Is Tea Safe for Babies? What Parents Should Know
Short answer: tea is not needed for a baby, and Poison Control advises checking with your child's health care provider before giving any herbal tea or supplement to an infant. Breast milk or formula is the standard for the first months. If you do consider a tea, read every ingredient, serve it in a bottle, and ask your baby's doctor first.
By the Secrets of Tea team. Last updated October 5, 2026.
Key takeaways
- Babies under about six months need only breast milk or formula, so tea is never a requirement.
- Poison Control says to check with your child's health care provider before giving any botanical preparation or tea.
- Studies of herbal teas for colic are small and have major limits, so no tea is proven.
- Read the label for every herb, and skip anything with added sugar or alcohol.
- Our Babies Magic Tea is chamomile, fennel and cumin, made in a bottle only, with the label directions below.
What is baby tea?
Baby tea is a caffeine free herbal infusion, usually chamomile, fennel or similar herbs, that parents have traditionally used as part of a calm evening routine. It is not a medicine, and it never replaces a feed.
Is tea safe for babies?
That depends on the baby, the herbs and the age, which is why the first call is your baby's doctor. Poison Control points out that babies have immature digestive, nervous and immune systems, and that herbal products in the US are not regulated the way they are in Europe, so two products with the same label can contain different things. Its advice is to check with your child's health care provider before giving a botanical preparation or tea.
It also warns that chamomile can cross react in children allergic to plants in the daisy family. If your family has ragweed, chrysanthemum or marigold allergies, say so when you ask. For a deeper look at that herb, read our guide on whether chamomile tea is safe for newborns.
What age can a baby have tea?
No single age fits every baby. Many parent guides, including Healthline, note that under six months nothing but breast milk or formula is needed, because a small stomach filled with tea has less room for calories. After that, the right time is a decision for your baby's doctor. Our month by month guide to when babies can drink tea goes through the ages.
Does baby tea help with gas and colic?
The honest answer is that nobody can promise it. HealthDay's summary of a review of colic trials found that some small studies saw less crying with fennel or with teas that held fennel and chamomile. The reviewers also found major limits, such as few babies and results based on parent reports, and concluded the evidence does not support any of these as proven. No serious side effects were reported in those trials, but that is not proof a tea works.
Weighing options? Our comparison of gripe water versus baby tea lays out the tradeoffs, and our page on catnip and fennel drops for infants covers drops.
What is in a baby herbal blend?
Babies Magic Tea is a caffeine free, USDA Organic blend of three herbs: chamomile, fennel and cumin. It comes in stringless baby bags, so there is no string near a baby. It is a tea, not a medicine. It is traditionally used as part of a calmer evening routine, and these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.
How is Babies Magic Tea prepared?
The label directions, word for word: boil water; stringless baby bag in for 2 minutes, remove; cool; into the bottle 50/50 with formula or breast milk. It is always served in a bottle. Ask your baby's doctor before you start.
Why does gas feel worse at night?
Many parents notice fussiness building in the evening. A tired baby settles less easily, and a quiet house makes it easier to notice. Free steps that help many families: paced bottle feeding to cut swallowed air, burping partway through a feed, bicycle legs while your baby is awake, and a dim, predictable wind down.
When should you call your baby's doctor?
Call your baby's doctor, rather than trying a tea, if your baby has a fever, vomits forcefully or vomits anything green, has blood in the stool, refuses feeds, is not gaining weight, or seems limp or hard to wake. Crying that starts suddenly or comes with any of these needs an exam.
Frequently asked questions
Is tea safe for a newborn?
Poison Control advises checking with your child's health care provider before giving any tea or herbal product to an infant, and breast milk or formula is the standard for the first months.
How do I prepare Babies Magic Tea?
Boil water; stringless baby bag in for 2 minutes, remove; cool; into the bottle 50/50 with formula or breast milk.
Does Babies Magic Tea have caffeine?
No. It is a caffeine free blend of USDA Organic chamomile, fennel and cumin.
Is baby tea proven for gas or colic?
No. Studies of fennel and chamomile teas are small and have major limits, so no tea is proven for colic.
Why is Babies Magic Tea bottle only?
The label directions call for the bottle only, mixed 50/50 with formula or breast milk, so it is always served that way.
This article is for general education and is not medical advice. Secrets of Tea products are not intended to diagnose any condition or promise a specific result. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Ask your baby's doctor before starting any new supplement.
