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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

DD10 has been eating coffee beans

27 replies

upsideup · 12/02/2018 21:52

Is it dangerous?
She has just come down stairs to say she can't sleep and admitted its probably because shes been eating coffee beans for the last two days, she says she only had a few but we dont know how true that is.
She seems fine apart from not being tired and has got upset but only just because she can tell me and DH are worried. We've read online that you can actually eat coffee beans but cant find anything about how many, the dangers or effects on children.
Apart from making sure she does not do it again, do we need to be worried or do anything more?

OP posts:
Pooshweens · 12/02/2018 21:53

They must taste awful! I don't think they'll do any damage unless she ate loads

twinone · 12/02/2018 21:54

My dd loves coffee beans in chocolate. They aren't sold with a health warning on them, so I assume they are safe.

PatheticNamechange · 12/02/2018 21:55

I would be worried it is some weight loss fad.
I have read that this is one of the few things victoria beckham eats.

Idontdowindows · 12/02/2018 21:58

They're safe enough for human consumption as they are and in moderation, but she won't need a trampoline for a while.

All joking aside, impress on her it can be dangerous for her to eat them like that, especially in larger quantities. I'd be curious to find out why she is eating them though.

OutyMcOutface · 12/02/2018 21:58

You can actually die from a caffeine overdose but it would take more than a few coffee beans. But has she had anything else with caffeine? Energy drinks for example? When did she last sleep? What other symptoms of an overdose does she have? Is she shakey/jittery? Anxious? Vomiting/nauseous? Dizzy? Is she sweaty/is her heart beating too fast?

Madcatter · 12/02/2018 22:01

You can buy chocolate coated coffee beans in Nero so I'd imagine the reason you can't find any info on their safety is because they're not in the least bit dangerous. In fact unless she's eaten absolutely loads of them doubt she's even had that much caffeine. Think about 1 ground up and then think about how many you'd need for 1 cup of coffee. If anything she probably just didn't fall asleep straight away then started stressing herself out thinking it was the coffee beans and ended up thinking herself into insomnia. She'll be fine.

UpstartCrow · 12/02/2018 22:04

I think she'll be ok but you do need to warn her that isnt safe.

The symptoms of caffeine overdose are noticeable and serious, such as palpitations, erratic fast heartbeat, sweating, dizziness and nausea.
www.healthline.com/health/caffeine-overdose#symptoms

Original poster
upsideup · 12/02/2018 22:05

Thankyou for the replies, We are giving her lots of water and staying up with her to make sure shes okay. Shes saying she dosnt remember but she thinks only a few, so really that could mean anything.

OutyMcOutface
Nothing else with caffine, shes anxious but I think shes just upset/worried that shes done something wrong ans she didnt realise it was dangerous, she isnt sweaty or feeling sick but we are keeping a close eye.

OP posts:
Madcatter · 12/02/2018 22:06

Sorry just seen she's 10 which is perhaps a bit young in terms of judging an appropriate quantity. Nonetheless, I'd still have thought she'd have to eat a hell of a lot before they made her ill.

InToMyHeart · 12/02/2018 22:06

Loads of people eat coffee beans covered in chocolate, they were really trendy a few years ago. Probably not the best snack for a child but they won't do her any harm.
Good luck getting her to sleep though!

FluffyWuffy100 · 12/02/2018 22:06

Ah, I remember the time I wolfed down an entire bowl of chocolate covered coffee beans... and didn’t sleep a wink that night.

She’ll be fine. Tell her to listen to an audiobook and relax and she’ll drop off eventually (or not, and have a tough tired day tomorrow but hey ho she’ll live)

FluffyWuffy100 · 12/02/2018 22:07

Why are you giving her lots of water and staying up with her??? You’re making her panicky ffs!

MrsPestilence · 12/02/2018 22:10

The chocolate coated ones are ever so moreish, I can eat loads. They keep me awake, but are safe.

Why not snuggle down with her and a book. Ask her what chocolate (if any) they had on? Did she enjoy them? Where did she get them? Maybe she should eat less in future.

They are usually quite an adult taste. Make her feel loved and find out what is going on. It is an unusual thing for a 10 year old to get hold of.

InToMyHeart · 12/02/2018 22:11

Why are you giving her lots of water and staying up with her??? You’re making her panicky ffs!

Very true - she'd probably be asleep by now if you weren't frightening her! It's really no different to drinking coffee!

Original poster
upsideup · 12/02/2018 22:12

FluffyWuffy100

No, we are actually calming her down, she came down stairs panicking.

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 12/02/2018 22:12

What does she mean she doesn't remember? Sounds like she isn't being honest.

meredintofpandiculation · 12/02/2018 22:13

I was drinking a daily cup ground coffee by the time I was 5 years old. So that would be about a heaped dessert spoon of grounds. Suppose that's 50% extraction of coffee, so equivalent to eating half a dessert spoon of grounds, or maybe 3/4 dessert spoon of beans.

Catatlarge · 12/02/2018 22:15

Surely sending her back to bed with a ‘you’ll be fine you silly sod” is more reassuring than sitting with her making a big deal out of it, googling for stuff, getting her to drink ‘lots of wate’? !

Original poster
upsideup · 12/02/2018 22:20

Just to clarify DD doesnt know we were googled and posted on here (which we only did to check if she was in fact okay because we were not sure). She was already in tears and panicking when she came down to us, all we have done is comforted her and told her she will be fine , she's cuddled up with DH on the sofa, we are not frightening her.

OP posts:
stickytoffeevodka · 12/02/2018 22:21

Why not just give her a cuddle and send her back to bed?

Staying up with her and giving her lots of water is only going to reinforce the idea that she's done something bad or dangerous.

Wolfiefan · 12/02/2018 22:21

Why did she eat them?
Why is she panicking?
I agree with the PP About the weight loss thing. Would worry me. Odd behaviour.

Fruufruu · 12/02/2018 22:22

I used to eat bags of them coated in chocolate as a teenager. They'd give her a stomach ache long before she got major symptoms of having too much caffeine in my experience - a big coffee from a high street coffee shop makes me far more jittery than a snack bag of whole beans. You might want to suggest snacking on chocolate coated peanuts or raisins instead though in future for the sake of her sleep! :)

robertaplumkin · 12/02/2018 22:34

yum! lovely dipped in chocolate

LanaorAna2 · 12/02/2018 22:37

Weird thing to do at 10 - let's hope the consequences put her off. Tell her not to do it again and take her to bed. A sleepless night never hurt anyone, she'll be fine, altho maybe not a coffee fan for a few years :)

Troels · 12/02/2018 22:50

Dd when she was about 5 or 6 used to try and grab some on the way past the grind your own machine in Costco. She used to manage to get one or two and she'd get them in her mouth fast so I couldn't get them off her she loves them still. The ones in chocolate didn't seem to appeal to her she likes them plain.