Tea...?

[bumblebee39]

To give DC tea? Very weak, very milky, no sugar?

Used to be the norm when I was a kid but don't hear of it now.

Can't really see that it's any different than hot chocolate/cocoa plus the benefit of no sugar.

Am I missing something?

Tia X

[Tumilnaughts]

Rooibos tea is good with milk and has no caffeine. You can buy it flavoured or regular as well- maybe you could try that?

[NotTheMrMenAgain]

Forgot to say, not tea with meals though because of it interfering with iron absorption.

[NotTheMrMenAgain]

My DD has inherited my heavy tea drinking habit - she's had tea (no sugar, full fat milk) since she was around 2. She's 10 now and almost my height, so it hasn't stunted her growth or anything

It's mostly decaff at home or normal when we're out. People in cafes and restaurants used to be a bit sometimes about a little kid wanting a pot of tea instead of a soft drink. But one of my earliest memories is sitting on my grandads lap drinking sugary tea out of a bottle (my nan's fault, according to my mom) - he used to rest the bowl of his pipe on the top of my head and I'd be covered in bits of tobacco - to be fair, I probably am a bit stunted

DD loves to go out to a nice tea shop, have a pot to herself and people watch, it keeps us happy!

[Happysaurus]

My lo’s (3&4) regularly have milky tea. If I don’t make them one, they’re constantly at mine!
Only other things they drink are milk and water so I don’t see the harm.

[MrsStrowman]

DH was given tea from a very young age, he now drinks gallons of it. He also has quite an addictive nature, was a smoker, now vapes, also drinks a lot of coffee, drank a lot when younger. Not sure if it's related but I don't see the need to give tea to a child, I didn't drink it until I was in my twenties and probably drink less than a dozen cups a year even now.

[TittyFahLaEtcetera]

DS always enjoyed the odd milky tea from babyhood (thank my DM for that).

He's now nearly 12 and growing really well. He now loves coffee after taking surreptitious swigs of mine over the years. I've started allowing him to have his own mug of coffee - usually at the weekend only - but it's decaf. He gets a caffeinated one once in a blue moon, although he has ADHD and caffeine works in a similar way to ADHD meds so can make him more focused. But he wants to reach his full height, so we try to avoid the caffeine (similarly, he might have coke zero once a week). He has 2 or 3 cups of either tea or coffee per week.

I'm not worried about iron - the boy loves his meat and green veg, and we don't have hot drinks with meals.

[Teateaandmoretea]

TBF I wouldn't give it to a child 5 times a day decaffeinated or not but it probably won't do any harm either.... A lot of people are suggesting an occasional cup of weak tea should be decaf when it makes no difference either way.

[Unihorn]

@Teateaandmoretea well no, but it's a stimulant which people generally try to avoid giving children. Hence the suggestions of decaf by many posters if you're giving a child a lot of tea. My daughter likes tea whenever she sees me with a cup, which is about 5 times a day.

[PreseaCombatir]

Also OP, you just can’t ask on here about giving your DC anything!! even what you think are pretty normal/healthy meals/pack lunches, you’ll be told you might as well give your kids bowls of sugar/salt/poison. It’s ridiculous! Cup of teas are perfectly fine/normal.
For the people saying no to tea, what age do you suggest a child isn’t allowed a cup of tea? Not until they’re 16? Lool

[PreseaCombatir]

I used to give mine tea in a bottle, one loved it, the other didn’t.
They are 9 and 7 now, they one who did (7yo) loves a cup of tea now as well, with some chocolate digestives. The older one still doesn’t like tea (but will also eat the chocolate digestives lol).

[bumblebee39]

I came on here worried about her getting enough calcium, and now I'm supposed to be supplementing vitamin D and worrying about caffeine content and iron absorption??

Gosh I wonder how I'm even alive! Pretty much live off the stuff and have done for years...

I am going to use "common sense" and "moderation" and give her a cup once or twice a week, the occasional milkshake, and make sure she has her yoghurt etc.

She ended up eating the last cheese string yesterday after wasting the other seven grr! So maybe it'll balance out anyway...

[Strugglingtodomybest]

DS1 always loved a milky tea when he was little, with more milk than water. Hasn't done him any harm.

[longwayoff]

Teateatea. No. Not because I don't like it. Because the OP says her child doesn't want milk.

[strawberrypenguin]

My 2.5 year old has tea sometimes. He steals mine as well on occasion (and I drink mine black!)

[MachineBee]

I also freeze bananas and if you whizz them up in a blender with milk you get banana ice cream. It’s fantastic!

[Teateaandmoretea]

Tea with milk is disgusting to some people - me. There must be another way of giving your child calcium surely,?

So because you don't like tea with milk people shouldn't give it to children?

[Teateaandmoretea]

But why the obsession with a small amount of Caffeine? Caffeine isn't actually bad for you unless you drink it to real excess. It is a really strange modern obsession.

[SinkGirl]

I agree with vitamin D supplements - it’s related to the processing of calcium in the body as far as I understand it, and most Brits are deficient in vitamin D.

[longwayoff]

Tea with milk is disgusting to some people - me. There must be another way of giving your child calcium surely,? In fact, just remembered, my gp prescribed me a liquid calcium supplement yesterday, do find something else if he's a milk hater.

[Unihorn]

@Teateaandmoretea presumably because of the caffeine content in tea?

[Teateaandmoretea]

I am by the 'lots of worrying' and then 'give her decaf'. They can have normal tea y'know there is no need for decaf. I really really don't understand why we demonise tea these days but think it's fine to give children squash, hot chocolate, fizzy drinks and fruit juice made from concentrate.

[PoxAlert]

My daughter has a rooibos tea most days.

I make the tea and then put enough milk in for it to be not burning.

She loves it.

[SchadenfreudeUndeadified]

Both of mine loved weak milky tea from and early age. It doesn't seem to have done them any harm.

I was brought up on tea. Can't see the problem - keeps them hydrated and it's much better than fizzy drinks. Children often don't take in enough liquids.

As for the caffeine content - I'm sure you aren't giving her a constant supply of tea during the day! She will be fine - let her enjoy it.

[Nacreous]

Really don't think a cup of milky rooibos or decaf will do much damage. Just don't leave it brewing forever for the tannins and it's best practice to make sure any multivitamins or particularly high iron are taken a distance in time away from tea as it can reduce absorption, but I wouldn't be concerned about it at all.