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

[bumblebee39]

She takes a multivitamin sometimes but not one with calcium. It's a bit sporadic but I don't think it's actually needed more of an addition than a substitute.

I might consider one for calcium though if I can't up her intake... Maybe I'm just not seeing the full picture and she's having more calcium than I know.

I believe school and nursery lunches are fairly balanced and she always does well with hers I'm told. Also she'll eat stuff with her friends she wouldn't at home (including macaroni cheese and pizza)

I do worry though it just looks like nothing compared to her brother who pretty much lives on milk...
I do too tbh. We get through a 4pinter in a couple of days 🙈 but that's mostly me!!

[schooltripwoes]

It's fine. Mine are 7 & 8. They have a small mug (espresso cup size) of weak, milky tea once a day and have done for a couple of years now. They are still alive and perfectly healthy.
I'd much rather they had a taste for tea than squash / fizz / juice. The rest of the day they have water, or occasionally milk.

[Waffles80]

Roobios contains tannin but no caffeine. My daughters just wanted to copy us with having tea, so we thought that was better.

They have it with milk, but they’ll also happily drink milk.

I’d agree with PPs that a multivitamin would be a good idea, and that decaf tea would be preferable to a sugary drink.

[LittleBookofCalm]

well personally mine didnt, i know my ds kids did, in the 1990s, but i never felt the need

[schooltripwoes]

I say 'weak' - it's weaker than mine but definitely still tea rather than murky water. I pour theirs after a minute or two, then leave it brewing before I do mine.

[chickhonhoneybabe]

Will she drink milkshake? You could put a small amount of the mix in if worried about sugar content

[GoodbyeSummer]

I don't see a problem with it tbh. It's got to be better than hot chocolate, which, yes, is made with milk but also contains a lot of sugar (or sweeteners) and some caffeine.

Mine drink water at school, milk with breakfast and supper and then a small cup of tea after school on a Friday. We've tried a range of types and flavours from back tea to green tea (they didn't like it) to a few types of fruity, flavoured infusions. They prefer the black tea with plenty of milk and no sugar.

[Mummaluelae]

My ds 3 without fail asks for tea after his breakfast every day so I give him a small amount of milky tea in his cup when I have mine

[OatsBeansBarley]

It sounds fine as you put it.

[Amiabusive18]

Have you tried non dairy milk? Alpro growing up soya milk and oatly barrista are the equivalent of full fat dairy milk.

Does she have cheese and yoghurts?

[Eliza9917]

We used to have tea as kids. Never coffee though. My mum used to tell us that coffee made kids stupid. I can't believe this trend of pre/early/teens drinking coffee. Like wtf would they need to walk around with a LARGE starbucks??

[EdisonLightBulb]

Absolutely fine at 5 from a cup with no sugar.

Mine had it every day with breakfast at my parents' house. Still both drink tea as adults, rarely coffee, never have they taken sugar in it.

The dentist told me the only acceptable drinks for the teeth are milk, water and tea.

Tbh, unless she's drinking 5 cups a day I wouldn't even bother with caffeine free.

[bumblebee39]

My DC have only ever been offered milk, water and one cup of diluted fruit juice a day (I dilute mine so no double standard).

If I buy squash it's for me. Same with pop. (I do understand this is a double standard but equally don't share wine or red bull lol)

I'm a regular tea and coffee drinker. Older DC has a milkshake or hot chocolate as a treat sometimes but I worry about sweeteners and sugar in them. Tbh sweeteners worry me as much as sugar I think they are fairly untested long term which worries me.

I know she'd drink milkshakes every day if I let her but it's tea she asks for and it seems healthier in some ways...

Maybe I just need to do some creative smoothies lol...

[dontalltalkatonce]

Mine had it as older kids. Teen DD is now a true drinker and I'd rather have her on that than energy drinks. I've been drinking coffee since I was about 11. DS prefers coffee.

[OutPinked]

It was the norm when I was a child too, I probably started drinking it from about two in a beaker!

My DC only just recently tried it for the first time (theyre 6,7 and 8) and love it. They have a cup every so often as a treat with a chocolate bar. They don’t drink fizzy drinks so this is as far as I’ll go for now.

[flamingofridays]

crikey the odd cup of decaf wont hurt.

everything in moderation and all that

people are acting like you're giving a strong coffee with 2 sugars!

[ChocolateChipMuffin2016]

My DS aged 2 has the occasional cup! He loves it and will ask (normally when I have one)! We have decaff in specifically for him and we make it mainly milk, no sugar!
He also asks for wine! He gets watered down squash (blackcurrant) in a plastic wine glass, again, my fault (I don't even drink that often!).
But I am a terrible parent!

[kaytee87]

Give her a vitamin d supplement and don't panic.

If you do give her tea then make sure it's not directly before or after a meal as pp have said, it inhibits iron absorption.

Someone I know gives her 2yo constant tea in a baby bottle - yes I do judge. It's caffeinated and sugary.

[crispsahoy]

My ds 3 has a cup of tea every morning. I make mine, put tea bag into his cup pour on about an inch of water remove bag and fill cup with milk. He loves it and it's extra milk

[Bacardibabe]

I know loads of dcs who have cereal without milk. Try milkshake? There's not much milk in tea anyway. Or hot chocolate for breakfast with plain cereal? Like they do in France.The hot chocolate I mean.

[Bacardibabe]

You could make the milkshakes with fresh banana if she'll have it? Don't think the odd cuppa would do any harm imo.

[Eatmycheese]

My four year old son loves a cup of tea a few times a week.
I make it like @crispsahoy

Better than some of those godawful sugar free drinks full of chemicals

[itsbritneybiatches]

My DD has asked for a cup of tea most days since the age of 3. She has a weak milky tea with her breakfast.

She's also tried my coffee and steals this if it's on the table so we now have decaf coffee and I let her have a weak weak latte now and again as a treat.

[OatsBeansBarley]

My eldest now drinks tea with no sugar while his contemporaries glug on fizzy drinks. I'm happy!

Kids will come back to foods if you keep them in the house for the rest of you.

Tinned fish with the bones mashed in are another source of calcium. My kids will rarely share my sardines on toast however!

[bumblebee39]

Mines pretty much made like that crisps ahoy like flavoured milk more than tea