How To Calculate Supplement Dosages For Kids

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of dose calculation methods, it is necessary to talk about the importance of calculating the correct dose, especially for kids. 

Children, with their rapid growth and development, have high nutritional needs. Children are not mini-adults, and each child is unique due to factors such as dietary intake, level of physical activity, amount of mental stress, time spent outdoors, and even genetic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). 

When calculating supplement doses for kids using the rules below, it’s also imperative to consider their age group’s recommended daily intake (RDI), personal dietary intake, and individual lifestyle factors to ensure correct dosing.

Let's put Clark's Rule and Young's Rule into action with practical examples to illustrate how these methods work in real-life scenarios.

When deciding on a supplement for your child, it is important to look at several factors, including the RDI (recommended daily intake) for the nutrient* you are considering supplementing. Although Clark’s Rule and Young’s Rule are helpful guidelines for most nutrients, they do not take into account that children’s organ systems are different than adults’ and there are certain nutrients of which children need relatively higher amounts than adults (1).

For some nutrients, the amount children need is proportional to the amount adults need. For others, the RDI for a child might be the same as or even exceed that of an adult. For example, the RDI of calcium for 9-18 year olds exceeds that of an adult aged 19-50 (3). In the case of calcium supplementation, if we only applied Young’s Rule without looking at the RDI, it would lead us to supplement a child with 214 mg per day, which would be too low for a child who needs between 1300 and 3000 mg of calcium per day.

*Unlike vitamins and minerals, herbs often do not have a universally recommended dosage for children. Perhaps the most useful application of Clark’s Rule and Young’s Rule is when calculating doses of herbal supplements.

Both Clark's Rule and Young's Rule offer valuable guidance for calculating supplement doses for children. It is important to take a birds eye view of your child’s health by looking at all the relevant factors when determining a dose, including the way your child responds to a supplement, other supplements or medications they may already be taking, average dietary intake, symptoms, lifestyle, blood work, and more. Taking this approach allows us to prevent deficiency while also preventing toxicity.

Ensuring your child receives the right supplement dose is crucial for their optimal health and well-being. Children have unique nutritional needs influenced by various factors like diet, physical activity, stress levels, genetics, and more. Time-tested dosing methods like Clark's Rule and Young's Rule, which account for weight and age respectively, provide valuable guidance for supplement dosage calculations. However, it's essential to take into account the recommended daily intake (RDI) for specific nutrients. Holistically assessing your child's health, monitoring their responses to supplements, and consulting healthcare professionals when necessary are essential steps to ensure safe and effective supplement use.