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Zinc is an essential mineral and one of the most important nutrients for rapidly growing bodies. It's involved in the healthy growth and development of children as it's required for building new tissues. When zinc intake is insufficient it may lead to poor immune function and increase the susceptibility to illness.
Thereof, how much zinc should a toddler have?
It is recommended by the ODS that children between the ages of 1 and 3 years old have an average of 3 mg of zinc per day and those aged 4-8 years old take in 5 mg. There are various signals that your child may have too much zinc.
In respect to this, is zinc supplement safe for kids?
Although zinc supplementation is considered to be safe8,10 and has been recommended as an effective intervention to reduce morbidity associated with diarrhoea and lower respiratory infections in young children8,12, the likely need for daily administration of zinc supplements presents a number of programmatic challenges
Signs and symptoms in infancy can include periorificial and acral dermatitis (see image below), diarrhea, behavioral changes, and neurologic disturbances. In older children, zinc deficiency is characterized by failure to thrive, anorexia, alopecia, nail dystrophy, and repeated infections.