Question
The baby is 3 months old and has been deficient in calcium, showing symptoms of poor sleep, baldness on the head, and excessive sweating. Although calcium supplementation has been ongoing for two months, there has been no improvement. In the past month, there has been a decrease in appetite, and in the past week, the baby has almost stopped eating. The hospital diagnosis is rickets.
Answer
Simply supplementing calcium is not effective; additional cod liver oil is needed to promote calcium absorption. It is worth noting that the baby’s decreased appetite may be related to hot weather and iron deficiency. For a baby breastfed four months ago, it can rely solely on breast milk (while taking cod liver oil and calcium tablets), and start introducing complementary foods at four months. To reduce the difficulty of introducing complementary foods, the baby can be encouraged to try various flavors from 2 to 3 months old.