There’s nothing like a warm and refreshing beverage to start your day. Whether it be a mug of coffee or a cup of tea, starting your day with your favourite beverage can set the tone and pace for what lies ahead. While this is perfectly fine for adults, what happens when it comes to your little ones? I’m sure as parents, questions about whether your kids can have tea have crossed your mind. Well, if they have, know that you’re not alone and have come to the right place. The answer to this is relatively simple and yet not as straightforward. While your little ones can enjoy a cup of tea, there’s a specific type of tea that they should consume to avoid any side effects.
Herbal tea is a safe and viable solution when it comes to tea for children. One of the best things about herbal tea for kids is that it’s easy to make, accessible at a local supermarket and does not contain caffeine. Caffeine is well known for giving a quick boost to energy levels. While this is sometimes a good thing, it comes at quite a cost. As caregivers and parents, we want what is best for our kids and what is best for our kids when it comes to tea is herbal tea. Besides the fact that herbal tea is safe, it also comes with many healing properties known to soothe a sore throat and ease a persistent cough. Before we delve into the types of herbal teas for kids, let’s have a deeper look at why you shouldn’t give your kids anything with caffeine.
Why Should Kids Avoid Teas That Contain Caffeine?
Two of the most commonly known teas to contain caffeine are black tea and certain green teas. While both teas are ideal choices for adults, in moderation, they aren’t suitable for kids. While caffeine can make you more alert, it also causes many side effects like nervousness and jittering. Other effects of caffeine in children include upset stomach, vomiting, headaches, sleeping difficulties and elevated heart rates. All of these are undesirable and can easily be avoided by giving your kids herbal tea. If you’re wondering how to make herbal tea, it’s pretty easy and requires no extra expertise.
Herbal Tea For Children
A question looming mainly in your mind is whether or not herbal teas are good for you. Luckily for you, we have all the answers here. The broad and long of it is that herbal tea is good for you as well as your little ones. As the term implies, herbal tea is made from herbs, fruits, and other spices. It is almost always without caffeine and contains ingredients like mint, chamomile, ginger and fennel. Such herbal tea is safe for children above the age of two years old and works wonders for kids with mild colds, coughs and congestion. It has also been proven to work well when it comes to allergies and motion sickness. Another reason why herbal tea is good for your children is because it does not contain any sugar. Here are a few of the best types of herbal teas for kids.
Types Of Herbal Tea For Kids
- Peppermint Tea- This type of herbal tea has peppermint as its main ingredient. Peppermint has been known to cure acidity and indigestion. Having it at the start of your day or even after a light lunch or dinner will help in aiding digestion. It is commonly known for soothing a terrible cough, and sore throat and provides great relief when suffering from a cold. These are just some of the herbal tea benefits that peppermint tea offers.
- Ginger Tea- This is a personal favourite as the aroma and taste of the tea resonates on the palate and goes down the throat effortlessly. It doesn’t have an overpowering taste and will appeal to a kid when served warm just before bedtime. Ginger is a great remedy for stomach-related problems in both adults and kids. It can ease digestion, nausea, gas pain and even motion sickness. This is one of the most commonly recommended types of herbal tea for parents and children.
- Chamomile Tea- This tea usually has a relaxing and calming effect on kids and adults alike. It helps kids have a sound and undisturbed sleep and also helps make them less anxious. If you’ve spoken to any parent, you will know how anxious kids get over the smallest of issues. While this is a relatively safe option it’s best to give this herbal tea to your kids only if you know that they aren’t allergic to ragweed as Chamomile is related to ragweed.
- Fruit Tea- This type of herbal tea appeals to young ones primarily because it comes in different flavours. Some of the most common flavours for fruit tea include blueberry, peach, lemon and raspberry. One of the most popular and cherished flavours out of all the fruit teas is the lemon one. It is known for its refreshing taste and soothing feeling. This warm and delightful beverage is an ideal alternative to aerated or carbonated juices and sodas. The beauty of such a type of tea is that it can be enjoyed both warm or cold.
Here at EuroKids, we look to focus on achieving a holistic development of kids taking into account both academics and nutrition. We firmly believe in the fact that the right kind of nutrition allows the brain to grow and increases the attention capacity of children. Beverages like herbal teas are nice for kids to consume but only in moderation and after carefully selecting the type of herbal tea. Herbal tea benefits are plentiful and can help your child in more than one way. If you want to learn more about child health care and nutrition, be sure to visit our blog or visit us at our closest centre to you.
