The holiday season is a time of wonder and delight for many children, but it can also be a time for sweet treats and screen time while school is on pause and parents are busy with the holiday hustle. Physicians at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital encourage parents to understand the risks of too much sugar and too little activity this holiday season.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 19.7 % of children in the U.S. are considered obese. The CDC defines childhood obesity as adolescents with a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and gender. Obesity can harm nearly every system in a child’s body and is one of the key risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that can lead to increased risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other health problems in children and adults.
“It’s so very important that parents take the lead in helping children make healthy choices for nutrition and exercise to prevent or reduce pediatric obesity, and avoid the problems the condition can cause later in life,” said Dr. Christy Peterson, an Atrium Health Levine Children’s pediatrician. “It might be tempting to allow children to indulge in extra screentime and sweet treats this holiday season, but staying active and enjoying sweets in moderation can make a huge difference for their health in 2025 and beyond.”
Atrium Health Levine Children’s physicians offer the following tips to keep children active during the holiday season:
Get outside and play: Encourage physical activity. Help your children get 60 minutes of exercise per day. Exercise not only burns calories, but leads to better academic achievement, higher quality sleep and reduced feelings of anxiety. By taking just one of the hours children spend in front of a screen and turning it into physical activity, kids can dramatically improve their blood pressure, cholesterol and sensitivity to the effects of insulin.
Limit screen time: When it’s cold and gloomy outside, plan fun activities for your kids inside. Most importantly, limit their screen time. Too much screen time can be bad for children’s development. According to the CDC, children ages 8-18 spend, on average, 7.5 hours in front of a screen for entertainment each day, 4.5 of which are spent watching TV. For children ages 11-14, the average screen time tops 9 hours a day. Plan fun, screen-free activities to occupy your children on cold days. These may include playing with blocks, puzzles or Legos, creating artwork or other crafts, reading a book, or learning to cook or bake.
Snack smart: Opportunities for sugar overload abound during the holidays. As parents, it’s your job to monitor what children eat and provide them with healthy options. A diet that's high in calories and low in nutrients can put kids at risk for metabolic syndrome. Limit their consumption of high-fat and high-sugar foods. At dinner time, fill your child’s plate with fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and fiber. Ideas for healthy snacks include celery or apples with peanut butter, grapes and cheese or 10-15 nuts. It’s important to include protein and aim for snacks that satisfy without driving up glucose levels.
Get enough sleep: Keep a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends and holidays. Children aged 1-8 need about 12 hours of sleep daily, including naps for younger kids. Naps are discouraged for children aged 6 and older, especially teenagers who may fall asleep in the afternoon and have difficulty sleeping at night. Preteens need at least nine hours of sleep daily, and teenagers need 10 hours. Getting children to bed at a reasonable time, and waking them up at a consistent time, will help them keep their school-time routine and ensure that they are getting the right amount of sleep. On weekends and holidays, it’s best not to shift a child’s schedule more than one or two hours. For example, if bedtime is usually 9 p.m. children should be in bed by no later than 11 p.m.
If your child doesn’t have a pediatrician, Atrium Health Navicent Children’s Care Downtown Macon has physicians who offer well-child checkups and treat major, minor or chronic illnesses in children. In addition, they offer on-site lab and diagnostics, immunizations, hearing and vision screenings, and physical examinations for school and sports. To schedule an appointment, call 478-633-7600.
Atrium Health Navicent’s “Healthy Me” clinic is dedicated to helping children and teenagers achieve a healthy weight by providing support for weight loss and health education. The Healthy Me clinic is a service of Atrium Health Levine Children’s. For more information about services available for children, or to find a doctor, visit childrenshospitalnh.org.