These have recently been lowered ('99) for children, and for a child 1-3 y.o, they need only 500mg/d.  If the child is eating a good variety of foods there are modest quantities of calcium in many foods examples: 1/2 c navy beans 63mg,  1/2  c bok choy cabbage 80mg, squash 1/2c 45mg, almonds 1/4 c 95mg, peanuts 1/2 c 20mg,beet greens 1/2 c 80, kale 1/2 c 90mg, soybeans 1/4c 60 mg.  Canned fish which has the bones, like salmon, herring and sardines are excellent sources of calcium.   And, oddly enough, so are the ends of chicken bones.  As a child and young adult, my siblings would pass me their chicken bones, and I enjoyed chewing the ends! Little did I know I was accruing calcium!
   The importance of calcium for bone strength during development should not be minimized.  We build bones right up thru our 20s.  
  Some factors influencing Ca absorption are how much phosphate is in the diet, physical activity causing more calcium to be laid down due to stress on bones (this is good stress!)  Vitamin D which for most children should come from play outside is vital for calcium absorption.  In the USA we have our milk fortified with Vit A & D, so rickets or Ca deficiency is seldom a problem if the child drinks milk.
    Does that help answer your question?   A dietitian could do a diet analysis of the foods the child eats to determine adequate Ca intake.  Michelle Scott, MA,RD,IBCLC in NH

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