Signs of calcium deficiency in babies may not be obvious, but there are still some reports of recorded symptoms, helping parents to be alert and take their children to a doctor in time. Children can become deficient in calcium at different times. Together Nutrihome Find out useful information around this important issue, parents.
Why do children need Calcium?
Calcium is an important component of our skeleton. Young children are in the growing stage, they need calcium to build strong bones. In addition to bones, calcium also helps children have a set of healthy teeth.
In addition, children need calcium and vitamin D to avoid rickets – a common disease in young children and have serious consequences for children’s later development.
Symptoms of calcium deficiency in infants and children
Often, these symptoms are not apparent in infancy. Most infants will have no symptoms of calcium deficiency. However, there are some reports of calcium deficiency symptoms reported in infants and young children, including:
- Irritability, irritability, fussiness, refusal to sleep: This problem appears not only in infants but also in older children and even adults with calcium deficiency.
- Easily panic, or startle during sleep: This is one of the most noticeable signs and often appears first when the Signs of calcium deficiency in babies happen. Parents should pay attention to this sign and take the child to the doctor promptly.
Children with calcium deficiency often have trouble sleeping and are often irritable
- Anorexia, anorexia, delayed development: Infants and children who lack calcium will often be uncomfortable, inactive, lethargic, not focused on everything around, including eating and drinking. Therefore, the development process also slows down.
- Dental problems: In older children, when children’s bodies lack calcium, they will have to metabolize to maintain calcium levels in the blood. Therefore, children with calcium deficiency often have symptoms such as delayed teething, teeth when they grow will not be strong, more easily broken than other children. In addition, there are irregularities in order, not in alignment, easy to shake, easy to caries.
- Abnormalities of facial muscle expression such as twitching of the lips, tongue, or eyes. It can sometimes be mistaken for a seizure.
- Sweat a lot while sleeping.
- The likelihood of disease is high due to Signs of calcium deficiency in babies Usually occurs in premature or low birth weight infants. Therefore, the baby’s immune system will not be as comprehensive as those born at full term or at full weight.
- Low blood pressure: There is a significant correlation between the calcium content in the blood and the blood pressure of the child. If the amount of calcium in the blood is low, the blood pressure will also be low.
- Convulsions: This is a dangerous symptom and can lead to death. The main reason is that the oxygen supply to the brain is less than normal.
Diagnose
When in doubt your child has Manifestations of calcium deficiency in infants and young children, parents should take the child to the nearest medical facility for a blood calcium test. Usually, your doctor will order a blood test to best diagnose your child’s condition.
Stages of calcium deficiency in infants
Early stage: Occurs about 2 to 3 days after birth
Late stage: begins in the first week after birth
Reason
Signs of calcium deficiency in babies can come from many causes such as milk, hormones or substances related to calcium in the blood and depending on the different stages, they will have different causes.
Early stages are often caused by many factors. However, it will go away on its own after that.
Late stages are rarer and are also caused by certain factors. Manifestations of calcium deficiency in infants can be caused by drinking cow’s milk or products containing too much phosphate. But this is not the main cause.
The main cause can come from a problem with parathyroid hormone. This hormone is produced by the parathyroid gland – an endocrine gland located in the neck region. They help keep calcium and phosphorus levels normal in the blood. If parathyroid hormone is not produced in the baby’s body, this can be the cause of the manifestations of calcium deficiency in the newborn.
In addition, calcium in the child’s body is related to a number of other substances, such as Magnesium, Phosphorus and vitamin D. Therefore, low levels of these substances in the blood also lead to calcium deficiency in children.
In addition to the above causes, there are also genetic causes such as an abnormality of chromosome number 22 out of 23 pairs causing DiGeorge syndrome, or congenital hypothyroidism is also one of the causes of these diseases. Signs of calcium deficiency in infants.
Genetic factors are one of the causes of Manifestations of calcium deficiency in infants
Risk factor
These Signs of calcium deficiency in babies Usually occurs in premature or low birth weight babies. The main cause in this group of children is that the thyroid gland is not fully developed.
Babies with a slower-than-normal growth rate before birth are more likely to have severe hypocalcemia because less calcium crosses the mother’s placenta.
Besides that, Manifestations of calcium deficiency in infants can occur when the mother has diabetes.
How much calcium do children need daily?
Calcium is measured in milligrams. At different times of development, children will need different amounts of calcium:
For infants: The main source of calcium will come from breast milk
- Babies under 6 months will need about 300 mg per day
- Babies aged 6 to 11 months will need more than about 400 mg per day
Choosing the best baby formula is to use breast milk or formula that is most similar to the ingredients found in breast milk. Cow’s milk should not be used, because it can be a cause of Symptoms of calcium deficiency in infants.
For older children: Need more calcium for bone growth:
- Children 1 to 3 years old need about 500-600 mg per day
- Children 4 to 8 years old need about 600-700 mg per day
- Children 9 years and older need about 1000 mg per day
Where does calcium come from?
When children are diagnosed with calcium deficiency, parents should ask experts and doctors to advise on appropriate nutrition. Calcium is commonly found in foods. Some of the foods that are naturally rich in calcium include:
- Milk
- Yogurt
- Cheese
The percentage of fat in milk and everyday foods does not affect the composition or content of calcium in that food. For example, milk with 1% or 2% fat will also have similar calcium content. It is important that parents should consult a nutritionist to choose the most suitable milk for their children.
Supplementing the right milk for children to help prevent Symptoms of calcium deficiency in infants
In addition, there are some foods that are also relatively high in calcium, such as:
- Tofu
- Soymilk
- Broccoli, green vegetables of all kinds
- Nuts
- White beans, red beans, quail egg beans
- Oranges, figs, plums
Because calcium is very important, parents need to pay more attention to their children’s daily meals; especially milk for babies and young children. Children should be examined and do not ignore expert advice on diet, how to prepare specific foods or how to increase breast milk for children in both quality and quantity.
Treatment
In general, experts will advise you on solutions to help infants and young children fully supplement calcium such as:
- Expose your child to the sun in the morning to increase the amount of vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D helps a lot in the absorption of calcium. Depending on age, there will be different ways of sun exposure, parents need to seek advice from a doctor.
- Children should be breastfed. If the mother does not have milk, it is advisable to use formula suitable for the age of the baby. Absolutely do not use cow’s milk in newborns and infants.
- Get calcium from meals alongside breast milk like formula milk. If the baby is on the weaning period, calcium should be added to the baby’s weaning meal.
- When a child has a convulsion, they should go to the hospital so that they can take timely measures such as calcium infusion.
These Manifestations of calcium deficiency in infants and small children may resemble other health conditions. Parents should take their children to the doctor if they see the above symptoms. It is important to pay attention to the smallest changes of children for early detection and treatment, without affecting the overall development of children.