Is it safe to give decaf coffee to a child? I heard from a friend that there's a new trend happening. People are bringing their kids to Starbucks and buying them a so-called "baby-cino", i.e. decaf coffee with lots of cream and sugar.

Is this really an occurence? Is there any evidence about the effects of coffee (even decaf) on children?  

Is there possibly any health-risks one should look into, before giving coffee to a child?
You may find similar discussion mostly on the health tag. The most relevant question was previously closed on Coffee SE site as it was opinion-based.


What&#39;s the minimum recommended age for drinking a coffee?


Let me add my opinion here: my 2.5 years old niece drinks regular (not decaf) Turkish coffee together with us during her daily routine. Caffeine's effects are similar in adults or in children. And they are more or less the same. However, children have smaller and more sensitive bodies. So, we let her drink really small amounts. She becomes happy to be a part of the family. I can say, everybody in our family grown up like that for generations, none of us experienced caffeine-related problems. (Still, we are not MDs and we are a very limited sample set. This is a coffee board, not a medical opinion body.)

The other related questions may arise, but relevant to adults:


Does coffee cause dehydration?
Does coffee cause gastrointestinal problems?
How many cups of coffee is it safe to consume per day?
What are the side effects of drinking too much coffee?
Can drinking coffee at least once a day increase anxiety?
Coffee on daily basis
Does coffee consumption cause continuous chest pain?


As children are more sensitive, every little effect must be considered seriously. Still, I believe, if observed carefully, it should be safe to drink a bit coffee for a child.