How to supplement calcium, iron and zinc for children?

In life, many of our parents often have this phenomenon, that is, they supplement their children with whatever they lack. In fact, although we should supplement what the children lack, we cannot supplement blindly, especially if the baby is deficient in calcium, iron and zinc, they must use medication under the guidance of a doctor. Elements such as calcium, iron, and zinc are extremely important for the baby's growth and development. They cannot be lacking, nor can they be supplemented excessively. They need to be combined with the baby's physical development.

According to the latest 2016 edition of "Dietary Reference Intakes for Chinese Residents", infants and young children aged 0-6 months need 200 mg of calcium per day, infants and young children aged 7-12 months need 250 mg of calcium per day, and children aged 1-3 years need 600 mg of calcium per day.

For babies under one year old, whether it is breast milk or formula milk, as long as the amount of milk is sufficient, the calcium content is sufficient to meet the baby's growth and development. However, the vitamin D content in breast milk is low, so breastfed babies only need to supplement 400 IU of vitamin D per day after 15 days of birth to promote calcium absorption. For babies who drink formula milk, mothers can calculate whether the baby's daily vitamin D intake is enough to reach 400 IU (international units) based on the vitamin D content in the milk formula table.

After the age of 1, the baby's diet begins to gradually transition to that of an adult. To approach or reach 600 mg of calcium, it is necessary to arrange the diet reasonably and obtain it from calcium-rich foods.

Foods rich in calcium: milk, soybeans and their products, kelp, seaweed, dried shrimps, whitebait, sesame, sesame paste, hawthorn, hazelnut kernels, melon seeds, potatoes, green leafy vegetables, etc.

Moms must pay attention to iron supplementation for their babies. Iron is the raw material for synthesizing hemoglobin. Iron deficiency can not only lead to anemia, fatigue, inattention, etc., but more importantly, iron is essential for the development of the baby's immunity and nervous system.

3-4 months after the baby is born, the iron stored in the body is basically consumed. Although the absorption rate of iron in breast milk can reach 50%, due to the low iron content in breast milk, infants under 6 months old mainly rely on iron stored in the liver during the fetal period to maintain the body's iron needs, and after 6 months of age, they urgently need to obtain iron from complementary foods. Therefore, it is necessary to add some iron-rich complementary foods. Infant formula rice cereal is the first choice, and then iron-rich foods are gradually added.

Foods rich in iron: eggs, animal liver, lean meat, chicken, animal blood, soybeans, sesame seeds, black beans, longan meat, pumpkin seeds, water chestnuts, day lily, etc.

Mothers should note that they cannot judge whether their baby is zinc deficient based solely on yellow hair, picky eating, weight loss, etc. It is best to get a confirmed diagnosis from a professional doctor. If your baby has diarrhea recently, supplementing with zinc can shorten the course of the disease to a certain extent.

Breastfed babies generally do not need zinc supplementation because breast milk contains high levels of zinc. After 4 months, formula-fed babies can start adding easily absorbed zinc-rich foods to their complementary foods.

Foods rich in zinc: lean meat, animal liver, fish, shellfish, eggs, sea cucumbers, peanuts, walnuts, cabbage, mushrooms, radishes, chestnuts, potatoes, eggplants, etc.

Generally speaking, as long as the food your baby eats is rich in variety and nutritionally balanced, there is no need to supplement trace elements. If necessary, you can go to the pediatrics department for relevant examinations. Mothers must remember not to blindly supplement trace elements for their children.