The first year of life is the most important stage in a baby's development. During this period, he receives all the essentials with breast milk. After six months, parents ask themselves questions about what else to introduce to the kids' diet, how to properly introduce new food into the daily menu. What else can you drink? Today we will talk about ordinary tea, which is present every day in the life of every family. When can you give your child tea, how much, can the baby drink this drink with sugar? We will discuss these and many questions in our article.
Composition of tea drinks
- The main ingredient in tea is tannin. Has tanning properties. Important! Tannin binds iron and prevents it from being absorbed, which, in turn, leads to a decrease in hemoglobin, and accordingly, the risk of anemia increases. Also, one of the negative properties of this substance is an obstacle to the formation of vitamin D, which is fraught with the development of rickets;
- theine has a stimulating effect, has a beneficial effect on intestinal peristalsis;
- oxalic acid, which is part of the composition, binds calcium, which provokes the development of caries on delicate milk teeth.
Dentist Natalya Yuryevna: “Recently, cases of caries have become more frequent in young children. It is important to understand that the enamel of babies' teeth is very vulnerable to external factors, and tea is no exception ”;
- one of the important components of tea drinks is purine bases, which lead to the formation of uric acid. Accordingly, there is a huge load on the kidneys of the baby;
- flavanoids - excellent antioxidants that remove heavy metal salts;
- methionine is a substance that can normalize the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates in the body.
Many adults cannot imagine their life without tea. But it should be borne in mind that for a child, drinking a lot of tea is a huge burden on the body.
From how many months can you give tea to babies?
Regular tea for children under one year old is not recommended by pediatricians. This is due to the immaturity of the digestive and urinary systems.
The optimal age when you can give tea to children is from one and a half to two years.
Many moms do not meet this age criterion. Children are given tea already from 6 months of age, which is wrong. And tea is absolutely contraindicated for newborns.
Which tea to choose?
It is better to brew tea for a baby in leaf form. Tea bags contain a lot of harmful impurities that can cause allergies.
Use freshly brewed tea. When boiled again, the beneficial properties of the tea drink disappear, and it can even be harmful.
When can you give your child tea? It is better to do this before five in the evening. This is due to the fact that the tea has an invigorating effect, and if given later, it will be difficult for the child to fall asleep.
Tea can only be given not too strong, since excessive strength has an aggressive effect on the delicate mucous membrane of the stomach. It is advisable to drink this drink warm.
The child can be given tea with milk or sugar. Milk has a neutralizing effect on some of the harmful properties of tea. And you can use such a drink by half diluting the tea with milk.
The milk supplement is capable of:
reduce the effect of oxalic acid, therefore, maintain a sufficient concentration of calcium in the blood for the development of bones and teeth;- preserve the white enamel of the teeth;
- neutralize tannin, which will prevent possible allergies.
reduce the effect of oxalic acid, therefore, maintain a sufficient concentration of calcium in the blood for the development of bones and teeth;Sugar is best used in minimal quantities. If there is no allergy, then sugar can be replaced with honey.
Impurities in the form of herb thyme, mint, lemon balm and chamomile are perfect for tea. They have a calming effect and a wonderful scent.
Black tea or green
It is better not to give green tea to children. This is due to the fact that it has a higher content of tannin and thein in comparison with black.
Can children even ask for green tea, parents ask? Drinking green tea is recommended from school age.
Komarovsky O. E .: “Of course, tea is good for the child's body, but everywhere you need to know when to stop. At the beginning of the first complementary foods, it is not forbidden to give a teaspoon of tea, this is somewhere from 6 months. Better, of course, to start with a black variety. In the presence of allergic reactions, tea should be canceled. At 2 years old, you can try to introduce a tea drink again ”.
It is important to know that breast milk is the main source of nutrition for babies under 6 months of age. A small child's body does not need to drink tea drinks every day. Enough several times a week.
The early introduction of tea into a child's menu can harm the development of neurons in the cerebral cortex, which in the future can manifest itself in a tendency to lie and excessive imagination in the baby.
Also, special children's teas are sold in pharmacies, which can be used to drink children up to one year old. Some have a mild sedative effect.
Mom of twins Olga, 28 years old: “I had sleep problems with my daughters. She began to give in the evening a little tea with mint, lemon balm, fennel. The effect was already visible after three days. Children began to fall asleep faster, wake up less at night ”.
It is better to choose loose leaf tea in stores, or in proven markets. It is also worth paying attention to the expiration dates.
At the end of the article, you can safely answer the question, is it possible for children to have tea? Can. But you should take into account the measure and age range.
