green tea?

[leaves]

i am just curious... does anyone know if giving decaf, unsweetened, brewed-at-home green tea to a baby is safe? my son is ten months old and i was interested in giving him some. he likes to carry around a bottle of water to sip on throughout the day, and was curious if giving diluted green tea was a good idea, or if it's not safe at all.

thoughts?

btw, he is mostly breastfed -- he eats a solid meal maybe every two days or so. he's getting what he needs and doesn't drink that much water. i don't want you to think i'm filling him up with things he doesn't need. i'm just curious.

[hildare]

i wouldn't. decaffeinating is a pretty awful process. water is really best. was he trying to drink your tea and you thought he might like it, or are you trying to think of alternatives to juice or water? if so, you should post in the good eating & nutrition forum- those mamas have great ideas.

[leaves]

thanks! yeah, i've heard the process is pretty bad, but i've seen those that are "naturally" decaffeinated, but natural seems to be a pretty broad term.

yes, an alternative to juice, because i don't want to introduce juice to him, even diluted. i don't see the point, and i know plenty of people who have toddlers that won't drink just plain water, they have to have the juice. i'm addicted to sweets and i don't want my son to end up like me! it's bad, bad, bad.

[rlmueller]

Black tea

I started giving my son a bit of super milked warm black tea starting at a year old or so. He has survived my parenting and tea drinking ways thusfar

[Friendlee]

I'd stick with water and offering lots of nutritious whole foods (in addition to the breastmilk of course). The only toddlers who are addicted to juice are toddlers who've been offered juice. If all they know is water, then when they are thristy, they will want water. There is plenty to experience and explore as far as gaining new skills without using tea or juice. For instance, drinking through a straw is fascinating for babies, tilting a cup with no lid up to their mouth is also fun for them. I would change up the method in which you offer the water if you're looking to add some variety to the hydration experience.

However, I've often wondered about using herbal teas to treat certain ailments for babies. Not sure what I'd use for what, but I know that tulsi tea (caffeinated) is very nutritious and I've heard of a lot of parents giving their children raspberry tea or nettle tea. But it's probably best to wait until they are 2 or 3 for that.