Can newborns take calcium supplements?

Everyone knows that calcium is particularly important to the human body, so many experts say that human life activities cannot be separated from calcium. There should be corresponding calcium at every age stage, especially for the elderly and children. If they do not supplement calcium, they may become sick. Many newborns also need calcium supplements after birth, so can newborns supplement calcium?

Do newborns need calcium supplements?

1. If you are exclusively breastfeeding, there is no need to supplement calcium. Breast milk is intelligent and will adjust the concentration and content of substances in the milk according to the needs of the baby.

2. If it is mixed feeding (i.e. insufficient breast milk and partial supplementation with formula milk), there is no need for calcium supplementation. The calcium in breast milk combined with the calcium in formula milk is sufficient for the baby to absorb and utilize.

3. For pure artificial feeding (i.e. feeding with milk powder only), there is no need for calcium supplementation. According to the Chinese Food Code, infant formula milk powder is fortified with calcium, and the calcium in it is sufficient for infants and young children to absorb and utilize.

4. Except for dairy products, all calcium preparations (liquid calcium, calcium tablets, etc.) can only use calcium carbonate as the raw material. Compared with the milk calcium component in dairy products, the absorption and utilization rate of calcium carbonate is much lower than that of milk calcium. If converted into content, the absorption rate of a box of calcium preparations is not as good as the absorption rate of 200ml of formula milk solution.

5. If calcium preparations are used for calcium supplementation, a considerable portion of it cannot be absorbed within a unit time, and thus merges with the fat in the baby's intestines to become soap calcium, which becomes the biggest hidden danger of constipation.

When should newborns start taking calcium supplements?

1. Infants and young children: Due to less outdoor activities and short sunshine time, the production of vitamin D in the body is limited, which is not conducive to calcium absorption and easily causes calcium deficiency. Therefore, children under two years old should pay attention to calcium and vitamin D supplementation, which is beneficial to the baby's healthy growth.

2. Premature babies, twins, children who grow too fast or are born in winter: These children are more likely to be deficient in calcium than other children, so attention should be paid to prevention in advance.

3. Children with overly good nutrition and overweight: These children need more calcium than ordinary children.

4. Children who are picky eaters, have anorexia, indigestion, have unreasonable dietary nutrition, and do not like to drink milk should pay attention to calcium supplementation.

5. Sick children: When infants and young children are ill, such as eczema, recurrent respiratory tract infections, acute and chronic diarrhea, etc., these diseases can easily affect the absorption of calcium and cause symptoms of calcium deficiency. Therefore, parents should consider the reasonable supplementation of calcium and other nutrients while treating the disease when the children are ill.