From LiveScience.com…..
One reason coffee isn’t usually given to kids may be the widely held belief that the caffeinated beverage can stunt children’s growth. But is there any truth to this idea?
The answer is a resounding “no”: There’s no evidence that coffee or caffeine stunts childhood growth and development.
Instead, a person’s height is largely governed by other factors. For example, hundreds of genes so far identified are thought to be responsible for approximately 16% of a person’s adult height.
A child’s general health also plays a role. For example, repeated infection during infancy can slow nutritional uptake and bone growth, as shown by a number of different studies. Moreover, whether a child has access to important dietary needs, such as milk, during their early years also influences height, as does the mother’s diet during pregnancy, according to research in the journal Nutrition Research Reviews.