Here some examples of how caffeine may affect your child. While it won’t stunt your child’s growth, it might have an adverse effect on his sleep, diet, blood pressure and heart rate. We have limited studies on the effects of caffeine in growing children. How Much Caffeine is Too Much for Children?Ĭaffeine is a stimulant that primarily affects the activity of the brain and organs. Now, let’s take a look at how caffeine affects your child’s body. We know kids come in all shapes and sizes, so a 16 year old male football player is more likely to safely handle more caffeine than a 16 year old female gymnast, for example. I like this estimation because it’s based on body weight, not an arbitrary age. That’s about 115 mg caffeine for a 100# pre-teen. That’s about one cup of Folger’s or Maxwell House coffee, 1 to 2 cups of tea, or 2 to 3 cans of soda.Ī more recent 2017 systematic review of caffeine intake among adults, pregnant women, teens and children indicates that a dose of 2.5 mg/kg/day of caffeine shouldn’t cause harmful effects on teens. Caffeine Recommendations for Pre-teens and Teensįor children older than 12, the recommendation is 85-100 mg caffeine per day. That’s the equivalent of about two 12 oz cans of soda or one 8 oz cup of coffee.Ī child is at risk for caffeine overdose and caffeine toxicity if they ingest over 50 mg per pound, which is toxic. Pediatricians suggest children under the age of 12 years should not eat or drink any caffeine-containing foods or drinks.įor children older than twelve, caffeine intake should fall between a maximum of 85-100 milligrams (mg) per day. However, major health organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) state that “caffeine and other stimulant substances contained in energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents.” Not only is caffeine a concern for these little ones, but so is the likelihood of added sugar in their diet. Of these 2-year-olds, about 15% consumed as much as 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of coffee each day. The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans explicitly advise avoidance of caffeine for kids under age two, which I cover in this podcast. Among 1-year-olds, the rate of coffee consumption was 2.5 percent.īy the time children reached the age of 2, over 15% were consuming coffee. However, coffee and other sources of caffeine aren’t limited to the school-age and teenage crowd.Ī study of Boston toddlers (1-2 years old) looked at their consumption rates of coffee. These concentrated sources of caffeine have potential adverse health risks for kids. Most of it comes from soda, but that’s changing.Įnergy drinks and caffeine pills add to the increased caffeine in our children’s diets. Recent surveys highlight caffeine for kids as a growing concern in young people’s diets.Īccording to a 2014 study in Pediatrics, almost 75% of children consume caffeine every day.
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