Children are notoriously
resistant to any change in habits, foods and environments, so the introduction
of a new herbal medicine to a child's routine can be a difficult uphill battle.
The most efficient (and debatably, healthy) way to introduce a child to a
natural medicine is in the form of an herbal tea. However, getting the child to
actually drink these concoctions can be nearly impossible for some parents.
These
tips can help a child to actually enjoy the process of drinking an herbal tea
remedy. As always, check with your doctor before adding any supplement or medicine
to your child's treatment plan.
Get
Children to Drink Herbal Tea: Refer to Herbal Tea as a Treat, not a
Medicine
If you call your child's hot mug of herbal tea a medicine, he will most likely turn his nose up at it without giving it a second thought. However, if you talk about it as if it is a special treat, like candy or ice cream, it will make the experience much more appealing for both of you. Reverse psychology works wonders for children.
If you
use this route for getting your child to drink herbal teas, check with an
herbalist or the manufacturer for additional help on dosing guidelines. A few
herbs can cause negative effects (although usually not severe) if they are
consumed in mass quantities by children. Be aware of the potential for a problem
and monitor your child's intake if he takes to his new "treat" very
enthusiastically.
Chill and Mix with Fruit Juice
One
highly effective method for getting children to drink herbal teas is to mix the
teas with sweet, natural juices. Herbal teas can be prepared in large one- or
two-liter batches, chilled, and then mixed with fruit juice in a fifty-fifty
ratio. Iced chamomile tea mixed with apple juice is irresistable to most
children, and most bitter herbs are offset by the richly sweet flavors of dark
grape juice.
Bear in
mind that, if you have mixed your child's herbal tea to a fifty-fifty ratio, he
will need to drink twice the amount to get the same dose of the herb. This will
probably be easy to accomplish if your child has a particular affinity for the
natural sweetness of fruit juice.
Add your Own Spices and Flavors
If your
child especially likes the flavor of cinammon, vanilla, or any other common
spice, there is nothing wrong with adding a dash of it to your child's herbal
tea mixture. Sweeteners like honey, brown or white sugar, and turbinado are all
also tasty additions to herbal tea and are usually greeted with joy by
children.
Unless
your child's diet already contains very large amounts of refined sugar, the
sweeteners and flavors you might use in a small cup of herbal tea will be only
a minimal part of his daily diet, so there is little need to worry about the
implications that the sugar might have on his blood sugar or routine. If your
child is diabetic, hyperactive, or overweight, however, you may want to
consider using a natural, low-glycemic index sweetener like stevia, xylitol, or
agave nectar.
Mix Herbal Teas with Hot Chocolate
A
particularly ideal method for getting a child to drink herbal tea in winter
time, the hot-chocolate method is a wonderful and easy way to hide the bitter
or unpleasant flavors of herbal tea, making the drink appealing even to the
pickiest of children. Hot chocolate is already sweetened and flavored to offset
the bitterness of cocoa, so the same flavors are a good complement to herbal
teas.
To use
this method, simply brew the herbal tea as usual, and, while still piping hot,
add your child's favorite hot chocolate mix. If your hot chocolate mix calls
for milk or soymilk instead of water, consider steeping your teabags in hot,
steamed milk-- it will be equally effective and can add a rich, creamy flavor,
making the unusual taste of herbal tea unnoticable to the child.
Herbal
teas can be very effective and safe medicines for children when they are given
with the guidance of a medical practitioner or qualified herbalist. With a
little ingenuity, you can make giving herbal tea to children a painless, easy,
and even enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
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