NUTRITION
Staying warm through winter
The Infant and Toddler Forum shares ideas for creating nutritious meals and supporting active play to help keep children warm in the colder weather
Autumn is here and winter is not far behind, so it’s time to think about getting your provision ready for the cold season. With the sunshine not coming out to play as much, keeping toddlers warm and active can be more challenging, but there are three main areas where planning ahead can help you make a difference.
Firstly, healthy, warming nutrition can play a role over the winter in keeping children warm and happy from the inside out. Secondly, breaking up sedentary sessions with regular active play will keep the blood flowing and stop their energy levels flagging. Add winter layers to keep toddlers cosy and help keep the winter sniffles away.
The Infant and Toddler Forum has the following practical tips to keep toddlers happy and healthy this winter:
Warming nutrition
When it’s cold outside, a hot warming meal can really hit the spot. To ensure that toddlers have a balanced diet, make sure to include ingredients from all five food groups:
- bread, rice, potatoes, pasta
- fruit and vegetables
- milk, cheese and yoghurt
- oils, butter and fat spreads
Warm winter dishes such as shepherd’s pie, with veg on the side, can be an easy way to incorporate all five of these groups. Desserts, such as warming winter puddings, can also be a good opportunity to explore new foods in the cold season. The mix of savoury and sweet will give them a wider range of nutrients and tastes.
Since wintertime encourages a lot of us to stay inside more, these warming dishes can also provide an opportunity for social time while eating together. Toddlers can learn to improve their self-feeding skills by observing the other people they are eating with. Wintertime is a great opportunity for feeding development. Keep portion sizes in mind when serving – the Infant and Toddler Forum has a full guide to the right sizes available on its website.
Staying active
Toddlers learn new things every day and want to try new activities. Even though the sunshine has gone, it doesn’t mean that our toddlers can’t stay warm without it. Encouraging physical activity during the cold season can help keep them at a healthy weight, maintain a healthy heart, stay warm, aid sleep and development physical skills.
Introduce frequent physical play activities to break up the day and keep children warm. During the cold weather, it is no surprise that toddlers choose screen time over play time.
Children are spending more time than ever immersed in screens so spending more of your daytime getting up and active is a good way to counteract this.
Physical activity doesn’t need to be excessive. It can include light intensity activities such as walking, playing and board games to keep them warm and active.
Be active indoors
If the weather is stopping you from spending as much time outside as you would like, here are some ideas for staying active inside:
1. Make a den.
2. Play hide and seek.
3. Make an indoor treasure hunt.
4. Dance!
5. Play catch with a bean bag.
6. Play musical statues.
Keep the cold out
Layers during the winter are important for keeping children warm to help fight off colds and runny noses. For some toddlers, wearing extra layers can be an opportunity to learn and gain more independence.
- Create a colourful hand-knitted scarf rack. Allow children in your setting to pick a scarf to wear when they are feeling cold.
- Ask families to send children in with an extra item of clothing of their choice and allow them to practice getting dressed and undressed independently. Zips and buttons on winter jackets will be tricky for some toddlers but they will have fun learning.
- Talk about how you dress differently for different types of weather. Would you wear gloves in the summer? Why do we wear boots in the cold weather?
Find out more
For more information and practical tips on managing nutrition and active play, visit www.infantandtoddlerforum.org.