The mum has asked the child’s grandparents not to give her little one the drink but it seems they are ignoring her request – her problem had a mixed response with others with some saying she’s overreacting
Parents seem divided over whether an every day drink is dangerous for children as a mum shares her concerns over it.
Every parent or carer has their different rules and beliefs when it comes to the diet of their children and rightly so. Many follow a particular eating plan for religious or moral reasons and the benefits of a low sugar diet packed with vegetables and healthy proteins are widely publicised.
Guardians are advised to watch what their little ones drink too, with many options such as squash and fizzy pop being full of sugar which can lead to weight gain, diseases such as type 2 diabetes and tooth decay, as well as increasing the chance of developing a sweet tooth.
One mum who is mindful of what her toddler consumes is careful not to give her child caffeine, which is present in tea, coffee and some carbonated drinks. So when she discovered her in-laws were giving her 21 month old a cup of tea when she was in their care, she wasn’t happy.
She shared her upset on Mumsnet where she revealed she had picked her daughter up from her husband’s mum and dad on numerous occasions in the evening after they had looked after her and been told they had given her a “milky” tea.
“We don’t give her any caffeine at all and have asked them 3 times not to do it, we even offered bring round decaf tea bags for them as we drink decaf at home,” she wrote.
However the concerned mum was put out when her husband collected the child, only to be told they had given it to her again, despite their request. “I’m really annoyed it’s happened again and feel it’s impacting her sleep. Apparently it’s so weak it wouldn’t have an impact (it’s the teabag they’ve used dipped in water and a splash of milk),” she revealed as she asked other parents on the site if she was right to be so angry about it or if she was overreacting.
The response was mixed with many dismissing the negative impact the tea would have on her daughter. One wrote: “This reminds me of when I was pregnant and I switched to decaf as was worried about caffeine intake. Baby was born very prem and doctors would give her caffeine intravenously on a daily basis. Anywho, a milky tea won’t do her any harm. I would be more concerned if they were putting sugar into it.”
Another agreed saying: “Overreacting. There’s probably more caffeine in half a chocolate digestive. I think weak tea is underrated as a drink for kids – keeps them hydrated without resorting to sugary squash.” A third agreed: “It’s fine. She’s almost two! Don’t fall out with your in laws over weak milky tea. Not if you want a free babysitter occasionally.”
However others disagreed. One said: “I’d be annoyed but was surprised when I last saw this on Mumsnet that lots of people are okay with it. Just take round a small box of decaf teabags and say it’s great she loves tea at nanny’s but can she have her special box. Maybe get a sticky label and write “small child tea” so it’s special and some stickers. She’ll soon want ‘her’ tea.”
And some thought there was a bigger issue at play: “For me it’s not the tea. It’s the ignoring my request. My child, my rules,” they wrote. A second warned: “So this time it’s tea. Next time it’s what? I think caregivers should follow parents rules even if it’s over something tiny like milky tea.”
A third added: “The pertinent point here is: please don’t do it, oh look we’ve given it to her again. On what planet does any child need and must have milky tea? Why are they deliberately pushing your boundaries?”
What do you think? Is the mum overreacting? Let us know in the comments below.
