Mum asks internet for advice after two-year-old is given a cup of tea at nursery

A woman has taken to parenting forum Mumsnet for advice after discovering her two-year-old son was given a cup of tea at nursery.

In a recent thread, she consulted her fellow parents on the issue.

She wrote: “My ds [dear son] has just moved out of baby room. When I collected him the other day was told he’d just had a cup of tea and biscuit.

“I assumed they were role playing and really meant water or milk. However the staff member said no real tea.”

She asked if she was being “unreasonable”, adding that she had no other concerns with the nursery.

“AIBU [Am I being unreasonable?] to think this isn’t really appropriate for 2 year olds.? Before this I’ve never had any concerns at all with the nursery.”

The response was divided. Some agreed it seemed like an odd practice in a nursery school.

One person wrote: “I wouldn’t like that at all. I wouldn’t give a 2 year old a cup of tea at home (still don’t in their teens.) I can’t see why they would do that and it must be a lot of faff for the staff compared to giving them water, while someone else questioned: “Is your child going to nursery in 1976?”

“I know this will go against the census, but honestly, I’d move nurseries,” added another.

Others doubted the tea would actually be very strong at all, with one suggesting: “I expect it’s milk with a teabag wafted over it.”

Others claimed their own children drank tea without a problem.

My 2yo and 5yo like the odd cup of tea. I won’t allow them squash though. Everyone has different ideas on parenting!”, one wrote.

“Both my little cousins drank tea at that age, I’m not sure what the problem is. They wouldn’t have given it to him scalding hot,” said another user.

While parents clearly have different approaches to whether or not toddlers should drink tea, the official line is that it is “unsuitable”.

“Caffeinated drinks are also unsuitable for toddlers and young children,” according to the NHS website, which also lists tea among the drinks that contain “high amounts” of caffeine.

This isn’t the first debate to attract attention on Mumsnet. Previously, users have clashed over everything from whether it’s appropriate to swear at a nine-year-old baby to the contents of a child’s lunchbox.

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