Calcium Requirements for Children

The daily calcium requirements for a child must be met for the child to develop strong bones. This mineral is a major mineral that is present in a child's bones. A calcium-rich diet is necessary not only for the development of strong bones but also for the proper functioning of body.

Daily Calcium Needs for Children and Teenagers

Calcium requirements

Once children begin puberty, they require high levels of calcium.  The 1300mg  intake for children and teens of 9-18 years can be met by taking about four glasses of milk daily.

Young school going children of 4-8 years need 800mg daily. This requirement can be met by consuming three glasses of milk daily. On the other hand, toddlers aged 1-3 years can take two glasses of milk to meet their 500mg requirement.

Milk is recommended for children because it has a lot of calcium. Children who take milk daily easily meet their daily requirement. Research shows that half of young children and fewer teenagers meet their daily calcium requirements. Thus this is a wake up call to the parents to ensure that their children get enough of this nutrient.

It is more challenging for children with milk allergy to meet their requirement. However there is hope because they can take foods that are rich in this mineral. Parents with such children should ensure they read food labels properly.

Calcium content on food labels is represented in percentages, like 5%, 15% etc. The percentage means the daily value you can get from one serving of the particular food. 1000mg is used as 100% daily value. So 20% calcium is equivalent to 200mg - that is 20% × 1000.

To meet the needs of your child or teen, go for products with a minimum calcium value of 20% i.e 200mg. The higher the value the better the product.

Calcium Content of Common Foods

Food

Milk

Soy/rice milk

White beans

Cooked broccoli

Raw broccoli

Low-fat yogurt

Mashed sweet potatoes

Medium orange

Orange juice (Calcium fortified)

Instant oatmeal

Servings

1 cup

1 cup

½ cup

½ cup

1 cup

8 oz

½ cup

1

1 cup


1 cup

Calcium (mg)

300 mg

300 mg

113 mg

35 mg

35 mg

300 mg

44 mg

40-50 mg

350 mg


100 mg

Multivitamins with Calcium

A daily multivitamin may not necessarily mean that a child is getting enough calcium. When you examine some of these ‘complete’ vitamins, they only have 75-100mg of calcium. This is far less the requirements of say a school age child.

However some vitamins have higher levels of up to 20% calcium. But you have to read the labels carefully to identify them.

Return from Calcium Requirements to Best Calcium Supplements

Return to Nutritional Supplements Home

New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

If this site pleased you click the Like button below


Choose Nutritional Supplements Wisely

Choose Nutritional Supplements Wisely

Salmon

Benefits of Salmon

Protein Guide