What age were your DC when they had their first cup of tea?

[NotMyUsualNameNoSiree]

As a very small child I remember drinking chamomile tea (with MILK, thanks mum), because I wanted to drink tea like a grown up - I think I had my first cup of proper tea at my grandma's house when I was 5 or 6.

I just realised, I had no idea what the norm is these days - when did your DCs have their first cuppa?

(I don't think I've ever used the term 'cuppa' before - I quite like it).

Never, I've not offered and they've never asked - late teens

My boys have never had tea ( 5, 2.5), but I also never thought to give them any either. I really don’t see a reason or point to. I enjoy a chai or earl/lady grey myself from a cafe but I do it sparingly after learning its effects on iron in the body. My husband prefers coffee over tea so in our house, tea is pretty much there for the off chance one of us has a craving for it or we have the odd guests.

I have often wondered if we are going to be the last generation of tea drinkers

No chance!

I’m sure many of us tea addicts were introduced to tea as young kids with lots of milk and usually two sugars.

I drink probably 4-5 cups of tea a day but didn't enjoy my first cup until I was about 20. My parents never offered it to me as a kid and I had no interest in it. Tried it occasionally as a teen off my own bat, but never liked it. But none of that could stop me in the end!

I'm amazed at the number of people who give children tea! You do all know that it contains caffeine, more than coffee?

Where are you getting that from? I just googled it and all 10 out of the first 10 results say an average cup of coffee has more caffeine than an average cup of tea.

Older than he was when he had his first coffee (about 2). He has been a coffee fiend since that first cup. He dislikes tea. I didn't give him that first coffee by the way, that was my mum (she bought him a hot chocolate while they were out somewhere, and herself a coffee, and he spilt his drink on the floor and so she gave him her drink). He seems pretty healthy at 20.

Both of mine started to have tea between the ages of 6mo and 1 (can’t remember exactly when) it started by trying to drink our tea when they were babies to asking to dunk their biscuit in our tea as they saw us doing it to us giving them a cup/bottle of very very watered down milky tea (no sugar and the tea bag dunked just enough to change the colour from milk white.)

Now at 3 and 7 they have a brew nearly every morning. Less milky for the 7 year old as she has it a bit hotter but neither are brewed as long as ours is and I usually use the same tea bag for both their drinks.

Milky tea is fine for little kids. It's also handy to teach them young how to make you a cup! I was weaned on tea. Been on 3 cups a day since about 10

My 2 year old will have a very milky tea, a small cup with 25% tea and 75% milk once or twice a day.

Mine are 8 and 10 and often ask for a cup of tea.

They have both started making their own too. They don't do it weekly and do ask me first. When my sister was 7 Large burnt her legs whilst my mum made a tea so they know how hot the water is and the dangers.

The 8 year old is sensible. I couldn't trust my eldest to do so when she was 8 though.

I’m 50 and still haven’t had a cup of tea or coffee - can’t bear the smell so the thought of drinking either is completely incomprehensible. The smell of tea if dh is drinking it and nearby is enough to make me gag and move elsewhere to finish eating breakfast/read/do anything else.

De (teen and tween) feel much the same as I do and really don’t want to get close to the stuff. I still wonder how on earth people ever thought to bring the stuff close to their mouth to drink it given its revolting smell!

From around 11 they've had the occasional cup. Both tend to pick lemon & ginger or Yorkshire Bedtime Brew (decaff with nutmeg) over the real thing.

I don't think it much matters at what age they have their first taste, it's more when they get into a frequent habit of caffeine.

I don't remember, I was certainly drinking tea and coffee from very young (not from a bottle though - actually I never had a bottle). No such thing as decaf in the 50s. Neither do I remember the caffeine making me hyperactive or keeping me awake.

Sorry, I just reread OP and realised you're asking about when people's children first had tea. I don't have any DC.

I’m Indian and chai is usually cooked down with spices and milk and each cup probably has almost as much caffeine as an average cup of coffee. The children’s version usually has a lot more milk and in India is often given during Weaning (instead of plain cow’s milk).

My 3 year old loves to drink from my coffee cup, I let him have a couple of sips as a treat. My oldest drinks black tea and started at about 8? Both my 11 year old and 9 year old can make me a not terrible cup of tea. Life skills 😀

Baby bottles are what's bad for teeth an unsweetened tea wont harm teeth or id have none left by now i have good memories of my mother giving me and my brother cups of tea in our sippy cups and coca cola she wondered why we didn't sleep much! I drink only decaff these days so when DS is old enough to use a cup he can take his pick i think tea is better than coffee though even decaff has trace amount's of caffeine

I don't think I had tea or coffee until I was about 16. I never liked tea and nowadays rarely drink coffee. Dd is 5 and has had neither. She sees her grandmother drink tea but has never asked to try it for herself. If she did ask, I wouldn't be against her having some, but I won't go out of my way to introduce her to it either. I suppose if I drank it myself then it would be more likely.

My son is nearly 13 and tried it for the first time when he was nearly 12, he has probably had 4 cups of milky tea, no sugar in total since then. He asked to try it and I thought he was old enough. He doesn't really like it but he does like green tea and has that about twice a week.
My daughter is 10 and has never had tea. I was drinking coffee from an early age. Have always hated tea.

I’m amazed at the number of people who give children tea! You do all know that it contains caffeine, more than coffee? Why would you think giving a child a stimulant is ok? Do you give them a bottle of Red Bull if they want a cold drink. Are you a bit thick? It is nothing like red bull which has 5x more caffeine than tea. Or coffee which has far more caffeine than tea. Tea also has many health benefits. You could do a little research before spouting shite?

Well this explains why my brothers girlfriend was so shocked to see all four of my dc sat up to the table having tea and biscuits. They're 2-10 years old.
I don't know if it makes a difference, but we're working class Yorkshire folk. Pretty much all our mothers and grandmother's drank tea and gave it to toddlers, although very weak and milky.
I make my tea (I love a dark tea) then use that same tea bag to make dc tea. So there's just a dip of tea, milk and no sugar.
The whole family sits round the table for tea and biscuits, it's a treat I suppose.

Our eldest (18) has coffee not tea, but doesn't go over the top with it.

The youngest (13) loves a cup of tea (hates coffee), he must have started drinking it around 6 or 7. He takes one up to bed every evening. He makes a cracking cup of tea too, just how I like it.

One of mind went through a phase of drinking ‘tea’ (hot milk) but I think both of them have had some tea (maybe not a whole cup) before the age of four. The younger one also likes to steal a sip of coffee since that age. I started drinking tea really early (at least three) and drank it at least daily but I come from a big tea drinking culture so I guess there’s that element to it. I’m a tea addict now, couldn’t give it up to save my life, I spend a stupid amount of money on naice tea.

@Soontobe60 what’s wrong with a bit of caffeine?

Not sure, small toddlers anyway. We are total tea jinnies in this house so it was pretty inevitable. They don't drink a huge amount but they're still young, they'll learn!

I don't drink tea so DS has never had it. He's nearly 7. He's not asked to try my coffee yet.