Bone health is important at any age but especially for children. During childhood and adolescence, children go through a great deal of growth in a relatively short amount of time. The bones are the framework that supports the growth and keeps it. By the time your child is 20 (if a boy) or 18 (if a girl), he or she should have gained up to 90% of his or her peak bone mass. For this reason alone, it is important to promote bone health while your child is still young. 

Establish a Baseline

Two nutrients that are very important to bone health are vitamin D and calcium. If either of these two nutrients is deficient, it could affect your child's bone health. On the other hand, excess amounts of these nutrients could be harmful as well. Administering a vitamin D test to your child tells you where he or she stands. If his or her levels fall within normal parameters, you only have to continue what you have already been doing to maintain it. Otherwise, you should take steps to bring your child's calcium and vitamin D within acceptable ranges. 

Feed Your Child Calcium-Rich Foods

Calcium is the mineral from which bones are made. A deficiency of calcium can result in a condition called osteoporosis in which the bones become brittle and more susceptible to fracture. Osteoporosis is associated with older adults who lose bone mass over time, but it can affect younger people as well. Depending on your child's age, he or she should consume up to 1,300 milligrams of calcium per day. 

The most common source of calcium is milk and dairy products. Children who don't like to drink milk can get calcium from products made from it, such as cheese or yogurt. Some children cannot have dairy products because of allergies or sensitivities. Fortunately, there are foods besides dairy that are good sources of calcium. These include tofu and other soy products, broccoli, sardines, kale, and almonds, some of which can be made into milk substitutes. Keep in mind that some of these foods can also aggravate allergies or sensitivities. 

Maintain Acceptable Levels of Vitamin D

Consuming calcium will not do your child much good if he or she does not also have sufficient levels of vitamin D. Without it, the body cannot absorb calcium very effectively. Vitamin D deficiency in children can cause rickets, a condition in which the bones become soft and spongy. Long bones, such as those in the legs, can start to curve or bow. 

On the other hand, too much vitamin D is not healthy either. Health conditions can arise from overdosing on it.  Children 1 to 8 years old should receive between 2,500 and 3,000 International Units of vitamin D per day, while children 9 and older should have up to 4,000. If necessary, your child can take vitamin D supplements, but it is probably better to get it from his or her diet. Foods such as cereals and milk may be fortified with vitamin D while other foods are natural sources, such as eggs, mushrooms, salmon, and other oily fish. 

Exposure to sunlight also causes the body to make its own vitamin D naturally. The good thing about this is that your child cannot overdose on the vitamin D produced by the body. The downside is that sunlight also contains ultraviolet radiation to which exposure can be harmful. Furthermore, if you live far to the north, the availability of sunlight is much less during the winter. Your child can benefit from vitamin D from the sun, but it is too inefficient and unreliable to be his or her primary source. 

Encourage Exercise

Another way to promote bone health is to encourage more physical activity. Weightbearing exercises and resistance exercises put greater demands on bones, which helps them to become stronger similar to the way that working muscles increases strength. 

The skeletal system is like a bank in which bone tissue is either deposited or from which it is withdrawn. From that point of view, promoting bone health is an investment in your child's future.