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A mother has sparked a debate after sharing her method for ensuring her daughter always gets a treat at Starbucks.
Lauryn Clare took to Instagram Reels to share a video of her daughter, Adeline, eating a whipped cream cup from the coffee chain. “Parenting hack. If you can’t afford to go to Starbucks for two, ask your kiddo for a puppy cup. It’s free and will make them just as happy as a $5 cake pop,” the text on the screen read.
“And then she came up to the window and said, ‘We have to ask, what’s your furry friend’s name? ’ And I said, ‘Addie! ’” the two-year-old’s mother wrote in the caption.
A puppy cup, a secret Starbucks menu item that is usually geared toward dogs, is an espresso cup filled with whipped cream. The chain has also called this menu item a “puppuccino.”
“I don’t normally go to Starbucks, just because it’s expensive, but I had $4 left and change on a gift card,” she later explained in an interview with Today.
According to Clare, when she came up with the idea to ask her daughter for a puppy cup, she was going through the drive-thru and her daughter had just woken up from a nap.
“I knew Addie was going to want something, so I asked, ‘Do you charge for puppy cups? ’ And the woman who took my order was like, ‘Oh my God, no. What’s your dog’s name? ’”
Clare said she then asked if she would be allowed to use the puppy cup for her daughter, to which she said the barista agreed.
However, after posting the Reel, people began to criticize Clare's tactics.
“Why give a toddler a Starbucks?” one commenter questioned, with a second comment: “Wait, you guys buy your kids something every time they get coffee? ‘Mommy’s coffee’ is just that… adult privilege lol.”
In response to the comments, Clare further explained her reasoning. “Plus I can afford a cake pop people. But if she’s happy with a cup of whipped cream? For free? Heeeeee,” she added in her post.
She added in another comment: “The moms who write in the comments get it. If you don’t, please leave. My kids get everything they want all the time and my two-year-old doesn’t need to understand my finances.”
The story prompted other parents to reveal that they have also resorted to the same menu trick with their own children.
“Yes, I call it a sippy cup! Sometimes I get cookie crumbs or ask for chocolate chips on top. If you have a good worker, they will do it!” wrote another parent.
“I did this with my niece and she finally put her foot down and said ‘I want the pink drink.’ Even then I told the lady water and strawberries and no, she knew what she wanted. I couldn’t fool her anymore,” another parent recalled of their own experience with a puppy cup.
The company itself even intervened in the debate.
“We love seeing the different ways our customers brighten their loved ones' days with Starbucks,” a Starbucks spokesperson said. Today“Customers can order a serving of whipped cream with the purchase of a drink at no additional cost.”
