Good nutrition is vital for a toddler and a little child should consume healthy food to properly grow. This should be a top priority for parents and the consequences are highly negative should they fail.
A fresh case proved that fact as a mother says she has no choice but to feed her infant daughter three bottles of coffee per day because her family cannot afford to buy milk.
14-month-old Hadijah is now addicted to caffeine. Her mom says that she ‘won’t sleep’ if she hasn’t had her dosage, admitting that she consumes about 50 ounces (1.5 liters) a day.
Hadijah’s parents gave her cheap Indonesian-type coffee called Kopi Tubruk. It is prepared by boiling coarse coffee grounds combined with sugar.
The couple, Anita and Sarifuddin live on barely 20,000 Rupees a day ($1.41, £1.13)
Anita shared that her husband’s job of processing coconuts does not provide them with enough income to afford to buy milk for the little one.
Even though the NHS advises:
“Caffeinated drinks are also unsuitable for toddlers and young children.”
Anita makes it clear:
“What else can we do? Our income is not enough to buy milk. We’re forced to give her coffee every day. In fact, she can’t sleep if she hadn’t had coffee. She can throw a tantrum asking for coffee before bed.”
It remains unknown whether Hadijah’s family have been offered long term help by anyone to keep her off the coffee.
You can see the original news footage below (Indonesian language).
What are your thoughts on this saddening story? Let us know in the comment section.
