All of us as a child must be given milk and cottage cheese. We are doing the same now and we with our children. Let's see: why is this necessary? And what will happen if you do not?
Milk and cottage cheese have always been considered products containing a large amount of calcium. But he is one of the most necessary elements for the body. Calcium is needed by a child not only for the full growth of teeth and bones. Lack of calcium in children can lead to delays in physical and mental development and growth, malfunctioning of the heart, seizures and even rickets.
Symptoms of calcium deficiency in a child
How to understand if your child has enough calcium? Here are the main symptoms that indicate its lack in the body. With a lack of calcium:
- there are cracks on the teeth;
- the bones become brittle;
- the nails begin to separate.
But in small children, all this is very difficult to notice, so it is worth paying special attention to such signs:
- Hair loss began - it's easy to notice, after looking at the baby's bed, on the place where the head lies, there are a lot of fallen hairs.
- During the application to the chest and in a dream, the child begins to sweat very strongly.
- Sleep becomes anxious and short.
- Sometimes the posture is disturbed and the shape of the legs changes.
All this can talk about a lack of calcium and the possible presence of rickets. In this case, you need to take a referral from a doctor for urine tests on Sulkovich.
Products containing calcium for children
The best source of calcium, as already mentioned above, are dairy products (cottage cheese, cheese and milk). Better absorption of calcium contributes to vitamin D, which is rich in beef liver, egg yolk, butter. Also very useful products, which include combinations of calcium and phosphorus (apples, fresh peas, cucumbers, cabbage).
Depending on the age, the amount of calcium needed by the body changes. Daily calcium intake for children:
- the first 6 months 400-500 mg;
- from 6 to 12 months - 600-700 mg;
- from 1 year to 10 years - 800-900 mg.
Be afraid that there will not be too much in the body. All excess calcium is excreted along with urine and feces.
Assimilation of calcium
There is a strange pattern, the less calcium in the food, the stronger and better it is absorbed. But do not forget that the absorption of calcium is also affected by the drugs and various diseases (anemia, gastritis, dysbacteriosis). It happens that because of a number of reasons a child has poor absorption of calcium. In such a case, be sure to increase the child's stay in the fresh air. Scattered sun rays contribute to the release in the body of vitamin D, which improves the absorption of calcium. And of course, watch for the health of the stomach and kidneys. Because of the increased acidity, calcium is less readily absorbed in the blood.
If calcium in the body receives insufficient amount, then calcium deficiency may develop. And this leads to a breakdown in the structure of the skeleton and vessels, osteopenia (bone loss) and osteoporosis (skeletal disease, leading to brittleness and fragility of bones) can begin. The body is designed so that if there is a lack of calcium in the blood, it begins to be replenished by calcium from the bones. Because of this, the bones become brittle and brittle.
Calcium preparations for children
It often happens that you can not do with one balanced diet. Then, medicines and all kinds of supplements come to the rescue. Just do not self-medicate! If you have any suspicions that your child does not have enough calcium, be sure to visit the clinic and take tests. Based on the results of these tests, your doctor will choose the drugs and tell you the necessary dosage. Since now for children there are a lot of drugs containing calcium, which act different methods and are used in different ways, it is best to trust a knowledgeable person.