# Coffee for kids?



## Bruno@MT (May 19, 2009)

Someone mentioned in another discussion that coffee is apparently considered bad for kids in the US.

My 4 year old kid drinks coffee in the weekend. I drank coffee when I was a kid, as did most everyone else in our family.
Coffee is considered a normal drink for kids to have as soon as they can drink from a cup. Ditto for tea btw.
Not all kids like it of course, but they're free to have it if they want.

Why wouldn't kids be allowed to drink coffee? (in normal quantities of course).


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## terryl965 (May 19, 2009)

Mayve vecause of the caffiene addiction is too much for a child, but then again I am guessing..


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## JadecloudAlchemist (May 19, 2009)

Most kids eat some sort of sugar cereal for breakfast.
 Lunch has some sort of sweets and the juice box is loaded with sugar.
When the kids get home if they do not have a snack prepared for them 
they will most likey eat something sugary. Adding coffee on top of that which I think has to have some sort of sweetener in it is alot of sugar.

A lot of kids are drinking coffee because of Starbucks and Dunkin doughnuts coffee treats. The problem is the Starbuck drinks have alot of fat,calories,and sugar. 

On the other hand if a kid is drinking soda for breakfast then changing it for coffee that is home brewed with less sugar might be a better alternative. I think it has to be case by case and in line with the kids diet.


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## Bruno@MT (May 19, 2009)

It would seem to me that proper coffee would be better than coca cola, because of the lack of sugar and lack of a boatload of additives.
The caffeine argument can be made for coke as well.

And in moderation, the caffeine is not a problem. I'd rather have them drink coffee than coke.


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## Big Don (May 19, 2009)

My family put away gallons of coffee at every gathering, everybody drank it, except for me, my cousin and my little sister. We weren't the oldest kids, or the youngest, but, we were the only ones that didn't drink coffee.


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## Tez3 (May 19, 2009)

I had the thought that American coffee has more caffeine in than ours and it seems I'm not alone in thinking that. It seems we use darker roasts too which have less caffeine in.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/266391

Children of course do not drink expresso but cafe creme which is more milk than coffee. I've drank coffee since I was a child as as my children.
european children even now tend not to eat cereals for breakfast rather they eat bread, meat, cheese ie a continential breakfast. Oh and bread with sprinkles ...wonderful!


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## Steve (May 19, 2009)

Bruno@MT said:


> Someone mentioned in another discussion that coffee is apparently considered bad for kids in the US.
> 
> My 4 year old kid drinks coffee in the weekend. I drank coffee when I was a kid, as did most everyone else in our family.
> Coffee is considered a normal drink for kids to have as soon as they can drink from a cup. Ditto for tea btw.
> ...


My son drinks coffee, but not very often.  I have no real problem with it.  I told my son I'd rather he drink coffee than soda or energy drinks.


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## Lisa (May 19, 2009)

I have no problem with a child drinking coffee...neither of mine do, they have never been interested in it.  What I think is a bad thing for kids is to use it as "breakfast" and to "wake them up" as many adults do, myself included.

I try to stress to my kids the importance of breakfast.  I pack enough food in my daughter's lunch to help her make it through the morning as well, for she never eats breakfast but opts to eat an apple in first class and something else in her lunch before lunch, if need be.


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## JDenver (May 19, 2009)

Plus, coffee is a strong diarrhetic.  It does an interesting number on your digestion.  

I never drink coffee.  I remember, many years ago, I had to stay up late on assignment, so I decided to have some coffee.  At that point I hadn't had any coffee in 2 or 3 years.  I had 1 cup and spent the next 3 hours on a toilet.  

If you drink coffee all the time, this won't happen to you of course.  But it shows how adjusted your sytem becomes to the drink.  Personally, I think it's a bad idea for children.


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## arnisador (May 19, 2009)

I wouldn't have an issue with a kid drinking coffee--my (now 15 y.o.) daughter does on occasion--but definitely in moderation if they're below high school age. A cup a day of caffeine would be _more_ than enough at that age.


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## Stac3y (May 19, 2009)

I don't allow my kids to drink coffee because I don't think it's a good idea to get addicted to caffeine at a young age, and I don't think I could deal with them being any more energetic than they already are.

I'm also a sugar nazi. I very strictly limit their sugar intake, because I want them to look at sugary stuff as an occasional treat, not an everyday staple. It's all part of teaching them to make healthy choices. My parents didn't, and I've been struggling with dental problems (lots of sugar and no enforcement of tooth brushing) and my weight. It's easier to learn how to eat properly as a kid than to unlearn bad habits as an adult.


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## MJS (May 19, 2009)

Certainly not the best drink of choice, but within reason, I see nothing wrong with it.  I grew up in a family that drank ALOT of coffee and still does, yet I can't stand it.  I tried it once, and didn't even get thru the cup.  

If we really looked at what we consume, I mean really looked, we'd be surprised at what we saw.  Compared to a cup of coffee, alot of food is probably just as bad.  As I said, within reason, I see nothing wrong with it.  Now, if they're drinking large quantities a day, well, that may lead to issues down the road, just like if I ate greasy fast food 3 times a day.  Do I still stop for a burger at McDonalds? Of course, but again, its not daily or even weekly.


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## Brian R. VanCise (May 19, 2009)

_*Ahhhhh coffee the elixir of life!*_

*As they say the coffee must flow!*







Now I personally think we as adults need to watch very carefully what our children eat and drink.  Caffeine is an addiction we want our children to avoid.  So personally I think coffee at least American style coffee is best left to the adults.  However the more diluted style of European coffee that Tez3 talks about would probably be fine.


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## Xue Sheng (May 19, 2009)

Caffeine Contents of Drinks
Coffee is not the strongest


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## blindsage (May 19, 2009)

I don't think anyone was claiming it's the strongest, but just about every drink on that list that has more than coffee is an energy drink, and not many people are letting their children run around with Amp, or Red Bull, or NOS.

I'm cracking up though that somebody made this into an actual drink (it's on that list)


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## CoryKS (May 19, 2009)

I was told that caffeine "leeches" calcium and that it was therefore not a good thing to give to growing children.

Could be complete bs for all I know, I'm still not giving the boy coffee because I don't feel the need to be chasing Roger Rabbit all over the house.


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## Tez3 (May 19, 2009)

The dark roasts I believe while being lower in caffeine are much better tasting. There's nothing like having a coffee sat in an outside cafe watching the people go by. In Europe as well, teenagers regard drinking coffee as being far cooler than alcohol. You should see the very well dressed smart Italian boys drinking their espressos (expressos are trains btw)!
Children here are given very milky coffee which is far better for them than fizzy drinks.They aren't given espressos.
Drinking coffee may reduce liver cancer risks too.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Scienc...nking-may-cut-liver-cancer-risk-meta-analysis
I think we may have different drinking habits too, for the most part the only meal coffee is drunk with tends to be breakfast, espressos being drunk after meals. Tea and chocolate is more likely be drunk though the day, this will include herbal teas. I think our eating habits may be different too tbh. Drinking coffee is a far more social event here perhaps, usually accompanied by gateau/kuchen and eaten with friends.


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## Bruno@MT (May 19, 2009)

One of the things I really liked about London was that you can get a large cup of coffee at a reasonable price on any corner. For people who like coffee for the taste like me, that is great.
alas, that is one of the things that didn't really take off yet in Belgium.

The caffeine argument makes sense if they drink too much of it.
But just drinking 1 cup with breakfast (or at family occasions like birthdays etc) should be fine.


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## Tez3 (May 19, 2009)

London coffee houses started in the 18th century and were where a lot of business was conducted, Lloyds of London started in a coffee house.
http://waeshael.home.att.net/coffee.htmhttp://waeshael.home.att.net/coffee.htm
I love the taste of proper coffee, the stuff you get in Starbucks is insipid. there's literally thousands of places to get good coffee in London!


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## Live True (May 19, 2009)

An interesting story: My great grandmother showed me a tiny china cup and saucer that she was given as a tiny child. She was given a small cup of milk at first. This then graduated to a small cup of milke with a little coffee in it. This progressed to her drinking black coffee by the time shew as a young child of say 5 or 6. I just thought the purposeful progression was interesting. This was during the depression era, and I've often wondered if that had any impact on this habit.

I'm not a big fan of caffeine addiction, but I certainly believe coffee and tea would be far better than soft drinks and sugary fruit juices in abundance!


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## Big Don (May 19, 2009)

If you make it at home, coffee is pretty cheap, that, more than any other factor, aside from flavor is probably a big part of what has made it so popular for so long.


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## girlbug2 (May 19, 2009)

Stac3y said:


> I don't allow my kids to drink coffee because I don't think it's a good idea to get addicted to caffeine at a young age, and I don't think I could deal with them being any more energetic than they already are.
> 
> I'm also a sugar nazi. I very strictly limit their sugar intake, because I want them to look at sugary stuff as an occasional treat, not an everyday staple. It's all part of teaching them to make healthy choices. My parents didn't, and I've been struggling with dental problems (lots of sugar and no enforcement of tooth brushing) and my weight. *It's easier to learn how to eat properly as a kid than to unlearn bad habits as an adult*.


 
Yes!

I remember one Easter morning when my oldest was 3 years old, we decided to let him eat chocolate for breakfast. Chocolate, and sweets in general, were not much in his diet prior to that. Good lord, within 10 minutes he was boucning off the walls and chattering a mile a minute! For the first time he was truly hyperactive. This kept up for about an hour. We learned our lesson well from that experience about the effects of sugar and caffeine on kids.

 Possibly not all kids have such an extreme effect, but still...why decrease their already short attention spans and make it harder for them to focus and behave?


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## Bill Mattocks (May 19, 2009)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> *As they say the coffee must flow!*



It is by will alone I set my mind in motion, 
It is by the Bean of Coffee that thoughts acquire speed,
The teeth acquire stains,
The stains become a warning,
It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.


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## JDenver (May 19, 2009)

It's interesting to me that so far everything has centred on how the little shot of caffeine shouldn't be a big deal to children.

What about the diahhretic and digestive issues with coffee?  Someone else just posted that coffee may even leech calcium from your body, which I also think has some truth to it.

Also, just my opinion, sugar gets a really bad rap.  Too much sugar isn't healthy in a number of ways, but your body knows what to do with sugar.  Especially the hot, speedy metabolism of a teenager.  Coffee though?  That's something else.


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## Bruno@MT (May 20, 2009)

Tez3 said:


> there's literally thousands of places to get good coffee in London!



My favorite one was a coffee shop that was filled with comfy chairs and bookshelves. We had to kill an hour before entering the Japanese restaurant, so we just sat down with a large cup of very good coffee, and the latest Terry Prattchet novel (making money, I think).
good times...


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## Bruno@MT (May 20, 2009)

JDenver said:


> It's interesting to me that so far everything has centred on how the little shot of caffeine shouldn't be a big deal to children.
> 
> What about the diahhretic and digestive issues with coffee?  Someone else just posted that coffee may even leech calcium from your body, which I also think has some truth to it.



This effect depends on the person. When I didn;t drink coffee for a long time, I could feel the effects when I started again. But it is really mild with me.
My kids didn't seem to be affected by it either.

Also, the caffeine contect is something you can control. If you brew your own, you can make it anywhere from very diluted to near espresso like.
I prefer 100$ arabica beans from colombia or egypt. Very tasty, and not too much caffeine.

I think the key is moderation. 1 cup of coffee is no worse than 1 glass off caffeine, and it is definitely not worse than the US sized soda containers.
Offtopic: what we in Europe call 'maxi' at McDs (that largest size) is basically the kids size in the US)



JDenver said:


> Also, just my opinion, sugar gets a really bad rap.  Too much sugar isn't healthy in a number of ways, but your body knows what to do with sugar.  Especially the hot, speedy metabolism of a teenager.  Coffee though?  That's something else.



It all depends on the metabolism, and whether you are used to it.
Give kids a lot of sugar and they go in overdrive, followed by the sugar crash.
Couple of months ago I went snowboarding, and we took the overnight bus.
To keep awake on the piste I drank 2 big glasses of coke. Bad idea. Because a couple hours later I had a sugar crash, and I felt really, really sick.

As with coffee, in moderation it's not bad. And in large quantities it is at least as bad as caffeine.


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## Tez3 (May 20, 2009)

Bruno@MT said:


> This effect depends on the person. When I didn;t drink coffee for a long time, I could feel the effects when I started again. But it is really mild with me.
> My kids didn't seem to be affected by it either.
> 
> Also, the caffeine contect is something you can control. If you brew your own, you can make it anywhere from very diluted to near espresso like.
> ...


 
*Exactly*! 
I don't know how much coffee you think we are talking about but as Bruno says we don't drink so much of it as to cause problems. A cup of milky coffee with breakfast isn't going to cause a child a problem and children in Europe have been drinking this for a couple of hundred years now without problems. Moderation in all things.


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## Carol (May 20, 2009)

Yeah, well you Europeans are all restrained and stuff.    

In all seriousness, one thing that surprised me when I went to Continental Europe (sorry Tez, never had the good fortune of going to the UK) was how the portion sizes for everything were dramatically different than what we're used to here in North America.   A can of Coke was 6 or 8 ounces, cups of yogurt were 4 ounces.   Many of the coffees that I had (esp. at breakfast) were the darker roasts blended with a lot of milk (which helps to balance out the alkaline pH of coffee).

So yeah, it is coffee, but its not brewed, served, or drunk the same way it is here.  I think gradually introducing a child to certain enjoyments, with the supervision and restraint of the parents is overall a good thing.


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## Tez3 (May 20, 2009)

It's not so much we are restrained lol, just there's lots of lovely stuff to chose from! Hot chocolate, wonderful! Ovaltine, soothing, herbal teas, amazing. Iced tea and iced coffee, citron presse!
A huge amount of water is drunk in Europe too, you'll often find people especially young people walking around with a bottle of water in hand.


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## Archangel M (May 20, 2009)

It's not like the only beverages Americans drink are coffee and Coke.


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## Bill Mattocks (May 20, 2009)

Archangel M said:


> It's not like the only beverages Americans drink are coffee and Coke.



No, we have Mountain Dew as well.


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## Stac3y (May 20, 2009)

In reference to my earlier post about teaching kids good habits so they don't have to break bad ones later: this morning, my 8 year old finished his eggs and orange juice and was still hungry. My husband offered him a Pop Tart as "dessert" since he'd already had a reasonable breakfast (yes, we're sugar nazis, but we do let them have sugary stuff on occasion.) HE TURNED IT DOWN and asked for granola instead.

I'm so proud. My kids ROCK! :headbangin:


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## Marginal (May 20, 2009)

Bruno@MT said:


> Why wouldn't kids be allowed to drink coffee? (in normal quantities of course).


I never drank coffee as a kid. Still don't. Tastes like yarch.


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## Brian R. VanCise (May 20, 2009)

Bill Mattocks said:


> It is by will alone I set my mind in motion,
> It is by the Bean of Coffee that thoughts acquire speed,
> The teeth acquire stains,
> The stains become a warning,
> It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.




*Now we are really talking about coffee!*


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## Bill Mattocks (May 20, 2009)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> *Now we are really talking about coffee!*



Now personally, I prefer Soul Coughing's cover of this excellent song, but this one is great too.

[yt]
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vVGXcjM9SOQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vVGXcjM9SOQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
[/yt]

Coffee is so excellent, doctors put it in IV drips for surgery patients who are addicted (as everyone should be) to caffeine.  Improves recovery time, and no nasty patients nursing huge caffeine-withdrawal headaches.

Coffee is so wonderful, whomever first thought of it should be given the highest award possible in the entire history of mankind.  Whatever that is.  Twice!

The only thing as good as coffee in the morning for me was a nice cigarette to go with it, but I gave up the smoking.  I will never give up the coffee.  It's like religion - once you find the truth, you can't turn your back on it.


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## Carol (May 20, 2009)

I bought a Keurig 

Did I mention I love coffee?


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## Tez3 (May 20, 2009)

thought I'd just mention it, well it's late at night where I am lol, You know you can have coffee enemas don't you?
http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/dietarytherapy/a/EnemasColonics.htm

There was a U Tube link too but I drew the line at that!

I was being facetious but after reading the blurb seems they may do you some good!


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## Archangel M (May 20, 2009)

Caffeine is my shepherd; I shall not doze.
It maketh me to wake in green pastures:
It leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses.
It restoreth my buzz:
It leadeth me in the paths of consciousness for its name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of addiction,
I will fear no Equal&#8482;:
For thou art with me; thy cream and thy sugar they comfort me.
Thou preparest a carafe before me in the presence of The Starbucks:
Thou anointest my day with pep; my mug runneth over.
Surely richness and taste shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the House of Mochas forever.

~Author Unknown


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## Flea (May 20, 2009)

I don't do caffeine any more.  I get anxiety attacks, followed inexorably by a depression that lasts for several hours.  Considering the Epic Battle I waged for the _right_ to drink coffee, it's pretty ironic.  

But there you go.  :uhohh:


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## yorkshirelad (May 20, 2009)

I've never been a coffee drinker, but I've been a tea drinker since the age of four. American kids get milk and cookies for a treat, Brits get tea an biscuits. I used to drink tea by the gallon until I moved to the US. Now I pretty much only drink water. The tea bags here are much weaker than the ones you get in Blighty. Also I have to eat cookies or cake when I drink tea, so by eliminating tea, I've eliminated my sweet tooth. That is, of course until my Mum sends me tea bags. Then it's off for Crispy cremes...yum.


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## Carol (May 21, 2009)

Best coffee song ever  

[yt]42aQY_LtXsw[/yt]


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## Big Don (May 21, 2009)

I drink coffee about once a year, lukewarm due to the heavy application of Bailey's


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## Tez3 (May 21, 2009)

Big Don said:


> I drink coffee about once a year, lukewarm due to the heavy application of Bailey's


 
Now that is nice!


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## Big Don (May 21, 2009)

Tez3 said:


> Now that is nice!


three or four of those and _everything _is nice...


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