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Magnesium For KidsDeficiencies in many nutrients are becoming more commonplace due to more processed foods in the diet and a lack of knowledge about vitamin and mineral balances. Magnesium is an often forgotten component of a healthy diet for kids that is actually responsible for many body processes, to say nothing about its affects on calcium absorption. Foods high in magnesium aren’t always high on a kid’s favorite munchie list, but that doesn’t mean you need to get crazy offering them magnesium 300 mg tablets. There is a time when supplementing magnesium for kids is and is not acceptable, but don’t do anything until you read these 10 facts about magnesium for kids that moms should know!

1. Talk to a nuturopath or a nutritionist: Never give a child a magnesium supplement without first talking to their doctor or pediatrician. Even for constipation relief, or as natural migraine relief, it should not be done without the advice of a health care practitioner such as your naturopath.

2. Stress: Kids today are under a substantially higher amount of stress than decade’s past. Stress can deplete magnesium. Consider both your child’s apparent stress level and see if there is any correlation between stress and symptoms.

3. Food: The diets of today’s children can leave them needing more than just a liquid calcium magnesium supplement. The body has to work a lot harder to process all the over processed stuff that’s going into it, which can exhaust magnesium reserves.

4. ADHD? The link between magnesium deficiency and ADHD is only beginning to be understood, but that doesn’t mean that using magnesium for kids can automatically cure ADHD or settle a tantruming child, although magnesium is known to have relaxing properties. It’s worth considering or discussing with your doctor however if whether or not your child’s dietary inadequacies might be contributing to hyperactivity behaviors.

5. Bones: Vitamin D magnesium and calcium are all critical to growing children’s bones to be healthy and strong. Even if you are providing your child a vitamin that contains calcium, missing out on magnesium means that proper absorption may not be taking place.

6. Dosage: It’s pretty unheard of to overdose on magnesium from a heaping bowl of kelp, but when figuring the dosage of magnesium for kids, they should not be given more than the recommended daily allowance for their age group. So, for children up to 3 that’s 80 mg, children up to 8, 130 mg, and children up to 13, 240 mg. If they are getting a little extra from a side of kelp it’s unlikely that they will have any adverse effects.

7. Divide the dose: If your doctor agrees that a magnesium supplement is advisable for your child, consider breaking up the dose into a few takings throughout the day. This may help increase absorption and also help prevent potential tummy upset.

8. Drug interactions: Common medications like antibiotics can be interfered with by magnesium supplements. If your child is taking them and is prescribed another medication, remind your doctor to avoid side effects.

9. You cannot skip the calcium: Magnesium and calcium fight for real estate within the body, and there’s only so much room. Makes sure that your magnesium for kids supplement contains enough calcium to meet your child’s daily needs.

10. Vitamin B6: Another vitamin that’s presence is essential to proper magnesium absorption. Even when providing magnesium for kids, not providing these other absorption critical vitamins may still leave your child deficient in many areas.