Is it ok for children to drink iced tea?

[yvonne]

My 5yo dd loves drinking iced tea when I make it for myself. (Mostly I think she likes slurping the sugar up off the bottom of the glass with a straw, but have to admit that's how I started liking it, too.)

 

I only let her have a half a glass a day at most because it just doesn't seem like a drink for children. But then iced tea is such a big drink in the south, I was thinking maybe children do drink it?

[Peek a Boo]

um, YEAH!!!.. iced tea, koolaid, cappucino, coffee, cokes, lemonades, and any other drink. In some moderation :)

 

unless your kiddo has some other specific health concern that would preclude it, my kids do fine drinking a lot of a variety of things.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Children DO drink it of course. However, it is ALWAYS better for children to drink water than any other kind of drink. The only other drink really GOOD for kids would be juice you juice yourself. Tea, soda, juices, punches, kool-aid, etc aren't particularly good for ANYONE and I wouldn't get kids in the habit of drinking them. The sugar or sugar substitute is just not good for them.

 

Of course, you might give it to her occasionally, not super regularly.

 

JMO

 

ETA: BTW, I do agree with Peek. Our kids have always had a variety of drinks (as well as foods). Some things were just more occasional than others. My kids thought W.W. CRACKERS were a treat for years. LOL

[Jolash]

The house wine of the south.

 

My ds8 has grown up drinking tea. I make it from decaf tea bags and don't put nearly as much sugar as the sweet tea in restaurants, but it's still sweet. As long as that's not all they drink, I don't think there's a problem. JMHO

[abbeyej]

Well, the concerns I would have are caffeine and, since it appears you mean sweet tea, sugar. Neither are particularly good for children -- but in moderation... Certainly the caffeine and sugar in homemade sweet tea are less than in, say, Coke or something like that. (And even in commercial sweet tea, the caffeine would still be less than in a coke.)

 

At home, when I make tea, I use naturally decaffeinated tea bags or green tea and in each pitcher of tea, I include a bag or two of mint tea. That gives the illusion of some sweetness without adding sugar -- but then, lol, I'm sure it would taste just wretched to someone who was used to good ol' southern sweet tea. ;) I don't have any concerns about my kids having some low or no-caffeine iced tea -- if we used sugar, I would simply make sure they were only having small quantities as a special treat. (BTW, I'd definitely prefer my children have sugar than sugar substitutes, which I ban completely.)

[amy g.]

Mine drink decaf tea without any sugar.

 

They would rather have tea in their Christmas stockings than candy!

[Ellie]

and lived to tell about it :-)

 

On a slight tangent, that sugar-on-the-bottom-of-the-glass thing is why I started sweetening the whole pitcher. My family learned to like it the way I fixed it :-)

[yvonne]

I guess it's the caffeine I was mostly worried about. I don't let the kids drink sodas at all because of the caffeine and sugar and definitely no diet sodas because of the artificial sweeteners. I'm sure it wouldn't kill them, but there's no reason to start drinking sodas as a kid anyhow.

 

Iced tea would be fun for my daughter as a special "tea time" drink. I think I'll start making it with decaf tea and sugar only in the pitcher, not in the glasses! A couple of glasses in a day three or four days a week sounds like it should be ok.

 

Thanks, again!

yvonne

[SusanG]

I drank tea while growing up, and if my kids liked it, I'd love for them to drink it too. I drink decaf green tea, which is VERY healthy. I put a little artificial sweetener in mine, but not too much. While water is of course a great thing to drink, it can be argued that adding some green tea to your diet is better than just drinking water - for kids as well as adults.

[Unicorn.]

But caffiene can be a good thing for children. Caffiene acts as a stimulant in adults, but in children it has a calming effect. It's like over the counter ritalin, w/out the narcotic! Ask me why I know (hint, their names are .....) I actually don't add sugar to mine, (eek! I'm a bad southernor) but the little dev, er angels, drink it anyway. Oh, and I love adding mint to mine too!

[Peek a Boo]

sorry, i dont support ur opinion, kids shouldnt drink niether coffe nor iced tea, that kind of sustances alter you kid body..

look for in google!!

That's ok --you don't have to support it :)

I figger we're already altered as it is from the preservatives, plastics, immunizations, cow protein, introduction of solid foods too early, public school education, divorced parents, pollution, and teflon.

some high fructose corn syrup, sugar. and caffeine just seem like icing on the cake ;)

 

and Ellie-- if you boil the water and sugar first, it tastes even better and mixes WONDERFULLY!! gotta have at least 2 cups per gallon. 3's even better!

[abbeyej]

But caffiene can be a good thing for children. Caffiene acts as a stimulant in adults, but in children it has a calming effect. It's like over the counter ritalin, w/out the narcotic! Ask me why I know (hint, their names are .....) I actually don't add sugar to mine, (eek! I'm a bad southernor) but the little dev, er angels, drink it anyway. Oh, and I love adding mint to mine too!

 

That's not a universal effect. It sometimes works for kids with ADHD, but not all children by any means.

[yvonne]

Hey Peek,

 

2 cups of _sugar_ per gallon?!? My dd will be in heaven! :)

 

"gotta have at least 2 cups per gallon. 3's even better!"

[erica471]

I allow my 7-year old iced and hot tea. She loves it. We don't use sugar and I use decaf. I don't see a huge problem with it. She drinks plenty of water and milk. We don't really do juice.

[Sasharowan]

Be warned that the tannic acid in tea can leach iron from your system, so if there is any problemwith iron, tea is probablynot good. That said I grew up drinking sweet tea and 3 of my 4 kids drink it, although they mostly drink the decaf stuff.

[nakitty]

My children are allowed to drink lightly sweetened iced HERBAL tea....but only the herbal. Decaf still contains some caffeine and both contain tannic acid which can slow down the absorption of iron. My kids are happy with herbal tea....especially iced mint tea! And, FTR, my kids only get soda pop on special occasions....and juice only a few times a month. Mainly they drink water and a little milk.

[Slartibartfast]

Be warned that the tannic acid in tea can leach iron from your system, so if there is any problemwith iron, tea is probablynot good. That said I grew up drinking sweet tea and 3 of my 4 kids drink it, although they mostly drink the decaf stuff.

 

It can leech iron.

 

Tea is also high in fluoride which isn't that great for you.

 

I still drink it and I let my dd drink it, but in moderation. :)

[GreenKitty]

I had to stop drinking it because of the caffeine:(

 

And if mama aint makin it, then the kiddos aren't havin any! :)

[Peela]

Since its not actually good for them in any way I can think of (apart from the fact it is a liquid) I think my attitude would be more "well, it wont do much harm if its part of an overall healthy diet". Since Americans (and Australians) are not famous for their "overall healthy diets", its probably not a habit I would encourage at such an early age. The more years they are caffiene free, and the more years they have to develop healthy habits, the better. But, as one thing, not so bad....as one of many bad habits? Not my preference. Caffeine is addictive- its just that everyone is addicted, so it seems ok.

[K-FL]

and Ellie-- if you boil the water and sugar first, it tastes even better and mixes WONDERFULLY!! gotta have at least 2 cups per gallon. 3's even better!

 

2-3 cups per gallon of tea???? I'm even a Southern Gal & that's way too much for my taste. Half that does fine, esp since you have no waste in putting it in the hot water. JMO, of course. :)

[Donna T.]

We drink tea almost everyday. I have boys but they absolutely LOVE to have tea parties! We usually have a warm cup in the mid-afternoon but sometimes make iced tea. I use decaf, mostly herbal teas. We either put a tiny bit of sugar in it (iced), or a small bit of honey (warm) or stevia (can be used with either). My nine year old loves the stevia. He prefers it to sugar or honey. I limit his intake (one, maybe two cups in a given day) and make sure he is drinking plenty of water throughout the day. We sometimes add fresh lemon and mint. We live in the South (I guess you would say Deep South) and sweet tea is very much a part of our culture. It's pitiful to see little children with their front teeth rotted out because they drink tea in their bottles! Fortunately, that is unusual, but I do see it. I have no problem with it being a once a day indulgance (which is why I make it special and we have a tea party rather than just guzzling it whenever we are thirsty) for an older child.

[Jumping In Puddles]

Hot tea and Ice tea here for my 2 since they could sip from a tea cup!

 

For us: Aways Decaf and never sugar! I started them that way and I'm sure one day they'll taste sweetened ice tea and be ruined forever ;) but for now, my kids love it and it is good for them. Plenty of antioxidants in tea but no calories.

 

My kids also have an overall healthy diet and it's not like there gulping down tea all day long. I think moderation is the key. I tend to agree with Dr. Weil on the issue of flouride in tea (and my kids are not getting fluoride from our water supply or in their toothpaste) although I'm sure many people will choose to take the advice of doctors such as Dr. Mercola and others who think fluoride is bad - including what's in tea.

 

I think that kids drinking tea is not as much of a problem to children's health as sugar, processed meats, food coloring, salty junk food snacks and other "kid foods".

[Oak Knoll Mom]

Tea is also high in fluoride which isn't that great for you.

 

This is why my dentist recommends that kids under a certain age (can't remember--7? 8?) shouldn't drink tea.

[TravelingChris]

My youngest drinks coffee and tea but not usually iced tea much. She only drinks about a cup of coffee some mornings or the same with tea. Since she is not drinking it all day long, I am not concerned. As new evidence pops up that caffeine is good for you, I am happy that she likes coffee. (Caffeine has been shown to help prevent Type 2 Diabetes and some other problems). My oldest has taken to caffeine in energy drinks which I don't approve of but he is 19 and using his own money. He never drank coffee or hardly any tea as a child. I think child 3 has it right. Coffee in moderation.

[camibami]

I am totally fine with coffee or tea for children. I don't allow artificial sweetners, corn syrup, preservatives, and try to avoid artificial chemicals of any sort. When you think about it, coffee is just beans and water (my youngest adds milk to hers), and tea is tea leaves and water. Totally natural, and IMO better than a corn syrup, red dye laden juice box any day!

 

We don't really ever have iced tea, just hot tea and coffee, but if you aren't adding gobs of sugar (or even if you are- I'm okay with real sugar, myself) I can't htink why it isn't better for a kid than pop, fake juice, etc.

[Philothea]

I don't think anyone mentioned this, but if you are looking for an alternative to white sugar (I use a natural sugar for baking and such, myself)... look into buying honey locally. Honey has all kinds of benefits, I just think it is a great alternative sweetner to sugar.

 

You could buy any honey, but local honey is said to help with allergies.

 

My son loves coffee and tea but we make sure that his main drink every day is water. If flouride is a concern, drink distilled water. There are also many wonderful machines out there that remove everything, including flouride, from your water.

[nmoira]

I make herbal iced teas for the kids. There's still the sugar issue, but I don't sweeten the drinks nearly so much as, say, soda or kool aid.

[LizzyBee]

Two of my kids drink sweet tea, but we use decaf tea bags. I don't monitor how much my teenager drinks, but my 6 yo gets only very limited amounts of tea.

[justme]

No one has mentioned using stevia as an alternative to sugar or artificial sweeteners. That's what I have been using in moderation to provide sweetness and to cut down on sugar/artificial sweeteners. Is there some problem with stevia that I'm not aware of? I researched it and thought it was safe- it's an herb that has been used for thousands of years in many cultures. I get it at the health food store (not that that's any guarantee, but still...) Also, is the flouride in tea from the water used to prepare it, or is it actually in the tea leaves. If so, how did it get there? Is the tea watered with flouridated water while growing?

[Jumping In Puddles]

Speaking of tea...

 

my DH's grandfather celebrated his 100th birthday in february (he lives by himself, bowls, swims, goes to church each week etc) and I asked him if he had a secret to a long healthy life and he said he just lived his life with faith in God and nothing special diet or exercise wise.

 

With a little more probing, he told us:

He drank plenty of tea, and a fair ammount of coffee in his life along with plenty of beer (but not all at once, of course ;) )

Eats meat, veggies and starches and fruits and dessert

takes one multi vitamin a day

Rarely drank just plain water

Never stepped foot in a gym... just keeps active by bowling and walking to church and swimming etc.

 

Sounds like a life of moderation didn't do him any harm :)

[StephanieZ]

Caffeine is a drug that has all kinds of effects on you. I won't let my dc drink caffeinated beverages until they are 16. Coffee and tea are bad for you, IMHO, so there is no reason to encourage them to develop at taste for them.

 

You could offer iced herbal (no-tea types) teas. The fruity Celestial Seasonings teas are delicious with no sugar at all and of course sugar or honey can be added. My dc love them in the winter when it's cold out.

[Jumping In Puddles]

I never would have thought that something as simple and timeless as drinking tea would be controversial! :eek:

[Holly IN]

yep! I allow iced tea (I use less sugar than most people do though...I brew mine very very strong so that eliminates the need for lots of sugar). I also allow lattes, mochas, coffee... Pop however is done in moderation.

 

Holly

[KidsHappen]

Generations of my family were raised on iced tea. The only thing I didn't like about living up north was that there was not a decent glass of iced tea to be found anywhere.

 

I use decaf and a small amount of sweet n' low. The rest of my family uses sugar, although no where near as much as Peek. Many people in the south do though. You can frequently find iced tea almost as thick as maple syrup.

[Holly IN]

It can leech iron.

 

Tea is also high in fluoride which isn't that great for you.

 

I still drink it and I let my dd drink it, but in moderation. :)

 

I never heard of this before. Not sure if I really believe it though. With that said....city water is no better....it has flouride and all kinds of stuff in it. My water is RO water.

 

Holly

[Holly IN]

ETA: BTW, I do agree with Peek. Our kids have always had a variety of drinks (as well as foods). Some things were just more occasional than others. My kids thought W.W. CRACKERS were a treat for years. LOL

 

Ha ha My kids too! They love the WW crackers. They also think it is treat.

 

Holly

[Miss Peregrine]

I think it is ok occasionally but we don't sweeten our tea.

[*anj*]

I never would have thought that something as simple and timeless as drinking tea would be controversial! :eek:

I know! I'm kind of smirking over here.

BTW...where do you live in NJ?

You can pm me if you don't want to say it "out loud".:001_smile:

[Tammyla]

Wow, mine don't like it. Don't kids in England drink tea in the afternoon? I never knew tea could be such a hot topic either.

 

I love tea!:hurray::cheers2::hurray:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_effects_of_tea_on_health

[Dayle in Guatemala]

In the morning we start up the coffee pot and run water through it to make a pot of hot water so we can have herbal tea during the morning while we school. We also have it in the afternoon during reading time and my dc love it at night before bed. We don't use sugar, they use honey, or nothing at all. Sometimes they put ice in it after it's cooled for iced tea. I don't have an issue with it.

[Jumping In Puddles]

I know! I'm kind of smirking over here.

BTW...where do you live in NJ?

You can pm me if you don't want to say it "out loud".:001_smile:

 

I live in Sussex County. Where are you?

[Mom2GirlsTX]

My oldest loves tea, but she drinks organic green tea or white rasberry tea iced. If sugar is added, it is only a tiny bit, but the usual sweetener is honey. We are really big water drinkers here but love iced tea, but dh and I do not add any sweetner to ours.