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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Giving my 3 year old a cup of tea every weekend..

146 replies

Mexicantahoe · 16/08/2021 22:30

My little girl is so great, eats everything, sleeps 7 to 7 uninterrupted.. Recently at the weekends she has shown an interest in my cup of tea, tea is the only thing I can manage first thing in the morning, I don't eat breakfast but at the weekend I sit down with her whilst she eats and I drink a cuppa.. I made her half a cup of weak tea last weekend and she absolutely loved it, I have mine with Oat milk so I don't add anything further to sweeten it.. Is it OK to give her 1 cup of reasonably weak tea at the weekends? Her teeth are also beautiful, straight and white with no plaque or cavities so I hope this isn't a slippery slope. It just was so lovely to see her really enjoying it. I'm pretty sure my first cup of tea was when I was very little too!
Is it ok or should I stop?

OP posts:
DannyPinero · 16/08/2021 23:01

Sounds good to me

Greenbuttonsbluebuttons · 16/08/2021 23:01

My 3 year old loves tea. I make it milky and she has her own mug which is smaller than a normal mug.

Yaya26 · 16/08/2021 23:02

Two of mine occasionally have milky tea with a half teaspoon of sugar. Just don't give her a double shot cappuccino twice a day. 😂

ParkheadParadise · 16/08/2021 23:05

Both my dd's had tea in their bottles. Both of them loved tea from an early age.
My mum used to put jam on Dd1 dummies.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 16/08/2021 23:05

I’d probably give them decaf or red bush tea.

I have a very bad tea habit, started from drinking tea as a toddler. Doesn’t look as though I’m typical though!

RubyGoat · 16/08/2021 23:12

You could buy her decaf tea bags. PG tips are pretty good.

Better not give her full caff, basically a gateway drug, she'll be on Red Bull & Monster in a couple of years.

nonotmenotI · 16/08/2021 23:14

My 10 year old has tea and toast. His tea is milk and 2 sugars.

It's fine.

Wineat5isfine · 16/08/2021 23:14

My children have had tea a few times a week from the age of 2. They also drink Diet Coke at the weekend

Shoot me 🙄

TheYearOfSmallThings · 16/08/2021 23:15

It's fine - it's called cambric tea and children have been drinking it for centuries.

BecauseMyRingBurnsSheila · 16/08/2021 23:15

My DDs have started asking for tea. We only have decaffeinated and yes they do ask for sugar in it like DH but otherwise it's literally just water the rest of the day (DD1 doesn't like fizzy drinks and DD2 doesn't get any either!)

campion · 16/08/2021 23:33

Give her the tea.

I had ridiculous ideas about not giving mine tea and coffee with the result that neither of them has ever taken to either. I think I missed some magic window where they'd want to drink it. It's a pain sometimes when it'd be nice to have a social cuppa with them.
There are more important things to stress about.

Spondooliesforholibobs · 16/08/2021 23:42

Yanbu, I think it give them a taste for it and overall in the course of a life it’s a healthy, popular drink! So good one to get established on.

However I mentioned it once on mumsnet and I was told I would cause anaemia!

I ignored, an occasional cup of weakish milky tea is fine. Frankly amazed anyone could have a problem with it.

Spondooliesforholibobs · 16/08/2021 23:45

My now 13 year old and 11 year old have one every day. My 8 and 6 year olds, have one about once a week.

I bought a giant teapot in anticipation of the day we all sit and have a nice cup of tea and a biscuit together.

Very Mrs Doyle.

JamMakingWannaBe · 16/08/2021 23:48

I remember getting a few strange looks when my then 2yo supped out of my cup of tea on an EasyJet flight - especially from the 20 year old lad sat next to us!

She's gone off tea now. She used to like a milky cup.

Original poster
Mexicantahoe · 16/08/2021 23:49

@nonotmenotI

My 10 year old has tea and toast. His tea is milk and 2 sugars.

It's fine.

My little one was dipping her toast in the tea ::)
OP posts:
noblegreenk · 16/08/2021 23:49

I wouldn't worry, I know I was drinking tea as a weekly treat at my Nan's when I was a toddler. My teeth are my best feature and I still love tea now. My 3 year old dd pinches my tea given the chance. I have to keep it out of reach as I worry about her scalding herself. Plus I have my tea very strong but she won't drink a milky tea of her own though!

OhGiveUp · 16/08/2021 23:50

Mine were literally weaned on tea and coffee. It hasn't harmed them at all.
Give her the tea and let her enjoy it OP.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 16/08/2021 23:51

No issue at all I used to do the same and I would NOT give decaff tea,just a weak normal one.

bellsbuss · 16/08/2021 23:51

All mine have had milky tea with their grandparents from around age 2 , it never bothered me.

ifindoubtdoit · 16/08/2021 23:53

Totally fine it's only a cup of weak tea.

mathanxiety · 16/08/2021 23:53

Honestly, the beaker of milk before bed is the thing to cut out, not the cup of milky tea at the weekend.

The sugars in the bedtime milk are not good for teeth.

The tiny amount of caffeine in milky tea won't hurt her at all.

I would say that most MNers over age 45 regularly drank tea as toddlers and children. I certainly did.

Pinkbonbon · 16/08/2021 23:54

I've been drinking tea since I was her late. And a lot more than one cup per week lol.probaby a couple per day at that age. Cant say I ever had any issues with sleep or hyperactiveness.

Just make it weak cups and she can probably have a few per week with no repercussions.

GalaxyGirl24 · 16/08/2021 23:54

A cup of tea won't do anything, especially if it's mainly milky no sugar. Surely the caffeine actually ingested would be minimal.

I used to have it all the time from 12/18 months and I have fantastic teeth (anecdotal I know).

Pinkbonbon · 16/08/2021 23:54

*her age

Woolver23 · 16/08/2021 23:58

What's so bad about tea? Toddlers are told to drink milk and water - so if you mix the two and have it with a bit of tea flavouring I don't see what the issue is? A tiny bit of caffeine I suppose but you could always get decaffeinated teabags if you were worried about that. I think it's rather cute. Much better for her than a FruitShoot, lemonade or sugary hot chocolate.