Family and Children ·
A Healthy Winter for Children: Food, Sleep and Time Outdoors
A healthy winter for children rests on a few everyday habits kept up steadily: a seasonal table with vegetables and fruit every day, age-appropriate sleep, time moving outdoors whenever the weather allows, and washing hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. For questions about your own child, please ask your paediatrician.
This article is for personal awareness and coaching purposes; it does not replace medical diagnosis or treatment. Please see a doctor for any health concerns.
In winter the days get shorter, children spend more time indoors, and crowded places such as schools and nurseries take up much of the day. This article brings together the general habits recommended for children by sources such as the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). It is not medical advice; your child’s paediatrician or family doctor is the right person for your child’s situation.
Seasonal vegetables and fruit on the winter table
In WHO’s healthy diet recommendations, vegetables and fruit are a basic part of every day; for adults the measure is at least 400 grams a day, roughly five portions. Children’s meals can follow the same idea: a vegetable or fruit at every meal, whole grains and enough protein.
Winter markets offer plenty: collard greens, white cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, spinach, carrots and celeriac; for fruit, oranges, mandarins, apples, pomegranates and kiwis. Eating with the season is also an easy way to change the table a little every week.
A few practical ways to bring children to the table:
- Let your child choose a vegetable at the market or the shop.
- Give small kitchen jobs such as washing, sorting or stirring.
- Build a “rainbow plate” with different colours.
- Try a new vegetable in small amounts inside a familiar dish.
- Offer a refused vegetable again a few days later, cooked another way.
For more on helping children enjoy vegetables, see this article:
The Magic Formula That Makes Children Love Vegetables →
Seasonal vegetables and free-range eggs are available in the Şifa Köyü shop, and the full list of winter vegetables is on the Şifa Köyü blog.
Seasonal vegetables in the Şifa Köyü shop (in Turkish) →
Free-range eggs in the Şifa Köyü shop (in Turkish) →
Winter vegetables and fruit list (in Turkish) →
Sleep: how many hours do children need?
Early winter evenings are a good chance to set a regular bedtime. WHO’s 2019 guidelines for children under five and AASM’s 2016 recommendations, endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, give these sleep durations per 24 hours, naps included:
- 1 to 2 years: 11 to 14 hours
- 3 to 5 years: 10 to 13 hours
- 6 to 12 years: 9 to 12 hours
- 13 to 18 years: 8 to 10 hours
In the same guidelines WHO recommends regular sleep and wake-up times. For two-year-olds it advises no more than one hour a day of sedentary screen time, and none for children aged one and under. Switching screens off a while before bed and ending the day with a calm book or a chat is an easy habit to keep.
Time outdoors in winter, too
Cold weather can mean less movement, but the recommendations do not change with the season. According to WHO, children aged 3 to 4 should spend at least 180 minutes a day in a variety of physical activities, at least 60 of them at moderate to vigorous intensity. For children and adolescents aged 5 to 17, the recommendation is an average of at least 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity.
- Dress children in layers, so one can come off when they get warm.
- A hat, gloves and waterproof shoes make winter play last longer.
- Change wet clothes as soon as you get home.
- A short walk every day, however brief, is an easy way to make movement part of the daily routine.
Touching the soil is a lovely part of time outdoors. In Merve Tüfekçi’s children’s workshops, at schools and at Şifa Köyü in Şile, children sow heirloom seeds, plant seedlings, make candles and play nature games.
Preschool Nature Activities: Seeds and Compost →
Making handwashing a habit
UNICEF recommends washing hands with soap, scrubbing for at least 20 to 30 seconds. An easy way to explain the time to children is to sing “Happy Birthday” twice while washing. The moments UNICEF lists are:
- When hands are visibly dirty
- Before and after eating
- After using the toilet
- After touching animals
- After blowing the nose, coughing or sneezing
WHO also recommends covering the mouth and nose with a tissue or the inside of the elbow when coughing or sneezing, and throwing used tissues away. Showing this to children as a game makes it easier for them to repeat it at school.
Vaccination schedule and check-ups
In Türkiye, childhood vaccines are given at family health centres according to the Ministry of Health schedule; you can follow it with your family doctor. WHO lists children aged 6 months to 5 years among the groups for whom yearly flu vaccination is recommended. You can ask your paediatrician whether it is suitable for your child.
If your child has a high fever, has trouble breathing, is not drinking or shows a clear change in their general condition, see a doctor without delay.
Sources: WHO, guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age (2019); WHO, guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (2020); WHO fact sheets on healthy diet and seasonal influenza; UNICEF, handwashing guidance; AASM, consensus statement on recommended sleep for paediatric populations (2016). This article is for general information and is not medical advice.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours should children sleep in winter?
Sleep recommendations depend on age, not season. According to WHO and AASM, per 24 hours and including naps: 11 to 14 hours at 1 to 2 years, 10 to 13 hours at 3 to 5 years, 9 to 12 hours at 6 to 12 years and 8 to 10 hours at 13 to 18 years.
How much should children move each day?
According to WHO, children aged 3 to 4 should be active for at least 180 minutes a day, at least 60 of them at moderate to vigorous intensity. For ages 5 to 17 the recommendation is an average of at least 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity.
How long should children wash their hands?
UNICEF recommends scrubbing hands with soap for at least 20 to 30 seconds. Singing “Happy Birthday” twice while washing is enough to reach that time.
Which vegetables and fruit are in season in winter?
In winter you find vegetables such as collard greens, white cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, spinach, carrots and celeriac, and fruit such as oranges, mandarins, apples, pomegranates and kiwis.
Can children have the flu vaccine?
WHO lists children aged 6 months to 5 years among the groups for whom yearly flu vaccination is recommended. Your paediatrician or family doctor decides whether it is suitable for your child.