Coffee?

[Anonymous]

My 16 year old started a half a cup once a week this summer to clear his head before work. Usually just on Mondays. He's 6'3", and I always told him he could start coffee when he was finished growing.

[Anonymous]

Too much caffeine has been shown to impact growth in children. Also, you want your kids to have a full night's sleep.

Having said that, a little caffeine isn't known to hurt children.

My son, who has sleep apnea, inattentive ADHD and is always lethargic and tired, doesn't tolerate his meds well. Sometimes he has a cup of coffee in the morning to start off a med-free day.

Please talk to the ped about his fatigue: do blood work, including thyroid function and possibility of anemia (my daughter has had off and on anemia since she was little), and
consider sleep apnea.

[Anonymous]

What time does your teen go to bed and get up OP? My 14 year old sleeps 9:30-6:30. 9 hours, which is great but they can even use up to 10 hours in their teen years.

So some coffee in the morning if he likes it could be fine, just make sure he's meeting his sleep needs first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He needs to go to bed earlier or cut some activities. You don’t start coffee at 14 to help you cope. JFC.

Agree. It’s a bit weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Feeling exhausted all the time is not normal. If the activities are preventing a healthy amount of sleep, you really need to sit down with him and and talk about priorities. Sleep is important for brain development at this age. I would not compromise sleep for activities.

This! Something has to give.

[Anonymous]

My son started drinking coffee in the a.m. at that age but in retrospect it was a bit of self-medicating for ADHD (was diagnosed that year and started the correct medication for it!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He needs to go to bed earlier or cut some activities. You don’t start coffee at 14 to help you cope. JFC.

+1000

+1 Being tired means he needs more sleep, not a drug to keep him awake. Coffee stunts growth. At 14, your DC is still growing. Caffeine is a drug. Coffee is an addiction. It stains your teeth and gives you bad breath, and means you need to have it every day until you decide to go through the difficult process of quitting.Why would you set your DC up for that instead of just making sure they go to bed at a decent hour?

Signed,

Lifelong misinformed coffee addict

Fixed that for you. Also, he wouldn't be drinking it to keep himself awake, but to help wake up and be alert in the morning. Do your teens jump out of bed full of energy on a school day? Mine don't. And not everyone develops an addiction to caffeine, especially if it's one cup a day in the morning. You don't know what time the OP's kid is going to bed either.

Sounds like a lot of excuses for not making sure your kid gets enough sleep.

[Anonymous]

14yo genuinely likes the taste. We allow it about once a week, max.

[Anonymous]

Zero caffeine.

Luckily my teens’ competitive cycling league specifically bans the use of any caffeine.

It’s extremely unhealthy for kids.

[Anonymous]

I think it's too early to start the addictive cycle. I also have a 14 year old who just started a high school sport and a rigorous course schedule, but we try to ensure he gets to bed around 9:30 even though his friends stay up much much later.

[Anonymous]

My DS started drinking coffee with milk around 12 because my husband and I are coffee drinkers. He is 6'3", so if it stunted his growth I wouldn't know.

Your DS still needs more/better sleep. You can't use coffee to overcome poor sleep at that age but it can help you get moving faster in the morning

[Anonymous]

Treat the problem, not the symptom! In America we love taking drugs instead of figuring out the root of our medical issues. He needs more sleep, better diet, less chaotic schedule….

[Anonymous]

Too young for coffee. So many other routes to consider for a healthier lifestyle. Does the exhaustion happen at a similar time each day? Is he stressed? Depressed? Sleeping well? Getting enough exercise and eating well? How hydrated is he? Enough water? Is he eating sugar or drinking sugary drinks and then crashing?

[Anonymous]

More sleep and check his diet. Is he getting enough protein? If he an athlete and maybe not eating enough of the right things? Hydrating enough?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I let my oldest drink coffee around that age - one cup a day with milk. He still drinks a cup a day now as a young adult.

Same