Is Chamomile Tea Safe For Kids?

Knowing this soothing herbal tea’s safety for kids is essential to reap its benefits.

Reviewed by Dr. Sonal Dhemla, PhD Dr. Sonal Dhemla Dr. Sonal DhemlaPhD MomJunction on Facebook Specialty: Food and NutritionExperience: 4 years
Written by , MSc (Food & Nutrition) Sindusha MS MSc (Food & Nutrition) Follow MomJunction on Linkedin Specialty: Food, Nutrition and General Health
Edited by , M.Sc. (Food & Nutrition), MBA Swati Patwal M.Sc. (Food & Nutrition), MBA Follow MomJunction on Linkedin Specialty: Food, Nutrition and HealthExperience: 10 years
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A kid drinking chamomile tea

Image: Shutterstock

Chamomile tea is a caffeine-free tea that people use for relaxation and for calming their senses. It has several natural bioactive compoundsiMolecules with antioxidant properties and health-promoting effects present in plants and some foods. that can benefit health over time. But while consuming it is safe for you, can you use chamomile tea for kids?

Herbal teas such as chamomile are often sold unregulated, which means you can’t know about their safety and efficacy for children. Besides, they may contain added ingredients that the product label might not mention. Hence, you must follow expert guidance. An expert will guide you about the right tea to buy, the right amount to use as per your child’s age, and the intent of use.

Read on as we tell you about the safety of chamomile tea for children, the safe quantity to use, and how it promotes health and wellness in kids.

In This Article

Can Kids Drink Chamomile Tea?

Chamomile tea is safe and soothes stomach issues in children.

Image: Shutterstock

Most parents remain skeptical about the benefits and effects of tea for kids. Well, the good news is that you can alleviate your kid’s stomach upset with the proper dosage of chamomile tea. While some reports note side effects and reactions in adults, chamomile tea has not been known to cause skin rashes or harmful allergic reactions among kids. However, ensure that you use the purest form of the chamomile herb, as other mixtures might react with your kid’s stomach.

When kids fall ill, giving them strong OTCs is not something you like to do. Chamomile tea can be the savior here, and the herbal nature doesn’t trigger many side effects. The herb soothes your kid’s disturbed stomach. Repeated bouts of colicky babies can be treated with the regular intake of the chamomile tea. It is the safest remedy for your baby’s coliciFrequent, prolonged, and intense periods of crying in a healthy baby without any apparent reason. problems. However, the dosage must be right. (1).

Quantity Of Chamomile Tea For Kids

  • You can give 2-3 ounces of warm (not hot) chamomile tea daily to your colicky babies. It helps decrease stomach pain.
  • Feeding 2-3 ounces of chamomile tea to your baby helps improve his digestive system, and he can easily recover from acute stomach aches.

Note: Don’t overfeed your kid chamomile tea as it may not alleviate the symptoms of pain or ease the bouts of colic.

Follow the accurate dosage.

Different Uses Of Chamomile Tea For Kids

Chamomile is one of the beneficial herbs that is also available in the market as tea. The herb is a mild sedative, which helps improve your kid’s sleep quality. Some parents also use Chamomile tea for teething or to treat a colicky baby, as it helps in easing tummy pain.

Here are some of the different ways in which you can use chamomile tea for your growing kid:

  • When your kid drinks chamomile tea before bedtime, it helps improve the sleep quality.

A mother from Rhode Island, who goes by the name ‘nonchalant mom’ praises chamomile tea. She says, “When my kids have trouble sleeping at night, I make them a cup of Chamomile tea, and they are sure to drop off shortly after (i).”

Chamomile tea before bedtime improves sleep quality.

Image: Shutterstock

  • Chamomile tea for children serves as a tinctureiHerbal extracts used as medicines by dissolving the herbs in an alcohol solution. for muscle pain and is rather effective for teething children.
  • The tea helps relax your hyper kid during emotional or physical distress and alleviates conditions such as anxiety and stress.
  • Chamomile tea offers adequate headache relief to your kids.
  • If your kid suffers from pink eyes, you can use a cotton ball dipped in chamomile tea to eradicate the harmful infection. The herbal tea soothes the eye region and removes the infection within 24-36 hours.
protip_icon Point to consider
Chamomile tea is considered useful in croupiA viral respiratory infection that causes inflammation of the upper airway, leading to breathing difficulty. and fever in children (1)
In the case of pink eyes, wiping with chamomile tea removes the infection.

Image: Shutterstock

Health Benefits Of Chamomile Tea For Kids

Here are some of health benefits of chamomile tea for your little one:

1. Useful For Colicky Kids:

Chamomile tea helps with colic problems in your child.

Image: Shutterstock

  • Babies that cry for a long time mostly suffer from colic problems, and they experience repetitive bouts.
  • Although researchers do not know the exact cause of the uncontrolled crying, they conclude that the fussy behavior of your child can be due to an upset stomach.
  • Feeding your colicky kid, an infusion of lukewarm chamomile tea soothes his digestive tract thus solving issues arising from improper digestion, and offers quick relief from severe pain and discomfort.

2. Promotes Healthy Sleep:

  • From ancient days, chamomile tea has been used as a sleep-promoting agent.
  • The chamomile tea helps in reducing the stress and anxiety of your restless baby and attains a good sleep.
  • Researchers conclude that feeding a cup of chamomile tea to the baby before bedtime can help improve sleep.

protip_icon Did you know?
The flavonoidiNatural compounds found in vegetables and fruits, with varying phenolic structures and provide various health benefits. , apigeniniDietary flavonoid with potent anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and blood pressure-reducing properties. , present in chamomile may be responsible for its sleep-inducing effects (1).

3. Treats Gastrointestinal Problems:

  • Kids often cry endlessly due to severe gastrointestinal problems. By giving chamomile tea to your kid, the pain easily subsides.
  • Lukewarm chamomile tea helps in soothing severe cramps and treats common stomach ailments of kids. (2).

Are There Risks From Chamomile Tea Consumption?

Consumption of chamomile tea in the right amounts does not cause any adverse effects. But you should be aware of the possible side effects, especially when considering its use in children. Begin with a small amount and watch for any reactions in your child before slowly increasing the dose. Some possible side effects include (3):

  • Nausea and dizziness.
  • Individuals allergic to plants (such as ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, or daisies) may be more prone to chamomile allergies.
  • Rare cases of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, have been reported in individuals consuming or coming into contact with chamomile products.
  • Interactions with medications such as cyclosporine and warfarin have been reported.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. At what age can I give chamomile tea to a child?

Children may usually begin having chamomile tea once they start eating solids, that is, around the age of six months (1).

2. Can I add any flavors to my child’s chamomile tea?

You may add natural ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, lavender, or other herbs to flavor chamomile tea and enhance its flavor.

3. Should I give my child chamomile tea bags or leaves?

You should use chamomile tea bags for children because teas made with loose chamomile leaves may sometimes be contaminated with clostridium botulinum bacteria, which may cause botulism in children .

4. How many times can I give my child chamomile tea?

Children under five years should not consume more than half a cup (four ounces) of tea per day (1) (2).

If consumed in the proper amount, chamomile tea may offer your children various benefits, including relief from stomach aches and a better digestive system. However, further research is needed to assess the effects of chamomile tea on kids because it has the potential to trigger allergies, and the risk increases if your child already suffers from allergies. Hence, you should consult a doctor before giving this tea to your child. Once your child’s doctor has given their approval, your kid can start reaping the benefits of this relaxing chamomile tea.

Infographic: Benefits Of Chamomile Tea For Children

Chamomile is a gentle and soothing herb. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is a good source of nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, and folate. An easy way to use it for your child is to make tea from it. Chamomile tea benefits children in various ways. Read this infographic to find out about them.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Key Pointers

  • Chamomile tea is safe for children only in moderation and proper dosage.
  • This tea can promote relaxation and sound sleep in children.
  • It is also used to treat digestive problems such as indigestion and stomach aches in children.
  • However, before giving chamomile tea to children, it is important to seek a doctor’s advice.

Illustration: Chamomile Tea For Kids - Everything You Should Know

Chamomile Tea For Kids_illustration

Image: Dall·E/MomJunction Design Team

Personal Experience: Source

MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.

i. Are you stressed out?
https://nonchalantmom.blogspot.com/2016/11/are-you-stressed-out.html?m=0

References

MomJunction's articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.
  1. Janmejai K Srivastava et al.; (2010); Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995283/
  2. German chamomile.
    https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/german-chamomile
  3. Chamomile.
    https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chamomile#:~:text=The%20long%2Dterm%20safety%20of,into%20contact%20with%20chamomile%20products
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Dr. Sonal Dhemla
Dr. Sonal DhemlaPhD
Dr. Sonal Dhemla, a gold medalist with four years of experience, is working with a pediatric hospital as a consultant dietitian/clinical nutritionist. She founded ‘Dr. Sonal’s Nutrittude’, a diet clinic specializing in child nutrition, complementary feeding, juvenile diabetes, celiac disease, autism, ADHD, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, growth issues among children, different deficiencies, and much more.

Read full bio of Dr. Sonal Dhemla
Sindusha MS
Sindusha MSMSc (Food & Nutrition)
Sindusha is a clinical nutritionist with over two years of experience in diverse fields of nutrition. She did her Masters in Food Science and Nutrition from Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women and has qualified UGC-NET.

Read full bio of Sindusha MS
Swati Patwal
Swati PatwalM.Sc. (Food & Nutrition), MBA
Swati Patwal is a clinical nutritionist, a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) and a toddler mom with more than a decade of experience in diverse fields of nutrition. She started her career as a CSR project coordinator for a healthy eating and active lifestyle project catering to school children.

Read full bio of Swati Patwal
Dr. Joyani Das
Dr. Joyani DasM.Pharm, PhD
Dr. Joyani Das did her post-graduation from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra and PhD in Pharmacology. Previously, she worked as an associate professor, faculty of Pharmacology, for two years. With her research background in preclinical studies and a zeal for scientific writing, she joined MomJunction as a health writer.

Read full bio of Dr. Joyani Das
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