Is Infant Calcium Overdose A Serious Health Concern?

99% of our bones and teeth are made of calcium. Being a necessary mineral, calcium makes us strong and healthy. It won’t be possible to have a perfect physique and health without calcium. Parents know that and therefore they often believe the baby needs calcium supplementation to grow faster.

Your child will grow faster and stronger if he gets nutrients in the right amount. Infant calcium overdose can cause a variety of health problems. It will not only cause painful health conditions, but also disrupt your baby’s growth. Therefore, it should be your top priority to provide calcium-rich foods and supplements in a right quantity.

What Are the Signs And Symptoms of Calcium Overdose in Babies?

Many parents do not know how to find out the child is getting enough calcium or not. Lack of calcium also causes health issues and calcium overdose can also be quite harmful. So, how to find out the baby is getting an overdose of calcium?

The following signs and symptoms tell you that your child is getting more than required amounts of calcium every day.

The baby suffers from health issues

Your baby won’t be healthy and happy if his body receives an overdose of calcium. He will be prone to sweating, swelling, nausea, anorexia, indigestion, and constipation. The absorption of divalent ions gets disrupted when there is too much calcium in the intestine.

Your child won’t be able to absorb iron and zinc properly. It can cause lack of zinc and iron in your child’s body. As a result, the child will suffer from health issues mentioned earlier. This issue can eventually slow down your child’s growth. His immune system will also get weaker if you ignore this issue for a long time!

Ghost Face Syndrome

It is a rare condition, but it affects some babies. When a child constantly receives an overdose of calcium, it makes his face abnormally larger with a prominent upper lip. Upturned nostril, flat bridge of the nose and increased gap between both eyes make the child appear weird. This is what calcium overdose can cause if you are not careful with what you feed to the baby.

Hyperuria

Some babies also suffer from hyperuria due to overdose of calcium. Babies suffer from low back pain in the beginning and urinate a lot. This condition can also cause gross hematuria if parents do not reduce the child’s calcium intake.

Eye-related health issues

Regular calcium overdose will increase the blood calcium levels. The deposition of calcium around the cornea will increase. It can reduce your child’s eyesight and also cause other eye-related health issues.

The above listed four symptoms indicate that your child is getting an overdose of calcium. Now, you are familiar with infant calcium overdose. Try to avoid such a condition because it can severely affect your child’s life. Some symptoms are not quite obvious, but still noticeable. Do not respond too late because it can cost structural deformities in babies!

Why Calcium Overdose Is Quite Harmful for Your Baby?

As you have read in the symptoms section, calcium overdose can cause some serious health problems. Not all the babies suffer from serious health issues due to excess calcium intake. It can cause a serious damage to the baby’s visceral function. The baby can also experience health issues, which are as follows:

Calcification of cartilage

Regular calcium overdose causes premature calcification of cartilage. Many babies also have underdeveloped brain because excess of calcium causes premature closure of fontanelle.

Premature bone calcification

Studies show that many babies have premature closure of the epiphyses and premature calcification of bones. Excess amount of calcium in the body also disrupts the growth of long bones. Consequently, the baby doesn’t develop as he could if he could receive the right dose of calcium.

Weaker bones

Many parents feed calcium supplement to the child because they want the baby to have stronger bones. Suppose the child is already getting an ample amount of calcium from food, that calcium supplement will weaken his bones. Excess calcium deposit makes bones brittle and prone to fracture!

Poor appetite

Loss of appetite is a common problem in babies who receive an overdose of calcium. It affects the child’s nutrient absorption capacity and also causes other health problems.

Poor divalent ion absorption

Divalent ions, such as iron and zinc, are quite vital to improve a baby’s immunity. Excess calcium reduces a child’s capacity to absorb divalent ions. It affects your child’s growth rate, causes anorexia, fatigue, and other health problems.

Kidney stones

High levels of calcium can cause kidney stone problem. All the adults know how painful and discomforting it can be. It is quite tougher for newborns and infants to cope with such a painful health condition. Therefore, parents should make sure the child doesn’t receive more than the required amount of calcium!

How Much Calcium A Baby Should Get Every Day?

A baby’s daily calcium requirements change with growing age. He will be fit, strong, and healthy if you provide the right amount of calcium each day. So, let’s find out how much calcium your baby needs per day!

0-6 months old babies

Most babies consume breast milk exclusively when they are 0-6 months old. It is the time when they need 300 mg of calcium every day. Breast milk provides 225-250 mg of calcium and it’s quite sufficient to aid in the proper development of your child.

6-12 months old babies

A baby’s daily calcium requirements increase after 6 months. This infancy period is quite vital because babies develop all their physical features in this phase. Therefore, they need 400 mg of calcium each day. Breastfeeding alone cannot meet the child’s calcium needs. Therefore, parents need to feed calcium-rich complementary foods to the baby.  

1-4 years old kids

Some babies look a bit weaker once they are 1-year old. It happens because their height is growing and they are developing as a kid. It’s the best time to provide calcium supplements to meet the child’s 500 mg/day calcium needs. You can also feed calcium-rich foods to fulfill your child’s calcium demands.

4-7 year old kids

Kids need 800 mg calcium per day when they are 4-7 years old. It’s the same amount of calcium an adult needs. Parents should include calcium-rich foods in at least one meal of the day. Provide calcium supplements only if the baby has calcium deficiency.

How to Ensure the Baby Is Not Consuming More Calcium Per Day?

You have just learned about how much calcium your child needs in different phases of his life. Choose foods carefully that provide the right amount of nutrients. Begin calculating your baby’s calorie and nutrient needs since the day he starts consuming complementary meals.

It can be a bit tougher, especially if you don’t feed packaged complementary meals. Go online and check nutrient values of foods you chose for the child. Thus, it will be easier to feed the right amount of food along with breast milk.

Is It Safe to Provide Calcium Supplements To Infants?

Your goal should be meeting the child’s calcium needs through the food you feed him. If the baby still experiences calcium deficiency, you can ask your doctor for a supplement. The doctor will check whether the baby has calcium deficiency or vitamin D deficiency. Thus, the doctor will recommend the best supplement to treat your child.

What Should You Do If Your Child Has Pediatric Hypercalcemia?

Most parents know that they should feed calcium supplement in case of calcium deficiency. They don’t know what to do when the baby has excess of calcium. It can have some severe effects on the child’s health, but there is nothing to worry. Follow the below-given tips to fight this issue:

Stop feeding calcium supplement

Look for the symptoms of calcium overdose. Once your child shows the signs, you should immediately stop feeding a calcium supplement. Never feed more than the recommended dose of a supplement to prevent such problems.

Do not feed certain foods to the child

Stop feeding foods which are rich in calcium. Breastfeeding babies should continue consuming breast milk, but they shouldn’t eat calcium-rich complementary foods. Feed more water and reduce your child’s salt and juice intake. The doctor will recommend diuretics to cope with this problem.  

Take your child to the doctor

It won’t be a wise decision to try home remedies if the baby’s hypercalcemia symptoms get worse. You should immediately take your child to the doctor. Proper treatment will help in a quick recovery and your baby will get healthier quickly.

Conclusion

Infant calcium overdose has become a serious concern nowadays. Parents read about calcium deficiency and benefits of calcium supplements. Therefore, they start feeding calcium supplements to the child. It should not be done without consulting with a doctor.

First, you should try to know whether your child has calcium deficiency or not. Provide calcium supplements only when he is diagnosed with hypocalcaemia. Thus, you can prevent calcium overdose and keep your child healthy.

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