Nutrient requirements for babies and children by age
Written by Christina Hills, Baby and Child Dietitian and nutritionist. Founder of the Happy Feeding Company.
Babies and children have high nutrient needs respective to their small body size. They are growing and developing rapidly. We know that nutrient deficiencies are common in children with restricted diets, and so sometimes its recommended by a paediatric dietitian or nutritionist to take a vitamin and mineral supplement.
When choosing a supplement it is important to check the nutritional content and ensure that doses aren’t too low to provide a nutritional benefit, or- on the flip side- too high and at risk of causing harm due to a higher dose than is recommended. Here is a guide to some of the nutrients I would check in my online clinic and some estimated average daily requirements.
Please note this is not representative of the whole population as nutrient needs vary dependent on the individual and these values may also change depending on current research.
1 year old (Male or Female)
Vitamin A: 400 µg retinol equivalent/day
Vitamin D: 10 µg/day (safe intake)
Vitamin B6: 0.7 mg/day
Vitamin B12: 0.5 µg/day
Folate: 70 µg/day
Vitamin C: 30 mg/day
Sodium: 506 mg/day
Potassium: 782 mg/day
Calcium: 352 mg/day
Phosphorus: 272 mg/day
Magnesium: 85 mg/day
Iron: 6.9 mg/day
Zinc: 5 mg/day
Copper: 0.4 mg/day
Chloride: 781 mg/day
Selenium: 15.8 µg/day
Iodine: 76 µg/day
2 years old (Male or Female)
Vitamin A: 400 µg/day
Vitamin D: 10 µg/day (safe intake)
Vitamin B6: 0.7 mg/day
Vitamin B12: 0.5 µg/day
Folate: 70 µg/day
Vitamin C: 30 mg/day
Sodium: 506 mg/day
Potassium: 782 mg/day
Calcium: 352 mg/day
Phosphorus: 272 mg/day
Magnesium: 85 mg/day
Iron: 6.9 mg/day
Zinc: 5 mg/day
Copper: 0.4 mg/day
Chloride: 781 mg/day
Selenium: 15.8 µg/day
Iodine: 76 µg/day
3 years old (Male or Female)
Vitamin A: 400 µg/day
Vitamin D: 10 µg/day (safe intake)
Vitamin B6: 0.7 mg/day
Vitamin B12: 0.5 µg/day
Folate: 70 µg/day
Vitamin C: 30 mg/day
Sodium: 506 mg/day
Potassium: 782 mg/day
Calcium: 352 mg/day
Phosphorus: 272 mg/day
Magnesium: 85 mg/day
Iron: 6.9 mg/day
Zinc: 5 mg/day
Copper: 0.4 mg/day
Chloride: 781 mg/day
Selenium: 15.8 µg/day
Iodine: 76 µg/day
4–6 years old (Male or Female)
Vitamin A: 400 µg/day
Vitamin D: 10 µg/day
Vitamin B6: 0.9 mg/day
Vitamin B12: 0.8 µg/day
Folate: 100 µg/day
Vitamin C: 30 mg/day
Sodium: 690 mg/day
Potassium: 1,095 mg/day
Calcium: 452 mg/day
Phosphorus: 349 mg/day
Magnesium: 117 mg/day
Iron: 6.1 mg/day
Zinc: 5 mg/day
Copper: 0.6 mg/day
Chloride: 1,065 mg/day
Selenium: 23.7 µg/day
Iodine: 102 µg/day
7–10 years old (Male or Female)
Vitamin A: 500 µg/day
Vitamin D: 10 µg/day
Vitamin B6: 1.0 mg/day
Vitamin B12: 1.0 µg/day
Folate: 150 µg/day
Vitamin C: 30 mg/day
Sodium: 1,150 mg/day
Potassium: 1,955 mg/day
Calcium: 552 mg/day
Phosphorus: 427 mg/day
Magnesium: 194 mg/day
Iron: 8.7 mg/day
Zinc: 7 mg/day
Copper: 0.7 mg/day
Chloride: 1,775 mg/day
Selenium: 31.6 µg/day
Iodine: 114 µg/day
11–14 years old – Boys
Vitamin A: 600 µg/day
Vitamin D: 10 µg/day
Vitamin B6: 1.2 mg/day
Vitamin B12: 1.2 µg/day
Folate: 200 µg/day
Vitamin C: 35 mg/day
Sodium: 1,610 mg/day
Potassium: 3,128 mg/day
Calcium: 1,000 mg/day
Phosphorus: 773 mg/day
Magnesium: 280 mg/day
Iron: 11.3 mg/day
Zinc: 9 mg/day
Copper: 0.8 mg/day
Chloride: 2,485 mg/day
Selenium: 47 µg/day
Iodine: 127 µg/day
11–14 years old – Girls
Vitamin A: 600 µg/day
Vitamin D: 10 µg/day
Vitamin B6: 1.0 mg/day
Vitamin B12: 1.2 µg/day
Folate: 200 µg/day
Vitamin C: 35 mg/day
Sodium: 1,610 mg/day
Potassium: 3,128 mg/day
Calcium: 800 mg/day
Phosphorus: 618 mg/day
Magnesium: 280 mg/day
Iron: 14.8 mg/day
Zinc: 9 mg/day
Copper: 0.8 mg/day
Chloride: 2,485 mg/day
Selenium: 47 µg/day
Iodine: 127 µg/day
15–18 years old – Boys
Vitamin A: 700 µg/day
Vitamin D: 10 µg/day
Vitamin B6: 1.5 mg/day
Vitamin B12: 1.5 µg/day
Folate: 200 µg/day
Vitamin C: 40 mg/day
Sodium: 1,610 mg/day
Potassium: 3,519 mg/day
Calcium: 1,000 mg/day
Phosphorus: 773 mg/day
Magnesium: 300 mg/day
Iron: 11.3 mg/day
Zinc: 9.5 mg/day
Copper: 1.0 mg/day
Chloride: 2,485 mg/day
Selenium: 71 µg/day
Iodine: 140 µg/day
15–18 years old – Girls
Vitamin A: 600 µg/day
Vitamin D: 10 µg/day
Vitamin B6: 1.2 mg/day
Vitamin B12: 1.5 µg/day
Folate: 200 µg/day
Vitamin C: 40 mg/day
Sodium: 1,610 mg/day
Potassium: 3,519 mg/day
Calcium: 800 mg/day
Phosphorus: 618 mg/day
Magnesium: 300 mg/day
Iron: 14.8 mg/day
Zinc: 7 mg/day
Copper: 1.0 mg/day
Chloride: 2,485 mg/day
Selenium: 63 µg/day
Iodine: 140 µg/day
If you want to chat about your child’s nutrition to optimise their growth and development, book a 1:1 in my online clinic to speak to a registered baby and child dietitian + nutritionist with 10+ years experience in the NHS and in private practice.