Herbal Tea for Babies: Anise tea is a Danger

 If your baby is colicky, you might be wondering: Can I use herbal tea for babies?

We have experienced the health benefits of tea numerous times. A sore throat, stomach cramps, or fever – we just make ourselves a cup of tea. And we start to feel better almost immediately. What about babies?

Here, I’ve made a list of the most popular teas. Let’s see which ones are safe for your babies, shall we?

1. Can I use chamomile tea for newborns? 

If you take a look at your tea supply, you probably will notice chamomile tea first. We use it for migraines, insomnia, to boost immunity, to name a few.

But is chamomile tea safe for babies? The answer is: Yes, but for babies more than six-months-old. Chamomile tea is full of calcium, magnesium, Vitamin A and it has an anti-inflammatory effect. It’s commonly used to:

Let’s talk how to prepare the tea: Take one or two teaspoons of tea and mix it with warm water. You should give no more than 1-2 oz within 24 hours. Also, make sure that the tea isn’t sweetened because sugar can affect your baby’s developing teeth.

But some studies suggest that to achieve the calming effects of the camomile tea for babies, you need to give it in large quantities. So they don’t recommend it as a colic remedy

2. Fennel tea for easy digestion

Fennel tea for babies is also considered safe and beneficial. There are no adverse effects observes, excluding rare allergic reaction.

Fennel helps with digestion and the assimilation of the food. To make fennel tea:

Just like chamomile tea, caraway seeds are considered safe for babies. They relax the digestive track muscles, so they are excellent for bloating and gasses. To prepare caraway tea for babies:

3. Onion tea for gassy babies

You can also try a homemade tea for dealing with your baby’s discomfort. According to some experienced parents, onion tea is an effective way for dealing with colic. It also doesn’t have any side effect.

Some parents recommend that you boil the onion and add a teaspoon or two of the water in the bottle. Others offer the following recipe:

Or you can try this gas-relieving techniques from http://imomtips.com/basic-infant-care

4. Don't give anise tea for babies

You might have heard that it’s all right to use anise tea for colic baby, but things have changed. Specialists advise that you shouldn’t give anise tea under any circumstances. That’s because there is a cross-contamination between the Chinese anise star and the Japanese one. While the Chinese star is safe for consumption, the Japanese anise star contains potent nerve toxins. If babies consume such tea, it could lead to neurological problems. Symptoms of anise poisoning are:

you have given anise tea to your baby, consult with your pediatrician immediately and watch for any symptoms of poisoning

However, be aware that specialists don’t recommend giving any tea to your baby, especially if she is less than six-month-old. Until your baby is six months, she gets all the necessary vitamins and mineral from your breast milk or formula. So she doesn’t need any extra vitamins.

Some studies also point out that infants that consume tea have a higher chance of developing anemia. They claim that tea interferes with the absorption of iron and they state that black tea, peppermint tea and chamomile tea, inhibit the absorption of iron the most.

As you can see, it’s best to talk to your doctor first before giving any tea to your baby. Even though it certainly can help your baby feel better, it can have some pretty scary negative effects.

So, what do you think? Did you use tea to help your baby deal with stomach cramps or gas? Tell us about your experience in the comments. Share the article with your friends and family if you find it useful. And don’t forget to give us a like!