Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and is closely related to the physical growth and neurological development of children. Infants and young children are in the fastest growth and development stage and have a high need for calcium; if not supplemented in time, the body can easily become calcium deficient. With the increase of national health awareness, parents recognize the importance of calcium nutrition. But on the other hand, due to the influence of commercial propaganda, many parents give their babies blindly calcium supplements, the result is to spend a waste of money is not conducive to the health of the baby. So how exactly should we give our babies calcium supplements? 1, first of all, we need to understand the daily physiological needs of infants and children for calcium and vitamin D. 0 to 6 months of age need 300mg of calcium per day, 7 to 12 months of 400mg, 1 to 3 years of age 600mg; in order to strengthen the absorption of calcium, 0 to 3 years of age also need 400U of vitamin D. Vitamin D plays a key role in maintaining normal calcium and phosphorus metabolism in the body, long-term lack of vitamin D baby The baby is prone to rickets. The vitamin D is more likely to be lacking in the baby’s food compared to calcium, so parents should not neglect to give their babies enough vitamin D. Otherwise, it would be futile to add more calcium. 2, calcium or vitamin D supplementation according to the baby’s individual situation and feeding method Healthy born baby, if breastfeeding, as long as the mother is not deficient in calcium, breast milk is sufficient to basically meet the baby’s calcium needs. However, the vitamin D content in breast milk is not sufficient, so from 2 weeks after birth, the baby needs to take a daily vitamin D supplement of 400 U until 2 years old. If the baby is artificially fed, as the formula is fortified with calcium, as long as the baby consumes enough milk every day, there is usually no calcium deficiency. The amount of vitamin D added to regular formula is not much. On average, 500 ml of formula provides about 200 U of vitamin D, which is half of the physiological needs of infants and toddlers, and the shortage can be obtained by exposing the baby to the sun (especially in summer when there are more outdoor activities). Premature babies or babies born with twins have less calcium and vitamin D stores in their bodies at birth, and they grow fast after birth, so they need to take 800 to 1000 U of vitamin D daily after birth, and then change to 400 U daily after 3 months, along with the right amount of calcium supplements. If breastfeeding is not possible, formula (such as formula for premature babies) for such high-risk babies can be chosen for feeding to ensure that the baby has an adequate source of calcium. 3.Food supplementation plus outdoor activities is the most economical way to supplement calcium. Starting from the supplementation stage, babies need to get enough calcium from food as the amount of milk intake decreases. At this time, parents should add some calcium-rich foods to the baby, such as soy products, egg yolk, liver puree and so on. When babies can eat independently on their own, they can supplement calcium through foods such as milk, eggs, pork liver, shrimp, and kelp. In addition, sunlight exposure is an important source of vitamin D. For babies who can’t walk yet, parents should take them out for 1 to 2 hours a day to sunbathe their little faces, hands and bottoms, while after 2 years old, the range of activities becomes larger and outdoor activities are the most economical source of vitamin D. 4, regularly take your baby to the hospital for physical examination, early detection of vitamin D deficiency and various manifestations of calcium deficiency Vitamin D deficiency rickets early, the baby can have excessive sweating, occipital baldness, irritability, night terrors and other manifestations, if parents do not pay attention to the disease continues to develop, it will also cause skeletal changes, such as: under 6 months of age, the baby has a softening of the skull, more than 6 months of age, the baby has a square skull, rib beads, chicken chest, hand (foot) bracelets, O-shaped legs, X-shaped legs and other manifestations. Once the skeletal deformity is formed, it is very difficult to correct, the key is early prevention. In addition, it should be noted that the above-mentioned manifestations of babies are not necessarily rickets. Some parents mistake the physiological curvature of the baby’s lower limbs for O-shaped legs, and the delayed eruption of the baby’s teeth and late closure of fontanel for calcium deficiency. Parents can only take their babies to the hospital for careful examination to rule out other diseases in order to take early preventive measures. 5, careful use of vitamin D and calcium supplements to avoid poisoning from excessive baby intake Today the market is flooded with a variety of foods fortified with vitamin D and calcium, such as fresh milk, milk powder, rice paste, cookies and so on. Under the signboard of health products, merchants do not label the ingredients and induce parents to buy them blindly, which has serious consequences. Babies taking a large amount of vitamin D preparations for a long time can easily lead to accumulation of vitamin D in the body and overdose poisoning, which can be manifested as anorexia, irritability, vomiting, depression, or death due to renal failure in severe cases. Therefore, vitamin D and calcium supplementation must be carried out under the guidance of a doctor, and if parents find their baby showing signs of poisoning at home, they should immediately bring it to the hospital for consultation and treatment. Baby calcium supplementation is a lot of learning, not all babies need to supplement vitamin D and calcium supplements, supplementation is not the more the better. Young mothers and fathers should learn more about vitamin D and calcium nutrition, learn to take calcium supplements scientifically, and let their babies grow up under the sun and rain.