Magnesium for children is essential to support their health and development. Magnesium supports sleep, muscles, and energy levels. Without enough, children may experience poor concentration at school. Our expert guide takes you through the importance of magnesium for kids, and how much they need.
Table of Contents:
- Benefits of Magnesium for Kids
- Magnesium Deficiency in Children
- Best Sources of Magnesium for Kids
- Supplementation Options for Children
- Types of Magnesium for Kids
- Magnesium & Other Nutrients
10 Benefits of Magnesium for Kids
Magnesium plays a vital part in a huge number of the body’s enzymatic processes, making it one of the most essential minerals for children. Magnesium supplements can help to support your child’s intake, to ensure they obtain recommended levels.
The essential benefits of magnesium include:
- Supporting proper sleep
- Regulating mood
- Improving concentration
- Boosting energy levels
- Supporting bone and teeth health
- Maintaining blood sugar levels
- Offer bowel regulation
- Bolstering the immune system
- Supporting healthy digestion
- Relaxing muscles
What Are the Benefits for Younger Children?
Magnesium should be considered when choosing children’s vitamins due to its role in supporting sleep, immunity, and bones.
Younger children have immature immune systems, which makes them much more susceptible to infection. Magnesium for children and toddlers plays a huge part in forming the antibodies which fight off invading pathogens which lead to infections and illness.
Magnesium is an essential nutrient for growing children to ensure they grow and develop properly.
Benefits for Older Children
Teenagers are still growing so they need magnesium for the same reason as younger children. Magnesium plays a vital part in the development of healthy bones because it aids the conversion of vitamin D into its active form. However, around half of their skeletons are created during their teen years so making sure they get enough calcium and magnesium is vital.
Magnesium is essential to the development of teenager’s bodies because it helps with muscle and nerve function, keeps bones strong and helps with the natural production of energy and proteins.
How Does Magnesium Benefit Children’s Sleep?
One of the benefits of magnesium for children is the fact that magnesium helps in relaxing your children’s muscles and calming their nervous system in preparation for sleep. This mineral is often used as a sleep supplement to assist in drifting off for a peaceful night.
The magnesium levels in our bodies play a large part in the amount and quality of sleep we get. Magnesium for kids helps to make their bodies feel rested—low magnesium in children can lead to restless muscles, which can contribute to keeping them awake at night.
Magnesium has a great reputation for improving sleep because it helps to relax nerves and muscles and triggers the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
Sleep is a vital part of a child’s development, both physically and mentally. That’s why preventing sleep deprivation is essential for children, no matter their age. Getting a good night’s sleep will help a child with their performance at school while keeping their immune system healthy.
Magnesium Deficiency in Children
Magnesium deficiency in kids can be caused by a number of factors but insufficient levels obtained through diet is the most common reason. Children need magnesium to support their growth and development, and without enough, they may experience side effects which cause difficulty in their everyday lives.
What Are the Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency in Children?
If your child is suffering, the common symptoms of magnesium deficiency include:
- Muscle weakness and cramps
- Poor sleep
- Tiredness
- Apathy and low mood
- Memory problems
- Decreased attention span and poor concentration
Constipation may also signal that your child has low levels of magnesium.
Under stress, children may exhibit more of the symptoms of a magnesium deficiency because the body uses up magnesium to deal with the stress response. It’s not uncommon to see a peak or sudden onset of magnesium deficiency in a child whose diet has not changed but is experiencing a new form of stress.
Additionally, craving chocolate can be a sign of magnesium deficiency - so, although your children and toddlers may ask for chocolate frequently, they may be low in this nutrient. The good news is that dark chocolate is a source of the mineral.
If you think your child is suffering from a vitamin or mineral deficiency, you should seek medical advice from your Doctor.
What Causes Magnesium Deficiency in Children?
Poor diet is a key cause of deficiency in kids, and the reason for children needing magnesium. In particular, diets high in processed, packaged and sugary foods, but low in fruit and vegetables can lead to low levels.
Many foods that were once considered to be high in magnesium are no longer rich in those types of minerals as modern farming methods have depleted the soil.
We can’t rely on these foods to provide us with as much magnesium as they used to. Therefore, providing a magnesium-rich diet, and making up correct dosages with food supplements is recommended.
8 Best Sources of Magnesium for Kids
It’s common to see magnesium deficiency in children because foods that are commonly high in magnesium do not tend to be the top of a child’s favourite meals. Therefore, you need to provide them with the correct sources to secure their intake.
What Are the Best Magnesium-Rich Foods for Children?
The best sources of magnesium for children include:
- Whole wheat
- Spinach
- Nuts
- Dark chocolate
- Black beans
- Tofu
- Bananas
If your child does eat a substantial quantity of legumes, dark leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, you may only need to supplement a portion of their daily requirement.
Children, toddlers and babies may not obtain enough magnesium for kids through diet alone. Therefore, natural supplementation is important to consider. Children’s nutrients levels can be supported through oral spray supplements which do not require them to take a tablet.
Supplementation Options for Children
Magnesium supplements are safe for children, which means you can support their intake if they do not obtain enough from their diet.
How Can You Give Children the Magnesium they Need?
Getting enough magnesium into your child’s diet or getting them to take tablets, capsules or drink supplements can be difficult. Pill-free supplements such as sprays, oils, lotions and flakes provide an easier way to increase your child’s magnesium intake.
Absorbing magnesium through the skin, using transdermal magnesium allows it to enter the body and bloodstream quickly, bypassing the digestive system where many nutrients, including magnesium, are poorly absorbed.
How Much Magnesium Do Children Need?
Here is the recommended magnesium dosage for kids at different ages:
|
Age |
Magnesium Adequate Intake (AI) |
|
EFSA AI 1 - 2 years |
170 mg/day |
|
EFSA AI 3 - 9 years |
230 mg/day |
|
EFSA AI Female 10 - 17 years |
250 mg/day |
|
ESFA AI Male 10 - 17 years |
300 mg/day |
Everyone is different so, while nutrient reference values are good guidelines, the magnesium dosage for children can vary. Your child’s weight, activity levels, perspiration and age can all play important factors in the amount of magnesium a child needs. Take these into account when calculating how much additional magnesium your child might require.
Can Children Have Too Much Magnesium?
It’s very rare for children to overdose on magnesium through their diet; however, like most things, there is a small chance they can if they take too much magnesium.
Types of Magnesium for Kids
Magnesium for kids can come in many forms which make it easier to take for children, toddlers, and even babies. BetterYou have a range of magnesium supplements that are specially formulated for children. Thanks to the transdermal magnesium formula of our products, you can ensure your child is supporting their levels without the need to take a pill or tablet. Our children’s sleep range allows them to get a good night’s sleep, so they’re well rested and full of their usual energy.
Our supplements use magnesium chloride to provide a pure, concentrated form of the mineral. The form of magnesium chloride in our magnesium for kids is known as Zechstein magnesium - this is a highly pure form, named after the Zechstein Sea in which it was formed.
Magnesium for Kids: Sprays
Our magnesium sprays are a simple solution to getting magnesium for kids. The magnesium oil formula is safe for babies above the age of 12 months, toddlers, and children alike. It can be quickly and easily applied - simply apply to the skin and massage in. A perfect way to send them off for sweet dreams.
Magnesium for Kids: Lotions
Magnesium creams and lotions are a straight-forward way to get the magnesium for children that they need. Kid’s Magnesium Sleep Lotion is suitable for children aged 1 or above, and is the perfect way to help your little ones have a restful sleep. It can be applied anywhere on the body before they go to bed.
Magnesium for Kids: Bath Flakes
Bathing with magnesium flakes before bedtime can help to relax their muscles and unwind. Simply shake the flakes into the bath, where the mineral becomes readily available within the water, and can be absorbed by your child or toddler. Including this in their night routine can be one of the ways to help children sleep. These can also be used for babies below 1 year, simply use a cup of flakes in their bedtime bath.
Can You Combine Magnesium For Kids with Other Nutrients?
You can combine magnesium for kids with other vitamins and minerals, in order to support their overall health. Iron, calcium, zinc, iodine, vitamins A and D are all essential for brain development during children’s early years, and these supplements can be taken together to support their health.
Calcium & Magnesium for Kids
Combining magnesium and calcium supplements is important when it comes to building strong bones in children and toddlers. For calcium to be properly absorbed, the body needs the right levels of magnesium.
Without enough magnesium, calcium can become toxic and deposit in soft tissues, kidneys and arteries, instead of children’s bones. With BetterYou’s Magnesium + Calcium Lotion, which is suitable for all ages, your children can obtain both the nutrients at the same time.
Vitamin D & Magnesium for Kids
Magnesium determines how much vitamin D the body can make, therefore combining your children’s magnesium with this essential vitamin can support their bones.
There is evidence to suggest that those who have a high magnesium intake are less likely to be deficient in vitamin D, than people who are low in magnesium. However, high vitamin D levels can lead to increased calcium levels and cause a range of health complications, so it’s important to get your child’s intake right.
Zinc & Magnesium for Kids
If taken together, and in the right dosages, children’s consumption of magnesium and zinc can be to their advantage. Zinc helps the body absorb magnesium, so combining them in your children’s supplements is important. That way, your little ones can see the benefits of zinc as well.
Magnesium for Children: An Overview
- Parents and children both need complete nutrition in order to support a healthy lifestyle. With mother and child supplements from BetterYou, that’s easier than ever.
- Top tip for parents: You can take your women’s health supplements and men’s health vitamins at the same time as you provide magnesium for kids. That way, you can establish a daily routine to make sure the whole family gets their nutrients.
- Magnesium for children is essential for their growth, development, and ensuring they get a restful night’s sleep.
- The mineral supports bone and teeth health, muscle function, and regulates melatonin to act as a natural sleep aid.
- Not getting enough magnesium for kids means they risk poor sleep, muscle tension, and may have difficulty concentrating.
- Sourced through their diet, you can provide magnesium for kids if they eat plenty of magnesium-rich foods, and avoid highly sugary and processed food.
- Magnesium for kids can be found through pill-free formulas which support their intake.
Supplementing with BetterYou
At BetterYou, we specialise in nutritional supplementation. From vitamin D supplements to support growing bones, to conception vitamins to support those trying to start a family.
