Spices – vanilla and cinnamon are my preferred spices for oatmeal. They help bring out the flavor of the other ingredients.

Sweetener – I use either maple syrup or brown sugar as my sweetener for babies and toddlers. I try to avoid white sugar as they’re more refined. 

Jump to Recipe

Why Sweet Potatoes Are Good For Babies and Toddlers

Sweet potatoes are excellent vegetables for babies and toddlers. 

They contain essential nutrients such as vitamin A, which help to promote healthy vision. 

They also contain fiber that helps to promote regular digestion. (Source).

What To Serve With Sweet Potato Oatmeal Porridge For Baby

Serve with some ground nuts

Ground nuts such as almonds or peanuts go very well on top of oatmeal for babies.

They also help to add bulk and fat to the meal. This will help your baby or toddler feel full for longer periods.

Serve with some fruits 

Fresh fruits like blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries go well with sweet potato oatmeal.

They provide a nice contrast that helps babies explore more texture.

How To Serve Sweet Potato Oatmeal For Baby-led Weaning

6-9 Months old

You can allow your baby to scoop up the sweet potato oatmeal with their hands. 

At this age, they’re just learning to eat. So they may not get much into their mouths. 

Try to be patient and remember that food is for exploration at this stage.

9-12 months old

Between 9 and 12 months old, you can begin to introduce utensils with oatmeal. 

Your baby can begin to practice eating with a preloaded spoon. 

If they become frustrated, allow them to eat with their hands instead.

12- 24 months and older

Kids between 12 and 24 months can begin practicing scooping up their food with a spoon.

Oatmeal is a great food for them to use as practice at this stage, because it sticks to the spoon.

Cooking Directions For Sweet Potato Oatmeal Porridge for Baby

• Mash or chop the cooked sweet potatoes in a bowl.
• In a small pot, combine the oatmeal, milk, cooked sweet potatoes, sweetener, vanilla and cinnamon.
• Allow the oatmeal to cook on medium-low heat until it boils. Then reduce heat to low. 
• Allow it to cook an additional 5-10 minutes until it begins to bubble and the oatmeal texture looks slimy. Add more milk if desired. 
• Remove from the heat and serve warm. 

Storage Tips for Sweet Potato Oatmeal 

Can I refrigerate sweet potato oatmeal for baby?

You can refrigerate this baby-friendly sweet potato oatmeal porridge for up to a day.

Note that the longer you leave it refrigerated, the more liquid it will absorb.

The oatmeal may become too thick and dry due to absorbing all the milk in the container. 

So it’s best to eat it immediately after cooking.

Reheating BLW sweet potato tots For Baby

To reheat this oatmeal, you may need to add more milk to rehydrate it. You can then reheat it in the microwave until it is hot evenly.

Tips for Picky Eaters

Don’t pressure

Give your baby or toddler a chance to say no. It’s okay if they don’t like what we serve them. Keep trying. 

It takes at least 30 exposures for a baby to begin liking a food, so don’t give up.

Make it into a game

Sometimes I create games around the food I serve to get my kids interested in eating. 

A game we’ve played in the past is called “Here comes the airplane… open the garage”. This encourages them to open their mouth as I bring the food in like an airplane.

Sometimes my kids will try new foods this way.

Related recipes 

• Ginger Sweet Potato Mash For Babies
• Easy Spinach & Sweet Potato Fritters for BLW

Did you make this baby-led weaning breakfast recipe? 

Let me know in the comments how it turned out!