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Unlike other toddlers, Baby Dozer doesn’t take a lot of milk. I often hear of mothers swapping stories about how their babies below 1 year old guzzle at least 25 ounces a day or even something like 17 ounces for babies above 1. Well, Baby Dozer was never like that even when he was consuming breastmilk and now that he’s on cow’s milk (yes, he seems to have outgrown his cow’s milk allergy!), he takes even lesser than that.
During my recent visit to his paediatrician, I highlighted his seemingly low intake of cow’s milk in comparison with other babies, but the paed merely said, “Don’t worry. Just ensure he takes other good sources of calcium and he’ll be fine.”
What are other good sources of calcium then? A little research, as usual, and here’s what I have to share for today!
Firstly, how much calcium does my baby need?
It’s important to understand how much calcium our children need else all that nutritional information printed on the packaging won’t mean much.
According to Ask Dr. Sears, the following calcium intake is recommended for babies and children:
Infants aged below 1: 400 to 600mg of calcium per day
Children aged 1 to 10 years old: 800mg of calcium per day
Next, how do I read the nutrition information on the packaging?
The picture above is an example of a nutrition information label on a tub of yoghurt.
The figure highlighted in green (214mg) indicates the amount of calcium contained in 100g of this yoghurt
The figure highlighted in red (320mg) indicates the amount of calcium you are taking in if you consume the whole tub of yoghurt –> This is the more relevant figure for us.
If your baby eats 1 tub of this yoghurt, he will have met 40% of this daily calcium requirement (320mg/800mg = 40%).
So, if your baby can eat 2.5 tubs of this yoghurt, basically he has met his daily required intake of 800mg of calcium!
However, before you get all excited, there is another factor to consider which is the ability of the body to absorb 100% of the nutrients in foods. This is known as bioavailability. Typically, we are unable to absorb 100% of the nutrients and minerals from our food, so this means that we should serve our babies more calcium-rich foods to be safe.
Is our everyday food sufficient to provide baby with his recommended daily calcium intake?
Today’s post looks at 10 commonly-available foods in our local grocery stores, which we usually serve to our babies and whether these foods provide a good source of calcium for them. I’ve categorised my findings into:
GOOD: Each serve contains more than 10% of baby’s required daily calcium intake
MODERATE: Each serve contains more than 5% but less than 10% of baby’s required daily calcium intake
SUPPLEMENTARY: Each serve contains less than 5% of baby’s required daily calcium intake
Note:
I’ve included a few foods which may not exactly be what you usually serve to your baby but because Baby Dozer consumes them frequently, I decided to check the calcium content of these foods
Please note that this post is focused on calcium only, so I have not considered if the particular product featured here is high in sugar or sodium / salt, etc. We all know less sugar is best, but if your baby is refusing to eat that very expensive Greek yoghurt imported from Australia, a little flavoured yoghurt might be an alternative to consider. Also, not forgetting, the “healthier” the option, the more expensive the product tends to be, so do use your own discretion when selecting which product to get for your baby! ;)
Figures are taken directly from the nutrition information label on the product or the following sources: Wikipedia, USDA Nutrient Database, CNN Interactive, NutritionData.self.com
1. Chesdale Cheddar Cheese - GOOD source of calcium
1,360mg calcium per 100g of cheese
1 slice of Chesdale cheddar cheese slices contains 290mg of calcium / 36% of required daily intake
2. Fernleaf Calciyum Yoghurt - GOOD source of calcium
218mg calcium per 100g of yoghurt
1 tub of Calciyum Yogurt contains 130mg of calcium / 16% of required daily intake
3. Ikan bilis / dried anchovies - GOOD source of calcium
Note: It was challenging to find reliable sources for the nutrition data of dried anchovies so the next best alternative, which was canned anchovies was used
232mg calcium per 100g of ikan bilis / anchovies
10 ikan bilis / anchovies contains (estimated) 93mg of calcium / 12% of required daily intake
To read my post on how to grind ikan bilis / anchovies powder for your baby, click here.
4. Edamame - GOOD source of calcium
63mg calcium per 100g of edamame
1 cup edamame contains (estimated) 98mg of calcium / 12% of required daily intake
5. Lady’s fingers / okra - GOOD source of calcium
96mg calcium per 100g of lady’s fingers /
2 lady’s fingers contains (estimated) 88mg of calcium / 11% of required daily intake
6. Papaya - MODERATE source of calcium
24mg calcium per 100g of papaya
2 cups of papaya / about 1 slice of papaya contains (estimated) 66mg of calcium / 8% of required daily intake
7. Everbest Silken Tofu - MODERATE source of calcium
62mg calcium per 100g of tofu
¼ packet of Everbest Silken Tofu contains 47mg of calcium / 6% of required daily intake
8. Sweet potatoes - SUPPLEMENTARY source of calcium
38mg calcium per 100g of sweet potatoes
1 medium-sized sweet potato contains (estimated) 43mg of calcium / 5% of required daily intake
9. Eggs - SUPPLEMENTARY source of calcium
50mg calcium per 100g egg
1 L-sized egg contains (estimated) 33mg of calcium / 4% of required daily intake
10. Salmon - SUPPLEMENTARY source of calcium
15mg calcium per 100g of salmon
½ salmon fillet contains (estimated) 27mg of calcium / 3% of required daily intake
I hope this post gives you an idea now of how to calculate your baby’s daily calcium intake and also identify good food choices for your baby! As always, hope you enjoyed it and have a great weekend! Enjoy the holiday!
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Also, please check out my new venture at facebook.com/littlebabygrains where I sell organic and chemical-free rice for your babies suitable from 6 months onwards!
