Tea for a toddler?

[JJsMom]

I want to start having "tea time" at our house around 10 am. We usually get up between 7 and 8 and have a little cereal, so by 10, we are usually really hungry and I can usually bake something with ds after my dd's first nap. Anyway, I was thinking about using special tea cups and actually giving him tea but I'm not sure what kind is safe for a toddler, if any at all. I gave him chamomille before but I remember thinking at the time that he seemed to get really spazzy after. :shrug
BTW, he doesn't really need tea and I've just been giving him rice milk and we pretend it's tea but I thought it would be fun to have the real thing. :)

[kcasmama]

Toddlers all over Africa, Asia and Europe are given tea. I wouldn't think many real teas are dangerous, but I'm no expert...

[allisonintx]

Mint tea is lovely.
Lemon Balm
Ginger
Dandilion
Raspberry leaf
Raspberry Zinger (any of the Zinger teas)

[Punkie]

My dd started drinking chamomile around 1 1/2. She loves it. Her pediatrician even recommended it when she would get a cold :)

[Mommyo6]

Well I 'm British and my mom said I went from a bottle to my English black tea with milk and suger. Still have to have it every morning! Of course bear in mind that I am 4'11" tall so it may have stunted my growth!! :) All my kids drank cambric tea by age 2 or 3 (very milky English tea).

BY the way my grandmothers were tiny too so I really don't think the tea did it!

[cobluegirl]

Tea is better than juice..because it doesn't have sugar. I tend to stear clear of the caffenated kind for my kids but the girls love chamomile...

[mama2three]

We have tea time too, my kids love it. I get the herbal sampler package and they like choosing one. The also love 'sneaking' mums tea, black with honey. It's a fun routine in our house, my 5 year old ds often asks if we can have a cup of tea and sit on the front step in the sun. :heart

[Thia]

I have been thinking about doing tea time too!

[Ajani]

Rooibos is good, too. No caffeine, all natural and with a flavour similar to black tea, so it takes milk/cream and sugar well, if you're so inclined.

[kcasmama]

Well I 'm British and my mom said I went from a bottle to my English black tea with milk and suger. Still have to have it every morning! Of course bear in mind that I am 4'11" tall so it may have stunted my growth!! :) All my kids drank cambric tea by age 2 or 3 (very milky English tea).

BY the way my grandmothers were tiny too so I really don't think the tea did it!




My mom gave us coffee when we were toddlers. I am 5'9" and my sis 5'7". Pretty much does away with that wives' tale!

[Tengokujin]

You could go to your local Asian food store and see what they have in the way of barley teas. Here in Japan there are several "non-tea leaf" teas that are drunk a lot. One is called Mugi-cha (pronounced MOOGEE) and is a big cold summer drink. No caffeine.

What DS 1 likes is for me to heat a bit of milk and put a drop of honey in it. He then gets a spoon and stirs it. He calls it "tea" and it makes him happy. :rolleyes

[all2jesus]

We've been doing teas for both my boys- chamomile is great, no spaziness, it calms them if anything :phew- it is even used in many traditional non-alcoholic gripe waters. But do your research or speak to an herbalist -things like Licorice, Dandelion, Nettle leaf etc have contraindications and limited use instructions even for adults. Regular black and green teas (use organic) are regularly given to children in other countries in weaker preparation- tried and true is always best! Enjoy your new tradition!

[Mamatoto]

One of my fave recipes that I love to take to picnics or places with kids is Zinger tea. Boil a big pot of Wild Berry Zinger Tea, add apple juice, equal parts apple juice and tea is good for us, and put it in a pitcher in the fridge. It is WONDERFUL, like fruit punch. You could drink it without the apple juice, too, warm if you wanted to. Ds also loves green tea.

[something glorious]

my DD loves tea! at home she drinks caffeine-free herbals (chamomile being one of her favorites), but with my mom ("nana") she drinks black tea with milk :grin