Spring is also the key season for children to grow taller. Therefore, parents must pay attention to the growth and development of their children in spring, and efficient calcium supplementation is an important part. Have moms and dads started to give their babies calcium supplements? Did you make it up? Let's move on.
What should I do if my baby is short? ”
How to supplement calcium? ”
When is the best time to supplement calcium? ”
Can you take calcium from eating? ”
For the healthy growth of the baby, the mothers are really heartbroken, many mothers hope that their babies can have a pair of long legs, then the critical period of calcium supplementation in spring must not be missed!
The plan of the year lies in spring, and the growth of all things begins in spring. A study by the World Health Organization confirmed that children's growth and development have significant seasonal characteristics, with spring growing the fastest and growing twice as fast as autumn and winter [1].
On the one hand, in the spring when the grass grows and the warbler flies and the sun is shining, going out to go out and play increases, which can promote the increase of blood flow in the bone circulation and the increase of bone metabolism, so the absorption and utilization of calcium by the bones will also increase. On the other hand, the sunshine hours in spring become longer, and the ultraviolet rays in the sunlight can promote the pre-production of vitamin D3 in 7-dehydrocholesterol, and then produce active vitamin D through the action of hydroxylase in the liver and kidney, and active vitamin D can promote the absorption of calcium in the intestine. In addition, the infrared rays in the sunlight have a warming effect on the body, which accelerates blood circulation, makes metabolism more vigorous, and can also promote the metabolism and absorption of calcium.
In fact, calcium supplementation is very simple, but it is also easy to fall into misunderstandings, whether it is for calcium supplements, calcium supplements, or the dosage of calcium supplements. Therefore, before introducing the correct method of calcium supplementation, Brother Fan will first introduce you to several common misunderstandings, mothers should pay attention!
First of all, many mothers think that soy milk and bone broth are good foods for calcium, but this is not the case. According to scientific calculations, the calcium content of a glass of milk is about 250mg, while the calcium content of bone broth is only 5mg of the same volume, which is a huge difference [2]. Although soy milk can provide rich protein, its calcium content is far less than that of milk.
Secondly, many mothers feel that they should eat more calcium tablets when it comes to calcium supplementation, but only eating calcium tablets may lead to poor calcium supplementation. If you supplement it, but you don't absorb it, you can't achieve the real effect of calcium supplementation. Therefore, it is also necessary to pay attention to the absorption of calcium, and taking vitamin D preparations such as cod liver oil in moderation while supplementing calcium, or taking more sunlight to promote the production of vitamin D, can promote the absorption of calcium.
Excessive calcium supplementation is also undesirable, which will affect the baby's physical health, such as may lead to hypercalcemia, increase the burden on the kidneys, stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, cause constipation, affect the absorption and utilization of other minerals such as iron, zinc, magnesium, and may also lead to premature calcification of bones, affecting height development.
So how to supplement calcium, and how much calcium is the right one?
As babies get older, the need for calcium is also increasing, and the specific intake can be referred to the following table:
First of all, from the dietary aspect, we need to pay attention to calcium supplementation, and milk and dairy products are the first food, which has high calcium content and better absorption and utilization. 1-3 years old babies can get about 400mg of calcium under the condition of ensuring 500ml of milk. This is followed by dark green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and lettuce, which have a higher calcium content [3].
However, some babies have insufficient milk intake and picky eating, which will lead to the calcium provided by the diet can not meet the daily demand, and long-term calcium deficiency is prone to night sweats, tetany and other symptoms, and even rickets. At present, most of the calcium supplements on the market are powders, chewable tablets, drops, and oral liquids, which can be selected according to the baby's chewing and swallowing ability; There are three main types of calcium, inorganic calcium, organic calcium, and natural calcium.
For babies aged 6 months to 2 years, it is recommended to choose liquid organic calcium, which is convenient to eat and has less stimulation to the gastrointestinal tract; For babies aged 2-3 years, if the gastrointestinal function is healthy, both organic calcium and seaweed calcium in natural calcium can be selected, and if the gastrointestinal function is weak, it is recommended to choose organic calcium; For babies over 3 years old, in the case of normal gastrointestinal function, inorganic calcium, organic calcium and natural calcium can be selected, if the calcium deficiency is serious, inorganic calcium can be considered, and seek medical attention in time. While supplementing calcium, we should not forget its "best partner" - vitamin D, "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)" pointed out that exclusively breastfed infants began to supplement vitamin D 10 g a few days after birth, formula-fed infants need to pay attention to the vitamin D content provided by formula milk, according to the daily milk volume of 700ml estimates, if it can provide 10 g of vitamin D, it can no longer be supplemented, otherwise it needs to be supplemented in an appropriate amount.
In general, calcium supplementation for babies is a long-term thing, and calcium supplementation in spring may have the effect of "getting twice the result with half the effort", so seize this ** period, with vitamin D, and choose a suitable calcium supplement method for your baby If you want to know more about milk powder, you can check it on the milk powder think tank applet!
References: 1] Children grow twice as fast in spring as in autumn and winter China Food Safety News (CFSN.)cn)
2] Calcium supplementation to strengthen bones to avoid five misunderstandings[J].China Chief Accountant, 2022(11): 187
3] Li Jing. Get out of the 4 misunderstandings of calcium supplementation[J].Farmhouse Bookstore, 2019, no114(05):61.