Various sources provide different guidelines for magnesium intake in children. American guidelines from Mayo Clinic and European guidelines from the EFSA differ in their recommended amounts across various age ranges. The European standards generally permit higher magnesium intake for children compared to North American standards. However, the challenge arises from the fact that there’s no universally defined “average child” in terms of weight, height, etc.
Nonetheless, we consider the recommendations by Dr. Carolyn Dean, as outlined in her book “The Magnesium Miracle,” to be clear and simple. She suggests a guideline of 6 mg of magnesium per kilogram of the child’s weight. For example, if a 12-year-old weighs 38 kg, they would need 6 x 38 = 228 mg of magnesium daily. As children progress from ages 11 to 16, there’s a general agreement that boys may require slightly more magnesium intake compared to girls. Although a definitive “average child” is difficult to define, we present the following summary based on a thorough analysis of various sources:
Age |
RDA Magnesium
recommended dietary allowance |
Citrate Powder
– per day – |
Flakes Foot Bath
– per week – |
Flakes Bathtub
– per week – |
Oil*
– per day – |
0 – 3 years |
40 – 80 mg |
not allowed |
– |
2x up to 125 grams |
2 – 3 sprays |
4 – 6 years |
100 – 130 mg |
0.5 gram |
2x 40 gram |
2x up to 200 grams |
4– 6 sprays |
7 – 10 years |
140 – 200 mg |
1.1 gram |
3x 50 gram |
2x up to 250 grams |
7 – 10 sprays |
11 – 16 jaar |
230 – 400 mg |
1.7 gram |
3x 100 gram |
2x 500 grams |
11 – 16 sprays |
11 – 16 years |
230 – 300 mg |
1.7 gram |
3x 125 gram |
2x 500 grams |
11 – 16 sprays |
Intake |
|
Primary |
Primary |
Primary |
Additional |
* calculate: age child = daily amount of sprays
Please be aware that this overview factors in the following: the oil intake is intended to supplement additionally the use of flakes OR powder as the primary intake. For children, it is recommended to incorporate at least one transdermal (via skin) method product for optimal results.
Kindly note that we offer measuring spoons specifically for children’s dosages. Each spoon corresponds to 75 mg magnesium (equivalent to 0.5 grams of powder) and is suitable to measure for all age groups.