Are your child's bones strong? Let's talk about calcium!

Have you ever watched your little one struggle and play and wondered, "Will my child's bones be strong and will he grow tall?" Every mother and father wants their children to grow up healthy and strong. So, calcium is an essential nutrient for that. Today, we will talk about this in detail and in a very simple way.

What is this calcium?

Simply put, calcium is an essential mineral for our bodies, especially our children's. Just as bricks and cement are needed to build a house, calcium is essential to build and maintain strong bones and teeth.

Not only that, calcium helps our nerves function properly, our muscles contract and relax, which means when we move our limbs and walk, all of these things. Just think, calcium also plays a role in heart health.

Why is calcium so important for our little ones?

Now, why is calcium so important for our little ones? This is a very important issue. When we are young, that is, during childhood and adolescence, we have the only opportunity to build a strong bone system that we will need for the rest of our lives. It's like laying a foundation. If we get enough calcium during that time, our bones will be strong when we grow up. It also helps protect us from bone loss as we age.

Also, babies and young children need vitamin D along with calcium to prevent the development of a disease called 'Rickets'. You may have heard of this name. When 'Rickets' develops, the child's bones become soft and do not grow properly. The legs may become bowed, growth is impaired, sometimes the muscles ache, and the body feels lifeless. Look at how many problems can occur if calcium is reduced.

So where do we get this calcium?

Okay, so where can we find this valuable calcium? Mainly from food. There are some foods that are full of calcium.

If you eat dairy, milk, yogurt, and cheese (especially hard cheeses like Cheddar) are good sources of calcium. Some people think that drinking nonfat milk will reduce your calcium intake. That's not true. Regardless of the fat content of milk—that is, nonfat, 1%, 2%, or whole milk—the amount of calcium in each is pretty much the same. However, it's best to ask your doctor which type of milk is right for your child.

Now, some children are allergic to dairy products or have lactose intolerance. There are many other foods that can provide calcium for such children. For example:

• Calcium-set tofu
• Calcium-fortified soy drinks
• Edamame – These are boiled soybean pods.
• Dark green vegetables – things like broccoli, collard greens, spinach, kale, chard, Chinese cabbage
• Almonds, sesame seeds
• White peas, red peas, chickpeas
• Oranges, figs, prunes

Calcium is so important these days that many food companies are adding calcium to cereals, breads, and fruit drinks for kids (fortified foods). That's a good thing.

So, how much calcium does your child need per day?

This varies from age to age. Calcium is measured in milligrams (mg).

The best thing to do is to give your child this amount through food. If that's difficult to do, sometimes doctors can give calcium supplements, which can be pills or syrups.

Let's look at the amounts of calcium needed by different age groups.

For the littlest baby

• Babies under 6 months old need 200 milligrams (200 mg) of calcium per day.
• Babies from 6 to 11 months need 260 milligrams (260 mg) per day.
• They can only get this amount of calcium from breast milk or a formula recommended by a doctor.

This is something that is very important to remember: it is not a good idea to give babies under one year old cow's milk, goat's milk, or homemade powdered milk for any reason.

For slightly older children and younger children

• Children ages 1 to 3 need 700 milligrams (700 mg) per day. (This is usually the amount you get from 2-3 meals.)
• Children ages 4 to 8 need 1,000 milligrams (1,000 mg) per day. (This is also about 2-3 meals.)
• Children and young adults ages 9 to 18 need 1,300 milligrams (mg) of calcium per day. (This would require about 4 servings of calcium-rich foods per day.)

So how do we provide our children with the necessary amount of calcium?

Okay, now you understand how much calcium a child needs depending on their age. So how do we give this to our children exactly?

Most babies who drink breast milk or formula get the calcium they need. Also, eating a balanced diet, especially dairy foods, is usually not a problem for young children. However, as they get older, that is, after the age of 9, and for younger children, they may need to add a little more calcium-rich foods to their diet.

Here are a few ideas that I think will help you:

• Make a beautiful parfait by layering fruit pieces and whole-grain cereal on plain yogurt. Little ones will love it.
• Make a delicious smoothie with fresh fruit, low-fat milk, calcium-fortified soy milk, or almond milk.
• When serving cottage cheese or yogurt, add some fresh fruit pieces or unsweetened apple butter.
• Add a drop of strawberry or chocolate syrup to regular milk. However, avoid store-bought colored, sugary flavored milk drinks as much as possible. They are high in sugar.
• Add a little low-fat cheese to meals and snacks for little ones.
• When making soup, add some white peas to it.
• Add some sesame seeds to baked goods (like cakes and buns), or sprinkle some sesame seeds on top of vegetables while cooking.
• Serve hummus with finely chopped vegetables (like carrots and cucumbers).
• When making stir-fry, add some tofu pieces.
• Use almond butter instead of peanut butter.
• Serve edamame as a snack.
• Add some chickpeas and slivered almonds to salads and cereals.
• Offer more dark green vegetables (e.g. broccoli, kale, collard greens, spinach, Chinese cabbage) with meals.

As I mentioned before, children with lactose intolerance, milk allergies, or those on a completely vegan diet may not be getting enough calcium. If your child has this condition, be sure to talk to a doctor about their calcium and vitamin D needs.

Let's learn a little about vitamin D, shall we?

Now we've talked a lot about calcium. But there's another important thing to talk about along with calcium. That's vitamin D.

Think about it, no matter how much calcium we eat, vitamin D is essential for the body to properly absorb that calcium. It's like a key. Without vitamin D, calcium can't get to where it needs to go to strengthen bones. So, these two need to work together to build strong bones.

Often, the foods that young children eat do not contain enough vitamin D. That is why doctors recommend giving them vitamin D supplements.

Babies who are exclusively breastfed should start taking a vitamin D supplement as soon as they are born. Your pediatrician will tell you about this. However, formula milks for babies have vitamin D added to them. So a baby who drinks more than 32 ounces (about 950 milliliters) of formula a day usually does not need an additional vitamin D supplement.

However, you should definitely ask your doctor to know exactly whether your baby or child needs a vitamin D supplement and how much.

Here are the most important things to remember from what we talked about today!

So, we talked a lot about calcium today, didn't we? I hope you have a better understanding now.

• Calcium is essential for strong, growing bones in children. It also helps maintain healthy nerves, muscles, and the heart.
• Childhood and adolescence are the best times to build strong bones that will last a lifetime. Therefore, it is very important to get calcium during this time.
• Calcium is best obtained from dairy foods, but there are plenty of other alternatives for those who are allergic to dairy.
• The amount of calcium a child needs per day varies depending on their age. Be aware of that.
• Vitamin D is essential for the body to absorb calcium. So don't forget about vitamin D. If necessary, give vitamin D supplements as directed by a doctor.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child's calcium needs or nutrition, it's best to consult your pediatrician. They can provide you with the most accurate information that's right for your child.

So, I hope these tips will help pave the way for a healthy, strong future for your child!

` Calcium, child nutrition, bone development, vitamin D, healthy eating, child health, Rickets