kimilseung

After a long time of being embarrassed by her English dad, my 6 year old is all of a sudden wanting to do things English.

She wants to go shopping for British/English 'biscuits' rather than cookies and she wants to drink tea. We have a plan this evening for an English night, which sounds like she plans for us to be dunking British biscuits in cups of tea.

Anyway, how much caffeine do you let your kids get? She has had a mug of tea each day for the last few nights, but she is far from finishing off the full mug, I have not noticed her having any more trouble sleeping or any other differences, but as it is school break, she is a bit out of routine anyway.

Her tea is fairly weak with milk, no sugar. We let her have an occasional soda, which I assume has about the same amount of caffine, but that is the exception rather than the rule.

I had no idea that kids would develop a liking for tea. So anyone have any guidelines on kids and tea drinking.

HighCountry

I grew up drinking tea with almost every meal (no sugar, though). My parents never gave it a second thought and I wouldn't either.

Mummy in the foothills

We let Dd (7) drink tea if she wants it. No side affects noticed. She doesn't get any soda though, we don't buy it.
She'll have a more than a few cups of tea occasionally then none for days on end.

GeoffM

According to this link, regular tea has anything from 14-61mg of caffeine, compared to 30-35mg for coke. I rarely drink tea but back in the UK I used to drink decaff, especially in the afternoons, none by evening.

Bob

Tea, generally is fine. Wouldn't get into the habit of adding sugar though...and it's much better than fizzy drinks.

Brat1

I am a total tea junkie, couldn't live without it!!! Love my tea in the morning, especially in the Winter, I honestly wouldn't stop her drinking it, mine have all been brought up drinking it and I'd rather they drank that than Coke or some other crap!!

Xebedee

All my kids drink tea - its better for them than coffee, I think and we all know it tastes far better.
Its good to get them to appreciate the custom and ritual of tea and bikkies anyway.

Still, all in moderation as 15 cups a day at age 8 probably isn't very wise.

Macca67

The amount of caffeine in the tea will vary on the length of time the tea has been allowed to brew. The longer the infusion the greater the amount of caffeine. One unfinished mug of weak tea per day isn't going to do any damage.

Good to hear she's taking an interest in biccies instead of characterless US cookies. My number one favorite for many, many years has been the humble and unassuming custard cream.

md95065

I am not a parent but I would have thought that having one's kid start to drink tea probably isn't too high up on the list of things that you need to be worried about ...

Lion in Winter

Shortbread, chocolate digestives, and ginger nuts.

SultanOfSwing

Tea should be fine. I drank tea since I was probably 4 or 5, with breakfast and dinner and occasionally in between. Actually for a while my mum would fill my packed lunch flask with tea before she started using orange squash. I've let my son drink tea since I've lived here, so since he was 7, with no adverse effects. I try to dissuade him from using sugar because that ruins the taste of a good cuppa ...

I can't really speak for the effects of caffeine in tea, because other than its diuretic properties, caffeine has never had an effect on me, even when I used to drink coffee.

SultanOfSwing

Bourbon Creams ...

Lion in Winter

Jaffa Cakes

SultanOfSwing

Now you're talking.

Bink

I grew up drinking coffee (I stole my Dad's since I was little), probably since I was 5 or 6.

I don't think the odd cup of tea will have too much effect on them to be honest.

Mmmmmm, ginger nuts! I'd completely forgotten how much I like them!
Haven't had them in a good few years.