Calcium supplements for children - anyone use them and if so which ones

[katierocket]

DS (4) doesn't/won't drink milk. He has it on cereal and the odd yogurt but that's about it. over the last few months I've been a bit concerned that he might not be getting enough calcium and then I read today in the Sunday TImes that children up to 11 years old should have the equivalent of 1 pint a day.

So, calcium supplements - any recommendations for ones that might go down easily? chewable but not stuffed full of crappy sweetners

bump

anyone? (she says in desperation)

His toenails shouldn't just be breaking off should they?

I remember reading somewhere that children under a certain age shouldn't have calcium supplements as they can in fact do more harm than good. As long as he has calcium from milk, cheese, yoghurt etc he will be fine.

kr - I think if he clinically needs a clacium supplement then maybe he should see a doctor. There might be other reasons why there is something wrong with his toenails. The GP might even be able to prescribe them which would be free, and advise on other side effects of not enough calcium - or suggest other ways of getting calcium into him.

your doctor can prescribe sandoz which is a supplement designed for children. HTH.

My dd won't drink milk, but she does like those yoghurt drinks, especially the ridiculaously expensive Rachel's organic strawberry ones. They are whole milk and she has one a day to boost her calcium intake. Might be worth a try?

There's a lot of research that 'artificial' calcium does not provide the benefits of calcium in dairy products, etc.

I was worried about calcium, as ds1 does not eat cereal and does not drink milk. But I got some info about calcium from our school nurse and analysed his diet, and it's fine. I can give you some figures if you like?

Does she eat cheese? There's a lot of calcium in a very small piece of cheese!

My boys do have a multi-vitamin/minerals every day as a safety-net: Sanatogen Kids A-Z, which they like, so it probably does have crappy sweetners in!

I've found an old thread with the calcium figures on

HTH

Thanks everyone, very interesting. He does sometimes have those yogurts drinks but not always. Thanks for the link roisin.

that is worrying roisin, as my ds is dairy allergic and doesn't like any of the replacement dairy free milks. He has a supplement but i didn't know about the research suggesting it is not as effective. oh help.

he does have calcium fortified tropicana juice though - awful for his teeth but i'm hoping that will help with the calcium intake.

sorry for hijack btw.

If he doesn't drink milk, will he drink milkshake or hot chocolate? or does he eat cheese? DS would eat pounds of cheese everyday if you let him, and there are so many different varieties such as cream cheese, standard cheddar, wensleydale, goats cheeses etc etc.

You can also make creamy or cheesy sauces for main meals.

sesame seeds are very high in absorbabale calcium, but obv there is an allergy issue
Neither of ym kdis drink milk, but both go through an awful lot of tahini paste
When I asked the dietititan about calcium she said even dairy excluding children were highly unlikely to suffer calcium deficiency as it is present in many forms and is readily absorbed.
HTH

He does eat cheese although not tons of it - I'll try to up that.

It annoys me a bit because the piece in the SUnday time was by that nutrionist - Amanda Ursell and she was adamant that if they weren't having a pint a day they weren't getting enough calcium. She did say that if you were going to give them calcium supplements then they have to be ones that have Vit D in otherwise they won't do anything.

the figures you linked to are very surprising though Rosin - it's actually not as hard as you think to make sure they are getting enough is it.

There's something in The Times yesterday- will dig it out of the recycling anc ome back to you

ds is allergic to sesame seeds - damn! Hummus would be so useful...

Yes Katierocket - I was surprised too. A small (1 oz) piece of hard cheese has as much calcium as 1/3 pint of milk.

DS1 doesn't drink milk at all or have milk on cereal, but he has plenty of calcium - cheese, yoghurts two or three times a day, rice pudding in winter, etc.

Calcium isn't very well labelled in this country atm, so it's hard to get the figures to do a dietary analysis but as long as it's on your "dietary radar" as it were, it's really not difficult to get enough.

(typed from Times Style mag yesterday)

To help your kids grow:

Over 5's :Boots chewable calcium and vitamin D vanilla flavour; 1 tablet (3 per day over 12).

If your children do not eat or drink milk, yoghurt, calcium rich soya milk or other calcium foods such as chickpeas and dark green veg on a regular basis, consider this supllement if theya re old enough. It has the ideal balance of Vit D (for calcium absorption) and calcium, and the positive effects will kick in immediately.

So I'd do the foody thing for a bit (canned fish /' chickpeas etc) until he's 5, then geta batch of these. haven't tried them YET buta s they work out at 3p a day for the under 12's (£7.99 for 250 days supply) Ds1 may well be getting a supplement.

I'm giving my milk/cheese/yoghurt hating child halibotange

he likes them, I can't be worrying about the aspartame etc in them

One tip: when trying a multivit/supplement: get a small pack first. We tried to switch to the Boots Own Multivit, and the boys refused to take them - they didn't like the taste and after-taste.

From everything I've read e.g. food standards agency, babycentre website, etc the minimum recommended equivalent amount of milk for a child over 1 is around 300/350mls rather than 1 pint.

FSA:
Children between the ages of one and three need to consume an average of 350mg of calcium a day. About 300ml full-fat milk (three?fifths of a pint) would provide this.

Babycentre:
From one year, milk should still play an important role in your baby's diet, as it provides essential protein, calcium, magnesium and vitamins B12 and B2 (riboflavin). Your baby needs to have a minimum of 350ml (two thirds of a pint) of full-fat cow's milk each day. If he or she becomes reluctant to drink milk, try offering two portions of calcium-rich foods a day. Yoghurt, cheese, tinned mashed sardines, tofu, white bread and chick peas all contain calcium.

Babycentre also says this about milk:
A generation ago milk, for example, was thought essential for children. Now milk is recognised as a food that some children are far better off without; even for the rest, it's only an easy-to-take package of useful nutrients. The valuable proteins, minerals and vitamins that milk contains are in other foods too, especially the many foods made from it. There's no virtue in a cup of milk that isn't in a cup of yoghurt, any more than there's especial virtue in an egg gazing one-eyed off a plate. The milk and egg in the pancake your child enjoys is just as good.

My dd likes the drinkable yoghurts and also loves anything done in a cheese sauce. She is also partial to ice cream which also counts towards the daily quota. (custard, rice pudding, smoothies, etc are also ideas to get extra calcium in)

Yes peachyclair - that's the cutting that got me thinking about it in the first place. So is she wrong then - when she says that they should have the equivalent of a pint a day?

I haven't read all the other posts so this might have already been suggested but what about increasing his intake of other calcium-rich foods? There are the obvious ones like cheese, yogurt but also prawns, sardines, dried apricotes, kidney beans.

Our nitritionists (one NHS one BIBIC) both say just under a pint- I think the pint idea helps parents visualise the rough amount? That's my guess anyway