What is the best way to supplement calcium for babies?

In fact, babies also need calcium supplements at certain times. If the calcium content in breast milk is insufficient, it will lead to calcium deficiency in the body. Babies need to supplement their bodies with calcium, and there are many ways to do so, but the supplementation should be based on the baby's age. Common ways include calcium carbonate, calcium lactate, calcium ammonium phosphate, etc., or you can use diet to assist in conditioning.

How to supplement calcium for children

When choosing calcium for your baby, the more expensive the better is not necessarily the case. You should choose according to your baby’s needs. There is not much difference in quality among the calcium products currently circulating on the market. Moreover, different calcium products are suitable for different groups of people. Calcium carbonate contains high net calcium and has a high absorption rate. It is a traditional calcium supplement, but it is not suitable for people with gastric acid deficiency. Calcium phosphate contains high phosphorus, but is not suitable for people with chronic renal insufficiency. Which method of calcium supplementation should we choose for our baby? This requires us to understand the characteristics of various calcium supplements.

At present, there are more than 400 kinds of calcium supplements in my country, including domestic and imported ones. The specific choice of calcium supplement needs to be determined based on the characteristics of various calcium supplements and the people who take them.

1. Calcium carbonate

It has high calcium content, few side effects, is cheap, and has a high absorption rate of up to 40%, similar to milk. It is a calcium preparation that is easily accepted and widely used by people across the country.

2. Calcium lactate

It is one of the traditional calcium supplements in my country. Its advantage is that it is easy to dissolve, and its disadvantage is that the calcium content is low. Such preparations include: calcium lactate, containing 13% calcium; calcium gluconate, containing 9% calcium. The content is even lower after being made into tablets. To achieve the daily calcium supplementation of 1,000 mg for adults, too many tablets need to be taken, which is difficult for people to accept.

3. Calcium ammonium phosphate

It is a commonly used calcium supplement in Japan. It contains 23.3% calcium, which is relatively high. It is also produced by Chengdu Pharmaceutical Factory in my country. Each tablet contains 70 mg of calcium. The calcium content and the price of the drug are medium, but its disadvantage is that the tablets are difficult to disintegrate and absorb. In addition, it contains high phosphorus, which is harmful to people with renal dysfunction. Therefore, it is seldom used.

4. Calcium Citrate

It contains 21.1% calcium, has good water solubility, and better bioavailability than calcium phosphate. Its absorption does not depend on stomach acid, and it comes in effervescent tablets, making it more suitable for human consumption.

5. Active Calcium

It is a calcium mixture formed by high-temperature calcination of biological calcium (shellfish). It has a high calcium content, but its aqueous solution is strongly alkaline and has great irritation to the gastrointestinal tract. It is not suitable for the elderly who lack gastric acid. Take with food to reduce gastrointestinal irritation.

Calcium-supplemented recipes for babies aged 4 months to 1 year old

1. Egg Drop Tofu Soup

Ingredients: eggs, southern tofu, 150 grams of bone broth, chopped green onions, etc.

Preparation method: Beat the eggs, mash the tofu, and boil the bone broth; add the tofu and cook over low heat, season appropriately, sprinkle with egg drops, and finally garnish with chopped green onions.

Nutritional analysis: Eggs and tofu are not only rich in calcium, but also soft and tender to eat. They are especially suitable for babies around 6 months old who are not very good at chewing.

2. Fish and vegetable rice paste

Ingredients: rice flour (or milk cake), 15-25 grams each of fish and vegetables, and a little salt.

Preparation method: Soak the rice noodles in water until soft, stir into a paste, put into the pot, and boil over high heat for about 8 minutes; wash the vegetables and fish, chop them into paste separately and put them into the pot, continue cooking until the fish is cooked through, and season.

Nutritional analysis: Fish meat is rich in calcium, which can not only promote the baby's growth and contribute to bone development, but also promote brain development and meet the body's needs for a variety of nutrients. You may as well prepare some for babies over 4 months old.