Patient's question:
The child is short in stature, with a prominent forehead, and doesn't like to eat. The teeth are growing slowly.Doctor's answer:
Supplementing babies with calcium has always been a topic of concern for many parents. How much do you actually know about calcium supplementation? Do you exactly know how much calcium your baby needs each day? You provide your baby with calcium-rich foods every day, but how much calcium does your baby actually absorb? You must be very concerned about whether your baby is calcium-deficient and how to reasonably supplement calcium for your baby. Let the nutrition experts explain it to you one by one!Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body, accounting for 1.5% to 2.0% of body weight. 99% of calcium exists in bones and teeth, forming the framework of the body. The period from 0 to 3 years is a crucial stage of your baby's development. If there is a calcium deficiency, it will directly affect the health of bones and teeth.
How much calcium does your baby need each day?
The demand for calcium in babies varies with age, gender, and physiological condition. According to the recommended daily dietary calcium intake revised by the Chinese Nutrition Society in 2001, the amounts are as follows:
. 1-6 months: Breastfed babies need about 300 mg per day, while formula-fed babies need about 400 mg.
. 7-12 months: They need about 500-600 mg per day.
. 1-3 years: They need about 600-800 mg per day.
How can you tell if your baby is getting enough calcium?
It is recommended to keep a dietary diary for your baby for a period of time to calculate his daily calcium intake. Over time, you will have a better understanding. For packaged foods, you can check the nutrition label on the packaging. If it contains 40% calcium, then the calcium intake from this package is counted as 400 mg. However, for loose foods, calculating the calcium content is not as straightforward. You can also search online or refer to relevant textbooks, as they usually provide this information. Add up the calcium intake from all sources. If it is below the daily calcium requirement for your baby, it means that the calcium supplementation is insufficient.
How can you tell if your baby is calcium-deficient?
When a baby is calcium-deficient, the first symptoms are soft skull bones and large fontanelles, with a feeling like pressing a ping-pong ball when touching the skull. In severe cases, it may lead to a protruding chest like pigeon chest, or "O" or "X" legs due to prolonged standing. In addition to skeletal changes, other symptoms may include excessive night sweats, restlessness during sleep, delayed eruption of milk teeth, and baldness at the back of the head.
Dr. Dong's advice: Whether a baby is calcium-deficient cannot be determined solely based on the above symptoms, but if your baby exhibits these symptoms, parents should pay attention. The most accurate method is to have the calcium levels checked at a hospital, such as dietary calcium measurement, serum calcium measurement, urine calcium measurement, and bone mineral density measurement.
The "Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division" of Preventing Calcium Deficiency in Babies
Addition – Consume more calcium-rich foods
Babies are in a critical period of growth and development and require more calcium than adults. Therefore, it is important to provide them with sufficient calcium. Breast milk is a natural calcium supplement, with the optimal ratio of calcium and phosphorus for absorption by babies. We advocate breastfeeding. Mothers who are breastfeeding should consume more calcium-rich foods to increase the calcium content in breast milk, indirectly supplementing calcium for their babies. For babies who have started complementary foods, milk and dairy products are the best choices for calcium supplementation, as they are recognized as the richest sources of calcium and have high absorption rates. Additionally, various vegetables and fruits contain small amounts of calcium, while nuts and seafood are also rich in calcium and contain vitamin D, which promotes calcium absorption.
Reference: Calcium Content in Common Foods (per 100 grams, in milligrams)
Food Name | Calcium Content
---|---
Breast milk | 30
Green beans | 200
Kelp | 348
Milk | 104
Lean pork | 6
Seaweed | 264
Cheese | 799
Lean beef | 9
Chicken (with skin) | 9
Egg yolk | 112
Black fungus | 247
Cilantro | 170
Black sesame seeds | 780
Shrimp skin | 991
Soybeans | 191
Tofu | 164
Oranges | 129
Chickweed | 294
Subtraction – Do not over-supplement vitamin D
Vitamin D is biologically active and can promote calcium absorption. Therefore, when supplementing calcium for your baby, it is important to provide an appropriate amount of vitamin D. However, it is important to note that vitamin D is not a nutritional supplement and should not be over-supplemented. If a baby takes too much vitamin D, it may lead to excessive accumulation in the body, causing symptoms of toxicity such as decreased appetite, nausea, and weight loss. Dr. Dong advises parents: It is best to supplement vitamin D for your baby under the guidance of a professional.
Multiplication – Sunlight helps with calcium supplementation
7-dehydrocholesterol stored in the skin can be converted into vitamin D through photochemical reactions, thereby promoting calcium absorption and utilization. Moreover, vitamin D synthesized in the body through sunlight exposure is the safest and will not lead to an overdose. However, parents should be cautious not to sunburn their babies during hot summer days.
Subtraction – Scientifically consume foods that inhibit calcium absorption
. Some vegetables, such as spinach, bamboo shoots, amaranth, edamame, lotus root, onions, and grass shoots, contain oxalates, which can combine with calcium to form calcium oxalate, affecting calcium absorption. Therefore, these vegetables should be blanched in boiling water before cooking to remove the oxalates.
. Calcium supplements should not be taken with high-fat foods, as excessive fat intake can lead to free fatty acids after digestion, which can combine with calcium and reduce its absorption. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid excessive fat intake for babies.
. Excessive dietary fiber intake can also reduce calcium absorption, as the components in fiber can bind with calcium. Therefore, it is not recommended to give babies too much coarse grain.
Why is my baby restless during sleep?
Some parents observe their babies very carefully and notice that they "are often restless" during sleep. In reality, infants spend a long time in light sleep during this period, and during light sleep, they exhibit many facial expressions, such as smiling, frowning, pouting, or making strange faces. Sometimes their limbs stretch, and they may make humming sounds or have irregular breathing patterns. Therefore, parents may think that their baby's restlessness during sleep is likely due to light sleep, which is a normal phenomenon. Adults experience dreams during light sleep, and of course, babies cannot say whether they are dreaming. Research suggests that light sleep plays a crucial role in brain development in babies, increasing the synthesis and metabolism of proteins in nerve cells and helping to retain newly learned knowledge. Some scientists also believe that dream activity promotes neural development. Dreaming during light sleep provides endogenous stimuli such as visual and auditory inputs, supplementing any lack of exogenous stimuli. Therefore, during nighttime sleep, parents should not overreact to any slight movements, fearing that their baby is hungry, thirsty, or wet. Excessive care or attention can actually disturb their normal sleep. Parents should not mistake light sleep for restlessness or discomfort, as excessive attention can disrupt their "beautiful dreams" and hinder brain development in infants.