You’re about to go and pick up your required daily caffeine dose from Starbucks.
But your kid is having a meltdown in the back seat, and now you just don’t know what to do?
Don’t worry – Starbucks got you covered!
Starbucks has a lot of super tasty options that will please even the pickiest of kids.
Precisely those picky ones were on my mind when I created this list of some of the best Starbucks drinks for kids.
Let’s dig in!
10 Starbucks Drinks Your Kids Will Simply Love
When you think about a Starbucks drink, I suppose you’re thinking about caffeine and all the sugar.
The good thing is that they have a wide offer of caffeine free drinks.
Also, you can customize almost every drink.
Feel free to let your barista know you are ordering the drink for a child. They’ll be able to adjust the beverage right for your kiddo:
- to reduce the sugar, you can ask for fewer pumps of syrup or skip the topping
- they can heat hot beverages to “kids’ temperature” (130°F instead of regular 160°F)
- order the smaller serving sizes, Short (Kids) or Tall
- pay attention because some non-coffee drinks, such as hot chocolate, still contain a small amount of caffeine because of the cacao beans.
With all that in mind, let’s check out the list of the best picks from Starbucks for kids.
Lemonade
Lemonade is kind of an easy choice for your youngsters.
It’s refreshing and loaded with vitamin C. A perfect cold drink for a hot sizzling summer day!
At Starbucks, they serve lemonade totally unsweetened. That is really good if you’re trying to control how much sugar your child is taking.
But, if your kid doesn’t like lemonade too acidy, you might want to add a sip of coconut milk, a pump of classic syrup, or a honey blend.
The smallest serving size for Lemonade is Short.
Blended Strawberry Lemonade
If regular lemonade is too boring for your little one, Starbucks is offering a sweet upgrade – Blended Strawberry Lemonade.
First, the color is beautiful baby pink, and it looks sooo yummy!
But it tastes even better. This icy drink is a blend of Frappuccino Crème (caffeine free creme base for frappuccino), ice, lemonade, and strawberry puree.
The smallest serving is Tall, and it has 130 calories in it.
Hot Chocolate
Everybody likes hot chocolate, but the kids especially.
I remember when I was little, there wasn’t a better treat than a mug of hot chocolate after playing in the snow for the whole day.
At Starbucks, they make it with steamed milk with vanilla, chocolate syrup, and toppings.
There is also White Hot Chocolate with white chocolate sauce instead of syrup.
You can reduce sugar by adding less syrup or topping.
Don’t forget that regular hot chocolate has some caffeine, and it will be a slight energy booster. But, white hot chocolate is caffeine-free since it’s not made of cacao.
Purple Drink
This color explosion is a Starbucks secret menu drink that became mega popular.
Apart from looking amazing, this uncommon blend is super flavorful.
Purple Drink is a mix of Iced Passion Tango Tea with soy milk instead of regular milk and a splash of vanilla syrup.
Add some frozen berries, and you will have a fun, vibrant-looking, fruity refreshment.
I’m sure your kid is going to love it.
Creme Frappuccinos
Your go-to is frappuccino, but the problem is your little one wants to copy you and have frappuccino as well?
Fortunately, Starbucks has a perfect solution – crème frappuccino.
They are an excellent replacement for a coffee-infused frappuccino, even for the grown-ups who avoid caffeine.
The base for crème frappuccino is made of milk, ice, cream base, and different syrups, depending on taste.
Your kid can experiment with different syrups and toppings.
From regular flavor of vanilla bean to multi-color variants such as unicorn frappuccino or cotton candy frappuccino, I’m sure your kid gonna love it!
Babyccino
Babyccino is another drink from the secret menu, which became popular demand through the years.
You’re probably asking yourself, what on earth is Babyccino? I know I did.
Babyccino is cappuccino without espresso.
So, you got it. It is just steamed milk.
Of course, you can choose between regular 2%, non-fat, whole, almond, soy, coconut, and oat milk.
Warm and bubbly, this is an excellent choice for your young one.
Blended Juice Drink
If you don’t want to give your kids chocolate and frappuccinos full of sugar, you can always take some fruity replacement at Starbucks.
Really healthy option is to ask your barista to blend any fresh-pressed juice with ice.
You will get something between smoothy and vegan ice cream.
So you get a drink that’s healthy, nutritious, AND tasty treat.
Sounds like a win-win situation, isn’t it?
Steamers
If your kid like steamed milk but wants something sweet and flavorful, this is the thing.
A steamer is actually simple steamed milk but seasoned with any flavored syrup.
I suggest you go with just one or two pumps of syrup. It is more than enough to give flavor to milk but not make it too sweet.
Starbucks has a lot of different syrups, like Cinnamon Dolce, caramel, hazelnut, brown sugar, peppermint, raspberry syrup, etc.
Iced or Steamed Apple Juice
A lot of kids are big fans of good old apple juice.
So, you will be happy to hear that at Starbucks, they make it from 100% pure (not concentrated) apple juice.
Your kid will love the intensive and rich taste of natural apple juice. Plus, it’s much healthier than artificial, store-bought juices.
You can order iced or freshly steamed, depending on what your kid needs at the moment.
Caramel Apple Spice
Caramel Apple Spice tastes more like a desert than a hot drink. It is almost an apple pie in a cup.
This is steamed apple juice but complemented with Cinnamon Dolce syrup.
It is usually made with 4 pumps of syrup. But, if you don’t want to give your child too much sugar, you can ask your barista to go easy on the syrup.
Topping is whipped cream and caramel sauce.
This is an excellent dring if your child loves fall treats.
FAQ
If you still have some doubts about kids’ drinks at Starbucks, don’t stop reading now. I will give you answers to some frequently asked questions right away.
Is the Starbucks Pink Drink for kids?
Pink Drink Starbucks Refreshers sounds like a great cold beverage for little ones. Especially since it looks so beautiful.
Unfortunately, Pink Drink contains a small amount of caffeine since the strawberry acai base has a green coffee flavor. There is 35mg of caffeine in a Tall cup.
Does Starbucks have a kid size?
Even though they are not officially called kid size, you will get the smallest options if you ask for them.
For hot beverages, it’s the Short cup size, and it’s 8 ounces.
And for the cold beverages, it’s the Tall cup, 12 ounces.
Is Babyccino free?
Yes, it is!
Your barista will happily make fresh Babyccino for your kid’s enjoyment, free of charge.
Final Thoughts
That’s it!
You can freely take your kiddo with you to Starbucks because you will find plenty of kid-friendly options.
No matter how sophisticated the taste of your youngster is, I’m sure they will find something satisfying at Starbucks.
And if you need something to give you the energy to handle your sugar-influenced kid, pick some strong Starbucks coffee to treat yourself.
