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Original poster

What age do you let them have coffee?

69 replies

Spotsbeforemyeyes · 15/11/2018 09:12

I have 6 dc, eldest is 23, then 21, 15, 13, 11 and 7.

Eldest had latte from 17. Ds (21) not interested in coffee, he drinks tea from time to time.

Ds is 15, he said this morning “ I’m going to make a brew” I assumed tea, when I realised he was making coffee (pods if it’s relevant) so I stopped him.

He goes to football regularly with his dad so I don’t know if ds allows him coffee.

Anyway this has got longer than I intended.

Coffee at 15? It feels too young. Is decaf an option? I don’t drink decaf, I only ever have one coffee a day so is decaf completely free from caffeine?

Thanks if you made it through.

OP posts:

NoWayNoHow · 15/11/2018 12:51

15 years old is surely fine for coffee? I definitely think I was drinking coffee when I was his age (although it was the 80s!)

DS is 11 and LOVES the taste of coffee - we buy the water-decaffeinated stuff and he makes his own milky iced coffees. He also very occasionally (ie. once every couple of weeks) has a ready made latte from the supermarket which has caffeine in it.

MamaHechtick · 15/11/2018 12:51

DS 4 loves sharing coffee with both his grandads. Occasionally he'll have his own milky one, no sugar.
He and DD also drink tea no sugar. Neither decaff.

Personally I'd rather that than coke, squash or juice.

Mrscog · 15/11/2018 12:53

I'd have thought secondary school age? My 6.5 year old has just started having the occasional cup of tea which seems appropriate and doesn't seem to have any effect really.

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Roomba · 15/11/2018 12:53

My 13yo has enjoyed a coffee a couple of times a week for at least a year now. My mother used to give my sister very milky tea in a bottle as a toddler and I recall drinking tea from age 6/7. I didn't like coffee until I was about 10 but certainly wasn't forbidden from having it. In fact my mither told me off for not making my kids have a hot drink in the morning in winter, she didn't understand why I didn't really want my then 7yo with ADHD drinking lots of caffeine!

I wouldn't want DS drinking energy drinks but that's not just because of the caffeine content. They contain lots of other crap and artificial additives too. A coffee now and again I really can't see a big issue with?

Aragog · 15/11/2018 12:53

Dd was taking a travel bug of coffee to school in a morning from year 10. And had the odd mug of latte etc from year 9. She now goes to Costa most mornings to meet a friend for a coffee of some sort.
She much prefers coffee to tea. She never has caffeine free coffee either, not since she was about 13/14yo.

I wouldn't think of stopping her as a teenager really.

ALadyofLetters · 15/11/2018 12:57

At my primary school we had coffee and a biscuit once a week as a pudding option. They served it milky in the same little glasses you got water in. We all loved it!

amusedbush · 15/11/2018 12:57

I thought this was going to be about a small child, not a 15 year old! There is caffeine in tea, coke, chocolate... what makes coffee worse?

BillywigSting · 15/11/2018 13:01

They sold coffee to the pupils in my secondary school from year nine so around 13 I suppose.

I was drinking weak coffee at 11.

I definitely don't think 15 is too young. I was regularly making pots of coffee for myself and my parents at that age

Gingerivy · 15/11/2018 13:03

In fact my mither told me off for not making my kids have a hot drink in the morning in winter, she didn't understand why I didn't really want my then 7yo with ADHD drinking lots of caffeine!

Actually, I've been told (and read some things) that indicate that some children with ADHD are not revved up by caffeine - that it has the opposite effect on them. My ds has ADHD/autism, and much as I'd be interested to see if that's true, he hates tea and coffee and won't even try them. My other ds loves them - but as he has autism but not ADHD, I'm none the wiser on that one.

Talisin · 15/11/2018 13:07

Blimey, I honestly never knew this was a thing? I have no memory of ever not being able to have a coffee so I have no idea if I started young or not. I must remember to ask my mother.

kikibo · 15/11/2018 13:32

I started with milky coffee with sugar well before the age of 10. That morphed into a second-filter espresso after lunch for the remainder of primary school until 12 (my parents had first filter). I sometimes had an espresso when out and about (though my stomach couldn't take that).

After that not much coffee as I no longer had lunch at home and my school didn't have coffee for pupils I don't think. Though sometimes I did have a cold milky frappè coffee (basically Nesquick-type coffee stuff from Italy) in the morning if it was hot.

As long as they're not having huge Starbucks sizes, what's the problem with coffee?

TheWiseWomansFear · 15/11/2018 14:02

Pretty sure I started around 14/15

Original poster

Spotsbeforemyeyes · 15/11/2018 14:32

Ok I think some of you don't need to be so rude, I'm definitely not controlling as a parent.

I asked what age your DC were when they had coffee. No it's not crack. Lol. I don't allow energy drinks although I'm well aware he has them when out with friends.

Thanks for your answers

OP posts:

Original poster

Spotsbeforemyeyes · 15/11/2018 14:33

If it's relevant he suffers with migraines. Pretty sure caffeine isn't good formigraine sufferers, tea has much less caffeine.

OP posts:

ohtheholidays · 15/11/2018 15:54

Our DD11 drinks coffee,not very often but she can have it if she wants,she has decaf like me at home but if were out and about she'll sometimes have a latte,cappuccino or a frappe of some kind that or some type of tea.

She's never really had a child's palate when it comes to food or drink and we'd much rather she had a coffee or tea over a fizzy drink.

busbottom · 15/11/2018 15:58

Actually there is evidence that caffeine does help migraines. Many people take an espresso shot when they feel one coming on.

Bacciferous · 15/11/2018 15:59

My 6year old nephew has a little cup of tea sometimes. I remember having a coffee before school from about 14

icebearforpresident · 15/11/2018 16:43

I started drinking coffee at about 12 and was getting tea as a toddler. My two occasionally ask for a cup of tea and i’ll happily let them have one (albeit weak with plenty of milk and no sugar).

While I do bite my tounge at my nana letting my 2 year old have a drink of her industrial strength coffee I can’t imagine not letting them drink it at 15.

Knittink · 15/11/2018 16:53

Those who are baffled by allowing tea but not coffee, average caffeine level is 40mg in tea and 105mg in coffee.

Dd (13) has been drinking tea for about a year. She has the occasional cup of coffee (sometimes decaf, sometimes not).

I don't think there's any evidence that caffeine in small amounts is bad for you, is there? Obviously the effects would presumably be stronger on a small child because of body mass, but I doubt one cup of coffee will affect a teenager any more than an adult.

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