The Role of Calcium in Supporting Newborn Bone Health – Apart from the basic nutrients – proteins, fats, and carbohydrates – babies also need trace elements – vitamins and minerals. Minerals greatly influence babies’ metabolic processes, growth, and development.
Despite the low content of these substances in the body, their role in maintaining vitality is enormous. They are part of numerous enzymes, hormones, and other biologically active substances that regulate metabolic processes and implement an individual growth and development program. The most intense stages of bone growth take place in three age groups: from birth to one year old, then from 5 to 7 years old, and finally in adolescence. During these critical years, the child needs calcium in sufficient quantities, and the parent’s task is to ensure that this essential mineral is provided. This element takes part in more than three hundred different processes in the body, but it plays its main role in forming the bones, helping the child to grow healthy and strong.
Why is Calcium Essential for the Health of the Newborn?
Calcium is the main “building material” for the bones, ensuring their proper formation and growth. The need for calcium is higher in infancy and childhood since this is the time of active development of all organs and systems.
Calcium is also significant for the effective functioning of the central nervous system, participating in excitation processes and nerve impulse transmission. Determining the activity of several enzymes and hormones is essential for the immune and endocrine systems. At the same time, calcium performs the most critical task at the level of each cell of the body: it regulates the processes of growth and differentiation, participates in the formation of intercellular bridges and connections, and forms tissues and organs.
An adequate amount of calcium in the infant’s body is essential for healthy growth. Calcium deficiency in the first years of life can lead to irreversible consequences, so parents should pay close attention to the baby’s diet.
How Much Calcium Babies Need Daily
Infants need calcium to support rapid bone growth and development. In the first year of life, most healthy babies get sufficient calcium from breast milk or formula. The amounts below are considered Adequate Intake (AI), a standard used when a precise Recommended Dietary Allowance isn’t established but is expected to meet the needs of nearly all healthy infants.
Age Group Recommended Calcium per Day
0–6 months 200 mg/day
7–12 months 260 mg/day
These values reflect the AAP and Dietary Reference Intake guidelines for infants.
Notes
- Breast milk or formula typically provides enough calcium for these age groups without need for supplementation.
- As solid foods are introduced (around 6 months), offering calcium-rich foods (like yogurt or cheese, once appropriate) can help meet the slightly higher need.
- Always consult your paediatrician before giving supplements or fortified foods.
Do Babies get enough Calcium from Breast Milk and Milk Formula?
From the first days of life, the baby receives all necessary nutrients with breast milk or formula. Breast milk composition corresponds perfectly to the baby’s needs and changes dynamically as the baby grows and develops. It is the main source of minerals in the first 6 months of the baby’s life. If the breastfed baby is healthy and the mom’s diet is balanced, this amount of calcium in breast milk is sufficient.
And for the formula-fed baby, parents need to choose a formula suitable for the baby’s age and health condition containing lactose for better absorption of calcium and vitamin D. All infant formulas are optimally adapted to the baby’s nutritional needs and include the necessary amount of calcium and vitamin D for strong bones.
In Organic’s Best Shop, parents can find organic baby formulas balanced by all the necessary macro-and micronutrients, taking into account the physiological needs of babies during the first months of life.
Important! If you need to switch your little one to mixed or formula feeding, follow the pediatrician’s recommendation and study a detailed list of ingredients in the formula to find the best product for your baby that will meet his or her nutritional needs.
Additional ways to build Healthy Bones
For our children to grow healthy, it is essential to ensure that their nutrition is balanced and varied. But walking outdoors plays an equally important role.
Sunlight for bone health
Vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the intestine. Vitamin D3 of the vitamin D group is a unique substance that the body can synthesize under the influence of ultraviolet light. Doctors recommend staying outdoors as much as possible, even if there is no sun outside. Take more walks! Remember that sunscreen is necessary in order to protect the skin from excessive ultraviolet light, but they also block the production of this vitamin. Therefore, a few minutes of morning or evening sunlight will be enough for the baby.
Active lifestyle
When the baby is a little older, allow him or her to move around as much as possible. Active games, especially outdoors, strengthen the musculoskeletal system of the child. Get your child interested in playing together to show that movement brings a lot of joy!
