Thirsty?

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.

I have a 4th grader in here c/o dizziness. She ate lunch, BP is normal, hasn't been exercising or running around and when I asked her what she drank today she tells me "2 dixie cups of water, a milk and coffee."

Coffee?! She's nine!! My jaw dropped. Then she told me takes it with milk. Not even sugar or flavored creamer. I was just so surprised! I told her I didn't start drinking coffee until college and even now I only drink it when I am sleepy. Those caffeine addicts are starting young!! We had a laugh about my reaction but then I explained to her how coffee can dehydrate you and if she insists on drinking it she should have extra water to replace what she is losing. Now she knows what the word "diuretic" means. And who says kids miss out on instruction when they visit the nurse?

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Does she have ADHD or similar issues? I've heard of parents utilizing coffee as an alternative to other stimulants.

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When I was a kid my mom put out a glass of OJ, my Dino Flintstone Vitamin, and a glass of milk with a few Tbs. of coffee in it.

Originally, we called it "Coffee Milk".

That was pretty much all I drank until lunch every day, outside of the water fountain after gym.

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Does she have ADHD or similar issues? I've heard of parents utilizing coffee as an alternative to other stimulants.

SNOWY! Your picture! *gasps, enchanted*

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.
Does she have ADHD or similar issues? I've heard of parents utilizing coffee as an alternative to other stimulants.

No behavior issues, she is an absolute dream of a child. I love her. She was so funny too, she just shrugged and said "I like the taste!"

I wonder if the coffee-in-lieu-of-meds thing works. Stranger things have happened I guess. Paging Dr. Folgers...

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a glass of milk with a few Tbs. of coffee in it.

Originally, we called it "Coffee Milk".

Yep! I will give this to my kids every so often. little milk, little flavored creamer, couple splashes of coffee and they are happy. Then the cat finds the mostly full cups still on the table and enjoys a treat.

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I have a 6th grader that would come in once a week with headache mid morning. Finally, we figured out that he was having them on days he didn't have time to drink his 2 cups of joe!

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I started drinking coffee at age 11, but a lot of sugar with that cream. My family had always told me as a kid, coffee will stunt your growth (hey, I was a child and I believed them) and I was tired of being taller than everyone, so I resorted to coffee (of course my family didn't know why I was drinking it). It didn't work (I'm 5'8")...but my poor parents had to deal with not only a sugar high but a caffeinated child.

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I started drinking it at 12, the the time I started working at the racetrack ponying racehorses at 5am lol. "Survival of the most caffeinated" became my slogan on the weekends :)

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

i have a high hispanic population. It seems to be a cultural norm for the children to start their day with a cup of coffee. I don't even react to it anymore.

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i have a high hispanic population. It seems to be a cultural norm for the children to start their day with a cup of coffee. I don't even react to it anymore.

Im just imagining the episode of Modern Family with Manny drinking espresso in the morning.

I am Hispanic and my mom was like, "you are much too young to drink coffee" as she only drinks coffee

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Specializes in School nursing.

All the kids here have been drinking coffee since a young age. That's what happens when your school is actually right next to a Dunkin' Donuts. I don't mind the coffee as much as the cream and 10 packets of sugar they put in it.

I didn't start drinking coffee until nursing school. Now I need my morning iced coffee (no matter what time of year, I am a true New England resident). And today, after 2 pukers and a staff member I had to refer out, I treated myself to a second iced coffee that I finished before 10. :coffee::coffee::coffee::coffee:

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