Dear On The Go Mom,

[MCsMom]

Maybe giving your pre-school child RED BULL so that because "she needs it to keep up" with you isn't such a good idea.

Just a thought.

[Melaine]

maybe giving your pre-school child red bull so that because "she needs it to keep up" with you isn't such a good idea.

Just a thought.

are you for real?!?!

[Clarity]

This is much like my nephew's mother. She gives him McCappucino's and then medicates him for ADHD. :banghead:

[DebbieJ]

:47:
you've got to be kidding me!

[Melaine]

That's disgusting...although frankly I've never tried Red Bull and am not exactly sure what is in it....but I get the gist....and wouldn't even think of giving it to DC....

[elizabethkott]

Oh.
My.
Gawd.

That is repugnant.

[veronica]

That is ridiculous. If the kids get Red Bull, what's mom drinking?

[Reyadawnbringer]

Someone needs to slap that woman! Thats crazy!

[belovedgandp]

An adult friend of ours has been temporarily working at a convenient store by use the past few months. The stories she has about what people feed their kids is scary; Red Bull to the under 4 set, putting OJ back to buy Mountain Dew, supersize candy bars.

When we're on a roadtrip, we've had some less than our usual healthy choice stops at a c-store, but you can still find things that are treats for kids without being completely off your rocker.

[scrooks]

:47:
Wow! Unbelievable!

[Minnifer]

I'm horrified... and yet, not surprised. People are just stupid - and there are also many people who just plain do not deserve to be parents.

[infomama]

That poor kid.

[octmom]

This is much like my nephew's mother. She gives him McCappucino's and then medicates him for ADHD. :banghead:


The Red Bull thing is ridiculous, but this post caught my eye. I was at a party a few months ago and heard a man saying that his school-aged son (maybe about 7 or 8 y.o.) with ADHD found that caffeine helped him focus. I have no idea if there is any evidence of this, but I was surprised, so it stuck with me. :shrug:

[khalloc]

At my daughter's first daycare a mother there used to bring her 3 year old in drinking Dunkin Donuts Coffee Coolattas! Thats the kid drinking that, not the mother, for BREAKFAST!

[ladysoapmaker]

I was at a party a few months ago and heard a man saying that his school-aged son (maybe about 7 or 8 y.o.) with ADHD found that caffeine helped him focus.

As someone with ADD & havign several friends with different severities of ADD, yes this does happen. I find that I have two extremes with caffeine now that I'm taking daily meds for my ADD. I, either, get really sleepy (to the point of being dangerous if driving) or I get hyperfocused. It really depends on when I have it and how much I ingest. I can not have more then a small package of M&Ms after 2pm. One of my friends whose been without insurance for a while finds that if he gets, not Red Bull but one of the others that has more caffeine in it, that it helps help him focus and he can do his job better. The stuff that makes ritalin and caffeine are in the same chemical family from what I understand and it does something with those with ADD to not so much slow down the brain but to shift things so we are so distracted.

Jen

[Laurel]

Gross but I'm not surprised. When I taught, I used to have 4th and 5th graders show up daily with Starbucks, and it wasn't hot chocolate they were drinking!

[elliput]

That is ridiculous. If the kids get Red Bull, what's mom drinking?
Probably vodka.

[hellokitty]

OMG, ppl do that??? It would never in a million yrs even cross my mind to give my kids a drink like red bull! If they're tired, it's b/c they need more sleep, not b/c they need a stimulant!

[MCsMom]

This is true story from a mom friend of mine.

She took her kids to a train exhibit last weekend. She saw this mom with a 2-3 year old and the mom was feeding her Red Bull with a straw.

My friend actually went up to the mom and said "Isn't there a lot of caffeine in that drink?".

Red Bull Mom told her "Oh I give this to her all the time because she needs it to keep up with me. Ha ha!"

:rolleye0014:

It isn't really a laughing matter but elliput, that was funny!

[pinkmomagain]

The Red Bull thing is ridiculous, but this post caught my eye. I was at a party a few months ago and heard a man saying that his school-aged son (maybe about 7 or 8 y.o.) with ADHD found that caffeine helped him focus. I have no idea if there is any evidence of this, but I was surprised, so it stuck with me. :shrug:

Stimulants are generally what help ADHD symptoms (counter-intuitive, I know). I've read that there are some parents who try out caffiene instead of prescription meds for ADHD. I guess they think they are going a safer/more conservative route?

[edurnemk]

Stimulants are generally what help ADHD symptoms (counter-intuitive, I know). I've read that there are some parents who try out caffiene instead of prescription meds for ADHD. I guess they think they are going a safer/more conservative route?

Maybe that's the reason behind some of these cases, but the amount of caffeine in a Red Bull might be dangerous for a small child. A doctor friend of ours did tell us once drinking too many Red Bulls or too frequently can be bad for the heart.

[mamicka]

I drink caffiene on a very regular basis - sometimes several cups a day & into the evening. I'm not even opposed to kids drinking coffee in moderation. But Red Bull? I've had it once & I felt like I was high on something that should be illegal. It was awful. Doing that to a child is just wrong. There's got to be more than just caffeine in there.

[lizzywednesday]

Maybe that's the reason behind some of these cases, but the amount of caffeine in a Red Bull might be dangerous for a small child. A doctor friend of ours did tell us once drinking too many Red Bulls or too frequently can be bad for the heart.

Look, just drinking regular old coffee makes my heart race and I am not a petite person.

I can't imagine what the heck that Red Bull is doing to that kid.

(Incidentally, it's nasty stuff. My sister loves it, but I can't figure out why!)

[jerigirl]

The Red Bull thing is ridiculous, but this post caught my eye. I was at a party a few months ago and heard a man saying that his school-aged son (maybe about 7 or 8 y.o.) with ADHD found that caffeine helped him focus. I have no idea if there is any evidence of this, but I was surprised, so it stuck with me. :shrug:

I have heard this from several moms too. Caffeine and protein together seems to help their children.

[edurnemk]

There's got to be more than just caffeine in there.

Yes there is, in fact. Red Bull has taurine (sp?) in addition to caffeine, which is in the same family as caffeine, but it's stronger.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull#Ingredients

BTW, Red Bull has been banned in some countries.

[MCsMom]

I can't imagine what the heck that Red Bull is doing to that kid.



:yeahthat:

[SM23Mama21]

I took a class on drugs in college and we did a whole section on red bull type drinks. I remember we tested heart rates before and after drinking them. I don't remember the exact outcome, but I do remember being surprised. I don't think I've had an energy drink since.

[mommylamb]

I can't imagine what the heck that Red Bull is doing to that kid.


:yeahthat: The one time I drank red bull I got sooooo sick. But that probably had more to do with the vodka than the red bull. Then again, I'm never drinking red bull again (but I'm not giving up vodka).

[AnnieW625]

Gross but I'm not surprised. When I taught, I used to have 4th and 5th graders show up daily with Starbucks, and it wasn't hot chocolate they were drinking!

this is way too common in Southern California. It makes me ill just thinking about it. I tried my first mocha at 17 and got horrible shakes from it. I have been a decaf drinker for many years because of the shakes, but agree that kids under the age of 15 or 16 should not be drinking coffee or Red Bull (actually tastes good to me, but I haven't had it in years either!) or what not.

[maestramommy]

this is way too common in Southern California. It makes me ill just thinking about it. I tried my first mocha at 17 and got horrible shakes from it. I have been a decaf drinker for many years because of the shakes, but agree that kids under the age of 15 or 16 should not be drinking coffee or Red Bull (actually tastes good to me, but I haven't had it in years either!) or what not.


Now why is that? Is it the plethora of Starbucks on every corner? I had students coming in every morning (middle schoolers, sometimes even 6th graders) with starbucks. They love their mochas and lattes. I think they must put tons of sugar in their drinks. Otherwise they would realize it's COFFEE!

I'm interested in whether kids out here drink a lot of Dunkin Donuts. They are much more numerous out here than Starbucks.

[lizzywednesday]

Now why is that? Is it the plethora of Starbucks on every corner? I had students coming in every morning (middle schoolers, sometimes even 6th graders) with starbucks. They love their mochas and lattes. I think they must put tons of sugar in their drinks. Otherwise they would realize it's COFFEE!

You ever read Starbucks' calorie counts for their syrups? That stuff's pure sugar! (Also, the info is available on Starbucks' website.)


I'm interested in whether kids out here drink a lot of Dunkin Donuts. They are much more numerous out here than Starbucks.

My sister was addicted to Dunkin' Donuts coffees for the longest time once she got her license and a job. (There's a shop across the street from the McDonald's she worked at in high school and there's a shop on the way to her current job.)

I still don't get it. Caffeine from coffee makes me shake. I only drink it in emergencies (i.e. - I'm having an asthma attack & don't have a rescue inhaler on me or I'm having a bad headache & need to give my painkiller a "boost" ... that's the "extra" ingredient in Excedrin anyway.)

[vludmilla]

The Red Bull thing is ridiculous, but this post caught my eye. I was at a party a few months ago and heard a man saying that his school-aged son (maybe about 7 or 8 y.o.) with ADHD found that caffeine helped him focus. I have no idea if there is any evidence of this, but I was surprised, so it stuck with me. :shrug:

I'm not too surprised. AD/HD is actually a consequence of lower than typical levels/activity of certain neurotransmitters. The first line medication for AD/HD is a stimulant and caffeine is also a stimulant. I know it seems counterintutive that a stimulant would reduce AD/HD behaviors, but it does because of the brain chemistry that underlies the AD/HD.

[Reyadawnbringer]

I'm not too surprised. AD/HD is actually a consequence of lower than typical levels/activity of certain neurotransmitters. The first line medication for AD/HD is a stimulant and caffeine is also a stimulant. I know it seems counterintutive that a stimulant would reduce AD/HD behaviors, but it does because of the brain chemistry that underlies the AD/HD.

:yeahthat: This is what I understand about it also.

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

:yeahthat: When we were trying to decide if elaine might be dealing with adhd the first test we ran on her was to give her a glass of diet coke. The theory was that we'd watch the reaction to the caffine and go from there. 15 minutes after the soda she was sitting calmly reading a book and then went to color. Yeah-it was time to call the pediatrician.

Now she's on meds and doing great.

[deborah_r]

Yes there is, in fact. Red Bull has taurine (sp?) in addition to caffeine, which is in the same family as caffeine, but it's stronger.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull#Ingredients

BTW, Red Bull has been banned in some countries.

Taurine freaks me out. I had some kind of Vitamin water that made me feel cRaZyYYY and it had taurine. And I love me some caffeine, believe me.

[alirebco]

I won't even drink Red Bull, let alone give it to my child. Ick.

[sewarsh]

That is ridiculous. If the kids get Red Bull, what's mom drinking?

she's probably got vodka in hers.