Calcium Supplement for Kids?

I used to use Animal Parade Calcium but was told to stop since my kids drink milk regularly, and eat dark green veggies. They are getting plenty in their diet.

Is there a reason they can't get 1,000 mg of calcium from their diet? That's basically 3 or 4 servings of anything with calcium in it per day.... so, 1 glass of milk, 2 pieces of cheese and a yogurt? Or if they don't eat dairy, there is calcium in a lot of veggies.

Here is a list of foods with calcium
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/

There have been a couple of new studies that suggest that calcium supplements don't actually help kids absorb the calcium to affect bone density. http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20060418/calcium-supp...

Our doc told us to not give calcium to the kiddo's. They should get it all out of their diet or a good normal vitamin.

Too much calcium is really bad for anyone. It causes the bones to do odd stuff.

Try getting them to up their cheese or milk or veggies that have a lot of it instead first.

On the other hand if you have one that can't do those things then ask the doc. You really don't want to give them too much and overdose them or give them too little and they'll have bone issues anyway.

I'm sure you'd have said if they have dietary issues where they can't eat dairy or dark veggies though.

Supplementing with an individual vitamin or mineral is highly ineffective, because every nutrient needs many others in order to be properly absorbed. You are correct that today's diet, even in ideal circumstances, does not provide sufficient nutrition. Even if the milligram count seems to be sufficient, it really doesn't matter what you swallow - it matters what you absorb at the cellular level. So the posts that say too much calcium is a problem are partly correct, but in the sense that it's not fully utilized and can build up without being metabolized because the other necessary nutrients are not present at the same time. The posts that say "there's enough in your food" are partly correct, but again, there's no guarantee of absorption. So you pay for what's swallowed, but not for what is absorbed or utilized.

I'd also be careful about anything with warning labels - for example, does it make sense that most children's chewables say "keep out of reach of children"??

The AMA recommends that EVERYONE supplement since our diets are not sufficient due to a combination of processed foods, stripped nutrients (how many products start off with "enriched flour", which is wheat stripped of nutrients and a few vitamins tossed back in), depleted soils, and long travel times for foods, and more. It's well known that vitamin pills are poorly absorbed/digested - even if they don't cause stomach issues, they are only absorbed 15-30% so it's irrelevant what's actually in the pill. And it's expensive to buy something that's 70-85% ineffective.

I am a strong advocate for balanced supplementation using patented products based on strong food science. There is one for kids that does have some extra calcium for children's needs which is highly absorbable (upwards of 95%) and also has all the other vitamins. It's a powder that you mix in water or juice or milk to form a shake. It's liquid, but not pre-mixed (because proteins break down on the shelf), and it's delicious, available in vanilla and chocolate, and made in the US under strict conditions and a recipient of the FDA Good Manufacturing Practices designation. If you want more information on that, I'll provide it. But if you're determined to get a chewable no matter what, and you want to try to meet all other nutritional needs in another way, that's totally up to you.

I agree with the moms who say its not necessary.

If you really think they need them, I would ask their pediatrician his opinion... Chances are he will tell you not to bother. (Unless they have a medical condition that requires it, in which case I'm sure he would reccomend a certain one...)

Most multivitamins do have some calcium in em, so if you give your kids those, they are already receiving a small supplement.

Did any of the moms bother to ask you why you think your child needs calcium supplements before judging? My son does not consume dairy due to a sensitivity and will not eat leafy greens (do kids really eat those?). I give him Lil Critters and also a liquid calcium citrate from Bluebonnet. You can get it at the healthfood store.

They don't need it. Dairy, OJ, and dark leafy greens will give them all the calcium they need.

ETA:
@BB - yes kids really do eat leafy greens. My daughter would eat broccoli and mustard greens until she popped from the time she was old enough to chew.