Moms and dads often face a problem: the baby does not like cottage cheese, milk and kefir. What to do and how to avoid manifestations of rickets? There is a solution!
The child's daily calcium requirement depends on age:
1-6 months 400 mg
1-5 years 600 mg
6-10 years 800-1200 mg
11-18 years 1200-1500 mg
For babies from birth to 1, 5 years of age, breast milk is the best source of calcium. However, the mother cannot provide an influx of vitamin D3 necessary for the absorption of calcium, and therefore this vitamin is prescribed for prophylactic purposes. The same children who are older - need to eat the required amount of foods containing calcium (more on this below) and more often to be in the sun. Walking in the fresh air helps to normalize metabolism, moreover, under the influence of sunlight, vitamin D2 is synthesized in the skin (naturally).
Children often do not like cottage cheese, kefir or milk. It is generally accepted that these foods contain the highest amount of calcium. My daughter is no exception: if I manage to slip milk or kefir into her, she immediately spits it out and cleans her tongue with her fingers. Both funny and scary. Until I found very useful information! Rather, I share it with you.
It's time to dispel the myth about dairy products.
Record-breaking calcium content products are:
Poppy - 1450 g per 100 g of product
Parmesan cheese - 1300 gr per 100 gr of product
Hard cheeses - 1000 g per 100 g of product
Sesame - 780 g per 100 g of product
Calcium is extremely important for a child's body (as well as for an adult).
Lack of calcium can lead to the development of a disease such as rickets, which occurs with impaired bone formation and lack of bone mineralization.
The manifestations of rickets include:
Slower teething process and longer fontanel closure period
The flat bones of the skull soften, the back of the head is flattened; in the region of the parietal and frontal tubercles, layers are formed ("square head", "Socrates' forehead").
The facial skull is deformed (saddle nose, high Gothic palate).
The lower limbs are bent, the pelvis can be deformed ("flat pelvis").
The shape of the chest changes ("chicken breast").
Sleep disturbances, sweating, irritability are observed.
With a calcium deficiency in the body, the growth of the baby slows down. The child may get sick more often, as calcium is necessary for the development of the body's immune system. With a lack of calcium, the child may experience general muscle weakness, because it is he who plays an important role in the process of muscle contraction. Did you know that calcium is a factor in the blood coagulation system? I think that no one needs to be convinced of the importance of calcium for an intensively growing child's body.
Back to vitamin D. Natural sources of vitamin D include parsley and nettles, egg yolk and fish oil, caviar, cheese, dairy products, and butter. However, the content of vitamin D even in these products is small, and in the non-sunny season it is recommended to give the child this vitamin for preventive purposes (consult your doctor; the pediatrician prescribes Vigantol drops all the time (oily solution of D3 is easier to digest)
Particular attention should be paid to foods containing large amounts of calcium in summer and during holidays in hot countries. The fact is that when the baby is in the sun, then in his body, under the influence of sunlight, an increasingly intensive formation of vitamin D occurs naturally (during tanning).
If the child is in the hot sun or receives scattered sunlight, mom or dad gave the child the recommended drops of D3, and there is not enough calcium in the blood (there was no inflow with food), calcium begins to "wash out" from the bones and is transferred to other organs and tissues (arteries, heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, etc.) - nothing more than a process of ossification.
The topic we have chosen today is very important, but not all pediatricians in polyclinics find time to tell young parents about all this. Be attentive to your child's diet, do not exceed the prescribed intake of vitamins. Walk with your baby a lot. And everything will be fine!
