Tea?

[~Emma~]

How many of you let your toddlers drink tea?

 Sometimes I will let DS have a sip of mine at the end of a cup and he loves it. I have just got back from my folks who are very old school! My grandparents were beside themselves when I wouldn't let DS have a cup of tea. They told me I used to have tea in a bottle along with all my cousins when I was young!!  ( just for the record I would NEVER let DS have tea in a bottle!)

 So anyways, having issues with DS taking his morning milk in a sippy, whilst at my folks I gave him his morning milk and then put a tiny bit of tea in it ( more to appease my grandparents than anything!) He absolutely loved it. Eeeeek.

 So just wondering how many of you go along with the old school Brit way of letting your LO's drink tea!

[Fiver]

Nope, no tea or coffee here.  Maybe the odd sip of hot chocolate here and there, but not tea.  Can't stand the stuff myself, so the longer DS avoids having it the better as far as I'm concerned - means I don't have to make the stuff!!

[Lolly]

We do! Not every day and he was around 2 when we started letting him - his cup of tea is about 2/3 milk and 1/3  weak decaff tea with a bit of sugar. He has a cup maybe once or twice a week so I don't think it does any harm really, the sugar is probably the worst bit .

There was a post about this recently http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=176240.msg1990318#msg1990318

Oh - never in a bottle either!!

Laura

[shivi]

Old school Polish too I'm afraid.

On my first day back in work with Ozzie barely 4.5 mths there is a pic of my MIL "feeding" him black tea with lemon and sugar off a silver spoon. He wasn't NEAR solids yet!!! UGH I was so so mad with her!

No tea or coffee here though mine like the cream from my coffee when we're out and about!

In PL, kids get baby tea from 1 mth old - herbal remedies, for diff ailments like colic, indigestion, sleeplessness etc.....


S x

[Colin Macs Mom]

That topic has been discussed here a few times, and the general consensus has been that in some cultures it's normal, but even then it was decaf tea and very weak.

[mokey_cat]

Hi Emma

I have given DD a few sips of my tea and she also LOVES it.  I try to drink more rooibos (red bush) tea than normal tea (it has no caffeine and is yummy ) so let her have a few mouthfuls it she wants it.  When she is older I dont think I would have a problem giving her a cup of decaff or redbush tea if she wanted it, but would probably not give her more than a sip or 2 of normal tea just because of the caffeine.

[*Ali*]

I think the main problem with tea (and coffee) is that the tannins in it reduces iron absorption and lots of children already struggle to get enough iron in their diets. I think a sip or 2 now and then should be OK or a really weak tea with say 9 parts milk, 1 part tea. But only occasionally, certainly not every day.
And for the record I am British in Britain but don't know anyone who lets their toddler drink tea. 

[anna*]

Stan has a cup if v milky roibos tea most days.

[*Ali*]

I believe roibos tea has less than half the tannins of normal tea so is much better for children.
Plus forgot to say if you do give tea it is better to give on its own rather than with a meal so the iron reduction effect is reduced. Giving Vitamin C (orange juice for eg) with meals can help iron absorption.

[*Liz*]

I'm thinking of trying the same Emma. J dropped his morning milk quite a few months ago and as he is SO tiny I would really like it back again.

He loves a few sips of tea so I was thinking of a very milky decaf tea.

I think it depends on the child and what your individual priorities are. Mine is to increase calcium and total calorie intake.

[~Emma~]

I was thinking the same Liz. He has a good, varied diet and i have just started to give him vitamins too so not too worried about the iron thing. Brodie is a wee man too. Its just the way he gulped it down in his morning sippy that got me thinking about it. He is not eating any more for breakfast as a result of having less milk so in my eyes it ts just a drop in his calories for the day.

 Does the redbush tea taste just like normal tea?

[mumto5cuddlebugs]

My older two show no interest in tea (except when dunking biscuits is involved  ) My toddlers LOVES tea, builder's tea, Earl Grey tea, Chamomile tea!

He usually gets the chamomile, but i do let him drink the others occasionally, with lots of milk.

ETA-I am British and i grew up drinking tea. I do not remember a time that i did not have a cup of tea in the mornings!

[caz2107]

Yep my LO has tea occasionally, I hate the stuff myself and always said I wouldn't let him have it too young anyway (because of the tannins) but then I found out that DH had been letting have sips of his  so now of course he wants it if he sees anyone drinking it so I have asked DH to drink it out of sight or in evening after DS gone to bed, which means DS is allowed tea only when we have visitors (as they're all sat drinking it in front of him - can't avoid it), I make it really milky and no sugar so really its prob only a hint of the taste but he loves it, looks so proud to have his 'grown up' drink 

[anna*]

Roibos isn't exactly the same but is quite similar and is decaf and is supposed to be full of antioxidants. I used to used cooled Roibos on nappy rash and it worked a treat!

[mokey_cat]

I think the rooibos has a similar taste to normal tea, maybe tastes a bit smokey.  I love it and would drink it over normal tea most days.  I drink soooo much tea every day!!