CONSEQUENCES OF CALCIUM DEFICIENCY IN CHILDREN THAT MOTHERS SHOULD KNOW

Providing enough calcium for children is an extremely important factor to ensure their healthy development. Calcium is an essential mineral for bone formation and development, teeth and nervous system. Please join DinoGPT to update mothers on how to supplement calcium for children.

Why calcium is important for children?

Calcium is not only a structural element for bones and teeth, but also plays an important role in the body's development processes. Nervous system, The heart and muscles both need calcium to function normally. Special, in infants, Calcium is also an important factor to support brain and vision development. If calcium is lacking during this period, Children may have problems with physical and intellectual development.

Source of calcium for infants/children: Babies usually get calcium from breast milk or formula. Breast milk is a good source of calcium for children because a natural amount of calcium will help ensure bone development and is easily absorbed by the child's body..

Consequences when children lack calcium

Children lacking calcium have the following symptoms and unwanted results:

• Weak bones: Calcium is an important element in bone formation and skeletal development. Children's calcium deficiency can be shown through increased length growth, height is not enough, have low bone density or are likely to break bones more easily than other children.
• Teeth size does not develop properly: Calcium deficiency can affect tooth development. Children lacking calcium may have delayed teething, Teeth are easily damaged or teeth do not develop to the correct size.
• Muscle problems: Calcium is essential for muscles to function normally. But for children lacking calcium, their muscle contractions may not be strong, get tired quickly, prone to spasticity or cramps, or may become deformed when the child learns to walk, Carry objects or play. This is also the reason why children with calcium deficiency often have bowed legs, scoliosis,..
• Nervous system disorders cause startling during sleep in children: Calcium also participates in the body's neurotransmitter function. Therefore, Calcium deficiency will increase the risk of stress or excessive tension in children, Children often cry at night or sleep poorly.

Note in calcium supplementation for children

In Vietnam, Newborn refers to babies from birth until adulthood 1 months old, the infant is below 1 year old. At this stage, breast milk is the best choice to meet the baby's calcium needs, so the mother's diet must be guaranteed to provide enough of the best nutrients for both mother and baby.. At the age of weaning, children need to be fed solid foods and still maintain breastfeeding.

Theo khuyến cáo của Bộ Y tế, phụ nữ đang cho con bú cần khoảng 1000 mg calcium/day. Tuy nhiên ở nhiều bà mẹ, The diet does not fully meet the necessary calcium sources, leading to the body's deficiency of this important nutrient after giving birth. Therefore, to be able to supplement calcium for breastfeeding children, The first thing is to improve the mother's diet with calcium-rich foods such as:

• Milk and dairy products
• Egg yolk, orange juice…
• Grains and seeds: Beans, rice, sesame seeds, hạnh nhân, hạt điều, walnut…
• Các loại rau lá xanh thẫm: Spinach, Bok choy, kale, Spinach…
• Seafood: Shrimp, wind, clams, i am, snail, mussels…

Thêm vào đó, Mothers can consult a doctor about letting their baby absorb vitamin D by sunbathing. Children should sunbathe when the sun is warm because this is the time when sunlight can provide a lot of vitamin D, Have your child wear no clothes or clothes to expose their skin to direct sunlight most effectively.

In addition, mothers can provide the missing calcium with calcium supplements, but a doctor's guidance is required, Do not arbitrarily use medicine because it lacks other micronutrients such as iron deficiency, Zinc also has some symptoms such as calcium deficiency.

For some special cases where children cannot breastfeed, age-appropriate formula is an alternative. These milk formulas have been supplemented with calcium to meet the nutritional needs of children.

Hismart is a line of formula milk imported in cans from New Zealand and Germany, sản xuất theo tiêu chuẩn toàn cầu, certified for food safety and non-genetically modified food. Hismart with balanced nutritional ingredients, Focus on vitamin D supplementation, The golden ratio of Calcium/Phosphorus helps babies absorb enough and easily the calcium needed for body development. Parents can feel completely secure when their children use Hismart formula milk so that their children have a solid foundation to keep up with international growth in the future..

Calcium supplementation for children is necessary to ensure their healthy development. Sufficient calcium supply from breast milk, formula milk, kết hợp với lượng vitamin D phù hợp, will play an important role in bone formation and development, teeth and nervous system for children.

The article is reviewed by Dr. BSCKII. Nguyen Thi Thu Hau - Head of Nutrition Department - Children's Hospital 2