How much calcium does a child need? Calcium is one of the important minerals that perform many functions in the human body, and 99% of it is stored in the bones and teeth, while the remaining 1% is found in the blood, muscles, and other tissues, but the amount of calcium varies from one child to another depending on their age, Children need a certain amount of calcium per day.
They need a constant supply of this mineral, but the recommended amount varies with age.
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0 to 6 months
200 mg of calcium per day.
If the child is breast-fed, there is no need to worry, as breast milk provides the child with all his calcium needs.
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From 6 months to a year
270 mg/day is the recommended amount. At this age, children get their calcium needs mainly from breast milk if they continue to breastfeed or from the formula they are taking. From the age of 10 months, when yoghurt can be included in their diet (provided by a pediatrician recommended), it becomes easier to reach these levels.
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From one year to three years
Your child needs more than 500 milligrams of calcium a day. It is important that this amount be daily because at this age the amount that must be eaten in one day cannot be replaced by another.
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Calcium benefits for children
Proper bone growth, as calcium intake in childhood and adolescence plays a vital role in determining bone mass after puberty.
– Proper growth and strength of teeth.
The proper functioning of the various muscle functions.
– Transmission of nerve impulses and the integrity of the nervous system.
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Causes of calcium deficiency in infants
Lack of oxygen during childbirth.
Your infant has taken some antibiotics, such as “gentamicin”, as it reduces the level of calcium in the blood.
Low exposure of your infant to sunlight, as this leads to vitamin D deficiency.
Your infant has some genetic diseases, such as DiGeorge syndrome. Your infant has an overactive thyroid gland.
Your infant’s dependence on cow’s milk as the main food leads to calcium deficiency because infants cannot
Calcium is absorbed from cow’s milk, so cow’s milk is completely prohibited during the first year.
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Causes of high calcium in infants
Calcium injection or parenteral nutrition with it.
Increasing vitamin D, whether the mother eats large amounts of it during pregnancy or gives it to the infant more than it needs.
Subcutaneous fat necrosis, which is a disorder that occurs to infants after difficult birth and exposure to injuries in which calcium exits from the fat cells, so its proportion in the blood increases. Kidney disease in the infant, and its inability to get rid of calcium.
Blue diaper syndrome, a rare condition characterized by a defect in the metabolism of the protein “tryptophan”, in which urine comes out with a blue tint, in addition to an increase in the level of calcium.
Congenital lactose deficiency, which coincides with excess calcium, and here calcium levels decrease when following a lactose-free diet.
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