4 Reasons why Santa should not give your child a Starbucks gift card.

More and more children are drinking coffee and like to hang out at cafes, so it may seem like an acceptable idea to some parents to give their child or teen a coffee shop gift card.

Not a good idea.

Here are the 4 primary reasons why coffee is not good for a child's health:

Insomnia: Growing children need more sleep than adults. Caffeine will drain their overall level of energy, even though it seems to give them spikes of energy immediately after drinking it.

Cavities: Because coffee is acidic, drinking it regularly can create a hostile environment for a child's dental health. At their young age, enamel is more vulnerable to decay.

Bone loss: Both the diuretic nature of caffeine and the calcium-leaching quality of caffeine will decrease the calcium in one who drinks it. In children, the need for bone-building calcium is much greater than in adults.

Hyperactivity: Caffeine can get in the way of a child's need to pay attention in school, even though it may increase their energy level temporarily. There are many instances during the school day when focused attention and non-disruptive participation is more important than highly energetic behavior.