to let DD play "tea parties" with real tea?

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Cooled of course

She likes to use the cooled dregs of my brew in her tea party games with her little tea set and dolls. She obviously drinks the dregs (I dont add sugar) - usually about an inch left in the bottom of my mug.

I get the catsbum look from my DM that I allow her to drink it. Dd is 3 1/2.

[Supervet]

If it's not hot enough to burn her and she's not drinking gallons then meh. Our local girls brigade used to offer tea and juice to the kids in winter.

[ninaaa]

My main concern would be if she spills it will it stain her clothes or your carpets? For that reason I would personally use water.

[haveabreakhaveakitkat]

My dd has done this :-) on a wooden floor so spillage didn't matter. Don't think she actually drank it though!

[LetThereBeCupcakes]

My DS is 2.5 and he loves tea .

I'm sure it's fine.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Wooden (floorboards not laminate) floor so not bothered about spills, and definetly not hot - not even warm.

I think I just struggle with my DMs quite "rigid" shall we say ideas. I gave dd a bowl of coco pops on a holiday we all went on once and I swear she nearly stubbed her toe on her own chin.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

I dodnt add that dd has coco pops weekly.

[weeblueberry]

DD drinks tea. Like the pp said as long as it's not in massive quantities it's not an issue. Maybe get decaf?

[ilovesooty]

She can't be drinking much from those little tea cups.
I suspect there will be loads of posts soon about how children should never be given tea at all. I had it as a child and didn't know it was such a thing until I came here.

[cosmicglittergirl]

What doesn't your DM like about it?
I think it's fine.

[Penfold007]

I can't see a problem. It's a small amount of unsweetened tea and some milk.

[RigglinJigglin]

I caught DD (2) sucking the life out of a dry tea bag.

I now let her play tea parties with Luke warm water, milk and teabags - messy but entertains for a while.

[TruJay]

My DS loves a cup of tea with me, he's 5 now but has had it from about 3. I make it pretty weak with a lot of milk and wait until it is just warm for him. I don't see a problem, it's not all the time.
Tea parties are great fun

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

cosmic she just has some odd, sometimes funny, ideas about stuff to do with kids. I love her to bits but she can be a bit bonkers.

When we had ds eight months ago she used to constantly say how important it was that ds went to bed first and dd got to stay up later like a big sister. Never mind that ds didnt go to bed til we did DD couldnt give a shiney shite whether she went to bed before the baby.

[morelikeguidelines]

Dd is 6 and has never shown any interest in drinking teas.

Ds is 16 months and is desperate to have it, by some weird homing instinct. He wants the cups themselves and the actual brown drink (ie tea rather than water than in there). I must confess to having let him drink the last bit of cooled dregs just because he wants it so much!

[littlejohnnydory]

I let my three year old try my tea because I didn't think she'd like it. Unfortunately she didn't so now occasionally sips some of mine. Her big brother and sister have never had any. I ummed and aahed about letting her but can't think of any reason why not if it's occasional (can inhibit absorption of iron and calcium in large quantities, I think). There's nearly as much caffeine in hot chocolate.

[SirPercyPilkington]

My almost 2 year old just had a little cup of tea with me. We only have decaf so he had a weak milky one. He loves it and likes to tell you about.
'MMMM tea. Nice tea. Nice tea Mama? Nice tea. Mmmmm...etc etc'

[LadyPlumpington]

Both of mine (4 and 3yo) love it. They are also quite fond of daddy's full-strength coffee as he drinks it with 2 sugars I do try to dissuade them from this though.

[reallywittyname]

2yo dd loves tea and will ask for a cup... So I make "baby tea" which is just the quantities of milk and hot water reversed and a decaf tea bag, cause I got fed up with her nicking mine all the time.

[Pedestriana]

The carpet is the only reason I've not allowed this so far. Once the weather is a little more predictable, the 'tea room' can move to the patio and I'll pass on my dregs.

Both my sibling and me drank tea from around 8 months (weak tea) and it's not had any detrimental effect.

[ShelaghTurner]

It's just a waste of tea thats all! . Mine both drink tea and have done since little. Not every day but if they wanted it every day they could have it.

[TuckingFablet]

I would be bothered about the mess, surely tea parties are an imaginative game, so water works just as well.