Coffee for toddlers –
Is Coffee Safe for My Infant or Toddler?
For certain individuals, the day doesn’t start until they’ve consumed their first cup of coffee. We frequently visit the corner coffee shop where the baristas know our names and our order history.
However, having a child may cause you to reevaluate your routine as you start to wonder if it’s okay to consume coffee while nursing. What happens if your young child appears to be requesting a drink?
Continue reading to find out more about the potential effects of coffees’ caffeine on your toddler or newborn.
Coffee for Toddlers – Do some infants and young children have coffee?
Are there infants and young children consuming coffee?
The quick answer to this is that some parents appear to be sharing their coffee with their infants and young children, according to studies.
Indeed, when 315 mother-child pairs in Boston, Massachusetts were studied in 2015, it was discovered that 15.2 percent of the mothers were allowing their toddlers to drink coffee by the time the toddlers turned two years old.
And as the children become older, the numbers rise. According to research, 75% of children over the age of five already regularly consume caffeine. While the majority of them drink soda, some of them also enjoy coffee or drinks with coffee as an ingredient. A few people are also drinking energy drinks nonstop.
Coffee for Toddlers – Do young children and infants drink coffee?
The question then arises as to whether or not those young kids actually need to be consuming coffee. The short answer in this case is probably no.
According to the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP), kids and teenagers should make an effort to avoid caffeine-containing beverages. Babies are included in this.
In fact, caffeine has “no place in the diet of children and adolescents,” according to the 2018 findings of the AAP’s Committee on Nutrition and Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness.
Coffee for Toddlers – Continue drinking milk and eating well.
Parents must regularly ensure that their infants and young children are receiving a nutritious diet. This involves seeing to it that they consume the recommended quantity of milk.
Coffee for Toddlers – Effects of coffee on babies and toddlers
Caffeine might make you feel more alert — refreshed, even — and ready to tackle your lengthy to-do list. But you have the advantage of an adult-sized body that can process the caffeine more effectively.
Your baby’s body can’t handle it quite as easily, and a smaller amount can affect their functioning. Whereas you may feel energized, your baby may react to caffeine by acting jittery, anxious, or irritable. Your baby might even experience colic-like symptoms.
What if your baby or toddler accidentally has coffee?
Many of us can have a cup of coffee without any trouble at all, other than perhaps keeping us awake at night if we drink it in the evening. In fact, a healthy adult can probably consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine on a daily basis without any adverse effects.
Children are not just little adults, though. We’re still learning more about how caffeine affects children and what amount is considered safe, and more research is needed.
It’s possible for a child to consume what’s considered to be a toxic amount of caffeine, but research suggests Trusted Source that it’s much more likely to happen with highly caffeinated energy drinks and medications containing caffeine than with coffee.
It is improbable that your youngster would suffer long-term consequences from a very tiny amount of coffee.
Naturally, this does not imply that you should purposefully give your infant or toddler coffee. However, you’re more likely to end up with a stain on your clothes than a health issue if your healthy toddler snatches your (hopefully not scalding) coffee mug out of your hands and takes a swallow.
Coffee for Toddlers – Is coffee consumption acceptable when nursing ?
It’s possible that you’re also curious about whether coffee is safe to consume while nursing.
You might have given up coffee — or at least switched to decaf — while you were pregnant. Many doctors advise pregnant people to reduce or even eliminate their caffeine consumption. But what happens after the baby’s here, and you’re really craving a hot cup of the good stuff?
You may relish the boost of energy that you get from the caffeine coursing through your body, but a small amount can pass through to your breast milk — and to your baby. It’s only a small amount, true, but your baby’s body can’t process the caffeine as quickly and efficiently as your adult body can.
Due to their developing kidneys and livers, research indicates that newborns have a half-life of caffeine that ranges from 65 to 130 hours Trusted Source, whereas adults’ half-lives are 3 to 7 hours. In essence, the amount of time that caffeine remains in your system is far less than the amount of time it may remain in your baby’s.
It should be alright as long as you approach your coffee intake with an eye towards moderation. That is, your baby shouldn’t be negatively impacted by caffeine if your daily intake is less than 300 mg of caffeine Trusted Source, or two to three cups of coffee.
Advice for parents whose toddler want to be like their parents
How do you respond when your child demands coffee because you’re drinking it?
A plump-cheeked toddler who aspires to be just like their parents is difficult to resist. (How adorable is that?)
Fortunately, there are a few choices available to you for toddlers older than one.
Provide a caffeine-free alternative in a kid-friendly coffee mug that they like. Consider decaffeinated herbal teas, juice (preferably unsweetened and diluted with water), warm water infused with a squeeze of lemon, or the reliable beverage of choice: milk.
You might even allow your toddler to choose a brand-new “coffee” mug to use for drinking. (Just make sure it isn’t susceptible to breaking.) Alternatively, throw a fictitious tea party. If your kids already have a toy tea set, get it out of storage, dust it off, and just act like you’re having tea or coffee.
Remember this one more thing: Don’t just exchange the coffee for a beverage. It’s simple to forget that beverages other than coffee can also contain caffeine. Caffeine is also present in a lot of teas, energy drinks, and sodas.
Small levels of caffeine are present in even certain drinks that are marketed as being decaffeinated. Make sure you understand the score by carefully reading the labels.
Age when it’s OK for your kiddo to have coffee
So, when is a good age to finally allow your child to have coffee? There doesn’t seem to be a hard and fast answer to that question, since when it’s “safe” and when it’s “smart” may be two different ages.
As a parent, you have to decide what kind of limit to place on your child, based on their health and their specific needs.
One thing you’ll want to consider is the AAP’s policy that children don’t need to consume any caffeine. You may also consider whether your child has any underlying health issues that would require them to avoid caffeine.
You may decide to wait till your youngster is older to permit coffee and other caffeinated beverages. You may decide to let them have a soda or coffee drink on special days or maybe on the weekends.
However, even if you do let your kids enjoy coffee or other caffeinated beverages, take this into account: Moderation is vital in many things, including life.
Higher dosage’ of caffeine, in the 400 mg per day level, might cause a variety of possible difficulties, especially in children with heart abnormalities or specific psychiatric problems, according to a 2019 assessment of research literature.
In summary
Later in life, your child will have lots of opportunity to develop a liking for coffee. If they enjoy tasting your drink, don’t worry about it, but also don’t make an effort to serve them coffee or tea. Make sure you urge them to substitute adequate amounts of water and milk.
The calcium and vitamin D found in milk are essential for your baby’s healthy growth and development of strong bones. Make sure your child eats all that should be on their plates and in their cups every day, and avoid giving them coffee-flavored beverages.
coffee for toddlers,
can toddlers drink coffee,
is coffee safe for toddlers,
caffeine and toddlers,
toddler caffeine intake,
effects of coffee on toddlers,
what age can kids have coffee,
coffee alternatives for toddlers,
toddlers and energy drinks,
parenting advice on toddler drinks,
