How to Feed Your Child Enough Calcium

Building bones early in life can help prevent osteoporosis later. Here's how to ensure that your child gets enough calcium.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Broccoli
• Low-fat Cheeses
• Low-fat Or Nonfat Yogurt And Kefir
• Milk
• Tofu

1. Pour on the milk. Toddlers can meet their calcium needs with two cups a day; preschoolers and school-age kids need three.
2. Slurp up some kefir. This yogurt-like drink is tangy and delicious and comes in fruit flavors.
3. Spoon yogurt into your child's diet. It is great alone, or you can mix yogurt with diced fruit and granola.
4. Try a little tofu. Soft tofu is delicious blended with a frozen banana and some frozen strawberries into an instant dessert.
5. Serve up the low-fat cheese. Kids love calcium-rich cheese on just about anything. Offer quesadillas or string cheese for lunch.
6. Eat trees. Broccoli florets look like little trees. Boost the calcium even more by covering steamed broccoli with low-fat cheese sauce or blending it with milk for cream of broccoli soup.

Tips & Warnings

• The new Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for calcium are: infants 0 to 6 months: 210mg; infants 6 to 12 months: 270mg; children 1 to 3 years: 500mg; children 4 to 8 years: 800mg; children 9 to 13 years: 1,300mg.
• Since 1-year-olds need more fat than older kids, stick with whole milk until they are 2 years old. Then gradually wean them to skim milk.
• Kids who don't tolerate cow's milk can drink calcium- and vitamin D-fortified soy milk.
• For children who consistently avoid calcium-rich foods, check with your pediatrician about a calcium supplement. Some antacids are made from calcium carbonate and come in flavors kids like. New chewy, chocolate-flavor calcium supplements are also available.
• To cut the sugar in flavored yogurt, mix it with an equal amount of plain yogurt.
• Avoid calcium supplements made from oyster shell, which may be high in lead.