Are you off to your local Starbucks whenever there’s a gap in your schedule? If so, you might feel guilty for leaving your kid at home. But after reading this article, that will no longer be an option. Wait — does this mean there’s a Starbucks menu for kids?
While you may not see a kids’ menu, there are plenty of drinks your child can enjoy in your favorite coffee house. Thus, the next time your little one craves something sweet, you’ll know where to take them. Now, check out the best kid-friendly drinks your kid will simply love.
Does Starbucks Have a Kids’ Menu?
Now that you know your child can keep you company when it’s Starbucks o-clock, you might be wondering how this could have escaped you. Has a Starbucks menu for kids been there all along, hiding in plain sight?
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to get a kids’ menu in your favorite coffee house as Starbucks doesn’t offer one.
For now, this coffee house only has kid-size drinks. You can thus order a short hot beverage that comes with only 8 ounces of liquid. And if your child prefers cold drinks, they can get a tall, 12-ounce one — also the smallest portion. The best thing — all Starbucks drinks can come in those small cup sizes.
On top of that, you no longer have to worry about your kid burning their tongue when sipping a hot beverage. Luckily, you can now order a Starbucks drink prepared at kids’ temperature. Simply ask the barista to heat your order to 130°F instead of 160°F.
Also, you can have the amount of sugar in your kid’s beverage adjusted. For example, a tall Cinnamon Dolce Crème comes with three pumps of syrup. But if you find that too much, you can ask for only one or two pumps.
Finally, note that, at the end of the day, Starbucks is a coffee house. As such, it mostly sells caffeinated beverages. So, don’t forget that Starbucks refreshers contain about 35 mg of caffeine per tall drink. Also, all chocolate-based items on the Starbucks menu have at least some caffeine.
12 Kid-Friendly Starbucks Drinks Your Child Will Enjoy
1. Babyccino
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At last, something healthy for your little one to enjoy on your coffee break. As its name suggests, the Starbucks Babyccino makes a perfect drink for babies and toddlers. You can order it in all Starbucks stores even though you may not explicitly see it on the menu. In some of them, you might also be able to get your babyccino for free.
The best thing about this drink is that it contains nothing but steamed, frothy milk. So, in its essence, a babyccino is a cappuccino without espresso. Luckily, you won’t have to worry about this beverage stunting your kid’s growth!
Ask for a bone-dry babyccino to get more foam, and order a caramel drizzle on top to make it look like a caramel macchiato.
2. Hot Chocolate
Image source: Starbucks.com
Is there anything your child will enjoy more than some hot chocolate on a cold winter day? An 8-ounce cup of this beverage heated to 130°F will keep your kid warm and their tummy full until their next meal. It will also give them enough energy and make them less cranky during nap time.
That’s because a child-size Starbucks Hot Chocolate contains about 15 mg of caffeine. Apart from that, it has two pumps of mocha sauce and is made with 2% steamed milk. But what your child will love most is a whipped cream and mocha drizzle topping.
3. White Hot Chocolate
Image source: Starbucks.com
If you don’t allow your child any caffeine, this will be a perfect decaf alternative to regular hot chocolate. As you might know, white chocolate contains no caffeine whatsoever — unlike its traditional relative. It gets its distinctive taste from vanilla flavorings added to white chocolate products.
At Starbucks, your child can have a short White Hot Chocolate made with 2% steamed milk, white chocolate mocha sauce, and whipped cream. The kids’ size contains two pumps of the sauce, but you can also ask for fewer.
4. Vanilla Steamer
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Yet another decaf Starbucks beverage suitable for children combines milk and vanilla flavor. This steamed-hot drink is made with 2% milk, but you’ll be able to get it prepared at a lower, kid-friendly temperature. A kids’ size cup contains two pumps of vanilla syrup, which you can adjust as well.
If your kid isn’t a big fan of vanilla, you can ask the barista to make the steamer with another available syrup. For example, they can add one or two brown sugar or cinnamon dolce syrup pumps instead.
5. Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk
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This kid-friendly drink is a decaf version of a Starbucks Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. Your child will love its sweetness and creamy texture and enjoy every refreshing ice-cold sip. Odds are, this yummy beverage will also become your kid’s favorite summertime drink.
A small, 12-ounce cup will be more than enough as it contains three pumps of brown sugar syrup. But if your kid finds that too sweet, you can order only one or two pumps. Also, you can ask for a cinnamon powder topping to add a more distinctive flavor to this caffeine-free drink.
6. Horizon Chocolate Organic Milk
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Is taking a Starbucks drink to go one of your favorite pastime activities on sunny summer days? If so, you can order this 8-ounce chocolate milk carton for your kid to enjoy on the go. This refrigerated beverage can also be warmed up in case your child prefers the hot-chocolaty flavor.
Still, note that this drink might not be as sweet as a hot chocolate beverage. That’s because it’s made with dark chocolate and without any syrups. But the good news is — it also has no caffeine whatsoever, despite being a chocolate-based drink.
7. Blended Strawberry Lemonade
Image source: Starbucks.com
If your child enjoys fruity ice cream-like flavors, this Starbucks beverage will be among their favorite ones. The sweet strawberry purée will awaken your kid’s taste buds, while the lemonade itself will add a little zing.
But the best thing about this fresh beverage is that it’s both caffeine and fat-free. As such, it makes a delicious healthy snack that will keep your child’s tummy full on warm summer days.
Also, it only contains natural ingredients. There aren’t any artificial colorings either because fruit and vegetable juices are responsible for the lemonade’s pink shade.
8. Caramel Apple Spice
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Is your kid a fan of apple juice and likes to experiment with familiar flavors? If so, this hot beverage will become one of their favorites in no time. An 8-pound kid-friendly cup contains two pumps of cinnamon dolce syrup that add a distinctive taste to this drink.
But instead of apple juice, your child might also love a steamed peach juice blend that goes so well with cinnamon. To top it all, whipped cream and a caramel sauce drizzle serve as a highly palatable topping for this already delicious beverage.
9. Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino
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Adults tend to order this drink affogato-style, with some hot espresso poured over the top. But despite its name, Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino is one of the kid-friendly items on the Starbucks menu. It doesn’t contain any caffeine but makes use of milk, vanilla beans, and ice.
The smallest, 12-ounce size of this frappuccino features two pumps of vanilla bean powder that take its taste to the next level. And the best thing is that your child can opt for one of the available syrups to further enrich the flavor. For example, they can get some brown sugar, caramel, or even raspberry syrup.
10. Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade
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This ice-cold beverage is ideal for hot days filled with sunshine. No other Starbucks beverage will appeal to your kid’s tummy as much and prove as thirst-quenching as this lemonade. Besides, its vibrant red color will make your child fall in love with it within seconds.
You can also ask the barista for inclusions, and they’ll add some freeze-dried strawberries to your child’s drink. But there’s something else you’ll love about it. Unlike some other teas on the menu, this one doesn’t feature any caffeine. In other words, your kid won’t leave Starbucks more hyperactive than when they came in.
11. Mint Majesty
Image source: Starbucks.com
If your kid enjoys the familiar taste of herbal teas, Mint Majesty will live up to their expectations. This caffeine-free drink is nothing but a blend of mint and some lemon verbena that complements the dominant peppermint flavor. As it turns out, simplicity really is the ultimate sophistication — at least when it comes to this tea.
Besides a tall 12-ounce size, this beverage is also available in an 8-ounce cup. Whichever size you opt for, don’t forget to ask the barista not to make it too hot. And unless instructed otherwise, they’ll serve the drink unsweetened. But ultimately, this practice will prove good as your kid will be able to add as much sugar as they find fit.
12. Lemonade
Image source: Starbucks.com
Most items on the rich Starbucks menu might seem too extravagant for your taste. They’re so famous for combining the best of flavorsome syrups, add-ins, and toppings that all the above drinks might appear similar. Thus, you can easily forget what you ordered in the first place.
Luckily, here comes one of the classics — the regular Starbucks Lemonade. This refreshing beverage is completely caffeine and fat-free, which makes it ideal for kids. It only contains lemon juice, lemon oil, water, some sugar, and a lot of ice.
The Starbucks Lemonade will thus come in handy for relieving your kid’s thirst, all the while awakening their taste buds with its distinctive tanginess.