Caffeine and Kids Health

From what I can find online, most of the concern with caffeine in children is caffeine toxicity and the large amounts of extra calories from the SOURCES of the caffeine (soda, energy drinks, etc.)

One site I found (I'll put links at the bottom) said that a preschooler should be limited to approximately 45 mg of caffeine per day, or about the amount in a 12 ounce can of coke. A cup of coffee is generally perceived as having 150 - 200 mg of caffeine. I can't find much on appropriate levels for a tween, but I would probably say that one cup of coffee would be acceptable, but two might be pushing it.

As far as the tea goes, it's going to depend on the type of tea. Different varieties have different caffeine contents.

If he feels like he NEEDS these things, it's probably time to cut back significantly. If he just likes them and can go without, then maybe just cutting back a little bit to help ease your mind.

Here are the sites I found:
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/fun-and-fit-family-11/caff... (talks about caffeine toxicity)
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/feeding/child_caffein...

ETA: Sorry, forgot to mention, tea (and black coffee) has a lot of health benefits, as well (antioxidants and such). So, I would say do your research, talk to his ped again, and make your decision from there. Good luck!

if this is a real question and not another troll, of course it is not healthy. It is not good for adults to drink lots of caffeine, and our bodies are already formed.

Caffeine withdrawal can cause headaches. If he is now used to consuming a certain amount of caffeine, say, Monday to Friday, and feels headachy and cranky on Saturday when he gets up a bit later -- yep, it's his body wanting a caffeine fix.

Caffeine itself (not withdrawal, consuming it) also gives some people headaches. And some people are more sensitive to it than others; just because you've never heard of anyone getting headaches from coffee, that does not mean he wouldn't.

I would work with your son to wean him gradually off all caffeine and see if the headaches go away -- be aware, it will take time, and you must do it gradually; if he has two cups of coffee and/or several cups of tea each day, and just stops all at once, he will feel lousy! Switch to decaf -- today there are decafs that taste just as good as the real thing. Gradually shift to less and less caffeinated coffee until it's just decaf and see if the headaches go away.

At the same time increase his water intake. Caffeine is a diuretic -- it makes your body get rid of water, so a kid drinking it could be slightly dehydrated all the time. That causes headaches too.

Also, he may get a lot more caffeine than you realize. Does he also drink any caffeinated sodas? That adds to the total caffeine and that plus coffee and/or tea could be giving him more than you realize. I assume you know that the super-caffeinated energy and sports drinks like Red Bull and others are considered very bad for all kids, right?

Look at the American Academy of Pediatrics' www.healthychildren.org web site to see more about the dangers of those energy drinks for kids' development. I know that's not what you asked about but the AAP basically doesn't like caffeine for kids in any form.

While coffee and teas do have some health benefits, for a child whose body is developing and growing, I would be more concerned about the down side of caffeine than about the up side of the (relatively low) antioxidants in teas or other beneficial compounds in coffee. And while caffeine's not addictive in the way nicotine is, people do start to feel they "need" it to be alert, and they drag if they don't keep up the usual amount to which their bodies are accustomed.

One other thought -- coffee and tea make teeth a real mess and it's hard to truly clean those stains.....

From a coffee lover who is very sensitive to caffeine and had headaches (and chest pains) until we realized that caffeine was the culprit....Now I am thankful for today's tastier decafs!

I think both can actually be beneficial. My 6y sips some of her Dad's coffee.
Here are some things to try.
1. Switch to decaf coffee and tea. If it's the taste he likes, he won't mind decaf.
2. Use smaller coffee cups. Like the 4-6 oz size.

Coffee is also a diuretic- could he be getting headaches from dehydration? Why not try taking him off caffeine for a month-six weeks, see if the headaches go away? It certainly won't hurt him to go without it (past any withdrawal headaches). If he doesn't improve, you will have ruled something out.