Tea is one of the main drinks in Russian cuisine. Most Russians drink it daily, without even thinking of replacing it with something else. If your baby is growing up in your house, you are probably looking forward to when you can treat it to a fragrant drink with a cake. At what age can you give tea to a child and how to correctly introduce it into a children's diet?
Can I drink tea for babies?
Folk wisdom and scientific research prove the benefits of tea. This drink is rich in antioxidants and beneficial substances. However, it is not recommended to use it for children under the age of 2 years. For babies, any drink is food. For this reason, in the diet of the smallest children, drinks should be as nutritious and healthy as possible, as well as safe. Some manufacturers of baby food offer special teas for infants to young parents. Usually it is adapted and enriched drinks based on extracts of herbs, berries and fruit. When can a child be given tea of ​​this type? Focus on manufacturer recommendations. Many drinks in this category are suitable for consumption by babies older than 6 months. If the child is prone to allergies, it makes sense to consult an observing pediatrician. When buying
baby tea do not be lazy to study the composition of the product. A drink rich in preservatives and dyes is best left on a store shelf.
Black tea for babies over 2-3 years old
After the second birthday, regular black tea can be introduced into the baby’s diet. Parents will have to resist the temptation to pour the child an invigorating drink from their own mug. Children's tea should be very weak, light brown in color. Be sure to purchase loose tea leaves:
tea bags are inferior to her in quality. At what age can a child be given tea if it has taste-improving supplements? Slices of fruits, berries and healthy herbs in small quantities may be present in the first children's tea drink. Be sure to study the composition - there should be no chemical additives, as well as tannin, caffeine.
Milk tea
Can young children be given milk tea? Most experts on baby food agree that such a drink is very useful for children over 2 years old. The most important thing is to make such tea correctly. The correct ratio is 50/50, respectively, half a glass must be filled with milk. Why is milk tea considered the most beneficial for children? Milk reduces the concentration of tea leaves and improves the taste of the drink. Milk tea is less dangerous for the baby’s stomach and tooth enamel. In addition, milk neutralizes the effects of oxalic acid on the baby's body.
How to make tea for the baby?
At what age can tea be given to a child and what should be added to it? In Russia, traditionally
invigorating drinks are usually sweetened. Most adults are used to drinking
sweet tea. But kids are recommended to try to give a drink without additives. All children love sweets. But we must not forget that regular consumption of sugar can cause tooth decay and the formation of the wrong taste. Specialists were able to prove that sweetened tea is much less healthy than "unleavened", without additives. If your baby is happy to drink unsweetened tea, you can rejoice. But what to do when a child requires sugar? Search for a decent alternative. Most often, sugar is replaced with honey. This option is suitable for children who are not allergic. At what age can tea be given to a child with honey? It is advisable to wait three years. For the first time, put a little honey in the mug and try to track the reaction. Children under three years old can put pieces of fruit or berries in tea to improve its palatability. Some mothers dilute baby tea with compote.
The chemical composition of conventional tea leaves
Plain black tea is an incredibly healthy drink. But some of the substances contained in it have a beneficial effect on the adult body and are completely useless for children. What is contained in classic black tea? The tannin tannin invigorates no worse than caffeine and binds salts of heavy metals such as lead and mercury. For children, it can be dangerous, since it destroys iron. There is a high likelihood that tannin will negatively affect the fragile mucous membranes of the digestive system. In black tea, there are purine bases that stimulate the production of uric acid and oxalates. These substances can be harmful to the kidneys of a very young child. Oxalic acid present in tea leaves is dangerous for baby's baby teeth. Thein is an alkaloid found in black tea. This substance has a tonic effect and can inhibit the production of vitamin D. When asking the question "at what age can a child give coffee and tea," remember that these drinks affect the nervous system. Caffeine is generally not recommended for children under adolescence. But in some babies, even drinking weakly brewed tea can cause hyperactivity and sleep disturbances. Introducing this drink into the child’s diet, be sure to monitor the baby’s behavior and psycho-emotional state. If you notice any changes, stop giving tea or try diluting it even harder.
How to choose and make tea for a child?
For baby food, tea should choose high-quality and natural. It is advisable to use whole leaf welding. For one cup of tea, brew no more than 1-1.5 grams of dry mix. Popular wisdom says: hot tea is a medicine, cooled down is poison. And this statement is confirmed by scientific research. When cooling, part of the nutrients in tea is destroyed. It is recommended that children be taught to drink just warm, freshly brewed tea. If the drink has cooled, you can not heat it. Having decided to warm the tea, you will only increase the concentration of harmful substances in it. Do not force your baby to drink if he doesn’t like it. You can replace tea in baby food with compote, a drink brewed from prunes is very useful.
Exotic types of tea
In our country, black tea is considered classic, but what other variations of the drink exist? Green varieties are considered the strongest and most invigorating. It is in them that the concentration of tannin and caffeine is the highest. Some types of green tea excel even coffee in their tonic properties. It is advisable to start giving such a drink to a child only in adolescence. Many parents are interested in: at what age can you give hibiscus tea to your child? This drink tastes more like compote. Hibiscus is rich in vitamins and citric acid. If the baby is not allergic to citrus fruits, you can treat him to such tea from 2 years old. Herbal teas, for example, from linden, mint and rose hips, can be given as a drink only from 6-7 years. At an earlier age, such drinks are a cure for colds. If the child likes the herbal taste very much, you can add medicinal plants in a small amount to ordinary black tea leaves. Now you know what tea and at what age you can give your child. Try to follow these rules and do not forget to monitor the individual reaction of the child's body to new drinks.
Useful tips for introducing tea into a child’s diet
Start introducing tea into your baby’s diet gradually. Let it be one cup first at breakfast. Can children drink tea on an equal basis with adults? At about 5-6 years old, you can pour the child a drink as often as he wishes. And yet you should not give it immediately before bedtime. Remember: tannins in tea can accumulate during the day. If the baby “suddenly” became nervous and overly excitable, perhaps the whole point is in too much invigorating drink in his diet. From what age you can give tea to a child - an individual question. Make sure that the baby is absolutely healthy and develops normally, and only after that begin to introduce this drink into his diet, but provided that the child is already 2 years old.