Female Speaker: Who needs calcium the most? Children and teens, because their bones are growing fast. Most of the calcium that makes bonea strong is added by age 17 what happens if we don't enough calcium. Susan Baker: There is data to suggest that children who have more calcium in their diet have fewer fractures than children who don't. Female Speaker: Okay, now you are ready for your milk. Female Speaker: Exactly how much calcium should you be aiming to give your child? Welll if you are counting on milk to provide the calcium your child needs, here so much they should be drinking. Babies under one year of age should be getting all the calcium they need from breast milk or formula. After 1 year of age they can transition to cows milk. 1 to 3 year old need two servings of milk. 4 to 8 year old, three servings and 9 to 18 year olds four servings. Of course in this age of big gulps and super sized extra value meals you may rightly wonder what exactly a serving size looks like take hard its just 8 ounces, a modest measuring cup full. Marnie Herren: Going to make some hot chocolates. Female Speaker: Although there are other ways to get your calcium, milk is the most readily available source and offers it in the most concentrated form. And whether its fat free, low fat, whole or flavored milk; they all have the same amount of calcium and that's not all you get. Susan Baker: Milk is an excellent nutrient source for children it has 8 essential nutrients in it. Its fortified with vitamin D, it has B vitamins, phosphorus, potassium really minerals and nutrients that little bodies need to grower strong and healthy. Female Speaker: How does a can soda stack up to a carton of fat free milk, it doesn't. Despite the clear benefits of milk consumption, national nutrition surveys reveal that only 12% of teen girls and 32% of teen boys get the recommended amounts of calcium in their diets. In fact the statistics are so abysmal that pediatricians think our kids are suffering of calcium crisis. Female Speaker: Marnie Herren however says she is confident that two year old Jacob is getting enough calcium because he goes through nearly a gallon a week. Marnie Herren: He drink water and a very little bit amount of juice but milk is his main staple. Female Speaker: Of course like most parents Marnie doesn't rely exclusively on milk to supply Jacob's calcium. Marnie Herren: And Jacob will actually eat broccoli, one of the few vegetables that he will eat wholeheartedly if there is cheese on it. So we put a lot of cheese on our broccoli and he's pretty happy with that. Female Speaker: Here is a few tips for incorporating more calcium in your child's diet. Make it milk with meals, enjoy a variety of milk flavors; chocolate, strawberry, banana, vanilla. Make soups, hot chocolate and hot cereal with more milk instead of water. Dip and dunk, use yogurt as a dip for fruits and vegetables. Participate in the school lunch or breakfast program kids who participate in school meal programs on average consume more calcium than kids who don't. Marnie Herren: I feel very fortunate that my child loves milk. And I know that he's getting enough calcium drinking it.