Appropriate age for kids to start drinking coffee (diet, healthy, addictive)

[foxyknoxy]

I started drinking coffee in college.

[in_newengland]

We didn't drink coffee but my grandparents would put a little bit of tea in my milk, probably to get me acclimated to being a tea drinker (which I am) when I grew up. I don't know what other evils lurk in consuming caffeine but it is said to leach the calcium out of the bones. So not good for adult women who are trying to prevent osteoporosis. Maybe it does the same thing to kids.

[snarfsiclex]

I started drinking coffee at 18. I remember choosing to try it then because I have to study but didn't really like the taste. Took me another 4 years before it became part of my morning routine. Most people I know started drinking coffee in their late teens.


I learned a few years ago that coffee stunting children's growth is a myth, and that it was spread by a competing product. Can't remember where I read that now but that article also did say that children are okay with coffee but in moderation because of effects to quality of sleep.

[coolgato]

I didn't start drinking coffee till my 30s - we used to have afternoon breaks at work when we made ourselves some International coffees, remember those? That was my gateway drink.

I still get shocked seeing kids as young as 12 walk away with a frappucino - there is coffee in there but not the bitter coffee, it is sweet and delicious, I better stop talking about it before the shakes start.

[Grlzrl]

Originally Posted by hertfordshire

It's amusing to me that some parents wouldn't bat an eyelash at their kid slurping down a supersized coke, but somehow feel that a cup of coffee is bad for them.

I would prefer my kids choose coffee over soda. I rarely let them have soda. My 15 year old will occasionally have coffee but I only let her have it in the early part of the day.

[Grlzrl]

And given that parents DO give their kids caffeinated soda, is there any evidence coffee will stunt growth or was that what parents told their kids because they didn't want to share the coffee?

[Fleet]

I would say around age 17. I was never a coffee drinker; still am not. As a teen I preferred water and soft drinks. Also tea. And milkshakes!

[gentlearts]

In MA we drank a lot of “coffee milk”, but it was a syrup we added to milk. Not sure if it contained caffeine. New Englanders like their coffee (I think coffee ice cream is the most popular flavor) and iced coffee is just as popular as iced tea.

When visitors came, the coffee pot was always on, with lots of cream and sugar, but I dont remember drinking hot coffee much as a kid.

So my point is, I don’t think we kids were ever restricted from having coffee if we wanted it.

[Willamette City]

I started drinking coffee at about 10. My dad had a rule, if I was going to drink coffee, it had be straight with no sugar, milk or any other additive. Kind of an easy rule to break.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

I let my oldest start drinking coffee when she was 14. She actually started with energy drinks but those made her feel really ill. It would be nice if she could manage without caffeine, but she gets really behind on school work if she doesn't have some form of caffeine daily.