We do many but not all mornings for DD12.

Anonymous wrote:I give my son 2oz of coffee in his chocolate milk. He gets at least 10 hours of sleep ever night and naps after school, he is going through growth spurts and sleeps, sleeps, sleeps.

I think it is fine, a grande at Starbucks ... NO.

But a 2nd flow through on a Keurig is not going to affect growth or health.

Even if it is a placebo affect, I don't care, it makes my son happy.

Yeah okay. This struck me as weird. How old is your kid that he still naps and drinks chocolate milk and you are lacing it with coffee? That sounds like a really bad idea. It seems too young to be giving a child a stimulant-and I include teas and sodas in that.

10yo DS loves the taste of coffee. He gets decaf (which still has some caffeine) maybe 2-3x per month. He likes it with milk, but no sugar. He's also been drinking tea since he was 3 - infusions only back then (chamomile, mint & whatnot), but I'm ok with the occasional black tea now.

Anonymous wrote:I have a few guesses on your cultural background OP, as this is normal in several parts of the world - but not here in the US. We're also a multi-cultural family and cultural and religious practices are prioritized when not harmful to the kids. This is potentially harmful and certainly not helpful - so I'd cede this one to your husband and revisit in a few years.

NP here. We fall in a group where tea is normal for kids as a beverage option. I feel an occasional small home brewed coffee is fine.

Anonymous wrote:Do those who object to coffee or tea also object to sodas that contain caffeine, and to chocolate?

Coffee has a lot more caffeine than tea, which also has more than soda or chocolate.
My 11 year old loves coffee, but I only give him decaf.

No, and if I did I wouldn't serve her the swill of a "twice used" keurig cup.

This is what I did last year for my son with ADD.
Now we have started to medicate him, and he doesn't the caffeine boost anymore.

Do those who object to coffee or tea also object to sodas that contain caffeine, and to chocolate?

Normal for all kids to drink it in the morning in Guatemala from what we could tell with our host family. No ill effects on the kids.

Anonymous wrote: Is it possible that she is anemic? This is not uncommon among girls once they've started their periods. Try red meat (really, the easiest way to get iron into the body) without a calcium product (i.e., no milk or cheese, because calcium inhibits iron absorbtion), but with vitamin c (e.g., water with a squeeze of lemon). Or you could take her to the pediatrician and get tested for anemia.

I'd definitely check this.

My 11 yr old DD sleeps about 9 hrs and isn't' tired. She doesn't like coffee but 12 yr old DS does. He doesn't drink it regularly but will have some occasionally.

I would and wouldn't have a problem with the coffee itself. As a tricky sleeper (okay, okay, I'm an insomniac and I hate it!!), I'd be sensitive to my children's sleep habits. If they are using coffee (as I do!) to energize in the morning, that's surely an issue. But, if it's just because they like the taste (like DS's BFF, a 6yo) or because it seems "grown up" there's no problem there.

Again, I'd look out for what it is they're actually craving: sleep, the sweet milky taste, the grown up affectation. All of that matters. But, as for the idea of a child drinking coffee, there's no problem as far as I'm concerned.

My 13 y/old DD has a frapachino before school after early morning sport practice (i.e. we're done b 6:30). It's once a week and seems like a reasonable reward for such an early morning. I would not want to be giving it to her ever day or even 3-4 days.

No. Never coffee.
But I give my 13 year old a cup of hot tea every Saturday and Sunday morning when we have family breakfast.

Is it possible that she is anemic? This is not uncommon among girls once they've started their periods. Try red meat (really, the easiest way to get iron into the body) without a calcium product (i.e., no milk or cheese, because calcium inhibits iron absorbtion), but with vitamin c (e.g., water with a squeeze of lemon). Or you could take her to the pediatrician and get tested for anemia.

Anonymous wrote:You should google the effects of caffeine in children.

http://www.today.com/health/kids-caffeine-may-be-dangerous-combination-new-study-suggests-1D79801666

“This study shows that what we would consider to be a low dose of caffeine — what some might not think twice about giving to an 8-year-old — is having an effect on the cardiovascular system,” Temple said. “And right now we don’t have enough data in kids to know what the long term effects of repeated exposure to caffeine would be.”

Really children all over the world drink tea.

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/446493/Mum-is-it-time-for-tea-New-research-suggests-tea-was-healthier-than-modern-drinks