would you let your child drink coffee?

coffee cup - a steaming cuppa coffee
United States
February 8, 2007 3:36pm CST
if your child walked up to you while your sipping your morning coffee, would you let him/her have a drink? would you let your child have a morning cup of coffee? would you let your child drink coffee if he or she prefered the brew to sodapop?
3 people like this
13 responses
• United States
9 Feb 07
I think it depends on the age of the child. A very young child, I would say no (non decaf). Now a teenager, I don't see a problem with them drinking a cup of coffee. I don't think a sip of coffee would harm a young child. I would let a child drink decaf coffee if they preferred it to soda pop.
• United States
10 Feb 07
I honestly think age 9 is ok. I also think that coffee is better then all those sugar filled sodas out there. Kids at age 9 think anyone is strange if they don't like all the same things, don't they?
1 person likes this
• United States
10 Feb 07
i got eyeballs from a pair of 14 year olds i went to lunch with when i was 14 and i bucked the trend and drank coffee then too lol. kids are so conformist dispite all the noise they make to the contrary...lol
• United States
9 Feb 07
by nine i was drinking coffee, i couldn't stand pop which my contemporaries drank. they all thought i was wierd.
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
9 Feb 07
When everyone in the family is drinking coffee, my son gets his own "coffee". It is aout 90% skim milk and 10% coffee, no sugar. Loving coffee runs in my family so I know he will be addicted one day. When we go to Starbucks he has always gotten his own "coffee" as well. When he was younger Starbucks had a juice frapp without whipped cream for kids (I wish they hadn't discontinued that!). Now that they don't carry it, he gets a Vanilla Bean or Straberry Frapp, hot chocolate or Chocloate milk.
1 person likes this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
9 Feb 07
The drink has been gone for almost 4 years now so I doubt they would ever bring it back. This drink was around before Starbucks became so popular and their demographic changed.
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Feb 07
you can request that they bring that back.
@crystal8577 (1466)
• United States
9 Feb 07
I don't drink coffee nor agree giving it to mu kids. My husband has on occassion if the girls ask. i don't think they need the caffiene or sugar. I do not let them have soda often at all. It is usually milk or water.
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Feb 07
very often they follow what you do and not just what you say. do you dislike the taste of coffee? just curious.
• United States
9 Feb 07
I'd let my children have a sip if they wanted. When I was young, at restaurants, my Dad would give me tastes of coffee in the little creamer containers. I think it's harmless to let them have a taste or 2. I think it's no worse than soda and my children don't drink that anyway.
• United States
9 Feb 07
that's cute. i don't even know what's in soda other than flavor sugar and lots of water.
@Aussies2007 (5336)
• Australia
9 Feb 07
You don't say how old the child is... I don't remember at what age I started drinking coffee. But I have been drinking coffee everyday since the age of 12. And I am 55. What's the alternative? Tea contain caffeine... and so does most soft drinks. So unless you are prepared to drink water your whole life, it is going to be hard to escape caffeine. I don't have this problem... but a lot of people complaint that drinking coffee at night keeps them awake. So that it one thing to look out for.
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Feb 07
as an adult, i take a lot of meds that cause drousyness so the caffine counter-balances all that.
• United States
9 Feb 07
I don't give my child coffee or soda. I think as a parent, I need to make these kind of decisions for my child who is still young (only 2). Of course, if given a chance, he will want everything! But just because he wants something, doesn't mean I have to give it to him. I think it depends on the age of your child and what you think is acceptable. I know a lot of moms who give their 2 year old pop but I don't.
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Feb 07
two is a little young. i was adopted at 2 & a half and i don't remember that far back. i don't have kids...
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
9 Feb 07
When everyone in the family is drinking coffee, my son gets his own "coffee". It is aout 90% skim milk and 10% coffee, no sugar. Loving coffee runs in my family so I know he will be addicted one day. When we go to Starbucks he has always gotten his own "coffee" as well. When he was younger Starbucks had a juice frapp without whipped cream for kids (I wish they hadn't discontinued that!). Now that they don't carry it, he gets a Vanilla Bean or Straberry Frapp, hot chocolate or Chocloate milk.
1 person likes this
@soldenski (2503)
• United States
8 Feb 07
I sometime's make my son, his own cup of coffee. I don't do it often but every so often he get's some. I don't know which is worse coffee or soda. I think I would rather he drink coffee, it does not have that much sugar
1 person likes this
• United States
8 Feb 07
coffee is made out of beans that come off trees. soda pop is usually a vat of chemicals and a whole lot of sugar/corn syrup and water.
@jmcafam (2890)
• United States
8 Feb 07
No I would not let my kids drink coffee. They are young still. I rarly even let them drink soda and when they do it is caffine free.
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Feb 07
how old are your little ones? thanks for the answer...
9 Feb 07
My son loves coffee, he goes to Starbucks with his grandma and started out on her frapaccino, they started out sharing, now he gets his own. If we tell him no that just makes him want it more. When we go to the store, my youngest son and I will get Hot Chocolate but my husband and oldest son get coffee. But most of the time he drinks milk, juice and water.
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Feb 07
it's important that kids, for that matter all of us drink enough water. most of us don't.
@shywolf (4514)
• United States
8 Feb 07
I don't want to upset any coffee drinkers here, but probably not. I had some real troubles with caffeiene about a year ago and had to really seriously limit my caffeine intake, so I would be very cautious with a child of mine and not want to get them started on caffeine at an early age. This would also mean making sure that they had non-caffeinated soda pop, which thankfully isn't too difficult to find nowadays.
1 person likes this
• United States
8 Feb 07
there is decaf coffee as an alternitive if you miss your fav brew.
• Philippines
8 Feb 07
i rarely drink coffee but when i do i have my child a sip of it when he wants to.
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Feb 07
what's your fav beverage when you indulge?
8 Feb 07
I think that if you say no to a child they will just want something more. So giving them a sip isn't harmful at all. In fact because I drink very weak decaffinated coffee it would probably be healthier for them that sodapop. However my kids just drink water, fruit juice and soya milk and I'd rather they had that than coffee so I don't offer it to them.
1 person likes this
• United States
8 Feb 07
i got my coffee addiction from my mom, who felt coffee, being beans, was healthier than chemical laden soda pop.