How many months does it take for children to start taking calcium supplements?

Due to the monotony of their food, young children are more likely to suffer from calcium deficiency in their bodies, which in turn affects their physical development. At how many months is it better for children to start supplementing calcium? According to individual differences among children, if there is a more serious calcium deficiency, it is of course better to supplement calcium as early as possible; but be careful not to supplement calcium indiscriminately, and calcium should be supplemented scientifically and timely according to the doctor's advice. Below we will introduce some common sense about calcium supplementation for children for your reference.

Calcium supplementation strategy:

1. Infants are a special group of people. Whether they are breastfed, mixed fed or bottle-fed, milk should be the main part of their diet. The daily calcium intake for babies aged 0-5 months is 300 mg. As long as they drink 600-800 ml of breast milk or formula milk every day, the body's calcium needs can be met.

2. When babies are 4-6 months old, they start to eat complementary foods and their daily milk intake gradually decreases. For infants aged 5-11 months, the calcium intake increases to 400 mg per day, so calcium supplements should be started from this time.

3. At the age of 1-3 years, calcium intake increases to 600 mg per day. But their diet gradually transitioned from being mainly based on milk to being mainly based on cereals. Surveys show that the calcium in the diet of infants and young children aged 1-3 years old in my country still does not meet the required amount. Therefore, the baby should be supplemented with 150-300 mg of calcium every day, and milk and dairy products are still indispensable ingredients in the diet. It is best to drink about 400 ml of milk every day, and at the same time pay attention to arranging calcium-rich foods such as dairy products, bone soup, shrimp skin, fish, etc.

4. Premature infants and twins should start supplementing with VD 1-2 weeks after birth, and normal full-term infants should start supplementing with VD 2-4 weeks after birth. Infants under 6 months old should supplement 400 international units per day, and infants over 6 months old should supplement 400-600 international units per day.

5. Supplementation of VD and calcium should continue until the age of 2 to 2.5 years. After the age of 2 and a half, young children's outdoor activities increase and their diet gradually diversifies, so there is no need to supplement with VD and calcium.

6. Getting more sun exposure is an important way for infants and young children to supplement calcium. Because the main cause of their calcium deficiency is insufficient intake of VD, and the content of VD in food is very low. In addition, the diet of infants and young children is monotonous, so they can only get very little VD from food. Sunbathing can prompt a substance in the skin to convert into VD. This way of supplementation is the safest and will not cause VD poisoning.

Calcium supplementation is very important for today's babies, and parents also attach great importance to it. Fortunately, there are many ways to supplement calcium, which can be obtained through various foods, dairy products and calcium supplements. Calcium supplements include calcium tablets, calcium supplements, and even liquid calcium. There are some things to pay attention to when taking them.

Generally speaking, young children are more prone to calcium deficiency because their bone development requires sufficient calcium, and the body's demand for calcium also increases accordingly. Calcium supplementation for children of a few months old is helpful for their healthy growth, but parents should supplement their children with calcium correctly under the guidance of a doctor. Especially for children with special physical conditions, such as multiple births and premature babies, they need more calcium than other children. Parents must always pay attention to their babies, supplement calcium in time, and let their children grow up healthily.