Adequate calcium intake is crucial for your child's growth and development. Doctors from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children obtain as much calcium as possible from food sources, and add supplements to their diet only if dietary intake is inadequate. Consult your child's pediatrician to determine whether she should take a calcium supplement to meet the recommended daily allowance, or RDA.
Babies and Young Children
The RDA for calcium varies based on your child's age. Breastfed babies obtain all the calcium they need from breastmilk. Formula-fed infants ages 0 to 6 months need anywhere from 210 mg to 400 mg per day, and babies older than 6 months and younger than 1 year require 270 to 600 mg daily. Toddlers ages 1 to 3 need 500 to 800 mg per day. Children between the ages of 4 and 5 need 800 mg of calcium per day. The 1994 National Institutes of Health recommendations suggest that children ages 6 to 8 get 800 to 1,200 mg per day.
Adolescents
During adolescence, the amount of calcium used by the bones increases significantly. According to the Nemours Foundation, more than 85 percent of adolescent girls and 60 percent of adolescent boys do not meet the minimum calcium requirements. Between the ages of 9 and 10, adolescents need 800 to 1,200 mg of calcium daily. Adolescents ages 11 to 18 should obtain 1,200 to 1,500 mg per day. This is the equivalent of about four servings of milk per day.
Sources
Milk is one of the best sources of calcium. Milk provides 300 mg of calcium per 8-oz. serving. As noted by the Nemours Foundation, the amount of calcium found in milk is the same regardless of the fat content. Other good sources of calcium include fortified orange juice, cheese, yogurt and fortified tofu. Some vegetables, like collard greens and broccoli, also contain calcium, although you need to eat large quantities to obtain significant amounts.
Considerations
Vitamin D aids in calcium absorption, so be sure that your child obtains adequate vitamin D as well as calcium. Vitamin D is produced by the body during sun exposure, and is also found in foods like fortified milk, fish and egg yolks. You should also limit your child's intake of soda and caffeine, since they decrease the amount of calcium absorbed by the bones. Weight-bearing exercises like walking, jumping rope and jogging also help build strong, healthy bones.
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