Toddler's Tea Consumption Tragedy Sparks Caffeine Caution

Tea is an important part of Indian culture that families enjoy together. Sometimes, kids see their parents drinking tea and want to try it too. But something sad happened recently that made doctors worry about giving tea to little kids.

In a place called Madhya Pradesh, a one-and-a-half-year-old child drank tea and got very sick. Even though the child was taken to the hospital quickly, they couldn't help and the child passed away. This made doctors think about whether tea is safe for young children.

Dr. Preeti Malpani, who works at the hospital, said it's hard to know exactly why the child died because they were already gone when they reached the hospital. But experts like Prachi Jain, who knows a lot about food and health, explained what might have happened.

Tea leaves have something called caffeine, which is found in many plants. Caffeine can make you feel awake and restless. Jain said it's not a good idea to give tea to kids because of the caffeine. She thinks it's best to wait until kids are at least 12 years old before giving them tea.

There are some reasons why people are being careful about giving tea to kids:

1. Sleep Problems: Caffeine can make your brain and body very active, which might stop kids from sleeping well and make them tired during the day.
2. Getting Used to It: Drinking tea every day might make kids want it all the time, and that could be a problem.
3. Going to the Bathroom: Caffeine can make you pee more, and this might cause kids to lose too much water and become dehydrated.

Instead of tea, experts suggest making milk better by adding things like basil, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and crushed nuts. If kids don't like plain milk, you can make it tastier and healthier by putting in some dates and raisins.