Patient's question:
How old should a baby be to start taking calcium supplements? My son is 5 months old and is slightly calcium deficient. If he needs it, what type should he take?Doctor's answer:
At 4 months of age, infants are introduced to complementary foods, which include vitamin D, with a daily dosage of 400-800 International Units. Now there is a new suggestion that full-term infants should be given vitamin D 10 days after birth, with the same dosage. This is because normal diets for infants (breast milk or cow's milk) contain sufficient calcium but lack enough vitamin D. A deficiency in vitamin D affects calcium absorption. As long as there is no vitamin D deficiency, calcium is generally not lacking. Therefore, supplementing with vitamin D during infancy is standard practice, and there is no significant need to supplement with calcium, unless you have symptoms of hypocalcemia or have reliable evidence of calcium deficiency.