Put Me to Bed Peppermint Tea for Children
Our friends have lovely children who are respectful, funny, kind, caring and loving. However, their children hate bedtime, which is hard on the parents and hard on me when I watch them while the parents are off having some quiet time together. You would think reading them several bedtime stories one after another would put them to sleep, but this does not happen at all. The only way these lovely active children will fall asleep is with my homemade put me to bed peppermint tea. A homemade herbal tea I make is gentle and effective and helps put the children to bed peacefully and easily while keeping them happy and healthy. In fact, even their parents use it when I am not around and ask me to make big batches of the loose-leaf tea so they can always have it on hand.
Herbs Used to Make the Put Me to Bed Peppermint Tea
The herbs I use to make the put me to bed peppermint tea are a cup of dried peppermint leaves, half cup each of dried spearmint and chamomile flowers and a tablespoon each of catnip and St. John's Wort. These herbs are safe for children to use and help promote calmness in the body and the mind so they can begin to relax before bedtime so they can fall asleep easily. In fact, these herbs can promote sleepiness as well too because they do act as a mild sedative. This herbal blend is also good for treating colds, the flu, viruses, food poisoning, headaches and fevers as well in young children because these herbs contain antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and pain relieving healing properties in them. Best of all, you do not have to worry about the children not liking the taste of this herbal tea because it taste like a peppermint candy with a bit of sweetness that children love.
Making the Loose-Leaf Tea Blend
When I make the put me to bed peppermint tea I carefully measure out all the ingredients and pour them into a glass-mixing bowl. Than I combined them together and carefully, pour the loose-leaf tea blend into an airtight tea container that is large. After, I place the put me to bed peppermint tea in a cool dry dark place until I need to use it, which is nightly. Typically, one batch of this herbal tea makes about twenty-five cups of put me to bed peppermint tea for children.
Making the Put Me to Bed Peppermint Tea
When it is time to brew up a teapot full of the put me to bed peppermint tea for the children I take out a teapot that already has a tea steeper infuser inside to make my life easier, but you can use tea infuser balls and a pot of water instead if it works easier for you. Then, I fill up the infuser inside the large thirty-two ounce teapot with about three tablespoons of the loose-leaf tea blend and place it back into the teapot. After, I boil some water in a teakettle and pour the boiling water over the herbs into the teapot. Next, I place the lid on the teapot and allow it to steep for a good twenty minutes. This amount of time steeping also allows the tea to cool a bit so it is not to hot for the children to drink. Sometimes when the tea is too hot children wont bother with it at all. Once the tea is ready I get the children together, pullout their cool teacups and pour them each a cup and add a teaspoon of honey and milk to help add sweetness, flavor and a bit of add comfort. Then, the children sit on the sofa for story time and sip on their tea. Usually within a few sips, they begin mellowing out and once the whole cup is gone, they are ready to go to bed, which is nice. Once the children are in bed they do stay asleep for the entire night, which is very nice.
Precautions
Children who have allergies to any of the herbs in this tea should not use it because it can cause allergic reactions. Children with asthma should also be cautions about using the put me to bed peppermint tea as well because chamomile has been known to cause asthma attacks in children who are allergic to ragweed. I do recommend you speak with a doctor before using this loose-leaf herbal tea if you are unsure how your child will react to it health wise. Overall, the children I have used this tea with have not suffered any side effects and have slept well without waking up with drowsiness in them morning. In addition, their immune system seems to be stronger and they do not get as sick as often. Just remember to use the tea wisely and with caution.