Giraffe Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Only here do I have to clarify - I'm talking about the drink brewed with leaves, usually black or green. :D DD is sniffling with yet another cold. I know a warm cup of tea would cheer her up. She LOVES tea - has since she was an infant. She used to grab my tea out of my hand to drink and once pulled a cup of scalding tea on herself - that child could leap out of my lap past any rational distance to grab tea. Hot, cold, sweet, unsweet - it really doesn't matter. I've always resisted because I thought it wasn't good for little ones to drink tea. But it really would cheer her up. She's 3 1/2. So at what age do you let your little ones drink tea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 (edited) I've always resisted because I thought it wasn't good for little ones to drink tea. But it really would cheer her up. She's 3 1/2. So at what age do you let your little ones drink tea? Go for it. Mine have been drinking it since about that age, only I put mostly milk and a little tea. Now they do mostly tea and a little milk. ETA: Mint and lemon tea with honey is *great* for sniffles or a cough/sore throat. Edited January 11, 2011 by Susan in KY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Ds gets a cup of 'sick tea' when he is sniffly - decaf green tea with honey and milk. It doesn't help the cold, but it makes him feel better. I have also given him regular when I didn't have decaf, and he did okay with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Mine love tea, any kind. I keep herbal teas in the cupboard just for the kids so I don't have to deal with caffeinated kiddos. Chamomile or mint are their favorites. But if we're out, I let them have a little regular tea, weak with lots of milk. :) Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 My kids often have a cup of tea, usually herbal or decaf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 Thanks! She's about to have a small cup and is so excited! It will be weak, black, and no milk because we just don't do that here. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Once when my eldest was 2.5 years old and she was very sick with a virus, the pediatrician told us to give her ANYTHING that she was willing to drink. She was most willing to drink ice tea so that's what we gave her. We are in the South and it's not uncommon around here to put ice tea in the baby's bottle. :tongue_smilie: Pegasus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I hope she feels better soon. My girls liked tea from an early age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 Once when my eldest was 2.5 years old and she was very sick with a virus, the pediatrician told us to give her ANYTHING that she was willing to drink. She was most willing to drink ice tea so that's what we gave her. We are in the South and it's not uncommon around here to put ice tea in the baby's bottle. :tongue_smilie: Pegasus I'm a Southerner and grew up with tea (though I don't remember when I started drinking it). DH is Turkish and those people can drink some tea - all day long. So DD was doomed before she was born! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Mine have enjoyed it since they were about that age. They love it! There are many naturally caffeine free choices to select from. My children particularly like the roiboos teas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayne J Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I would let her have it. I wanted to add that when mine come down with sniffles, they love to have hot lemonade. I mix lemon juice, honey and warm/hot water and it helps soothe the scratchy throats and the sniffles. (add a tot of whiskey and the grown ups feel better too...)I also tend to keep some herbal teas on hand for just this kind of thing--they can drink peppermint or lemon balm tea til the cows come home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I think decaf tea would be fine; or herbal tea, which doesn't even include caffeine in most instances..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 My three girls also love tea! In fact, it's a special treat to "do tea" on Tuesdays, instead of their usual snack time. They love that I get out the fancy tea cups, with saucers, and serve pecan sandies on a silver tray. LOL! For a little sniffler, I'd go without the milk (creates mucous), and put some honey in to soothe the throat. There's so little caffeine in a cup of tea, it's never bothered my girls. Feel better, Little One. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
femke Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I gave my dc tea from 6 months onwards :001_huh: Is there something wrong with tea :confused: I only give them herbal tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 My kids have been drinking tea since they were tots. We stick with decaf and herbal also. Everyone in this house has at least 2-3 cups of tea a day. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anabelneri Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I stuck with herbal tea with my older daughter until recently, but with my little one I haven't been as careful... she actually just had a cup of black tea (with milk and honey) this afternoon! I don't find that the caffeine has much effect on them, to my surprise. And Lil'un is at the top of the growth curve so I'm not to stressed about it stunting her growth :tongue_smilie:. I drank tons of caffeine growing up and still ended up at 6ft. Both my girls seem to enjoy both herbal and regular teas. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 DS drinks oolong tea every morning. He was drinking it when we adopted him from China and still drinks it daily 3.5 years later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 My three girls also love tea! In fact, it's a special treat to "do tea" on Tuesdays, instead of their usual snack time. They love that I get out the fancy tea cups, with saucers, and serve pecan sandies on a silver tray. LOL! For a little sniffler, I'd go without the milk (creates mucous), and put some honey in to soothe the throat. There's so little caffeine in a cup of tea, it's never bothered my girls. Feel better, Little One. :grouphug: That's neat you have tea with your girls. My 7 yo dd wanted a fancy tea party for her 7th birthday party. There were girls from age 4 to 8. I had lemonade on hand thinking they wouldn't like the tea but they loved it! We bought fancy china from Goodwill. Now my 4 yo wants a tea party for her 5th birthday. We should do it more often too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deannajo Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Go for it! - my daughter just finished a cup of peach tea with a bit of honey and vanilla rice milk. Yay tea! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 My little girl has been drinking it since she was 2. DS won't touch the stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 We drink lots of tea here but I only do herbal/decaf tea with them and sweeten with some honey. They do not get regular iced tea made w/ white sugar. The thought makes me sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 My kids have been drinking tea, cold and hot, since they were old enough to have some in a sippy cup. My 8 year old requested brewed green tea with stevia yesterday. My 5 and 8 year olds also drink my coffee with creamer. If you are worried about caffeine, choose decaf green or herbal teas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Only here do I have to clarify - I'm talking about the drink brewed with leaves, usually black or green. :D So at what age do you let your little ones drink tea? As soon as they can sip from a cup. We do herbal teas. Aviva Jill Romm has an excellent child herb book out if you're interested. We do it FOR health and herbs are sans caffeine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 My kids love tea, and drink it often. They've grown up on white or green tea, straight (the caffeine thing has never bothered me and I hate black tea). None of us drink cold tea, black OR green - blech! When the kids are sick, though, I give them straight hot water with a slice of lemon or lime and some honey or blackstrap molasses. Either way, I'm glad your little sickie got her special treat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 So at what age do you let your little ones drink tea? My youngest has always loved tea also. We keep a lot of herbal varieties around, and now that she's older she also has green tea sometimes. She takes it straight up- no sugar, no milk. When my kids are sick, I give them herbal teas like Throat Coat and Breath Easy. Really helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyfulMama Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I'm a Southerner and grew up with tea (though I don't remember when I started drinking it). DH is Turkish and those people can drink some tea - all day long. So DD was doomed before she was born! Ooooh I haven't had Turkish tea in over 10 years. Thanks for that sweet memory! We are big tea drinkers here, but I don't do caffeine, so they never have either. I make at least 2 teapots a day, and everyone enjoys. I think every one of them started with sips from my cup, and progressed to their own (with an ice cube or 2 to start). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 If you want your tea unsweetened, you have to request it specifically. Even more so with hot tea. Here, hot tea is an acquired taste. But to answer your question, I always let my dc have tea. I buy decaffeinated, but restaurants serve only regular. EK loves hot tea, but rarely drinks iced tea. ER is just the opposite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 We are in the South and it's not uncommon around here to put ice tea in the baby's bottle. :tongue_smilie: :iagree: Yep! I've seen it done many, many, many more times than I could count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I grew up with tea, my kids grew up with tea. Let the child have some hot (but not too hot) tea...put some lemon and honey in some mint tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 She got her tea: in a "special cup", lukewarm, sweetened with sugar (out of honey) and with a STRAW! She loved it. And was back in preschool this morning. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 Ooooh I haven't had Turkish tea in over 10 years. Thanks for that sweet memory! We are big tea drinkers here, but I don't do caffeine, so they never have either. I make at least 2 teapots a day, and everyone enjoys. I think every one of them started with sips from my cup, and progressed to their own (with an ice cube or 2 to start). It's actually not hard to find Turkish tea 'round here, and I have the traditional two-level tea kettle. Yum! I do need to go get some of the tulip glasses, though. DH prefers a great big American mug! :) If you look, you probably can find Turkish tea 'round there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 If it's the caffeine you're worried about, maybe give her an herbal/decaf tea. My kids starting drinking all kinds of tea probably about age 5, but I wouldn't have objected to it earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGin Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 FYI - if your worried about the caffeine and only have teas with caffeine on hand you can decaf your own. Steep the leaves or bag for about 30 seconds in just enough water to cover. Discard that water and replace with the full amount you want to brew in, and there you go. The first blush off the tea is the caffeine and this removes most of it. It really works and doesn't affect the flavor one bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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