One Year Olds

I am from Holland and we drink tea all day long like the Brits, but not at age 1. My kids started with whole milk at age 1, then juices and tea last. Probably around age 5 did I give them decaf black tea with milk and honey. I have no scientific or medical reasons to base this one, just that even decaf has some slight amount of stimulants left. My 10 year old loves a cup of warm decaf breakfast tea with honey and milk, and my 13 year old can't stand tea. Now if you are talking about herbal teas, like lemon tea or mint tea, then I think it would be fine. But regular black tea and decaf black tea have stimulants.

I do not believe that tea is good for kids at all, unless it would be herbal. Caffeine and excess sugar is not a good idea for them.

My dr warned against herbal teas when I was pregnant. His advice was ....Not everything natural is good for you. And even things that are good for you are bad in large doses. To a baby - everything is a large dose. They are tiny and teas aren't put together with them in mind. Some may cause baby to have diareha or bind him. Herbal teas are not regulated. So, no telling really what or how much of anything is in them. Regular old lipton is caffienated. I wouldn't give baby sugar either. Basically at 1 - water and milk and low sugar juices. He just needs liquid to stay hydrated and nourished. No reason to give tea.

You mean decaffeinated right? Decaffeinated tea has a bit of caffeine in it. Either way, I think 1 year is too young to be giving tea with sugar. ADDING sugar to anything I think is bad even if your child was older. In fact, IMO I don't see any health benefits to adding sugar to a drink for children. That’s just me though.

I'm scratching my head as to why? Milk and water is all the body needs. All-natural juices if you think the baby needs variety. Nutritional requirements should be met with the food choices. And definitely don't add sugar to anything!

No it is not good. Give your one year-old water, milk and no more than one serving of diluted juice each day.

In Japan, parents start giving their kids green tea around 3 years old. I wouldn't do anything with caffeine in it before age 2-3, and I never see the purpose in adding sugar to a child's diet. But my son (currently 18-months) does occasionally drink fruity herbal teas because they're good for hydration.

Hi N.,

I would not recommend tea for a one-year-old due to the caffeine content in regular tea and the herb content in herbal tea. It may be harmless but why risk it? The best beverages for a one year old are water and milk.

Also, at that age you are shaping young tastes. Your baby will get plenty of sugar in his/her lifetime without adding it to foods now. Sugar suppresses the immune system for up to 6 hours. So, in our culture, when we feed our children a steady stream of sugary foods and drinks as a "treat", we are actually setting them up to not be able to fight off any germs that come their way.

I've got a great video called "9 Simple Steps for Better Family Nutrition." It's made by Dr. William Sears. Message me if you would like me to send you a copy.

Blessings,

M. Curtin
Dr. Sears' Certified L.E.A.N. Coach

I can't remember where I heard and read this, but I've been told and read that tea is not good for little ones because it affects their ability to absorb iron. Even w/o that, they don't need the tea, just water and milk.

As a true southerner, we drink tea, decaf, all the time. When the kids were little I saved their tea for times when they had a fever or were in danger of being dehydrated when they were sick. Put it back in your arsenal of just in case things, like a new sippy cup and a new bath toy for those times of desperation to help fevers!

Tea is fine for a 1 year-old, though I'd probably use naturally caffeine free herbal teas, like chamomile and rosehip. Rosehip tea also makes a lot of vitamins.

Sure! Decaf and herbal teas are better for them than juice because there are antioxidants and no sugar (apple juice has as much sugar as 6 apples and none of the fiber :P ). There's nothing in tea that they can't have (or shouldn't have) other than caffeine. Chamomile is great to calm them:) White tea has LOTS of antioxidants and low caffeine. No sugar, if s/he totally won't take it, try adding a little fresh fruit juice. But if you don't start sweetening it, s/he probably won't start needing it.

And there's nothing wrong with herbal tea while pregnant as long as you know what's in it. In fact, Red Raspberry Leaf and peppermint tea with some nettles is fantastic! You just have to learn what isn't good for your situation instead of letting a doctor tell you they are all bad without doing any research.

N.,
I think this is a personal choice. My husband drinks sweet tea all the time, and my son tried his and loves it. What we do is take a sippy cup and mix sweet tea and water (depending on how strong the tea is and how much sugar you use in it will tell you how much water you add to it) For instance we do two quarts of tea and add 1 cup of sugar so i normally will mix water and tea 50/50. My son is a little different ... he loves coffee...even if its black, so we dont deprive him, we just limit it to a very little amount.
Hope that helps you.
M.

My kids would always drink out of my cup starting around 6 months - and I get Unsweet tea...they liked it and never had any problems. I'm not sure if it's "good" for them, but they never had any problems.

First of all children never need tea or soda-caffiene or artificial sweeteners. But second, if it is not offered they won't ask for it and if they do you can say not until you are and adult and can choose what is best for you. Right now Mommy chooses and the answer is NO. Water and diluted juice and maybe milk, rice milk, almond milk and coconut milk are wonderful for all ages.

As a dietitian, I would recommend tea (without sugar) as an occasional treat only. The caffeine content is not good for a 1 year old's kidneys. When I say occasional, I mean like once a week or less. Hope this helps, and thanks for asking.

No, tea is not good for one year old babies. Tanic acid is corrosive to the budding teeth, as well as hard on the digestive system. Caffeine is a HUGE no-no as it will over-stimulate and sugar causes a spike in the insulin levels secreted by the pancreas. There are so many alternatives, check the baby aisle in your local supermarket.