Kids and (drinking) tea?

[nothing2lose]

I don't let my DD have caffeine so tea is a no no for me. It is also a diuretic and I reckon it's hard enough keeping a child hydrated!!

[NaeNae]

I don't let my DD have caffeine so tea is a no no for me. It is also a diuretic and I reckon it's hard enough keeping a child hydrated!!

^^ Yeah that ^^ caffine is a big no no in my house for DD who is 22 months.

Saying that though Mayaness makes a gorgeous home brew of Chai with 98% caffine free black tea in it and she mixes honey in and DD loves it. I only let her have the occasional sip and its not something that I make specifically for her to have. When she has had colds I have made her lemon and honey (fresh lemon from the garden) in boiled water and she might have a few sips of that.

Why not make her a warm frothy milk before bed? if you want to put "something" in it what about Malt? you can get little hand frothers if you don't have a coffee machine. It will be better for her too

Nae x x

[Cranky Kitten]

DD is older, but does have the occasional cup of tea with me - I drink all sorts of different leaf teas, she likes my peppermint, berry and lemongrass teas the best. Oh and english breakfast of course, but she gets that one with loads of milk..

She was also a bit of a babycino afficionado from early on. Mmmmm, warm frothed milk with a slight spattering of chocolate powder

[Lulliloo]

i have been drinking tea since as early as i remember. i can't see anything wrong with the occassional cup every now and then. hasn't hurt me i don't think

[EsJay]

you can get caffeine free in the general lipton, tetley etc etc brands, so maybe you could buy a box of that just for her?
i was always under the impression tea interferred with absorption of iron and caffeine calcium therefore it had a double whammy? dont quote me on that though as i think i just heard it somewhere years ago and have no real idea if its true or not.
but in saying that, i cant see an issue with an occasional cuppa, and if she wants it more regularly you could give her a hot choc instead, thats what we do with dsd as she really likes tea and iced tea

[skybie]

Nae, she has milk before bed every night, she just likes the peppermint tea. will buy some and make sure it has no caffine in it.
tbh i didnt even know tea had caffine in it!
thanks for the feedback everyone, i did a bit research after i posted this and seemingly the odd cup of uncaffinated/ herbal tea's are ok!

[onthefly]

My brother left some coffee chill lying around which DS got his hands on. oh boy.
I like that decaf tea too

[Phteven]

DS1 got DH's mocha mixed up with his hot chocolate once and drank the whole thing before anyone noticed
It wasn't pretty. He's terrified of caffeine now lol.

[Astrid]

DD2 loves to get hold of my tea, so I have to watch her. Sometimes I will just dip my tea bag into some warm milk for her to fend her off.

[Astrolady]

Once in a blue moon Kameron will have a cup of tea with one level teaspoon of sugar. He asks for it a fair bit especially if I am making myself one, but I usually say no. Lachlan has had it a few times in his 7 years, and Ashton has tried it and didn't like it.

[wysiwyg]

The NSW Health Department has a caffeine fact sheet that lists caffeine content of various things - it lists cocoa and chocolate as also having caffeine so not sure hot chocolate is a good tea replacement. Personally I think everything in moderation, DD has the occasional bit of chocolate which also has caffeine in it, so the odd sip of tea here and there I don't think is an issue. The caffeine content of tea depends on how strong the brew is and if is quite weak which when DD has it normally is as add lots of milk to cool it down content can be almost as low as decaffeinated tea/coffee.

What How much caffeine? Comments
Instant coffee 60-100 mg per cup The amount of caffeine depends on how much you put in the cup
Fresh coffee 80-350 mg per cup The amount of caffeine depends on:
the type of beans ('Robusta' contains more caffeine than 'Arabica')
the way the coffee is made
how strong the brew is

Decaffeinated coffee 2 - 4 mg per cup The amount of caffeine is usually marked on the packet
Tea 8 - 90 mg per cup Caffeine content depends on how strong the brew is
Cola drinks 35 mg per 250ml serve Cola drinks often contain a lot of sugar too
Cocoa and hot chocolate 10 - 70 mg per cup The amount of caffeine depends on strength of the brew and the other chemicals in the product
Chocolate bars 20 - 60 mg per 200 g bar Chocolate also contains a lot of sugar
Some prescription and over-the-counter medications 20 - 100 mg per dose Some medicines (cough, headache and slimming products) contain caffeine.

[krysalyss]

DS has herbal tea if he wants it but not coffee or black, or green. If getting to sleep at bedtime is a problem though possibly avoid peppermint just before bed as it is a natural stimulant. Something soothing like camomile would be good before bed. Otherwise honey and lemon but without the tea is good as a hot drink (it is likely that it was the caffeine and not the sugar making her stay awake).