Babies need sufficient vitamins and nutrients to meet their growth needs at different stages of growth. If there is a deficiency of vitamins, the body is prone to different types of abnormal reactions or developmental disorders, especially calcium and zinc, which are essential elements for bone growth. So, how can a two-year-old baby supplement calcium and zinc?
How to supplement calcium and zinc for a two-year-old baby
1. The best way to supplement zinc in daily life is through food. Firstly, promote breastfeeding. Secondly, eat more zinc containing foods, such as oysters, herring, shrimp skin, laver, fish meal, sesame, peanuts, pig liver, beans, etc.
2. Sunbathing is an important way for infants and young children to supplement calcium. Because the main reason for their calcium deficiency is insufficient intake of vitamin D, which is present in very small amounts in food, and coupled with the monotonous diet of infants and young children, they can only obtain very little vitamin D from food. Sunbathing can promote the conversion of a substance in the skin into VD, which is the safest way to supplement and will not cause VD poisoning.
Symptoms of calcium deficiency in babies
1. Often manifested as excessive sweating, even when the temperature is not high, sweating occurs, especially on the head after falling asleep, accompanied by crying and screaming at night, with more obvious sweating after crying. Some children's heads constantly rub against the pillow, and after a long time, bald circles can be seen on the pillow. When the body lacks calcium, it can cause a series of neurological and psychiatric symptoms, such as excessive sweating at night, which are related to the dysfunction of autonomic nervous system regulation. Firstly, it should be considered that the mental condition is caused by calcium deficiency in the body, and early calcium supplementation is necessary.
2. Anorexia and picky eating. Calcium controls the ability of various nutrients to penetrate cell membranes, and therefore also controls the ability to absorb nutrients. The human digestive system contains a large amount of calcium. If the intake of calcium is insufficient, it can easily lead to loss of appetite, intellectual disability, and weakened immune function.
3. Easy to develop eczema. Infants before the age of 2 are more common, and some may develop acute or chronic eczema in childhood or adulthood, or present with atopic dermatitis. Infant eczema often occurs on the top of the head, forehead, and behind the ears, and in severe cases, it can spread throughout the body. When a baby is sick, they cry and become restless, with red spots and papules appearing on the affected area, which then turn into water scars, erosions, and scabs. At the same time, they sweat heavily behind their pillow and back during crying.
4. Late or irregular tooth eruption, some children still have teeth by the age of 1 and a half, and the closure of the anterior fontanelle is delayed, often still not closing after the age of 1 and a half. And children suffer from calcium deficiency during the development of their teeth, with uneven tooth arrangement or misaligned upper and lower teeth, resulting in misaligned bite and loose teeth, making them prone to breakage and premature loss. Damaged teeth cannot be repaired.
5. The forehead protrudes high, forming a square skull.
6. There are often beaded ribs due to a lack of vitamin D, which leads to cartilage hyperplasia in the ribs. The cartilage hyperplasia in each rib is connected like a bead, and the lungs are exposed to normal pressure, causing poor ventilation in children and making them prone to tracheitis and pneumonia.
Calcium and zinc are essential trace elements for the growth and development of babies. Moreover, due to the rapid bone growth and development of 2-year-old babies, calcium deficiency is a very common phenomenon. However, parents must pay attention to observation. Once calcium and zinc deficiency is found, it should be supplemented through complementary foods in a timely manner. If necessary, medication can be used reasonably under the guidance of a doctor to avoid affecting the normal development of the baby.
