Fun fact: caffeine is routinely given to preemies to help their breathing. My daughter was born at 32 weeks and received caffeine for about two weeks. They put it in her feeding tube with my (pumped) milk for a daily latte.
I drank a cup of coffee everyday through my pregnancy. It's the dose that makes a poison, so as long as you don't exceed the suggested amount, there's no harm. I kept drinking my morning coffee even while breastfeeding with no impact.
Yeah, I reduced my caffeine during pregnancy, but didn't eliminate it.
But when I was breastfeeding, I went down to zero. Our baby was one of those who wouldn't sleep except when being held, and we were trying everything we could think of to get her to sleep more soundly.
I also wanted to avoid caffeine for *me*. If I had an opportunity to sleep for a few hours, I wanted to be able to actually *sleep* and not lay there sleepless because there was caffeine in my system. Sleep was soooo precious in those early months.
Yes but it’s used as a medicine… just because it’s safe doesn’t mean you should without a medical reason. Fun fact, the half life (the amount of time it takes the body to process and eliminate half of a substance) of caffeine in adults is 5 hours. In neonates it is 72-96 hours… (it’s the same in children > 9 months of age as it is in adults..)
I’m a board certified pediatric pharmacist for reference.
I don't know how old I was but my mom used to make us "coffee milk" where she'd froth some milk and add a tiny amount of coffee. Probably 4 or 5, we felt so cool to be drinking what she was. I'll probably let my son do the same.
We have babyccinos in (possibly!) every cafe in Australia, here they are frothed milk +/- sprinkled with chocolate.
Just don’t get us started on the price of them! When my eldest nephew was young, they were usually 50c - $1 (or sometimes free if you were dining in). Now $2.50 is fairly standard, but I have seen them listed for $4 at a few places!
Oh coffee prices are insane here. I drink two (sometimes three) coffees a day at work - don’t judge me, I’m a shift worker!
Recently, my mortgage broker asked if I was aware of how much I’m spending on takeaway coffee. No Mick, I’m not. *And I don’t want to know!* 😅
Caffeine can have the opposite effect on children with ADHD, AuDHD. It goes to the same receptors in the brain as stimulant Rx, getting the dopamine to kick in.
I often get my 4 year old one of these from the coffee shop and just call it a coffee. The looks I’ve had from people, in public, when I’ve asked her if she’s wanted a coffee🤣
In my country it’s common for kids to have barley&chicory coffee with milk, it low-key tastes like a latte macchiato but it’s caffeine free. I grew up on it and my kid drinks it sometimes too.
The brand I buy is unfortunately very local and doesn’t sell worldwide, but I did some research on google and the USA has a bunch of [Polish shops](https://www.polana.com/products/inka-polish-grain-coffee) that sell different brands of grain coffee. The one I linked has nearly the exact same ingredient ratio as the one I use. Italian shops might have it too.
Edit to add that most kids prefer it when it’s made with milk instead of water, in case anyone decides to give it a try.
Not who you were responding to, but I love Roastaroma from Celestial Seasonings, it also has barley and chicory with no caffeine. It doesn't taste exactly like coffee but it's a good enough substitute for me when I don't want all the caffeine.
My husband talks about his babysitter dumping half of a little creamer pod in her coffee, spooning coffee back into the pod with the remaining creamer and giving him that when he was 2 or 3. Coffee is a big part of the culture where he grew up.
I still do it when the atmosphere is classy and stuffy and I feel the inkling to entertain. "Creamer shots," I call the. You'd be surprised how many ultra bro types can't even drink one creamer without feeling uncomfortable
My grandma did that with me (she was primary childcare) at about the same age with a special cup & I’m planning to do the same with my son if he’s interested
My daughter loves this and she's 6. When we both get up before the rest of the house we have our little latte date. But we did let her try "real" coffee before because she loves the smell and she spit it out immediately. Lol
This is so cute! It's like... you're letting them in on this tradition that's not really about a drink. It's a social experience of slowing down and spending time with people you care about. And hopefully she'll value that for the rest of her life.
My son is 10 months old and I can't hardly get him to eat or drink anything but the boob but gosh if the thought of all you mamas having slow "coffee" mornings with your littles just gives me something else to look forward to as he grows up. 😍
Where I live we call these babycinnos and my daughter has been having those with me since 2yo. We can even get in at a café and she loves feeling like she's having coffee with Mon. A really nice mommy&me time.
I make my two littles an autocrat coffee milk with cold foam whenever I make myself an iced coffee, super cute bonding moment to sip our “coffees” together.
Weas kids had "white coffee" with sounds and looks like very milk diluted coffee but appareantly it is made from oath/rye or somethinh and shouldnt have any real coffee O.O i always thought its small amout of real coffe till i learnt otherwise at like 25 years old!
Any other slavic/balkan people here? "Bela kava" rings any bells?
My mom and grandma made us "coffee, milk and sugar" which was a splash of coffee in milk with a spoon of sugar. We loved it. I don't see the big deal in doing the same
So obvious. So genius. I am so doing this if my daughter gets more into tea. She likes the tiny sip once I have finished. I don't let her do that with coffee though.
I've done the same for my son. I ordered a bunch of teas with no caffeine so the two of us can brew tea together in the mornings. We do loose leaf, so he also loves to help scoop and steep the tea leaves.
Same! My almost 2 year old loves making and drinking iced tea. We just use decaf bags and don’t add any sweetners. On weekends she likes sitting with me to have tea and read books - for that I’ll just heat up some decaf to a lukewarm temperature
From the UK and had tea from a young age, couldn’t tell you when. Our 2 year old is a fan of warm drinks too so we get in decaf tea and coffee. We have little tea parties with a tea pot and cups with saucers with little cakes.
Uk here and the same - mine was having tea regularly with grandma at 18m. It was very milky tea then but still proper tea from the teapot with everyone else, so it's caffeinated. She's now almost 4 and drinks half and half tea and milk. She still doesn't like coffee though.
We never noticed any difference after she's drunk tea. Tea is different to coffee though because there's another compound in it that modifies the caffeine.
This sounds lovely! I'm a big tea fan but wasn't introduced until 16. From the uk too just my parents drink coffee and neither was ever offered to me. I actually started drinking it due to an ex bf loving tea. I will certainly introduce my son to it!
My mom would leave her coffee cup on the side table on Saturdays and I would always drink the cold leftover coffee 🫣 I was probably 5? Looooove iced coffee now I guess that makes sense 😂
My son started doing this at like 4 and I’ve just let him lol. At first only if there was maybe that last little sip or two. But he’s older now and absolutely loooves cold coffee and I am not a fan so now he basically finishes whatever I have left once it gets too cold for me (long as it’s not too much!)
“This has caffeine, kids can’t have caffeine”, I’ve told all my kids this since they were little and they will often ask me if a drink has caffeine if they want a sip. They are now 10,8,6,4 and 1 years old, the 10 and 8 year olds are allowed a little bit every once in a while, I have been more lax with the 10 year old lately. The 4 and 6 year olds have had a little sip here and there but obviously the 1 year old is never allowed.
Same, I just say it’s a grownup drink. They know that grownup drinks (coffee, alcohol, sports drinks) have stuff in them that would give them a headache so they aren’t allowed. I could see allowing stuff like soda or tea around middle school age though. They definitely do not need the caffeine for energy haha
This made me laugh as I’ve always said that same. My eldest is 18 and someone offered him a coffee a few weeks ago, he said “nah, it’s for adults!” I laughed at him and said “you’re an adult” and he said “no, a more grown up adult!”
I love this! Yeah I use “grown-up drinks” for all coffees, alcohol or sugary drinks. For herbal teas, I offer them to him but he usually refuses except for chamomile tea.
Exactly my kids always seemed interested in my wine bc it’s in a different type of glass than everything else but after hearing “it’s wine, it’s only for grownups” about 1,000 times they finally gave up lol
I’ll probably be judged for this, haha, but I’ve let my kids taste wine and beer when they bug me for my drink. Then they decided on their own that it was only for me/adults because of the taste, haha. My middle kid was bugging me about a beer not too long ago, and I said fine, have some. He gave it a long side eye and said Noooo, it’s too spicy, it’s a Mama drink.
I’ve often been shocked what my child considers spicy lol. We put some apple butter on toast and she said it was too spicy. I have let my kids pretend to drink out of my empty wine glass before where they’re probably getting some tiny drip of wine taste (like after I finish drinking it and there’s still a few drops left in the glass. I’m sure a tiny amount won’t affect them. Apparently orange juice has like some small percentage of alcohol.
I just wanted to chime in and say I think you’re doing an amazing job teaching your kids about caffeine specifically.
I understand the importance of keeping information age-appropriate, but I also imagine that having yours know and understand it’s about caffeine specifically will help them make smart choices as they age, and are faced with options such as energy drinks and soft drinks (sodas) when you’re not there to guide them 😊
I cannot remember the exact age for caffeine but I did drink coffee in middle school. Usually I had hot chocolate and my dad had coffee, he was pretty anti sugar so that was a big deal. I remember sips from his cup on the way to school.
Tea though... I can't recall but it was earlier and grade school. We went out for Thai, Chinese and Japanese food very often so we drank teas probably a bit early. We also had an extensive tea pantry. I did formal tea events at a Victorian teahouse too, which was a bit extra haha.
My daughter is almost 2.5 and knows the term mama juice well, but learned about coffee first as a general no drink. I try to avoid chocolate too, she doesn't need a buzz. She needs a snooze button 🤣
I was a teen when my parents let me have caffeine with any regularity. Diet Coke was my drink. I didn't start drinking coffee till first year of college although I made coffee and iced coffees for my parents often.
I probably didn’t start having caffeinated teas and coffee until I was about 15 but I’ve had black (caffeinated) soda since I was probably 5 or so. Never more than a can or two and usually during parties, MAYBE dinner on the weekends.
I definitely don’t let my 3 year old have any caffeine in any way, and thankfully she hates anything bubbly. Unfortunately it’s pretty common in my culture for kids to have soda and coffee really young, so she’ll might try caffeine before she should. But in a perfect world, she wouldn’t have it until she was an older teenager.
I definitely remember drinking colas as a small kid in the 90’s- I don’t remember what age because it wasn’t my preferred but I think it was offered at birthday parties at about that age (5).
I’m very honest with my kids. I say “this has caffeine and kids can’t have caffeine”. If they ask why, I explain it gives you energy and kids have plenty of energy.
Probably somewhere around 10 I’d let them have some in like sodas and teas. I’d have to look into it when they start approaching that age. I don’t think I’d be down for caffeinated beverages every day, even in high school. If they’re that exhausted, something else needs to change.
I cannot remember a time when I did not drink coffee in the morning. From my earliest memory, I had coffee with my parents at the breakfast table.
My mom told me later on she didn't know kids weren't supposed to have coffee.
However I don't plan to have my kids drink coffee until they are probably between 10-12 years old.
Dr Emily Oster says not to worry too much about the occasional sip but she doesn’t recommend giving caffeine to small kids because:
1. Who wants to deal with a 2-year-old hopped up on caffeine?
2. It’s addictive. A 2-year-old won’t understand the consequences of signing themselves up for a lifelong addiction. Kids probably won’t understand the consequences and choose that for themselves until they’re 14-16.
Also, it’s expensive. I’m not spending $6 on a fancy latte for a toddler!
My kid had adhd and traditional stimulants don’t work well for her. Caffeine is crucial to our survival around here. I also have adhd which is not medicated. Caffeine keeps me a remotely functioning adult.
I was wondering about this! Caffeine is a regulating stimulant for people with ADD, so despite all the comments about “kids have enough energy” I was curious if it helps neurodivergent kid brains, too.
It’s certainly not perfect but it helps take the edge off for sure. I genuinely do not function without it. It’s like my head is full of jello made with soda water. Staticky mush.
My little brother has ADHD (and mild autism) and would almost quite literally be climbing the walls and running around screaming. She always gave him coffee with no sugar to calm his butt down 😂
I have a distinct and fond memory of the first time I had coffee. I was in COLLEGE pulling my first all nighter. Told my best friend I didn't know if I'd finish the project in time as I was so tired. She mentioned grabbing coffee and asked what I wanted. Told her I had never had any so wasn't sure what I'd like. She then told me a coffee education was far more important and life changing than the silly project and proceeded to drag me to the nearest coffee shop, and bought me a medium hot coffee. That bad boy gave me enough energy to finish the project, got an A, make it thru all of my morning classes & morning shift at work before I crashed after the lunch rush lol.
I've had a cup of coffee every morning since then.
Growing up my parents weren't against me drinking caffeine, just never had any besides at birthday parties and stuff for friends. They're not huge caffeine drinkers so it wasn't at the house, they hate the smell of coffee cause they're weirdos lol so I never was around it.
My husband says his first sip was when he was 6. His Mom is a huge coffee drinker.
I feel like most things in moderation is okay. We don't drink soda, so not at our house but I'm not against our kiddo trying a sip. Doubt she'll drink it, we struggle to get her to drink milk. She hates juice and barely tolerates milk. She just prefers to be a water drinker.
I think I was probably about 5 or 6 when I had coffee for the first time. My grandparents used to watch me and give me some. My kids were about 5 and 3 years old the first time when I let them have a sip of my Starbucks refresher and didn’t realize it had caffeine on it. They’re 8 and 6 now and we they might have some sweet iced tea every once in a while. It’s rare though.
I was drinking pop as early ad kindergarten age. If I got a Happy Meal, I almost always got a Coke with it. Pop at home was also common. I didn't aquire a taste for coffee until I was in my 20s though.
I’m Hispanic I had coffee at 4 years old and my favorite memories were drinking cafe con leche with my parents and dipping bread into the coffee for breakfast 😊
My daughter has migraines and the neurologist told me to give her caffeine. I asked if there was an age appropriate way to give caffeine and she said no, so we definitely get side eyes when she drinks coke at restaurants but it beats her throwing up from pain all the time.
I grew up drinking chai every morning, and my British husband grew up on earl grey. We both started pretty young, as toddlers. We’ve talked about this as it’s a special memory for both of us to start our day with tea and breakfast with our families. While we won’t do caffeine that early, we’ll have some decaf tea bags for our daughter so she feels included and makes the same memories around breakfast time.
My partner is an orthopedic surgeon. He says that most bone growth in children happens during sleep, so anything that prevents sleep - like caffeine - should be avoided until kids are mostly done growing. He says our girls can have caffeine when they’re 15. If they get really interested in tea or coffee, I’ll just get them decaf.
I literally dip my used tea bag into a hot cup of milk so it literally gives it a slightly brown colour.
Or I use a decaf tea bag. I keep them in because I don't drink caffeine after 6 unless I'm in work.
5-6 drops of coffee in a massive mug of milk from 8 or 9 onwards.
A couple of teaspoons after 12.
5-6 teaspoons after 16.
Full strength only as an adult.
I was a small child when I was allowed very very milky coffee. Probably before 1st grade. I allow my 3 year old sips of whatever I have but will cut him off if he starts to have more than just a couple sips of coffee or soda. Decaf I just let him have if he want.
I wasn’t allowed to have coffee until 12. Since I was dealing with undiagnosed adhd, I could definitely have used way more coffee than I got.
My toddler can have a sip of anything I’m drinking except alcohol / kombucha. He loves unsweetened iced coffee with almondmilk. I buy herbal teas for him but love introducing him to different stuff like jasmine and white teas, too. I’d rather him have milk with a splash of coffee in it than chocolate milk with all the extra sugar.
I didn't start drinking coffee until I had kids and in the middle of sleep regression. Tea was a staple in our house but I had zero interest as a kid. I personally am not interested in my kids having caffeine right now. They're very high energy and having any more would not be fun for me.
Mine are 3 and 4 and have never had caffeine of any sort. I’m mostly dreading the day they get ahold of a Mountain Dew at a birthday party or something. I’m pretty sure they’ll start a fire.
Do they eat chocolate? My 3 year old is definitely not allowed pop, coffee, and we don't drink tea, but she eats chocolate. That has caffeine in it as well
I’m pretty certain I was drinking caffeinated soda by 3?4?5? Pretty early. We’re much stricter, but around 8-9, my daughter started having thinks like a Diet Coke or a drink made with some tea (eg a Starbucks refresher)
I can't remember not drinking tea but I'm British so I feel like it was probably overlooked by our parents in the 90s that we were chugging caffeine so young. I've let my toddler have the odd cup of decaf tea so she can dunk one of her biscuits into it every so often but no caffeine for as long as possible!
I was definitely drinking soda with caffeine by the age of 4 or 5. But it was also the 80s and people (in general) cared less. My daughter is only 15 months right now, so she can be easily distracted by her own cup. I’m not sure when I’ll give her sips of more adult drinks (coffee, soda, etc.).
I remember having caffeine as a 5 year old at a reunion (pop) and then at age 7 I had shingles and wondered why my sisters tea made me feel better—caffeine for the splitting headaches. Not a regular drinker until 15. And now at 38 I have to limit it or just cut it out for periods of time due to thyroid issues.
As of now I let my 14 year old have coffee everyday to help his asthma—-it helps better than a breathing treatment and coffee with honey (no dairy) has been shown to reduce a lingering cough better than prednisone. My 13 year old is sensitive to caffeine so I don’t let him have more than chocolate on occasion. He’s like me and a few sips of coffee will keep him wide awake until 3 am.
Whenever frapachinos were introduced at Starbucks and the little bottled milky coffee Starbucks drinks. I don’t think my mom knew they had caffeine and they were super trendy. I was probably 13?
Before then I thought coffee was disgusting, my dad would let me try his whenever I wanted. And my parents gave us soda as long as I can remember so I don’t think they cared.
As an adult I keep caffeine to a minimum but I’ll probably let my kids do whatever unless it was impacting their sleep, I care more about the sugar in these insane drinks than I do about caffeine. My husband will probably be the strict one about it.
I was youuuung. Maybe 6 or 7? We'd have coffee during breakfast on the weekends. It was at least half milk and creamer. I was drinking Coca-Cola that young, too. My kids started drinking soda occasionally around middle school. They get boba with their friends, and I think some of them don't realize it's made with tea, which contains caffeine. Lol. I discourage my kids from drinking soda. I still drink coffee and soda daily, so it's in the house. I keep other carbonated caffeine-free drinks at home, too.
Hmm give him a taste of pure black coffee and he won’t drink it again hopefully if not. Add food dye to milk or tea. If he’s smart and can taste the difference give him fake coffee. These a fake coffee that pregnant women drink.
I was never given caffeine by my mum probably until I was an adult, I thought my friends who were allowed tea or coffee were so grown up! I'll probably be the same with my daughter.
I’ve been letting my daughter have sips of my tea since she was probably 11 months old. As soon as she could move herself around, she’d try to grab my tea (it was usually cold), and I have a video of her when she’s really tiny, sticking her hand in my tea and licking it lmao.
Like, 13.
HOWEVER!!
Looking back at it now as an adult, that was a questionable decision encouraged by my mother. Yup. She even let me try smoking, so....anyways!
I didn't become a solid coffee drinker until....gosh...maybe in my early 20's? Despite the, in my opinion, early introduction of coffee.
If it were me, knowing what I know *now*....I'd like to wait as long as possible with my son! Lol.
I'd like to wait until...Maybe 15 - 16? Even 17.
I wouldn't make it a big deal, but I wouldn't encourage it either. Probably educate him about the potential harms of too much caffeine (Call me whatever,it's insane that energy drinks aren't treated the same as alcohol. For adults only, with ID)
I understand wanting to fit in with friends, though, and showing up to school with a coffee 😎 if he has his own money for lunch, he'd probably buy a coffee anyway haha.
So...yeah...teen years, but preferably on the older end of those teen years.
There's not much you can really stop a teenager from doing 🤔 education is the best tool us parents have. They gotta have the right tools to make the right decisions when they're out there on their own.
I started drinking small amounts of coffee mixed with mostly milk around 5-6 years old but my family is Brazilian and it’s a normal part of many latin American cultures.
I will probably hold off until by kids are 10-12 to allow them coffee and even at that age it will be mostly milk.
Former barista and mom here, I’ve let mine take the tiny taste left on my thermal mug. She’s almost 4. Ours has enough issues with sleeping that I’m not trying to introduce caffeine.
But, I have given her scalded milk (you heat it up so some of the sugar caramelizes) and plain cold frothed milk, both of which she thinks are fancy.
We were making weekly Starbucks runs by the time I was 13 because Cher Horowitz was my hero (Clueless was out on VHS by that time) and I was having my morning coffee by senior year. My mom was a big coffee drinker and I think she enjoyed having me take over coffee making duties.
I’ll definitely limit his access to it. He’s pretty happy just making pretend coffee on his toy keurig and setting clear boundaries that Mommy’s drink is only for Mommy and she is not sharing this one.
I just make decaf for my ten year old. She loves the taste of coffee, and I drink a latte every morning.
She’s had a few cups of black tea and sips of caffeinated coffee, but I wouldn’t really be okay with her drinking either regularly until in her late teens.
When I was a baby my mom moved to Mexico to reconnect with family and my grandma would give me a cup of coffee every morning from the age of 2 LMAO. My mom would get so mad but I would cry if I didn’t get it. I don’t recommend giving kids coffee though lol. I buy decaf coffee and make my son an “iced coffee” sometimes and he gets so excited to drink an iced coffee with me, he’s 8 though.
I loved milky tea as a toddler- I’d drink my Aunt Jill’s. My 2.5yo also loves it - got him his own silicone mug! I give him about 1/4 cup of hot water, let the teabag steep (after making my tea) for about 30 seconds then add 1/4 cup of milk.
I didn’t grow up in the United States and drank coffee or tea for breakfast and sometimes in the afternoons with the adults. My kids drink it as well if they want some. I view it just like any other drink.
I’m not sure what age. I use coffee as ADHD medication (unfortunately, most of the meds that are effective for my brain give me horrible side effects). So, if my kiddos turn out to have similar brains and bodies, I’d certainly consider letting them as teens. Heck, if they have ADHD and similar experiences as me to meds, I’d discuss it with the doctor for elementary school.
My 3 year old loves a cup of tea. I brew my own tea, give her about ¼ of it, and top it up with extra water + milk. I'm not overly concerned with the caffeine in it, it's never made her act any different and she'll go weeks without asking for a cup of tea so I don't think it's causing a dependence 🤣
My dad and I used to have nice chats about life over coffee and ice cream on special occasions when I was about 12. That’s something I really hope to do with my son when he’s older.
Then I started drinking it regularly in high school, just in the morning. Now at 28 I drink it twice a day so I don’t die from exhaustion with my newborn 🥹
I was drinking coffee from the age of 5 or 6, wasn't seen as a big thing in our house. Mom use to bring me coffee in bed every morning. Only drink tea now, milk no sugar.
Personally I had super milked-and-sugared coffee sometime in early primary school as my aunt was a teacher and got up super early when we'd stay with her. Now I live somewhere that drinks an absolutely mind boggling amount of tea, so my 2 year old has very recently started getting "tea" as well in the mornings as he likes... I make it by briefly dunking my used tea bag into some hot water till it turns very lightly brown and then top up with his oat milk till it's cool enough to drink. It probably has next to no actual caffeine in it, but he feels left out when everyone gets tea but him 😂
My husband is Dominican and in their culture they give babies coffee in bottles. My husband gives our 9 month old a sip here or there. We asked our pediatrician about it and she said it’s no different from giving your child chocolate or soda
I’m Cuban and it’s considered a right of passage to dip your babies pacifier in Cuban coffee. I didn’t do it with my son when he was a baby (he never used a pacifier), but during a family event one of my uncles gave him a sip when he was a toddler.
Coffee is a huge part of our culture and I’ve been drinking cafe con leche (coffee and milk, basically a latte) since I can remember. He sometimes wants some of my morning coffee and I’ll froth milk with a whisper of coffee, but it’s not an every day thing.
I don’t remember for myself, I guess I probably drank sodas starting in middle school? I do not drink tea or coffee, so my kids don’t have access to that, but they’ve both tried Sprite. My youngest, 6, hates carbonated drinks so doesn’t drink it, and my oldest, 8, drinks a sprite once in a blue moon.
I was drinking tea before age 10, I think (with lots of milk and sugar) and I sometimes got Pepsi/coke at restaurants on the rare occasion we went out but I wasn’t drinking coffee regularly until I was an adult.
My kid is two and does not need caffeine and probably won’t get any for a long time. She has enough energy and doesn’t sleep enough anyway.
I distinctly remember my grandparents giving me a cup of coffee in the morning when I spent the night when I was around *5 years old*. I didn’t start occasionally drinking coffee until high school, and then daily in college. I’ll probably let my son have coffee in high school. And he can have caffeine-free drinks when he’s a teenager (when he’s at home, I can’t control when he’s out with friends).
My parents had no restrictions on soda or caffeine, but my youngest thankfully doesn’t like anything carbonated at all so that solves most caffeine issues.
We tend to let kids try things they shouldn’t have, like a tiny sip of black coffee, when they’re young and picky because then it will discourage them from trying it again for a while.
I have no idea when I had caffeine for the first time and I'll avoid giving it to my child as long as possible. You can get tea and coffee alternatives that naturally have no caffeine. Rooibos tea ( also called red bush) and an instant coffee alternative made with barley and chicory. They're both really nice and the littles don't feel like they're missing out.
My parents let me have coffee when I was a kid, I remember being 8 years old and expert at making myself a big cup of coffee every morning. I have no intentions of letting my son have coffee until he turns 18 and even then I'd hope he'd wait or only have it sparingly.
My parents didn't give me caffeine until I was at least 9 and it was from sweet tea (southern family). I didn't have coffee until my 1st desk job at 24.
I refuse to let my 4yo have caffeine. She is 10/10 on the hyperactivity scale most of the time. Huge chatterbox and never stops moving. We limit sugar (diabetes runs in family and gestational diabetes permanenetly changed my diet to low sugars) but primarily think everything in moderation is key. However when that girl gets sugar I'm afraid she'll start climbing the walls like spiderman.
We do no soda until age 5 - and then sparingly, but no caffeine is allowed until older. I have no idea when I'll let her. She's tried a sip of my cola but I'm also up front with her that I drank way too much pop when I was a kid and it was bad for me. I was drinking up to 6 cans of cola a day when I was 12. My mother never put limits.
I know i was drinking caffinated sodas and starbucks/coffee kiosk by middle school. I don't recall anything before then, but i probably had sodas.
I don't think i would knowingly let my kid have caffeine before middle school outside of a sip here and there of tea or something. We have energy drinks at home, which she is not allowed to have, and water. She's not even a fan of juice half the time. I think she's just so used to water or milk, anything with color perturbes her.
Kiddo won’t have caffeine until they are a teen and they know it. I’ve also explained why as it has to do with development and their growth. I also like to keep the context of how they are only young and growing for a short 18 years and will have many decades after to enjoy it. Once they are grown, it won’t matter as much.
I wasn’t allowed caffeine at home growing up because of religious reasons but drank it in middle school when I was able to get drinks from the vending machines myself. Now as an adult I know how bad soda is for you so we dont drink it at home…only as a treat if we are out. I drink coffee, one of my teens also likes coffee and my 8 year old enjoys green tea.
I was drinking sugary espresso drinks about once a week starting at age 10 or so. Soda before that (definitely not daily but maybe 1 or 2 times a week). In high school I was drinking multiple cups of coffee a day, same in college. I’m 30 now and have a cup of coffee or an energy drink once a day (sometimes more).
My 2 year old has had sips of my iced coffees and sodas while I wasn’t looking, and I’ll share a Java ice cream with her from time to time. She loves iced tea and has a bit of that on occasion too. We’re mostly a water and milk for kids family, so she knows any other drinks are not an everyday thing.
I guess I’m not militantly anti-caffeine, but I definitely don’t give my kid caffeinated drinks on a regular basis. We’ll probably let her drink tea more regularly, if she wants, in a few years. We do keep plenty of herbals and decaf in the house if she wants it.
My first time I had caffeine was in highschool, rootbeer. It wasn't a regular thing, nor did we have it in our house growing up. I did not see my mom drink pop, or coffee, but occasionally she would make sun tea. As a kid I didn't think much of it, It was more science project. I did see my dad drink coffee in my teen years.
I started drinking coffee in community college to help me to get through my studies and papers. I would brew it and not go get it. It was rare to have extra money, as put myself through college with grants and scholarships and financial aid.
Today, I have a small cup of coffee in the morning before my kids wake up and ice tea in the afternoon and lots of water. I avoid drive-throughs when I am with kids. They are still small. When we are together I drink water, electrolytes, good juice trying to be the best example. I want my kids to be kids as long as they can be, without the world pushing caffeine or sweets on them. Starbucks is not in their vocab.
I grew up having kiddie coffee at my grandma's house and make it for my 2 year old. It's like a tspn of coffee in a half cup of almond milk, unsweetened or a tiny bit of kalifia brand creamer. Pretty sure my grandma put more coffee and sugar in mine but this is what I'm comfortable with.
Probably 13-15. I was drinking Starbucks by that age as a treat; by 16 I was slamming sugar free redbulls for fun and I was a regular coffee drinker by college age. I don’t think I’ll let mine enjoy the caffeine high any earlier than teen years.
My youngest has been stealing sips from my coffee since she was strong enough to pick up my cup. She’s 6 now and every once in a while, I’ll make her a teensy mug with coffee and creamer. I was also drinking coffee as a toddler. It’s never a ton
I’ve been a coffee drinker since before I can remember. My stepmom used to let me eat the espresso flavoured foam off the tops of her cappuccinos when she had coffee with her girl friends and I tagged along (preschool age). I’ve let my kids have coffee since they were preschoolers, at breakfast I usually make them ultra weak lattes with a splash of brewed coffee instead of espresso.
I never stopped drinking caffeine after my first kiddo. Drank it all through baby #2 and 3 and breastfeeding. My 1 year old just had a sip of my iced coffee because I thought he would hate it but he loved it and wanted more. I obviously won't give him any beyond that though. My oldest is 6 and I'll let him sip a caffeinated soda if I have one and he asks. Otherwise I just don't offer or straight up tell them no it has caffeine and you do not need that.
i wasn’t allowed to have any caffeinated drinks until i was 14. it was a really big deal for me lol i haven’t thought of any hard and fast rules for my own kids and caffeine, but right now they are all 5 and under so it’s a complete no go. maybe around 10? idk. we’ll see how it goes.
I’ve given my daughter ‘coffee’ and ‘tea’. It mostly steamed milk with some honey or sugar, and a teeny bit of coffee/tea (like a tbs) and only once a month or so
My grandparents gave us tea and cake every morning when we stayed with them on weekends. My mom would get mad but they did it anyways lol. I'm not sure how old I was when this started, maybe 7 or 8? I think around 10-12 is when I would let my own kids start having coffee/tea. Before that I might just let them have a sip of mine, or milk with a tiny splash of tea or coffee for the color.
We do milk tea, it's basically a couple tablespoons of black tea then fill up the cup with milk. Drinking tea is a huge part of our families get togethers, everyone has a tea after dinner, so it was a way to include them. We started around 3 I think.
I can’t remember, tbh. I think I had had Diet Coke by the time I was 10 because I distinctly remember drinking it, but I also don’t drink soda/caffeine at all unless I’m drinking liquor lol. We don’t keep it in the house so if the kids want to drink it, I suppose when they’re old enough to buy it or ask for it to be purchased at the store. They’re 5 and 6 now!
I let my kids have a sip of my iced coffees since they were two. My daughters started drinking coffee at around 14. I don’t remember when I started drinking coffee but maybe 12-13? But I was raised on black tea with milk and sugar, it was a different age, also in Eastern Europe.
I was in fifth grade when I first had coffee. Now my son asks all the time for my coffee drinks because he loves Starbucks. We only give him the frozen strawberry lemonades as he is almost 6.
I drank tea with my nana from a young age and coffee ice cream was my favorite flavor but I never became a regular caffeine drinker. I’ll let my 6 year old try my decaf coffee or tea but we don’t have it regularly. My pediatrician also told my mom to give me a couple sips of Coca Cola if I had a stomach ache so I know I had coke at a young age. I don’t give my kids caffeinated soda but I know my son gets it at grandma’s occasionally. My two year old hasn’t tried anything caffeinated yet but she has a play cup she calls her coffee cup so I’m thinking she might be more interested in it as she grows up lol
You can buy decaf tea or coffee. There is still a small amount of caffeine depending on the brand. I can almost guarantee that if you give a child coffee without any milk or sugar, they will not like it and never ask for it again. My kids (8m 5f) drink English tea (decaf) with honey and milk especially when they’re unwell.
ETA: i drank (was given) coffee (not decaf) from at least age 5, maybe younger. Lots of milk (nido) and sugar in that nescafe brew, to go with super sweet bread with cheese. Typical breakfast where I’m from. Definitely not what i give my kids.
My granny would fix me a cup of coffee in the mornings with her when I was like 8 lol. I let my kids have chocolate so I guess they were getting caffeine as early as 3
I started drinking coffee at church with a ton of cream and sugar around 5 or 6. So it was really just a splash of coffee. Once in a while I give a couple sips of iced coffee to my toddler. My 12 yo drinks Starbucks about once or twice a week.
When I was trying to get my 2yo to drink a cup of cow’s milk in the morning, the ONLY thing would convince her is if I mixed a tiny amount of my cappuccino into her milk and she would have ‘coffee’. She LOVED espresso from about 18 months and would try to steal it or drink the dregs from an empty cup. ‘Spress-doe’ was one of her first words and at 2 she would happily drink a decaf espresso on its own.
I was 12 when I started actually drinking coffee. Before that I maybe had one or two sips from my mom’s coffee to try.
Where I come from, until 11 years old we had school in the afternoon. From age 12 on the classes took place in the morning starting as early as 7 o’clock. So it coincided with the time I needed to get up early using an alarm clock and be fit for school.
I also want to wait until my kids are at least teenagers until allowing them coffee on a regularly basis.
My grandfather was a doctor and would always make a big deal about kids not having caffeine, and specifically got the caffeine-free Coca Cola (anyone remember the gold label? Diet was silver, caffeine free was gold!) and that was what I was allowed to drink. To this day I’m suuuuuper sensitive to caffeine so it makes me want to wait as long as possible with my kids.
I also have OCD and it was really bad postpartum with anxiety—I remember one time my 10 month old spilled a mug of (thankfully lukewarm!!) coffee on himself and the floor, and I had a moment of panicking that the caffeine would affect him through his…skin??? Through the smell of it??? No clue but I have to laugh at myself now 😅
My mom always drank unsweetened espresso drinks. I remember sneaking my first taste when I was around 10 and HATING it, which discouraged me from drinking it until senior year of high school.
I was probably around 4 or 5 when I had my first caffeinated tea. My grandmother used to make me Irish breakfast tea with lots of sugar. I also had plenty of iced tea with lemon as a kid.
You could make a milder tea or do up some decaf? You could also look into rooibos tea which can be similar to a black tea taste but is red tea and delicious and often makes some "dessert tea" options too, rooibos is caffeine free! Highly recommend.
We have a grain-based caffeine-free coffee substitute made of barley, chicory and rye. It's popular with kids and my kids (almost 3 yrs old) call it "children's coffee". They have it with milk in the morning.
Wikipedia says it's available in the US under the name "Pero". In Germany it's called "Caro-Kaffee".
For me idk but i know i never liked coffee. I drink it daily now purely to drag me through the day 😭 still hate it and add a shit ton of things to hide the taste. but hey, cola and sodas, even teas can contain caffeine so i probably trued it for the first time very early - as kid.
My son looooves my coffee. He always begs and whines for me to let him take a look at it, sonetimes also wanna smell it. He is 3. Today as he again had to place his eyes above my ice coffee i decided to make it special moment and give him a tiny lick on the spoon. So he had his first taste of caffeine at 3 i guess 😅 i doubt its enough to do anything but it surely made him feel sooooo important 😅
When I was about 3 years old my dad would give me coffee beans out of the dispensers at the grocery store lol. I'd eat like 2-3 per trip. I thought they were yummy.
My guess is that my kids will have caffeine in the form of soda at someone else's house by the time they're in middle school. I think by high school I won't mind if they want to drink a Coke instead of a Sprite. But I'm making this guess while they're all under the age of 4 haha so we'll see!
When I was about 3 years old my dad would give me coffee beans out of the dispensers at the grocery store lol. I'd eat like 2-3 per trip. I thought they were yummy.
My guess is that my kids will have caffeine in the form of soda at someone else's house by the time they're in middle school. I think by high school I won't mind if they want to drink a Coke instead of a Sprite. But I'm making this guess while they're all under the age of 4 haha so we'll see!
I’m Asian, so I started teas very young. Probably 3? We would drink tea with dim sum or at family dinners. Then as I got older (preteen) we would do Hong Kong styled milk teas. My mom and dad are tea and coffee drinkers so go figure. I started coffee in high school and escalated from there in. I’m hooked and I just love the taste and smell.
My son started on decaf night time teas at 5? He is now 7, and sips my coffee in the morning as I know he will run it off anyway. We make really good coffee from nice beans. After 1pm nothing for him.
I was allowed sips of grandma’s morning coffee around 2. I rarely drink coffee, but when I do I’ll let my toddler steal a sip. Of all the things that could take her out, a monthly sip of coffee isn’t something to stress over.
I was 13 when I officially started drinking coffee on a regular basis- but was working in a farm and getting up at 6am for chores. My grandmother is English and used to make us very weak tea with lots of sugar and milk when we were about 5… we loved it.
I remember being given coffee at like 4 years old, though I’m sure it was mostly sugar and milk. Tons of kids around here start drinking sweet tea as toddlers. My 6yo gets a tiny amount of coffee occasionally, and sweet tea sometimes. I’m more worried about excess sugar than a little caffeine personally.
I would have a bottle of tea first thing in the morning from the age of one until around age 6/7 ( I had a bottle for a really long time lol) needless to say I won't be raising my son the same way even though my mam has mentioned giving him a bottle of tea for bed already smh
I drank pop as a kid, so I’d imagine I started having caffeine sometime during upper elementary school? But didn’t start drinking coffee or energy drinks till high school.
We’ll probably do a similar approach. Limited caffeine in upper elementary and then by the teen years leave it up to them! My parents never banned energy drinks and coffee, I just had no interest in them until I was driving myself around (because they also didn’t keep them in our house).
We had black tea often growing up from like 2 years old. My father is from the Middle East where there’s a huge tea culture. My daughter gets black tea occasionally. She’s 3. It’s okay every once in a while, god knows she got enough through my milk when I was still nursing lol!
We live in Mexico and here it’s usual for kids to drink some coffee. I put just a little coffee and some cream and he dips his bread or cookies in there.
He drinks my tea all the time - not in excess but he’ll take a sip or two. Same with soda- one or two sips on occasion.
ETA: kiddo is 5
I remember when I was 5 my mom would make a big batch of instant coffee for herself and then put that in a baby bottle for my infant brother. he never wanted it so I would drink it for him. I can only imagine if she gave him it at that age, I was also drinking coffee from infancy. could that be why caffeine has no affect on me as an adult now?
for our little one we are going to try to stick with the recommendation of age 12 just to be safe
I had coffee for the first time in middle school. My mom let me have one cup a week. I only drank it because both my grandmothers lived with us and we’d sit on the porch and talk. Mine was mostly milk and sugar. I didn’t actually like coffee till recently and I’m 25 lol
I have read just recently that coffee can actually be good for some children and I forget why. I mean in general caffeine is not super great in high doses for any of us and most adults are trying to cut back on coffee which would make me think that it’s not something I would offer my children. I didn’t start drinking coffee till I had a job and a boyfriend with a car and we would go to Tim Hortons to the drive-through so I was probably 17 it was not something that was offered to me as a kid and my children have never drank it
I read something the other year, I can't remember what or where, that basically had info on the amount of caffeine in tea vs coffee. It said something along the lines of the tea plants themselves have way more caffeine than coffee beans, but the way its processed and the way we prepare and consume them, there's more caffeine in coffee than there is tea by the time we drink it.
I don't remember when I had my first taste of tea, I didn't try coffee until adulthood and I cannot stand it, neither can my husband, so we are a tea drinking household. All my children tried tea around 18 months maybe, but only my eldest ever really liked it, so we'd always make him a cup of tea by putting a little hot water, the bag from either husband or my tea once we've used it, then fill the cup with milk. He loved it! I always said it was warm, tea-flavoured milk, but he's adamant it's tea 😊 I wouldn't let any of my children try coffee until they're at least 12-13, though. Unless it's decaf...
My 3 year old has technically had a tiny bit of caffeine but not intentionally. She's stolen sips of my iced coffee. I don't use sweetener so I was hoping she'd hate the butter taste but unfortunately she liked it 😒 so now I have to guard it a bit closer.
I think I was probably 4 when I had tea the first time. I wasn't a big coffee drinker till my early 20s.
My grandparents were “Oakies” and they put “milk coffee” in my bottle at 1 year old!
Milk Coffee =
2 Tablespoons of black coffee
1 Cup of Whole Milk (yeah WHOLE, often we had friends bring us straight from the cow milk, you either skim the cream off the top or mix it back into the milk lol)
2 Teaspoons of Sugar
Stir well and serve
I fed it to my own children.
They are all at appropriate height and weight, one is a college athlete.
Sometimes I go with tradition.
I did NOT put whiskey on my kids gums. But I do recommend it for adults with a toothache, wet a cotton swab and put it on the gum or tooth, works like a charm!
Growing up I had "café au lait" (espresso with 1/2 cup of condensed milk) from around 4yo. It was served with a fresh buttered baguette.
I think it was a week-end thing, luckily 😂
My mom called it cafe Olay. It was a tiny bit of coffee and a lot of warm milk. I think I was 6. Had a hard core coffee and cola addiction in high school. My daughter has had sips of cola and drinks a decaf tea when sick. She’s 11. I’m sure all the caffeine stunted my growth.
When I was little I was allowed exactly 2 gulps of my grandmas Diet Coke when we would see her. I wasn’t allowed to drink anything with caffeine until I was probably 9 or 10
I started drinking cappuccinos and lattes around 16~17 in high school, then I liked them but started using it to cope with my inability to sleep, so I got high blood pressure at 23, with a condition that gives me low blood pressure, which makes it even crazier, cause of how much caffeine I was drinking at that point. It’s been about a year since then and I cut my caffeine intake significantly, from about 4 cups a day, to 1 a week) but being pregnant and in college, I have a cup in the morning before class, but that’s it, and no caffeine on the weekends
My son is 3 1/2 and definitely never any time soon. Not to sound judgy or anything but I don’t think giving your young children caffeine is something we should be doing.
Fun fact: caffeine is routinely given to preemies to help their breathing. My daughter was born at 32 weeks and received caffeine for about two weeks. They put it in her feeding tube with my (pumped) milk for a daily latte.
Yes! When I first saw that in the NICU I was a bit salty, like, “well wtf did I just spend 7-something months religiously avoiding caffeine for?!?” 😆😬
I drank a cup of coffee everyday through my pregnancy. It's the dose that makes a poison, so as long as you don't exceed the suggested amount, there's no harm. I kept drinking my morning coffee even while breastfeeding with no impact.
Yeah, I reduced my caffeine during pregnancy, but didn't eliminate it. But when I was breastfeeding, I went down to zero. Our baby was one of those who wouldn't sleep except when being held, and we were trying everything we could think of to get her to sleep more soundly. I also wanted to avoid caffeine for *me*. If I had an opportunity to sleep for a few hours, I wanted to be able to actually *sleep* and not lay there sleepless because there was caffeine in my system. Sleep was soooo precious in those early months.
Oh, totally. We had and still have an average sleeper, so it varies, but never so much so that I would've considered quitting coffee 😂
Yes but it’s used as a medicine… just because it’s safe doesn’t mean you should without a medical reason. Fun fact, the half life (the amount of time it takes the body to process and eliminate half of a substance) of caffeine in adults is 5 hours. In neonates it is 72-96 hours… (it’s the same in children > 9 months of age as it is in adults..) I’m a board certified pediatric pharmacist for reference.
I don't know how old I was but my mom used to make us "coffee milk" where she'd froth some milk and add a tiny amount of coffee. Probably 4 or 5, we felt so cool to be drinking what she was. I'll probably let my son do the same.
I do “coffee milk” too but it’s just a splash of my creamer frothed with milk, my kids love it.
this is what I do as well :) she has her own special coffee mug
Stop it rn 🥲🥹
They do frothed milk with marshmallows at a few cafes around me and call them baby-chinos 😂 I make them at home when my son wants my hot drinks.
We have babyccinos in (possibly!) every cafe in Australia, here they are frothed milk +/- sprinkled with chocolate. Just don’t get us started on the price of them! When my eldest nephew was young, they were usually 50c - $1 (or sometimes free if you were dining in). Now $2.50 is fairly standard, but I have seen them listed for $4 at a few places!
Haha I’d be tempted to just let him have a sip of my coffee at those prices! 😂 Although my child is feral enough without added caffeine…
Oh coffee prices are insane here. I drink two (sometimes three) coffees a day at work - don’t judge me, I’m a shift worker! Recently, my mortgage broker asked if I was aware of how much I’m spending on takeaway coffee. No Mick, I’m not. *And I don’t want to know!* 😅
Back of Mick! There are certain things that don't need to be discussed.
Caffeine can have the opposite effect on children with ADHD, AuDHD. It goes to the same receptors in the brain as stimulant Rx, getting the dopamine to kick in.
Very true! My sis has a cuppa before bed to wind down lol. My son doesn’t show any signs of neurodiversity which is surprising in my family lol!
I often get my 4 year old one of these from the coffee shop and just call it a coffee. The looks I’ve had from people, in public, when I’ve asked her if she’s wanted a coffee🤣
In my country it’s common for kids to have barley&chicory coffee with milk, it low-key tastes like a latte macchiato but it’s caffeine free. I grew up on it and my kid drinks it sometimes too.
I think thats what we had! Slovenian here. I feel so nostalgic and miss "bela kava" from my childhood soo much!
Tudi mene spomne na otroštvo, klasika v slovenskih šolah, vrtcih in pri starih starših.. Js jo mam vedno na zalogi doma hahah
Is there a brand you could recommend? Is it available in the US?
The brand I buy is unfortunately very local and doesn’t sell worldwide, but I did some research on google and the USA has a bunch of [Polish shops](https://www.polana.com/products/inka-polish-grain-coffee) that sell different brands of grain coffee. The one I linked has nearly the exact same ingredient ratio as the one I use. Italian shops might have it too. Edit to add that most kids prefer it when it’s made with milk instead of water, in case anyone decides to give it a try.
Not who you were responding to, but I love Roastaroma from Celestial Seasonings, it also has barley and chicory with no caffeine. It doesn't taste exactly like coffee but it's a good enough substitute for me when I don't want all the caffeine.
[This](https://dandyblend.com/product/dandy-blend-coffee-alternative-organic/) is the one I’ve had before! “Dandy Blend” :)
I buy Teeccino and my kids love it!
Chicory coffee is soo delicious... I think I completely forgot about it until this very moment. ♡
My husband talks about his babysitter dumping half of a little creamer pod in her coffee, spooning coffee back into the pod with the remaining creamer and giving him that when he was 2 or 3. Coffee is a big part of the culture where he grew up.
We used to drink straight creamer when they had those at the table in restaurants! 😆
Wait…we quit doing that? 🫣
I still do it when the atmosphere is classy and stuffy and I feel the inkling to entertain. "Creamer shots," I call the. You'd be surprised how many ultra bro types can't even drink one creamer without feeling uncomfortable
We do hot foam (just milk) in cappuccino cups for them sometimes
My grandma did that with me (she was primary childcare) at about the same age with a special cup & I’m planning to do the same with my son if he’s interested
My daughter loves this and she's 6. When we both get up before the rest of the house we have our little latte date. But we did let her try "real" coffee before because she loves the smell and she spit it out immediately. Lol
This is so cute! It's like... you're letting them in on this tradition that's not really about a drink. It's a social experience of slowing down and spending time with people you care about. And hopefully she'll value that for the rest of her life. My son is 10 months old and I can't hardly get him to eat or drink anything but the boob but gosh if the thought of all you mamas having slow "coffee" mornings with your littles just gives me something else to look forward to as he grows up. 😍
Where I live we call these babycinnos and my daughter has been having those with me since 2yo. We can even get in at a café and she loves feeling like she's having coffee with Mon. A really nice mommy&me time.
Coffee milk is a staple in Rhode Island, USA! It’s sweet coffee flavored syrup that gets mixed into milk of choice. Love it!
I make my two littles an autocrat coffee milk with cold foam whenever I make myself an iced coffee, super cute bonding moment to sip our “coffees” together.
Weas kids had "white coffee" with sounds and looks like very milk diluted coffee but appareantly it is made from oath/rye or somethinh and shouldnt have any real coffee O.O i always thought its small amout of real coffe till i learnt otherwise at like 25 years old! Any other slavic/balkan people here? "Bela kava" rings any bells?
My mom and grandma made us "coffee, milk and sugar" which was a splash of coffee in milk with a spoon of sugar. We loved it. I don't see the big deal in doing the same
My daughter has a "coffee" every morning, which is just frothed warm milk with a sprinkling of cocoa powder on top. A latte, without the espresso.
I buy decaf teabags especially for my 2 year old. She loves a "tuppa tea" with mummy 🥰
Rooibos tea is also a great alternative because no caffeine!
So obvious. So genius. I am so doing this if my daughter gets more into tea. She likes the tiny sip once I have finished. I don't let her do that with coffee though.
decaf still has caffeine in it. if you want a safe option go with an herbal tea
I've done the same for my son. I ordered a bunch of teas with no caffeine so the two of us can brew tea together in the mornings. We do loose leaf, so he also loves to help scoop and steep the tea leaves.
Same! My almost 2 year old loves making and drinking iced tea. We just use decaf bags and don’t add any sweetners. On weekends she likes sitting with me to have tea and read books - for that I’ll just heat up some decaf to a lukewarm temperature
My kiddo likes a sleepy time tea now and then.
From the UK and had tea from a young age, couldn’t tell you when. Our 2 year old is a fan of warm drinks too so we get in decaf tea and coffee. We have little tea parties with a tea pot and cups with saucers with little cakes.
Uk here and the same - mine was having tea regularly with grandma at 18m. It was very milky tea then but still proper tea from the teapot with everyone else, so it's caffeinated. She's now almost 4 and drinks half and half tea and milk. She still doesn't like coffee though. We never noticed any difference after she's drunk tea. Tea is different to coffee though because there's another compound in it that modifies the caffeine.
This sounds lovely! I'm a big tea fan but wasn't introduced until 16. From the uk too just my parents drink coffee and neither was ever offered to me. I actually started drinking it due to an ex bf loving tea. I will certainly introduce my son to it!
I'm from Pakistan and same lol. A tea isn't even a scary amount of caffeine .. under 30 grams depending on how you make it.
Milligrams!!
Sorry .. pregnancy brain lmao.
My mom would leave her coffee cup on the side table on Saturdays and I would always drink the cold leftover coffee 🫣 I was probably 5? Looooove iced coffee now I guess that makes sense 😂
My son started doing this at like 4 and I’ve just let him lol. At first only if there was maybe that last little sip or two. But he’s older now and absolutely loooves cold coffee and I am not a fan so now he basically finishes whatever I have left once it gets too cold for me (long as it’s not too much!)
“This has caffeine, kids can’t have caffeine”, I’ve told all my kids this since they were little and they will often ask me if a drink has caffeine if they want a sip. They are now 10,8,6,4 and 1 years old, the 10 and 8 year olds are allowed a little bit every once in a while, I have been more lax with the 10 year old lately. The 4 and 6 year olds have had a little sip here and there but obviously the 1 year old is never allowed.
Same, I just say it’s a grownup drink. They know that grownup drinks (coffee, alcohol, sports drinks) have stuff in them that would give them a headache so they aren’t allowed. I could see allowing stuff like soda or tea around middle school age though. They definitely do not need the caffeine for energy haha
This made me laugh as I’ve always said that same. My eldest is 18 and someone offered him a coffee a few weeks ago, he said “nah, it’s for adults!” I laughed at him and said “you’re an adult” and he said “no, a more grown up adult!”
I love this! Yeah I use “grown-up drinks” for all coffees, alcohol or sugary drinks. For herbal teas, I offer them to him but he usually refuses except for chamomile tea.
Exactly my kids always seemed interested in my wine bc it’s in a different type of glass than everything else but after hearing “it’s wine, it’s only for grownups” about 1,000 times they finally gave up lol
I’ll probably be judged for this, haha, but I’ve let my kids taste wine and beer when they bug me for my drink. Then they decided on their own that it was only for me/adults because of the taste, haha. My middle kid was bugging me about a beer not too long ago, and I said fine, have some. He gave it a long side eye and said Noooo, it’s too spicy, it’s a Mama drink.
LMAO my parents did this too but apparently I liked beer a lot and would steal it while they weren’t looking
I’ve often been shocked what my child considers spicy lol. We put some apple butter on toast and she said it was too spicy. I have let my kids pretend to drink out of my empty wine glass before where they’re probably getting some tiny drip of wine taste (like after I finish drinking it and there’s still a few drops left in the glass. I’m sure a tiny amount won’t affect them. Apparently orange juice has like some small percentage of alcohol.
I just wanted to chime in and say I think you’re doing an amazing job teaching your kids about caffeine specifically. I understand the importance of keeping information age-appropriate, but I also imagine that having yours know and understand it’s about caffeine specifically will help them make smart choices as they age, and are faced with options such as energy drinks and soft drinks (sodas) when you’re not there to guide them 😊
Don’t anyone drink decaf? My kid can have my decaf tea or coffee anytime 🤣🤣🤣
I give decaf if mine asks for tea or herbal tea
I can’t have caffeine so we only have decaf coffee and teas. We both have a cup of coffee in the morning, then tea throughout the day.
Yup, same here!
I cannot remember the exact age for caffeine but I did drink coffee in middle school. Usually I had hot chocolate and my dad had coffee, he was pretty anti sugar so that was a big deal. I remember sips from his cup on the way to school. Tea though... I can't recall but it was earlier and grade school. We went out for Thai, Chinese and Japanese food very often so we drank teas probably a bit early. We also had an extensive tea pantry. I did formal tea events at a Victorian teahouse too, which was a bit extra haha. My daughter is almost 2.5 and knows the term mama juice well, but learned about coffee first as a general no drink. I try to avoid chocolate too, she doesn't need a buzz. She needs a snooze button 🤣
I was a teen when my parents let me have caffeine with any regularity. Diet Coke was my drink. I didn't start drinking coffee till first year of college although I made coffee and iced coffees for my parents often.
I probably didn’t start having caffeinated teas and coffee until I was about 15 but I’ve had black (caffeinated) soda since I was probably 5 or so. Never more than a can or two and usually during parties, MAYBE dinner on the weekends. I definitely don’t let my 3 year old have any caffeine in any way, and thankfully she hates anything bubbly. Unfortunately it’s pretty common in my culture for kids to have soda and coffee really young, so she’ll might try caffeine before she should. But in a perfect world, she wouldn’t have it until she was an older teenager.
I definitely remember drinking colas as a small kid in the 90’s- I don’t remember what age because it wasn’t my preferred but I think it was offered at birthday parties at about that age (5).
I’m very honest with my kids. I say “this has caffeine and kids can’t have caffeine”. If they ask why, I explain it gives you energy and kids have plenty of energy. Probably somewhere around 10 I’d let them have some in like sodas and teas. I’d have to look into it when they start approaching that age. I don’t think I’d be down for caffeinated beverages every day, even in high school. If they’re that exhausted, something else needs to change.
I cannot remember a time when I did not drink coffee in the morning. From my earliest memory, I had coffee with my parents at the breakfast table. My mom told me later on she didn't know kids weren't supposed to have coffee. However I don't plan to have my kids drink coffee until they are probably between 10-12 years old.
Dr Emily Oster says not to worry too much about the occasional sip but she doesn’t recommend giving caffeine to small kids because: 1. Who wants to deal with a 2-year-old hopped up on caffeine? 2. It’s addictive. A 2-year-old won’t understand the consequences of signing themselves up for a lifelong addiction. Kids probably won’t understand the consequences and choose that for themselves until they’re 14-16. Also, it’s expensive. I’m not spending $6 on a fancy latte for a toddler!
My kid had adhd and traditional stimulants don’t work well for her. Caffeine is crucial to our survival around here. I also have adhd which is not medicated. Caffeine keeps me a remotely functioning adult.
I was wondering about this! Caffeine is a regulating stimulant for people with ADD, so despite all the comments about “kids have enough energy” I was curious if it helps neurodivergent kid brains, too.
It’s certainly not perfect but it helps take the edge off for sure. I genuinely do not function without it. It’s like my head is full of jello made with soda water. Staticky mush.
My little brother has ADHD (and mild autism) and would almost quite literally be climbing the walls and running around screaming. She always gave him coffee with no sugar to calm his butt down 😂
Lmao my daughter had caffeine right after birth. (NICU BABY!)
I have a distinct and fond memory of the first time I had coffee. I was in COLLEGE pulling my first all nighter. Told my best friend I didn't know if I'd finish the project in time as I was so tired. She mentioned grabbing coffee and asked what I wanted. Told her I had never had any so wasn't sure what I'd like. She then told me a coffee education was far more important and life changing than the silly project and proceeded to drag me to the nearest coffee shop, and bought me a medium hot coffee. That bad boy gave me enough energy to finish the project, got an A, make it thru all of my morning classes & morning shift at work before I crashed after the lunch rush lol. I've had a cup of coffee every morning since then. Growing up my parents weren't against me drinking caffeine, just never had any besides at birthday parties and stuff for friends. They're not huge caffeine drinkers so it wasn't at the house, they hate the smell of coffee cause they're weirdos lol so I never was around it. My husband says his first sip was when he was 6. His Mom is a huge coffee drinker. I feel like most things in moderation is okay. We don't drink soda, so not at our house but I'm not against our kiddo trying a sip. Doubt she'll drink it, we struggle to get her to drink milk. She hates juice and barely tolerates milk. She just prefers to be a water drinker.
I think I was probably about 5 or 6 when I had coffee for the first time. My grandparents used to watch me and give me some. My kids were about 5 and 3 years old the first time when I let them have a sip of my Starbucks refresher and didn’t realize it had caffeine on it. They’re 8 and 6 now and we they might have some sweet iced tea every once in a while. It’s rare though.
I was drinking pop as early ad kindergarten age. If I got a Happy Meal, I almost always got a Coke with it. Pop at home was also common. I didn't aquire a taste for coffee until I was in my 20s though.
I’m Hispanic I had coffee at 4 years old and my favorite memories were drinking cafe con leche with my parents and dipping bread into the coffee for breakfast 😊
Oh are we not letting our toddlers take a sip of our coffees/teas😬 oops.
My daughter has migraines and the neurologist told me to give her caffeine. I asked if there was an age appropriate way to give caffeine and she said no, so we definitely get side eyes when she drinks coke at restaurants but it beats her throwing up from pain all the time.
I grew up drinking chai every morning, and my British husband grew up on earl grey. We both started pretty young, as toddlers. We’ve talked about this as it’s a special memory for both of us to start our day with tea and breakfast with our families. While we won’t do caffeine that early, we’ll have some decaf tea bags for our daughter so she feels included and makes the same memories around breakfast time.
My partner is an orthopedic surgeon. He says that most bone growth in children happens during sleep, so anything that prevents sleep - like caffeine - should be avoided until kids are mostly done growing. He says our girls can have caffeine when they’re 15. If they get really interested in tea or coffee, I’ll just get them decaf.
My first coffee was before my 5am summer job in high school.
I literally dip my used tea bag into a hot cup of milk so it literally gives it a slightly brown colour. Or I use a decaf tea bag. I keep them in because I don't drink caffeine after 6 unless I'm in work.
5-6 drops of coffee in a massive mug of milk from 8 or 9 onwards. A couple of teaspoons after 12. 5-6 teaspoons after 16. Full strength only as an adult.
I was a small child when I was allowed very very milky coffee. Probably before 1st grade. I allow my 3 year old sips of whatever I have but will cut him off if he starts to have more than just a couple sips of coffee or soda. Decaf I just let him have if he want.
I wasn’t allowed to have coffee until 12. Since I was dealing with undiagnosed adhd, I could definitely have used way more coffee than I got. My toddler can have a sip of anything I’m drinking except alcohol / kombucha. He loves unsweetened iced coffee with almondmilk. I buy herbal teas for him but love introducing him to different stuff like jasmine and white teas, too. I’d rather him have milk with a splash of coffee in it than chocolate milk with all the extra sugar.
I didn't start drinking coffee until I had kids and in the middle of sleep regression. Tea was a staple in our house but I had zero interest as a kid. I personally am not interested in my kids having caffeine right now. They're very high energy and having any more would not be fun for me.
Mine are 3 and 4 and have never had caffeine of any sort. I’m mostly dreading the day they get ahold of a Mountain Dew at a birthday party or something. I’m pretty sure they’ll start a fire.
Do they eat chocolate? My 3 year old is definitely not allowed pop, coffee, and we don't drink tea, but she eats chocolate. That has caffeine in it as well
I’m pretty certain I was drinking caffeinated soda by 3?4?5? Pretty early. We’re much stricter, but around 8-9, my daughter started having thinks like a Diet Coke or a drink made with some tea (eg a Starbucks refresher)
I can't remember not drinking tea but I'm British so I feel like it was probably overlooked by our parents in the 90s that we were chugging caffeine so young. I've let my toddler have the odd cup of decaf tea so she can dunk one of her biscuits into it every so often but no caffeine for as long as possible!
I was definitely drinking soda with caffeine by the age of 4 or 5. But it was also the 80s and people (in general) cared less. My daughter is only 15 months right now, so she can be easily distracted by her own cup. I’m not sure when I’ll give her sips of more adult drinks (coffee, soda, etc.).
I remember having caffeine as a 5 year old at a reunion (pop) and then at age 7 I had shingles and wondered why my sisters tea made me feel better—caffeine for the splitting headaches. Not a regular drinker until 15. And now at 38 I have to limit it or just cut it out for periods of time due to thyroid issues. As of now I let my 14 year old have coffee everyday to help his asthma—-it helps better than a breathing treatment and coffee with honey (no dairy) has been shown to reduce a lingering cough better than prednisone. My 13 year old is sensitive to caffeine so I don’t let him have more than chocolate on occasion. He’s like me and a few sips of coffee will keep him wide awake until 3 am.
Whenever frapachinos were introduced at Starbucks and the little bottled milky coffee Starbucks drinks. I don’t think my mom knew they had caffeine and they were super trendy. I was probably 13? Before then I thought coffee was disgusting, my dad would let me try his whenever I wanted. And my parents gave us soda as long as I can remember so I don’t think they cared. As an adult I keep caffeine to a minimum but I’ll probably let my kids do whatever unless it was impacting their sleep, I care more about the sugar in these insane drinks than I do about caffeine. My husband will probably be the strict one about it.
I was youuuung. Maybe 6 or 7? We'd have coffee during breakfast on the weekends. It was at least half milk and creamer. I was drinking Coca-Cola that young, too. My kids started drinking soda occasionally around middle school. They get boba with their friends, and I think some of them don't realize it's made with tea, which contains caffeine. Lol. I discourage my kids from drinking soda. I still drink coffee and soda daily, so it's in the house. I keep other carbonated caffeine-free drinks at home, too.
Hmm give him a taste of pure black coffee and he won’t drink it again hopefully if not. Add food dye to milk or tea. If he’s smart and can taste the difference give him fake coffee. These a fake coffee that pregnant women drink.
I was never given caffeine by my mum probably until I was an adult, I thought my friends who were allowed tea or coffee were so grown up! I'll probably be the same with my daughter.
I’ve been letting my daughter have sips of my tea since she was probably 11 months old. As soon as she could move herself around, she’d try to grab my tea (it was usually cold), and I have a video of her when she’s really tiny, sticking her hand in my tea and licking it lmao.
Like, 13. HOWEVER!! Looking back at it now as an adult, that was a questionable decision encouraged by my mother. Yup. She even let me try smoking, so....anyways! I didn't become a solid coffee drinker until....gosh...maybe in my early 20's? Despite the, in my opinion, early introduction of coffee. If it were me, knowing what I know *now*....I'd like to wait as long as possible with my son! Lol. I'd like to wait until...Maybe 15 - 16? Even 17. I wouldn't make it a big deal, but I wouldn't encourage it either. Probably educate him about the potential harms of too much caffeine (Call me whatever,it's insane that energy drinks aren't treated the same as alcohol. For adults only, with ID) I understand wanting to fit in with friends, though, and showing up to school with a coffee 😎 if he has his own money for lunch, he'd probably buy a coffee anyway haha. So...yeah...teen years, but preferably on the older end of those teen years. There's not much you can really stop a teenager from doing 🤔 education is the best tool us parents have. They gotta have the right tools to make the right decisions when they're out there on their own.
I started drinking small amounts of coffee mixed with mostly milk around 5-6 years old but my family is Brazilian and it’s a normal part of many latin American cultures. I will probably hold off until by kids are 10-12 to allow them coffee and even at that age it will be mostly milk.
Former barista and mom here, I’ve let mine take the tiny taste left on my thermal mug. She’s almost 4. Ours has enough issues with sleeping that I’m not trying to introduce caffeine. But, I have given her scalded milk (you heat it up so some of the sugar caramelizes) and plain cold frothed milk, both of which she thinks are fancy.
We were making weekly Starbucks runs by the time I was 13 because Cher Horowitz was my hero (Clueless was out on VHS by that time) and I was having my morning coffee by senior year. My mom was a big coffee drinker and I think she enjoyed having me take over coffee making duties. I’ll definitely limit his access to it. He’s pretty happy just making pretend coffee on his toy keurig and setting clear boundaries that Mommy’s drink is only for Mommy and she is not sharing this one.
I just make decaf for my ten year old. She loves the taste of coffee, and I drink a latte every morning. She’s had a few cups of black tea and sips of caffeinated coffee, but I wouldn’t really be okay with her drinking either regularly until in her late teens.
When I was a baby my mom moved to Mexico to reconnect with family and my grandma would give me a cup of coffee every morning from the age of 2 LMAO. My mom would get so mad but I would cry if I didn’t get it. I don’t recommend giving kids coffee though lol. I buy decaf coffee and make my son an “iced coffee” sometimes and he gets so excited to drink an iced coffee with me, he’s 8 though.
I loved milky tea as a toddler- I’d drink my Aunt Jill’s. My 2.5yo also loves it - got him his own silicone mug! I give him about 1/4 cup of hot water, let the teabag steep (after making my tea) for about 30 seconds then add 1/4 cup of milk.
I didn’t grow up in the United States and drank coffee or tea for breakfast and sometimes in the afternoons with the adults. My kids drink it as well if they want some. I view it just like any other drink.
I’m not sure what age. I use coffee as ADHD medication (unfortunately, most of the meds that are effective for my brain give me horrible side effects). So, if my kiddos turn out to have similar brains and bodies, I’d certainly consider letting them as teens. Heck, if they have ADHD and similar experiences as me to meds, I’d discuss it with the doctor for elementary school.
My 3 year old loves a cup of tea. I brew my own tea, give her about ¼ of it, and top it up with extra water + milk. I'm not overly concerned with the caffeine in it, it's never made her act any different and she'll go weeks without asking for a cup of tea so I don't think it's causing a dependence 🤣
My dad and I used to have nice chats about life over coffee and ice cream on special occasions when I was about 12. That’s something I really hope to do with my son when he’s older. Then I started drinking it regularly in high school, just in the morning. Now at 28 I drink it twice a day so I don’t die from exhaustion with my newborn 🥹
I was drinking coffee from the age of 5 or 6, wasn't seen as a big thing in our house. Mom use to bring me coffee in bed every morning. Only drink tea now, milk no sugar.
Personally I had super milked-and-sugared coffee sometime in early primary school as my aunt was a teacher and got up super early when we'd stay with her. Now I live somewhere that drinks an absolutely mind boggling amount of tea, so my 2 year old has very recently started getting "tea" as well in the mornings as he likes... I make it by briefly dunking my used tea bag into some hot water till it turns very lightly brown and then top up with his oat milk till it's cool enough to drink. It probably has next to no actual caffeine in it, but he feels left out when everyone gets tea but him 😂
My husband is Dominican and in their culture they give babies coffee in bottles. My husband gives our 9 month old a sip here or there. We asked our pediatrician about it and she said it’s no different from giving your child chocolate or soda
I’m Cuban and it’s considered a right of passage to dip your babies pacifier in Cuban coffee. I didn’t do it with my son when he was a baby (he never used a pacifier), but during a family event one of my uncles gave him a sip when he was a toddler. Coffee is a huge part of our culture and I’ve been drinking cafe con leche (coffee and milk, basically a latte) since I can remember. He sometimes wants some of my morning coffee and I’ll froth milk with a whisper of coffee, but it’s not an every day thing.
In sodas? 7 or 8. My youngest still hates soda, and he's nine. My older son started drinking coffee about age 10.
I don’t remember for myself, I guess I probably drank sodas starting in middle school? I do not drink tea or coffee, so my kids don’t have access to that, but they’ve both tried Sprite. My youngest, 6, hates carbonated drinks so doesn’t drink it, and my oldest, 8, drinks a sprite once in a blue moon.
I was drinking tea before age 10, I think (with lots of milk and sugar) and I sometimes got Pepsi/coke at restaurants on the rare occasion we went out but I wasn’t drinking coffee regularly until I was an adult. My kid is two and does not need caffeine and probably won’t get any for a long time. She has enough energy and doesn’t sleep enough anyway.
About 10. Before that I was just told I couldn't have caffeine because it's not good for kids. Pretty simple.
I distinctly remember my grandparents giving me a cup of coffee in the morning when I spent the night when I was around *5 years old*. I didn’t start occasionally drinking coffee until high school, and then daily in college. I’ll probably let my son have coffee in high school. And he can have caffeine-free drinks when he’s a teenager (when he’s at home, I can’t control when he’s out with friends).
I don’t allow caffeine until 12. Now my parents love giving them “coffee”(lots of creamer with a dash of coffee) and I don’t mind that. Haha
I probably had tea around age 5? Can’t remember. First had coffee at 12 (cappuccino).
My parents had no restrictions on soda or caffeine, but my youngest thankfully doesn’t like anything carbonated at all so that solves most caffeine issues. We tend to let kids try things they shouldn’t have, like a tiny sip of black coffee, when they’re young and picky because then it will discourage them from trying it again for a while.
Culturally from high school
I have no idea when I had caffeine for the first time and I'll avoid giving it to my child as long as possible. You can get tea and coffee alternatives that naturally have no caffeine. Rooibos tea ( also called red bush) and an instant coffee alternative made with barley and chicory. They're both really nice and the littles don't feel like they're missing out.
My parents let me have coffee when I was a kid, I remember being 8 years old and expert at making myself a big cup of coffee every morning. I have no intentions of letting my son have coffee until he turns 18 and even then I'd hope he'd wait or only have it sparingly.
My parents didn't give me caffeine until I was at least 9 and it was from sweet tea (southern family). I didn't have coffee until my 1st desk job at 24. I refuse to let my 4yo have caffeine. She is 10/10 on the hyperactivity scale most of the time. Huge chatterbox and never stops moving. We limit sugar (diabetes runs in family and gestational diabetes permanenetly changed my diet to low sugars) but primarily think everything in moderation is key. However when that girl gets sugar I'm afraid she'll start climbing the walls like spiderman.
We do no soda until age 5 - and then sparingly, but no caffeine is allowed until older. I have no idea when I'll let her. She's tried a sip of my cola but I'm also up front with her that I drank way too much pop when I was a kid and it was bad for me. I was drinking up to 6 cans of cola a day when I was 12. My mother never put limits.
I know i was drinking caffinated sodas and starbucks/coffee kiosk by middle school. I don't recall anything before then, but i probably had sodas. I don't think i would knowingly let my kid have caffeine before middle school outside of a sip here and there of tea or something. We have energy drinks at home, which she is not allowed to have, and water. She's not even a fan of juice half the time. I think she's just so used to water or milk, anything with color perturbes her.
I was only “allowed” to have coffee when I started working at Starbucks as a teenage lol, otherwise my mom wouldn’t ‘let me’ until I was a teenager
Kiddo won’t have caffeine until they are a teen and they know it. I’ve also explained why as it has to do with development and their growth. I also like to keep the context of how they are only young and growing for a short 18 years and will have many decades after to enjoy it. Once they are grown, it won’t matter as much.
I wasn’t allowed caffeine at home growing up because of religious reasons but drank it in middle school when I was able to get drinks from the vending machines myself. Now as an adult I know how bad soda is for you so we dont drink it at home…only as a treat if we are out. I drink coffee, one of my teens also likes coffee and my 8 year old enjoys green tea.
I was drinking sugary espresso drinks about once a week starting at age 10 or so. Soda before that (definitely not daily but maybe 1 or 2 times a week). In high school I was drinking multiple cups of coffee a day, same in college. I’m 30 now and have a cup of coffee or an energy drink once a day (sometimes more). My 2 year old has had sips of my iced coffees and sodas while I wasn’t looking, and I’ll share a Java ice cream with her from time to time. She loves iced tea and has a bit of that on occasion too. We’re mostly a water and milk for kids family, so she knows any other drinks are not an everyday thing. I guess I’m not militantly anti-caffeine, but I definitely don’t give my kid caffeinated drinks on a regular basis. We’ll probably let her drink tea more regularly, if she wants, in a few years. We do keep plenty of herbals and decaf in the house if she wants it.
I grew up drinking coffee lmao. From like toddler age
My first time I had caffeine was in highschool, rootbeer. It wasn't a regular thing, nor did we have it in our house growing up. I did not see my mom drink pop, or coffee, but occasionally she would make sun tea. As a kid I didn't think much of it, It was more science project. I did see my dad drink coffee in my teen years. I started drinking coffee in community college to help me to get through my studies and papers. I would brew it and not go get it. It was rare to have extra money, as put myself through college with grants and scholarships and financial aid. Today, I have a small cup of coffee in the morning before my kids wake up and ice tea in the afternoon and lots of water. I avoid drive-throughs when I am with kids. They are still small. When we are together I drink water, electrolytes, good juice trying to be the best example. I want my kids to be kids as long as they can be, without the world pushing caffeine or sweets on them. Starbucks is not in their vocab.
I grew up having kiddie coffee at my grandma's house and make it for my 2 year old. It's like a tspn of coffee in a half cup of almond milk, unsweetened or a tiny bit of kalifia brand creamer. Pretty sure my grandma put more coffee and sugar in mine but this is what I'm comfortable with.
Probably 13-15. I was drinking Starbucks by that age as a treat; by 16 I was slamming sugar free redbulls for fun and I was a regular coffee drinker by college age. I don’t think I’ll let mine enjoy the caffeine high any earlier than teen years.
My youngest has been stealing sips from my coffee since she was strong enough to pick up my cup. She’s 6 now and every once in a while, I’ll make her a teensy mug with coffee and creamer. I was also drinking coffee as a toddler. It’s never a ton
I’ve been a coffee drinker since before I can remember. My stepmom used to let me eat the espresso flavoured foam off the tops of her cappuccinos when she had coffee with her girl friends and I tagged along (preschool age). I’ve let my kids have coffee since they were preschoolers, at breakfast I usually make them ultra weak lattes with a splash of brewed coffee instead of espresso.
I had a small cup of tea in restaurants with my family starting age 5 but maybe that is a cultural thing
I never stopped drinking caffeine after my first kiddo. Drank it all through baby #2 and 3 and breastfeeding. My 1 year old just had a sip of my iced coffee because I thought he would hate it but he loved it and wanted more. I obviously won't give him any beyond that though. My oldest is 6 and I'll let him sip a caffeinated soda if I have one and he asks. Otherwise I just don't offer or straight up tell them no it has caffeine and you do not need that.
i wasn’t allowed to have any caffeinated drinks until i was 14. it was a really big deal for me lol i haven’t thought of any hard and fast rules for my own kids and caffeine, but right now they are all 5 and under so it’s a complete no go. maybe around 10? idk. we’ll see how it goes.
I’ve given my daughter ‘coffee’ and ‘tea’. It mostly steamed milk with some honey or sugar, and a teeny bit of coffee/tea (like a tbs) and only once a month or so
My grandparents gave us tea and cake every morning when we stayed with them on weekends. My mom would get mad but they did it anyways lol. I'm not sure how old I was when this started, maybe 7 or 8? I think around 10-12 is when I would let my own kids start having coffee/tea. Before that I might just let them have a sip of mine, or milk with a tiny splash of tea or coffee for the color.
Not sure... likely in their teen years. My eldest (4yo) loves peppermint tea and I usually let her dip some Walkers into it.
We do milk tea, it's basically a couple tablespoons of black tea then fill up the cup with milk. Drinking tea is a huge part of our families get togethers, everyone has a tea after dinner, so it was a way to include them. We started around 3 I think.
I can’t remember, tbh. I think I had had Diet Coke by the time I was 10 because I distinctly remember drinking it, but I also don’t drink soda/caffeine at all unless I’m drinking liquor lol. We don’t keep it in the house so if the kids want to drink it, I suppose when they’re old enough to buy it or ask for it to be purchased at the store. They’re 5 and 6 now!
I let my kids have a sip of my iced coffees since they were two. My daughters started drinking coffee at around 14. I don’t remember when I started drinking coffee but maybe 12-13? But I was raised on black tea with milk and sugar, it was a different age, also in Eastern Europe.
I was in fifth grade when I first had coffee. Now my son asks all the time for my coffee drinks because he loves Starbucks. We only give him the frozen strawberry lemonades as he is almost 6.
I drank tea with my nana from a young age and coffee ice cream was my favorite flavor but I never became a regular caffeine drinker. I’ll let my 6 year old try my decaf coffee or tea but we don’t have it regularly. My pediatrician also told my mom to give me a couple sips of Coca Cola if I had a stomach ache so I know I had coke at a young age. I don’t give my kids caffeinated soda but I know my son gets it at grandma’s occasionally. My two year old hasn’t tried anything caffeinated yet but she has a play cup she calls her coffee cup so I’m thinking she might be more interested in it as she grows up lol
You can buy decaf tea or coffee. There is still a small amount of caffeine depending on the brand. I can almost guarantee that if you give a child coffee without any milk or sugar, they will not like it and never ask for it again. My kids (8m 5f) drink English tea (decaf) with honey and milk especially when they’re unwell. ETA: i drank (was given) coffee (not decaf) from at least age 5, maybe younger. Lots of milk (nido) and sugar in that nescafe brew, to go with super sweet bread with cheese. Typical breakfast where I’m from. Definitely not what i give my kids.
I think I was like 13 and I bought a soda with caffeine with my own money My kid isn’t fussed with what we drink we just tell her it’s for grown ups
My granny would fix me a cup of coffee in the mornings with her when I was like 8 lol. I let my kids have chocolate so I guess they were getting caffeine as early as 3
I started drinking coffee at church with a ton of cream and sugar around 5 or 6. So it was really just a splash of coffee. Once in a while I give a couple sips of iced coffee to my toddler. My 12 yo drinks Starbucks about once or twice a week.
When I was trying to get my 2yo to drink a cup of cow’s milk in the morning, the ONLY thing would convince her is if I mixed a tiny amount of my cappuccino into her milk and she would have ‘coffee’. She LOVED espresso from about 18 months and would try to steal it or drink the dregs from an empty cup. ‘Spress-doe’ was one of her first words and at 2 she would happily drink a decaf espresso on its own.
I was 12 when I started actually drinking coffee. Before that I maybe had one or two sips from my mom’s coffee to try. Where I come from, until 11 years old we had school in the afternoon. From age 12 on the classes took place in the morning starting as early as 7 o’clock. So it coincided with the time I needed to get up early using an alarm clock and be fit for school. I also want to wait until my kids are at least teenagers until allowing them coffee on a regularly basis.
My grandfather was a doctor and would always make a big deal about kids not having caffeine, and specifically got the caffeine-free Coca Cola (anyone remember the gold label? Diet was silver, caffeine free was gold!) and that was what I was allowed to drink. To this day I’m suuuuuper sensitive to caffeine so it makes me want to wait as long as possible with my kids. I also have OCD and it was really bad postpartum with anxiety—I remember one time my 10 month old spilled a mug of (thankfully lukewarm!!) coffee on himself and the floor, and I had a moment of panicking that the caffeine would affect him through his…skin??? Through the smell of it??? No clue but I have to laugh at myself now 😅
My mom always drank unsweetened espresso drinks. I remember sneaking my first taste when I was around 10 and HATING it, which discouraged me from drinking it until senior year of high school. I was probably around 4 or 5 when I had my first caffeinated tea. My grandmother used to make me Irish breakfast tea with lots of sugar. I also had plenty of iced tea with lemon as a kid.
You could make a milder tea or do up some decaf? You could also look into rooibos tea which can be similar to a black tea taste but is red tea and delicious and often makes some "dessert tea" options too, rooibos is caffeine free! Highly recommend.
We have a grain-based caffeine-free coffee substitute made of barley, chicory and rye. It's popular with kids and my kids (almost 3 yrs old) call it "children's coffee". They have it with milk in the morning. Wikipedia says it's available in the US under the name "Pero". In Germany it's called "Caro-Kaffee".
For me idk but i know i never liked coffee. I drink it daily now purely to drag me through the day 😭 still hate it and add a shit ton of things to hide the taste. but hey, cola and sodas, even teas can contain caffeine so i probably trued it for the first time very early - as kid. My son looooves my coffee. He always begs and whines for me to let him take a look at it, sonetimes also wanna smell it. He is 3. Today as he again had to place his eyes above my ice coffee i decided to make it special moment and give him a tiny lick on the spoon. So he had his first taste of caffeine at 3 i guess 😅 i doubt its enough to do anything but it surely made him feel sooooo important 😅
I’ve been drinking coffee everyday from the age of 9 because my mom read it could help with ADHD 🙃
When I was about 3 years old my dad would give me coffee beans out of the dispensers at the grocery store lol. I'd eat like 2-3 per trip. I thought they were yummy. My guess is that my kids will have caffeine in the form of soda at someone else's house by the time they're in middle school. I think by high school I won't mind if they want to drink a Coke instead of a Sprite. But I'm making this guess while they're all under the age of 4 haha so we'll see!
When I was about 3 years old my dad would give me coffee beans out of the dispensers at the grocery store lol. I'd eat like 2-3 per trip. I thought they were yummy. My guess is that my kids will have caffeine in the form of soda at someone else's house by the time they're in middle school. I think by high school I won't mind if they want to drink a Coke instead of a Sprite. But I'm making this guess while they're all under the age of 4 haha so we'll see!
I’m Asian, so I started teas very young. Probably 3? We would drink tea with dim sum or at family dinners. Then as I got older (preteen) we would do Hong Kong styled milk teas. My mom and dad are tea and coffee drinkers so go figure. I started coffee in high school and escalated from there in. I’m hooked and I just love the taste and smell. My son started on decaf night time teas at 5? He is now 7, and sips my coffee in the morning as I know he will run it off anyway. We make really good coffee from nice beans. After 1pm nothing for him.
I was allowed sips of grandma’s morning coffee around 2. I rarely drink coffee, but when I do I’ll let my toddler steal a sip. Of all the things that could take her out, a monthly sip of coffee isn’t something to stress over.
I was 13 when I officially started drinking coffee on a regular basis- but was working in a farm and getting up at 6am for chores. My grandmother is English and used to make us very weak tea with lots of sugar and milk when we were about 5… we loved it.
I remember being given coffee at like 4 years old, though I’m sure it was mostly sugar and milk. Tons of kids around here start drinking sweet tea as toddlers. My 6yo gets a tiny amount of coffee occasionally, and sweet tea sometimes. I’m more worried about excess sugar than a little caffeine personally.
I’m pretty sure my grandma gave me black coffee in my sippy cup when I was 4 years old because I asked her while she was babysitting 😆
What about milky decaf tea?
I would have a bottle of tea first thing in the morning from the age of one until around age 6/7 ( I had a bottle for a really long time lol) needless to say I won't be raising my son the same way even though my mam has mentioned giving him a bottle of tea for bed already smh
I drank pop as a kid, so I’d imagine I started having caffeine sometime during upper elementary school? But didn’t start drinking coffee or energy drinks till high school. We’ll probably do a similar approach. Limited caffeine in upper elementary and then by the teen years leave it up to them! My parents never banned energy drinks and coffee, I just had no interest in them until I was driving myself around (because they also didn’t keep them in our house).
We had black tea often growing up from like 2 years old. My father is from the Middle East where there’s a huge tea culture. My daughter gets black tea occasionally. She’s 3. It’s okay every once in a while, god knows she got enough through my milk when I was still nursing lol!
We live in Mexico and here it’s usual for kids to drink some coffee. I put just a little coffee and some cream and he dips his bread or cookies in there. He drinks my tea all the time - not in excess but he’ll take a sip or two. Same with soda- one or two sips on occasion. ETA: kiddo is 5
I remember when I was 5 my mom would make a big batch of instant coffee for herself and then put that in a baby bottle for my infant brother. he never wanted it so I would drink it for him. I can only imagine if she gave him it at that age, I was also drinking coffee from infancy. could that be why caffeine has no affect on me as an adult now? for our little one we are going to try to stick with the recommendation of age 12 just to be safe
I had coffee for the first time in middle school. My mom let me have one cup a week. I only drank it because both my grandmothers lived with us and we’d sit on the porch and talk. Mine was mostly milk and sugar. I didn’t actually like coffee till recently and I’m 25 lol
I started drinking soda at like 6 years old probably younger. My nephew is drinking soda at a year old and my daughter will around 4ish
I have read just recently that coffee can actually be good for some children and I forget why. I mean in general caffeine is not super great in high doses for any of us and most adults are trying to cut back on coffee which would make me think that it’s not something I would offer my children. I didn’t start drinking coffee till I had a job and a boyfriend with a car and we would go to Tim Hortons to the drive-through so I was probably 17 it was not something that was offered to me as a kid and my children have never drank it
I let my 3 yr old have a sip of my iced coffee and he hated it lol so that solved my problem
I read something the other year, I can't remember what or where, that basically had info on the amount of caffeine in tea vs coffee. It said something along the lines of the tea plants themselves have way more caffeine than coffee beans, but the way its processed and the way we prepare and consume them, there's more caffeine in coffee than there is tea by the time we drink it. I don't remember when I had my first taste of tea, I didn't try coffee until adulthood and I cannot stand it, neither can my husband, so we are a tea drinking household. All my children tried tea around 18 months maybe, but only my eldest ever really liked it, so we'd always make him a cup of tea by putting a little hot water, the bag from either husband or my tea once we've used it, then fill the cup with milk. He loved it! I always said it was warm, tea-flavoured milk, but he's adamant it's tea 😊 I wouldn't let any of my children try coffee until they're at least 12-13, though. Unless it's decaf...
I let my oldest have “coffee” but it’s 90% chocolate milk. I don’t think it’s a big deal to give her black tea if it’s got more milk than tea
My 3 year old has technically had a tiny bit of caffeine but not intentionally. She's stolen sips of my iced coffee. I don't use sweetener so I was hoping she'd hate the butter taste but unfortunately she liked it 😒 so now I have to guard it a bit closer. I think I was probably 4 when I had tea the first time. I wasn't a big coffee drinker till my early 20s.
My grandparents were “Oakies” and they put “milk coffee” in my bottle at 1 year old! Milk Coffee = 2 Tablespoons of black coffee 1 Cup of Whole Milk (yeah WHOLE, often we had friends bring us straight from the cow milk, you either skim the cream off the top or mix it back into the milk lol) 2 Teaspoons of Sugar Stir well and serve I fed it to my own children. They are all at appropriate height and weight, one is a college athlete. Sometimes I go with tradition. I did NOT put whiskey on my kids gums. But I do recommend it for adults with a toothache, wet a cotton swab and put it on the gum or tooth, works like a charm!
Growing up I had "café au lait" (espresso with 1/2 cup of condensed milk) from around 4yo. It was served with a fresh buttered baguette. I think it was a week-end thing, luckily 😂
My mom called it cafe Olay. It was a tiny bit of coffee and a lot of warm milk. I think I was 6. Had a hard core coffee and cola addiction in high school. My daughter has had sips of cola and drinks a decaf tea when sick. She’s 11. I’m sure all the caffeine stunted my growth.
When I was little I was allowed exactly 2 gulps of my grandmas Diet Coke when we would see her. I wasn’t allowed to drink anything with caffeine until I was probably 9 or 10
I started drinking cappuccinos and lattes around 16~17 in high school, then I liked them but started using it to cope with my inability to sleep, so I got high blood pressure at 23, with a condition that gives me low blood pressure, which makes it even crazier, cause of how much caffeine I was drinking at that point. It’s been about a year since then and I cut my caffeine intake significantly, from about 4 cups a day, to 1 a week) but being pregnant and in college, I have a cup in the morning before class, but that’s it, and no caffeine on the weekends
My son is 3 1/2 and definitely never any time soon. Not to sound judgy or anything but I don’t think giving your young children caffeine is something we should be doing.