What are the white spots on my baby's nails? Is it normal to have white spots on my baby's nails?

The healthy growth of babies is the wish and goal of parents. When taking care of their babies, many parents find that there are a few white spots on their babies' fingers. Is this symptom normal? Let's see what experts say. What exactly causes the baby's white spots?

White spots on baby's nails

White spots or flocculent white spots appear on baby's nails, which is medically called "punctate leukoplakia". Some punctate leukoplakia are caused by diseases, while others are caused by external forces or other reasons.

The white spots on the baby's nails are sometimes caused by calcium or zinc deficiency. The mother can take the baby to the hospital for a trace element test. If the baby is calcium or zinc deficient, the mother can follow the doctor's advice for symptomatic treatment.

White spots on baby's nails may also be caused by gastrointestinal diseases, anemia or parasitic diseases, but it is very rare for infants.

Nails are made up of flat epithelial keratin cells. When nails are stimulated by external force or the nails are not gripped properly, a small number of nail matrix cells will be damaged during the growth process. In this case, white spots and fine lines will appear on the baby's nails. The baby's nails will grow to the size of a fingernail in about 3 months. During this period, the white spots will grow outward with the nails, and the nails with white spots will be cut off.

The baby's nails have white spots, but there is no sign of looseness, and the baby has no other abnormal symptoms, including normal trace element tests. The mother should not be too anxious. Breastfeeding mothers can adjust their diet and eat more foods containing calcium and zinc, such as milk, tofu, dried shrimps, pumpkin seeds, etc. Formula-feeding mothers can add tofu, chicken, fish, walnut kernels, pumpkin seeds and other complementary foods to their babies at 6 months, but when adding pumpkin seeds and walnut kernels, they should be crushed to avoid getting stuck on the baby.

Is it normal to have white spots on baby's nails?

Children's growth and development cannot be separated from the six major nutritional elements: protein, fat, starch, vitamins, mineral elements, and dietary fiber. Mineral elements play an all-round role in human growth and development, from the construction and repair of body tissues to physiological metabolism and immune enhancement, and even have a direct role in preventing and curing diseases. Mineral elements that account for more than one ten-thousandth of human body weight in daily demand are called macroelements (such as calcium, magnesium, etc.), and those that are less than one ten-thousandth are called trace elements. Among the 14 essential trace elements currently confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO), zinc ranks first. White spots on nails are usually not a specific disease, but may be a symptom of mineral deficiency. It is also necessary to comprehensively analyze whether there are other changes in the body. For example, some parents report that their children are easily awakened at night, sweat a lot, and are prone to leg pain and cramps after strenuous exercise. These are all manifestations of calcium deficiency, also known as growing pains. Symptoms of zinc deficiency in children include dull skin, dry and yellow hair, ringworm on the face, poor eating, slow growth and development, decreased immune function, and susceptibility to illness. At present, the hospital has a simple method for checking trace elements and calcium, which can be detected by taking only a drop of peripheral blood.

Children with the above symptoms can be tested and treated early. As the saying goes, "food supplements are worse than medicine supplements." To prevent children from lacking calcium and trace elements, we should pay attention to the diversification of dietary intake, the reasonable combination of coarse and fine grains, the balanced intake of vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs and other nutrients, and correct the bad habits of partial and picky eating. You can often eat calcium-rich foods such as shellfish, soybeans, milk, nuts, kelp, beef, etc.; and zinc-supplementing foods such as oysters, pork liver, fish, high-zinc eggs, chestnuts, walnuts, red dates, eels, sea cucumbers, yeast zinc, etc. In addition, sunbathing can effectively help calcium absorption. It is best to do outdoor activities for two hours a day, which can not only enhance physical fitness, but also prevent rickets.

Leukonychia: The nail plate appears with white spots or lines or turns completely white. It is often related to trauma, infection, anemia, nutritional deficiency, arsenic poisoning, parasites and certain systemic diseases. It can also be inherited.

Common causes of white spots on baby's nails

1. Ascaris

If many babies often have stomachache, it may be because of roundworms. When they have stomachache, white spots will appear on their nails. So what should we do?

Solution suggestion: You can take a stool test for roundworm eggs. If it is positive, take anti-roundworm drugs. At this time, you have to slowly adjust and treat under the doctor's advice.

2. Poor digestive function

White spots on the nails of most babies are a sign of poor digestion. So what should we do if indigestion occurs?

Solution suggestion: You should often feed your baby some appetizing fruits such as apples, hawthorns, etc. to promote digestion. It is also okay to take some digestive tablets (it should be said that you should rely less on drugs for treatment).

3. Lack of trace elements

The baby's body lacks certain trace elements, which will also be reflected in white spots on the nails. Usually, it is caused by zinc deficiency. Of course, you still need to go to the hospital to check what elements are missing. Do not blindly buy health products to supplement trace elements.

Solution suggestion: Take peripheral blood to check trace elements. If the deficiency of zinc and iron is mild, you can adjust your diet. If it is severe, take zinc-selenium tablets to supplement zinc. In addition, eat more animal liver, seafood, etc., and supplement iron or other trace elements.

4. Caused by trauma

Nails are easily injured when they are exposed to the outside for a long time. For example, if they are squeezed or collided, the roots of the nails will be damaged and lose their original color. White spots or white spots will appear on the nails, and in severe cases, there will be bloody bruises.

Solution suggestion: No need to do anything, as the nail grows, the spotted part will eventually be trimmed off.

White spots on baby's nails are not a big deal, but mothers should not ignore them. You should also take your child to the doctor for examination in time to determine the cause and carry out symptomatic treatment to avoid affecting the child's future growth and development.