ROOIBOS AND ITS BENEFITS FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS

ROOIBOS AND ITS BENEFITS FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS

As a dietitian I often get asked the question if it is safe to give Rooibos tea to a baby? And the answer is without a doubt, yes, from the age of 6 months old! Rooibos tea has many health properties and is a completely caffeine free herbal tea without any side-effects I feel confident to give it to my own children and prescribe it as a healthy alternative to water to babies and older children. Do not add any sugar or milk as a baby’s sensitive gut cannot tolerate it. Your baby will soon love the natural sweet taste of Rooibos or flavoured rooibos teas.

From weaning time (around 6 months) you can feel free to give rooibos without milk and sugar as a drink between milk feeds. A tip of a teaspoon of xylitol (low glycemic index and completely natural) or a small amount of apple juice can be added from around to sweeten it slightly. This is however not necessary as your baby will drink what he/she is introduced to, so keep the sugar away if possible.

For toddlers and older children, homemade ice tea or ice lollies is a healthy alternative to fruit juices. Make a milky rooibos and sweeten with xylitol or add a small amount of juice or fresh fruit like strawberries or lemon and xylitol to make your own ice tea.

BASIC ROOIBOS ICE TEA RECIPE

• Make 1liter of Carmién Rooibos tea (4-6 teabags in 1liter of boiling water)
• Leave in fridge overnight
• Remove teabags the next morning
• Sweeten or flavour your Carmién Rooibos ice tea with honey, sugar or your favourite fruit juice
• Add fresh fruit such as berries, oranges or lemon

Warning: Please note that honey should not be given to babies under 1 year of age.