Zinc is one of the essential trace elements and plays an important role in human growth and development, and is known as the “flower of life” and “source of intelligence”. Infants and young children have a high growth rate and a high demand for zinc, but due to a poor diet, zinc intake is often insufficient. If a baby is zinc deficient, a series of physical reactions will occur. It is important for parents to detect any symptoms of zinc deficiency in their children, and once the signs are detected, they need to take their children to the hospital for checkups and confirm the zinc supplementation in time. The following are the signs of zinc deficiency in children Loss of appetite: Zinc deficiency can cause a decrease in the activity of various zinc-containing enzymes needed for digestion and metabolism, a decrease in taste sensitivity and an abnormal sense of taste. Children with zinc deficiency do not feel hungry and do not eat voluntarily, so they eat less and are picky, anorexic and refuse to eat. Heterophagia: Zinc-deficient infants and toddlers will gradually develop some special hobbies during the process of ingestion. They chew and swallow uncontrollably foreign objects that they should not normally eat. They may eat strange things such as nails, clothes, toys, hard objects, hair, scraps of paper, raw rice, wall dust, dirt, sand and gravel, etc. Slow growth and development: Zinc deficiency affects the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins, which affects the physical growth and reproductive system of the child, and the height and weight of the affected child are often lower than those of normal children of the same age. Height is 3 to 6 cm lower than that of the same age group, and weight is 2 to 3 kg lighter. Delayed sexual development during puberty, such as small genital testicles and penis in boys, delayed breast development and late onset of menstruation in girls, etc. Delayed intellectual development: Zinc deficiency can cause impaired brain DNA and protein synthesis and reduced glutamate concentration, thus causing delayed intellectual development. Severe zinc deficiency in children can affect brain function, manifesting as poor concentration, poor memory, slow reaction, impatience, drowsiness, depression or poor learning ability. Low immunity: Children with zinc deficiency may have reduced cellular and humoral immunity and are prone to infections. The most direct manifestation of this is recurrent colds, especially in the fall and winter when it is cold. In severe cases, this can lead to bronchitis and pneumonia. Decreased vision: Zinc is closely related to the eye, where there is a large amount of zinc, and the eye is very sensitive to zinc deficiency. Children with zinc deficiency are at risk of night blindness and optic neuritis, which can seriously affect their eyesight. White spots on the nails: If the zinc deficiency is severe, the baby’s fingers may also show symptoms such as white spots on the nails or barbs next to the nails. Other symptoms: map tongue (tongue partially peeled, tongue surface resembles a map), rough skin, recurrent mouth ulcers, delayed wound healing, thin yellow hair, lack of luster, etc.