You've likely seen the ads promoting milk consumption: "Milk. It does a body good." Milk is an important part of a child's diet because of the calcium it provides. That calcium is necessary for building your child's bones. In fact, about 99 percent of the calcium in your body is in your bones, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The recommended calcium intake varies among infants, children and adolescents.
Infants
Breast milk or formula is the main source of nutrition for babies who have not yet turned 1. Because of this, infants get their calcium either from the calcium in their mother's breast milk or infant formula that has had calcium added to it. Children this age do not need too much calcium. For babies less than 6 months, the recommended daily intake is 210mg. Babies between 7 months and 12 months old need 270mg daily, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.
Toddlers and School-Age Children
After a child's first birthday, recommended calcium intakes increase with the child's age. Children between the ages of 1 and 3 need 500mg daily, while the recommended intake increases to 800mg daily between the ages of 2 and 4, according to KidsHealth. One reason that the recommended intake increases with age is that most of the calcium a toddler consumes is not retained, but as he gets older, more and more is retained in the bones, the American Academy of Pediatrics reports.
Pre-Adolescents and Teens
Because most of a child's bones are formed and strengthen during puberty, calcium intake becomes more critical between the ages of 9 and 18. Children in this age range should increase their daily intake to between 1,200mg and 1,500mg a day, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. When less than 1,200mg is consumed each day, ideal bone mass may not be realized. When more than 1,500mg is consumed, excess calcium is simply excreted as a waste product.
What Calcium Does In the Body
In addition to its critical role in the development of bone mass, calcium has other essential roles in the body. For example, calcium is necessary for the muscles to contract because it allows nerves impulses to travel through the body, according to KidsHealth. Calcium is also needed so blood vessels can contract and expand and hormones and enzymes can be secreted into the body. However, these uses require less than 2 percent of the calcium in the body, while the rest is devoted to bone health and maintenance, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements.
Food Sources
Milk and other dairy products such as yogurt and cheese are the most abundant sources of calcium for many children. Even non-dairy milks such as soy milk and rice milk are often fortified with calcium for children who cannot drink cow's milk. Other foods contain calcium as well, however. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, collard greens, mustard greens and turnip greens are excellent calcium sources, according to World's Healthiest Foods. Good sources of calcium include broccoli, green beans, romaine lettuce, garlic, celery, cabbage, summer squash, tofu, asparagus, brussel sprouts, sesame seeds, crimini mushrooms and oranges. Food seasonings such as oregano, parsley and rosemary can also add calcium to your child's diet.
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