Tea time
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- November
- 12
I’ve been thinking about tea lately, mostly because I recently made a pact with myself to forego that second cup of afternoon joe for some green tea. I had given up on tea in my early 30s when I started my love affair with coffee. Thank you Starbucks frappucinos. But while there are studies that say java cuts your risk of this, that and the other, there’s also something about it that makes me think it’s not all that good for you, especially after I tried to quit—it only lasted four days—and on the first day I had a severe migraine and turned into a raging lunatic. With that said, I think anything you consume daily will eventually take its toll.
I’ve also noticed this new store in the malls called Teavana that makes tea out to be some hip elixir. Of course this is nothing new, but it’s nice to be reminded. I was reading up on the Oolong and red varietals that claim to aid with allergies and digestion. Sounds better than Nasonex and Milk of Magnesia, right?
But I digress. This is about kids, after all. So on to the reason for my post. Zyla has gotten a kick out of the tea-making process from the kettle whistling to dunking the tea bag in the mug. After watching all that preparation, she inevitably reaches her little hand out for a sip but I haven’t given in. I guess for the same reasons I wouldn’t give her coffee—caffeine. Then I think, if tea is so good for you and it has way less caffeine than coffee, why can’t I give her some?
This Brazilian woman I know told me how she gave her newborn babies tea and how common it is in her native country. Her kids, now teenagers, are healthy and strong. Hmmm…
So if anyone has any information to share on giving a 20-month-old green and/or herbal teas, pass it on.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 at 11:53 am by Marcela Rojas.
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When my youngest was in elementary school, the teacher gave her orange and spice herbal tea when she wasn’t feeling well (headcold, i think) because it was hot and it had more flavor than water. most herbal teas are non-caffeinated, or they come that way. My daughter was probably 8 years old and not 20 months, but I didn’t have a problem with it. i didn’t allow my kids to have any drink with caffeine in it (especially soda) until they were 12. To this day, my youngest prefers tea to coffee, as do i.
Sure, you can give a little one tea! As you said, you want to avoid caffeine. You probably want to also avoid teas sold specifically as medicinal teas, for a baby. Whenever I would give my daughter water as a baby, my (Japanese) husband would consider it a wasted opportunity to have given her tea. The Japanese live longer than anyone else in the world, and have very healthy children.
There was a patch of mint growing at our house in Rockland County when we moved here 7 years ago, and my kids love to go out and pick a few sprigs to put in a teapot and have mint tea. We also use Celestial Seasonings herbal teas and make iced tea from them too, a pitcher at a time, lightly sweetened. They drink this with meals and snacks, and never have had a soda at home.
Chamomile tea is perfect for the little ones—no caffeine and very soothing. I would give my oldest a little bit in his bottle when teething or fussy. All the Irish moms and nannies in my old neighborhood gave their small children tea—very milky and sweet, but regular tea.