Healthy Holidays for Kids

Keep your holiday memories joyful this year.  

1.     Work off some energy. 

Holidays with family can end up focused around the TV and the kitchen. Schedule some unstructured time for your kids to get outside, run around, and work off some holiday energy.  They will be less bored and probably better behaved when they come back inside.

A little daily exercise is not just good for the kids, but for the whole family.

 

cake

2.      Watch the sugar. 

The holidays are prime season for extra cakes and candies. Children sensitive to sugar find it harder to regulate their behavior especially when they are already over-stimulated with holiday visits and activities. Too much sugar can cause sugar highs and sugar crashes in adults as well as kids so, it is best to keep an eye on sugar consumption.

The world health organization recommends that sugar makes up no more than 5% of a child’s daily sugar intake.

 

3.     Make healthy food visible. 

Bowls of easy-peel clementines, or readily available fruit salads, give your kids an easy healthy snack option.   

4.     Keep some routine.

With kids out of school for the holidays it is tempting to drop your routines, but this will make for a much more difficult transition back to school when the holidays are over. Keeping some elements of your kid’s normal, age-appropriate, routine will reduce stress for everyone and it keeps kids grounded.

 

Christmas Tree

5.     Beware of fire hazards. 

If you celebrate your holiday with a real tree in your home, keep the tree stand filled with water to prevent creating a fire hazard. 

If you buy an artificial tree check that it is made from fire retardant materials.

6.     Don’t mix drinking and driving. 

Make sure that your family travels with a designated driver and help to keep everyone on the road safe this holiday season.

7.     Make family traditions. 

Making your own family traditions is a good way to create a sense of family closeness, and of creating long lasting memories. Your unique family traditions are the way to make the holidays really special for your kids.

 

dreidl

8.     Watch your decorations.

Holiday decorations can be a choking hazard to small children.  Keep them out of reach and secured higher than finger-tip height. 

Mistletoe and holly berries look tempting to children but are toxic if eaten. Pets should not be allowed to eat them either.

9.     Teach generosity.

Holidays are a great time for kids to learn about community giving and responsibility.  A few hours working with your local school, shelter, or place of worship, can be a memorial addition to your holiday traditions. And folks who might feel isolated during the holidays will enjoy the company of your children.

Query your local hospital child life program or local shelter about their rules for a toy drive in your community.

10.  Try to enjoy yourself.

Holidays are not the time to seek perfection – there is just too much to do, and too much emotion involved.  Be kind to yourself, drop a few activities that nobody really loves, and keep the stress down.