Would You Give Your Kid A 'Babyccino'?'

The "babyccino" — that's a decaf or imitation coffee drink for babies, to you laypeople — may sound like something straight out of an episode of Portlandia, but the concept is no joke.

The Brooklyn Paper reported that the trend, which apparently originated in Australia some 10 years ago, has become quite popular among several Brooklyn-area (of course) coffee shops. Writes Eli Rosenberg in his story, "The folks behind [Prospect Heights'] Sit and Wonder also sell babyccinos at their Fort Green coffeehouse Bittersweet, where a barista said she serves up between five and 10 of the kiddie drinks daily."

Now, before you go sounding the child services alarm, remember that these are more or less faux-coffee drinks — either mini decaf cappuccinos or cups of steamed milk and foam. No harm there, right? (And besides, coffee has its health benefits.) Interestingly enough, those mostly negatively affected by these special, off-menu drinks seem to be the baristas, as they "interrupt workflow" and "create milk wastage."

So what do you think about this developing generation of coffee geeks? Seems like next thing you know, toddlers will be at the machine, pulling their own espresso shots like the pros do. Oh wait, that already exists.