Although we all want our kids to learn to share, convincing them this doesn’t apply to germs from common winter illnesses can be really difficult! 

With school in full swing and more indoor activities putting us in closer proximity to others this time of year, you might be wondering what you can do to promote your child’s health in winter.

Here are a few winter health tips for keeping your kids healthy this winter.

Sleep

One of the most important winter health tips is getting enough restful sleep. It’s an important foundation for general health and well-being, including supporting the immune system. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that young children (6-12 years) need 9-12 hours of sleep each night for healthy growth and development.1 Infants and toddlers need even more. Teens need a little less, at 8-10 hours per night.1 

You can support your child’s health in winter by focusing on the quantity and quality of sleep and developing calming bedtime routines, establishing a daily bedtime that accounts for how much sleep they need compared to when they usually wake up, and limiting screen time and snacks at the end of the winter day.

Food

Another vital way to support your child’s health in winter is through diet. There is truth to the saying that “you are what you eat” in that food provides the raw materials that our bodies use to grow, repair, and function. Without the necessary raw materials, those functions can struggle. Eating a variety of foods, preferably less processed, that provide an assortment of nutrients is an important way to keep growing bodies healthy.

Providing a variety of nutritious foods including colorful fruits and vegetables to babies and toddlers sets a solid footing for healthy eating, especially with winter holidays that bring lots of unhealthy sugary treats and snacks. Encouraging older children to participate in choosing and preparing healthy food for themselves or the family can create an element of ownership and satisfaction that can generate interest and excitement and strengthen a foundation of healthy eating for life. 

Water

Just like other nutrients, your body needs sufficient water to function properly and stay healthy. You might have heard that the adult human body is approximately 55-60% water, but did you know that newborns are about 78% water?2 

With winter’s cold, dry air comes an increased risk of dehydration, and any list of winter health tips would be incomplete without mentioning water intake. Water is required for many healthy bodily functions, including digestion, waste removal, transport of oxygen and nutrients (blood is 50 percent water3), cooling (sweat), and much more. Many of these processes also cause water to leave the body; urine and sweat accounting for the most.1 This lost water needs to be replaced daily, especially during winter. 

Drinking plain water is the most efficient way to replace the water that is lost every day just by being alive, but many people, especially children, find water unpalatable, especially in the context of so many other beverage choices. You can encourage kids to drink more water by finding ways to make it more interesting. For example, help them prepare a container of their own custom-flavored water for the next day by letting them choose fresh fruit like oranges or herbs like mint to soak in the water overnight. (If they’re the curious type, make it into an experiment – How long does it have to soak to make a nice flavor? Which foods make nice flavors and which don’t work well? Does it matter how you prepare the fruit or herbs?) 

You can also try other ways to add water to their diets besides just drinking it. There are many foods that have high water content, like oranges, melons, berries, and some vegetables that provide additional nutrients, too. 

Thorne’s Catalyte® is an alternative to bottled sports drinks that supplies balanced electrolytes without the extra sugar, artificial sweeteners or colors that other sports drinks have while supplying water for hydration. (In the summer, it can be made into popsicles just by freezing the mixed liquid in a popsicle mold or ice cube tray!)

If you happen to live where it snows, a glassful of clean snow can be a fun way to add water to other drinks or use juice to make a literal snow cone. 

Exercise

Exercise is another extremely important component in maintaining overall health. But winter means more sedentary time indoors, and icy conditions outside may mean extra winter safety precautions for outdoor activity. Although it’s easy to assume that our children are getting plenty of exercise at school from PE, recess, or just because they’re kids and they seem to have boundless energy, it’s a good idea to occasionally assess your child’s actual activity level, especially if they’re not participating in a winter sport. 

If they are not getting the recommended one hour per day of higher intensity aerobic activity4 that they need for fitness and good health, try helping them to find active things they enjoy doing every day to get their bodies moving more, maintain that youthful energy, and build good health habits. (If you’re like me, it might help you to get a little more movement in your day, too!) Sometimes movement can be added to things they do anyway, like standing instead of sitting to play video games. (If they’re like my kids, they’ll end up jumping up and down, too.) 

Vitamin D

Another consideration for your child’s health in winter is that more time indoors, less daylight, and more clothing means the body struggles to make enough of its own vitamin D, which is important for healthy bones and muscles, cardiovascular health, and immune function. 

For children of all ages, Thorne’s Vitamin D Liquid is easy to use and adjust to their needs as their age, size, and the seasons change. As a liquid, there’s no pill to swallow, and 2 drops contain 25 mcg (1,000 IU) of Vitamin D3. With such a small quantity needed, there’s effectively no flavor so it’s easy to mix into a drink or add to a bite of food. 

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is well-known for its antioxidant properties; preventing damage from free radicals. Less well-known are its roles in connective tissue health, wound healing, cellular energy, and processing carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and cholesterol.

Because the human body doesn’t manufacture vitamin C, it must come from the diet. Because it’s a water-soluble vitamin, the body can’t store much, so it’s necessary to provide fresh daily through food and/or supplements. 

Flavonoids have many properties in common with vitamin C. Incorporating the naturally sourced citrus flavonoids in Thorne’s Vitamin C with Flavonoids better mimics the food environments where vitamin C is naturally found, helping to maximize the body’s ability to use the vitamin C.

Vitamin C with Flavonoids comes in a moderately-sized capsule. If your child has a sensitive stomach or is not yet able to swallow capsules but you’d still like to provide them with extra vitamin C, consider Thorne’s Buffered C Powder as an alternative.

For teens 14+

For older children, Thorne’s Youth Bundle supports healthy growth and development. Basic Nutrients 2/Day, a foundational multi, provides essential nutrients often lacking in sufficient quantities in the diet, and Super EPA supports nervous, circulatory, and immune system function as well as healthy mood.* Both are available in an NSF Certified for Sport version for youth athletes. FloraSport 20B® supports gut health and the aforementioned Catalyte supports healthy hydration, especially for youth athletes and active kids who lose water through sweat. 

With their insides thoroughly supported by good habits and comprehensive nutrition, all that’s left is their outsides. Reminding kids to cover their coughs and sneezes with their elbow instead of their hands, and to wash hands (scrubbing with soap for 20 seconds – that’s one alphabet song – before rinsing well) before they eat and after using the restroom can help to protect them and others from the germs that are trying so hard to steal our resources, especially in the winter.

References

  1. American Academy of Pediatrics supports childhood sleep guidelines. https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/6630/AAP-endorses-new-recommendations-on-sleep-times?autologincheck=redirected AAP.org. [Accessed December 5, 2024].
  2. The water in you: Water and the human body. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/water-you-water-and-human-body?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects. [Accessed December 5, 2024].
  3. Blood Components | Community Blood Center. http://givingblood.org/about-blood/blood-components.aspx. [Accessed December 5, 2024].
  4. Youth Physical Activity Guidelines | Physical Activity | Healthy Schools | CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-education/guidelines/CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/guidelines.htm [Accessed December 5, 2024].