Can Toddlers Drink Tea?

One of the first things that my daughter has asked for when she wasn't feeling great since she was little bitty was warm tea. I love a tea called "Sleepy Time Tea" (You can find it at most major stores & I've even found it at Warmart) b/c it is a decaf herbal chamomile that totally soothes & really does relax to a point of making them sleepy. I always mix it with a little fresh lemon & organic honey to coat the throat & she just sips it down.

I've been giving my son tea since he was a year old. Herbal teas are amazing for kids. There's a recipe for ginger, lemon, honey tea on weelicious that I give him whenever he's sick or congested. It's heavenly!-www.weelicious.com

Well they do make Tea just for kids. It is by Traditional Medicinals. It is organic and I think you can find it at Whole Foods or a Vitamin store. Here is a web site for them www.traditionalmedicinals.com

In some cultures, children drink tea or non-caffeinated types. Caffeine of course is very not good for children or teens.
Some drink Chamomile, mint tea, fruit teas, etc. There is also "Red Tea" which has many uses like helping for eczema, diaper rash, allergies, and a myriad of other things. You can Google it. Of course, analyze it for yourself.

I have also seen at Safeway, a tea for colds specifically for children. You might try going to your grocery store and looking... or at a Whole Foods, or natural food store.

Again, MAKE SURE your child is not allergic to anything in it...since these have natural/herbal blended teas.

Have you taken him to the doctor?
For congestion, whether nasal or chest, drinking LOTS of fluids (water) is always the best.
Orange juice, will make more congestion, when sick.
Milk also.

Warm fluids can help loosen it.
If his throat is sore, you might want to take him to the Doctor to make sure it is not Strep. They do a quick throat swab. Strep throat was going around in my town, among kids.

There is also a baby/kids version of "Vicks" vapo rub. This can be put onto his chest. Do not use the adult Vicks on him... too strong.

The "Animal Parade" brand also makes great natural vitamins for kids, and other things.
Hyland's also.... as Deanna Leigh mentioned once, they make a great "honey" cough syrup for kids... it does work and even I used it before for myself. It's soothing. YOu can find it at any natural food store.

BUT, watch the cough (coughs can indicate a spectrum of things/anything), and for any fever.. .this can indicate a worse illness or infection. If anything progresses or gets worse, or NEW symptoms arises, I would take him to the Doctor.

Here's some links on tea and toddlers (there are many opinions on it):
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=2008031116122...
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/420922/why_its_o...

All the best, take care,
Susan

Totally depends on the type of tea, and what types are okay depend on a) whether or not you allow some/any caffeine & b) what "else" is in it.

BTW...If you allow chocolate, you allow *some* caffeine.

A tea, by definition, is an infusion (as opposed to a decoction) of herbs. Infusion, means steeping in hot water, decoction means to actually boil for a period of time. Infusions extract the more delicate/volatile substances, decoctions get the more "stable" or difficult substances. The chemical extracted from the boiled inner bark of a cherry tree is the acting ingredient in most cough syrups. An infusion of that same bark produces flavor but no cough suppresant/expectorant.

Teas to AVOID:
- Any tea advertised for colds/flus...these teas usually have specific medicine in them (like but not limited to: asprin, decongestants, painrelievers, stimulants, or sleepaids). Sometimes the tea makers give the chemical name we're familiar with, other times they give the herbal name. Whether a chemical is synthetic or herbal, it's the SAME DARN CHEMICAL. And if you're already dosing with that medicine you're risking overdose. If you're NOT dosing with that medicine out of moral or health concerns...whoops! You just did.
- Black Teas (if you're avoiding high levels of caffeine)

Teas to read the ingredients/levels on:
- green teas
- white teas
- herbal (tea-leaf-free) teas

Teas that are Generally fine
- Chamomile
- Mild green teas
- Mild white teas
- Pseudo Teas (aka, warmed honey water with citrus, warmed apple juice with cinnamon & honey, etc. )

Teas I don't know enough to say anything:
- Rooibos/redbush

For US...we've allowed our son to drink mild green teas & toasted rice teas since he was about a year old. Black teas we allow if it's heavily laced with milk (aka, mostly milk)...and herbal teas (except for chamomile) we generally avoid...because I'm too lazy to look up all of their ingredients for uses/side effects/doseages.

:)

What I do for my daughter when she sick is make a special "tea" just for her - which is actually just; warm water, a teaspoon of honey, and the juice of a few lemon slices. It's a great natural/home remedy for cough and sore throat (I always use it myself when I'm sick!!). Plus my daughter loves it (I think she likes that's it's warm, unlike anything else she gets to drink) Good Luck! :)

K.,
Absolutely. I buy one called Traditional Medicines for my 3-year-old, or something like that. I found it at Henry's Market; I'm sure Whole Foods or Mother's would also have it. They have a version for throats and one for colds, too. I also mix in a RAW, ORGANIC honey (also found at Henry's) to soothe the throat. I just read that regular honey isn't very good for you any longer, because guess what? They are now feeding bees high fructose corn syrup to produce the honey. And HFCC can have mercury in it. Raw, organic honey is done the natural way. (It is definitely more expensive, though, but at what price health, right?!) Best of luck to you!

absolutely! my 22 month old often drinks a cup of tea with me in the afternoon. (too cute, really!) i choose a Camomile mango herb tea wit a bit of sweetener(stevia or agave sirup). make sure it is warm not hot.
-c

My little guy has been drinking tea since he was 3 months old. We use organic chamomile (trader joe's, and whole foods-like places have it), but really any pure chamomile is good. I would stay away from black teas, and even some white and green teas as they may contain caffeine. Herbal infusions, like fruit teas are good alternatives too.

I give my kids tea when they have a cough/congestion as well. Normally I have a kids tea on hand that I got from Sprouts, if I don't have that, I just make sure it's nothing too funky - you know with ingredients that I'm not sure about. Just a simple chamomile or peppermint. I also squeeze lemon and agave or honey in it too and of course, never give it to them too hot.. duh. Hope your little one is feeling better soon!
M.

Hi K.,

I was having tea at a Tea House in Chula Vista with my Mother-in-Law and found Davidsons Children's Tea. It is Organic and is caffeine-free. I bought an 8 pack to keep in the house and it came in handy the next time my daughter got sick. She like the fact she was drinking tea which is normally a "grown up drink". Here is a website link to read more about the tea.

http://www.davidsonstea.com/store/index.php?click1=produc...

I hope your little boy feels better soon.
A.

K.:
I give my kids tea all the time. I try to only give them decaf and their are some great ones at Trader Joes. They love Decaf English Breakfast. I grew up on tea and honey and had a cup after my nap every afternoon. My mom's family is very English and tea and a little bread or cookies is a common snack for children, the tea can have milk in it or honey.

How about some chicken soup? It's super easy to cook and has a lot of nutrients. I don't think it's a good idea to give a child tea (because of caffine).

I would not give him tea. It's really hard on the kidney's even if it is just a little amount. I would stick with water or watered down juice. It's really the only thing that will work and time. It just takes time when they have a cold.

Sure, our daughter drinks tea. Just make sure it isn't caffeinated and is cool enough to drink.

Absolutely! My pediatrician had me give my son a cooled off chamomile tea when he was just 2 months old to soothe his stomach. My son loved it and it really seemed to help. Just make sure it is not too hot. I hope it helps his little throat.

I started my Daughter on Chamomile tea when she was about 2.5 or 3. I stick to herb teas without caffein.

Dear K.,
Just make sure it has no caffeine.
H.

Yes! Camomile tea. I give it my son for the exact reason he is two also.
You can even put a few drops up nose.

yes i give my 3 year old chamomile tea..have u tried the Bioron homeopathic products? they have a great cough med..Chestal..also their cold meds are great...just give 1/2 dose..u can get them at Wholefoods or at CVS..easier to find at Wholefoods..works great..i also use Gentle Vapors ..it's a plug in ..u plug in the wall and it's like a vaporizer except u don't have to deal w/ water and cleaning it..u just switch the pads that come w/ it....good luck.

I too, give my 18 month old warm tea with a bit sugar or honey. Chamomille or Peppermint tea bags. I also use fresh mint leaves.

When baby was months old and was cholichy, my mom told me to make tea using fresh Oregano? (not sure of it's the right name- I have the plant) I would drink it myself since breastfeeding and also water it down and give to her in a bottle. It helped.

Good luck to you and your little one.

K.,
Herbal tea is great, and a spoon of honey is terrific for a cough!
Best,
S.

How about some nice soup??

yes! my kids have all been drinking tea from the moment they could drink from a cup!

If you do use a caffienated tea, you can make it into decaf:

steep the tea bag in some hot water for 30 seconds, dump the tea (or take it for yourself), then steep the same tea bag in hot water for your child. The caff is released in the first 30 seconds, so your child won't be getting much of anything to hype him up.

Another thing that is good is broth. It's tasty, can be nutritious, cheap and it has salt in it. Ever do a salt water gargle? I imagine most kids can't gargle. This would be a cloth second to a gargle.

Yes! Absolutely. I have given my daughter chammomille tea, and when she is sick gave her an organic kids' cold care tea - you can get that at Whole Foods. I usually steep it just like I do my own, then throw an ice cube in so it isn't too hot for her. She loves it.

My daughter loves tea. As long as it's not too hot and not caffeinated I don't see the problem in it.

My son 3.5yrs drinks herbal teas and when he's under the weather I give him a special tea that includes tea tree leaves. I also make my own homemade tea by boiling water and adding to it(8 oz glass of water) 1 teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar (homeopathic cure-all!) and a tablespoon of honey... mmmmm,mmmmm, good! Also herbal throat sprays that include tea tree oil and zinc.

C.~

www.HelpUstayHome.com

Hi K.,
I don't know if @ 2 1/2 they can, but I would think that a non-caf. tea (usually fruit flavoured teas)insted of a decaf. tea-which removes pre-existing caffiene, as opposed to the non-caf. which never contained it. If not actual "tea", perhaps you could steep some dried fruit (apples, peaches etc.) in hot water (don't forget to let it cool down some). That should have a soothing effect.

Hope he feels better soon!

K.

There is an herbal tea that you can buy at Whole Foods that is specifically for children.

I would just suggest using an herbal tea so he isn't getting any caffiene, but otherwise there should be no reason he can't have tea.

I know this is a bit late and I hope your little boy is feeling better. In the future, if you still aren't sure about tea, I warm up apple juice and give that to my 13 month old when she's congested. It really helps her. We just got over that horrible throat cold that's been going around and warm/hot apple juice did the trick for us.

I assume you're talking about herbal tea? yes! But I would stay away from black or green/ caffinated. There are some great cold remedy teas (herbal) by Traditional Medicinals etc. The breathe easy ones you may need to read the label as they sometimes have an herb that is stimmulating so stay away from that one. good luck, I give my little ones herbal tea with honey or agave nectar a lot.

K.,
Yes they can, but you should really check the ingredients to make sure that it doesn't have anything he shouldn't take. My mom was always trying to get me to give my son tea as a baby, to help with digestion. Your son is a toddler, so there shouldn't be a problem. Hope he feels better soon.
C.