PEDIATRICIAN SHARES ESSENTIAL TIPS TO KEEP CHILDREN HEALTHY THROUGHOUT THE TET HOLIDAY!

🧧 Tet is a time when children are extremely excited because they enjoy a long school break, have more time for play, and consume a variety of sweets and festive foods. However, irregular eating habits, disrupted daily routines, and frequent family outings may negatively affect children’s health. 

👩🏻‍⚕️ To ensure that children enjoy a joyful and healthy Tet holiday, parents should pay attention to the following important recommendations compiled and shared by Dr. Tran Thi Hoang Oanh, MD, Specialist Level I in Pediatrics: 

1️⃣ Nutrition: The “battle” against sweets and high-protein foods 

🔸 During Tet, children are often exposed to large amounts of sugary snacks and processed foods. Excessive intake of sugar and fatty foods may lead to bloating, constipation, and an increased risk of overweight and obesity. 

▪️ The “3-right meals” principle: Right time – Right portion – Right nutrients. 
Try to maintain at least two main meals per day as on regular days. Avoid letting children become overly hungry before meals or snack continuously throughout the day. 

▪️ Control sweets and carbonated beverages: 
Candies, jams, and soft drinks can cause bloating, reduce appetite for main meals, and increase the risk of overweight and obesity. Parents should limit sugary foods and replace soft drinks with fresh fruit juice or plain water. 

▪️ Do not forget dietary fiber: 
Festive meals should include vegetables, salads, and fruits to support digestion, prevent constipation, and balance high-protein foods such as braised pork, sticky rice cakes (banh chung), and processed meats. 

▪️ Ensure adequate hydration: 
During Tet, families often travel frequently and the weather may be dry. Encourage children to drink water regularly instead of relying on bottled fruit juices. 

▪️ Food safety and hygiene: 
Tet foods are often prepared in large quantities and reheated multiple times. Parents should carefully check food freshness and safety, and avoid giving children food left at room temperature for more than two hours in order to prevent food poisoning. 

2️⃣ Maintaining sleep and daily routines 

🔸 Long-distance visits, staying up late to watch holiday programs, or celebrating New Year’s Eve can disrupt children’s biological rhythms and weaken their immune systems. 

▪️ Ensure adequate sleep: 
Sleep deprivation makes children more irritable, emotionally sensitive, and more susceptible to illness. Try to keep bedtime the same as usual or no more than one hour later. If children go to bed late at night, compensate with a quality daytime nap of 30–60 minutes. 

▪️ Avoid an overloaded schedule: 
Children should not visit too many households in one day. Schedule rest periods at home to allow them to relax and engage in free play. 

3️⃣ Prevention of respiratory and infectious diseases 

🔸 Tet often coincides with seasonal transitions, characterized by humid weather in northern regions or intense heat in southern regions, which facilitates viral transmission. 

▪️ Dress appropriately in cold weather: 
Apply the “layering principle.” When children sweat while playing, remove a layer of clothing to prevent sweat from soaking back into the body and causing respiratory infections such as pneumonia. 

▪️ Maintain personal hygiene: 
Always carry hand sanitizer or wet wipes. Remind children to wash their hands after receiving lucky money, after sharing toys, or after returning home from outside. 

▪️ Be cautious in crowded environments: 
Festivals, temples, and markets are high-risk settings for the transmission of influenza, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and respiratory infections. Children with sensitive constitutions should wear face masks when visiting public places. 

4️⃣ Safety during the Tet holiday 

🔸 Tet involves many potential hazards related to decorations, food, and festive activities. 

▪️ Risk of choking on nuts: 
Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and cashews are leading causes of foreign body aspiration in children under five years of age. Children should never eat nuts while running, laughing, or playing. 

▪️ Decorations and electrical hazards: 
String lights, glass ornaments, and thorny plants (such as cactus or roses) should be placed out of children’s reach. 

▪️ Burns and explosions: 
Be cautious with boiling pots of sticky rice cakes, tabletop hotpots, and especially fireworks, which may cause burns or eye injuries. 

▪️ Supervision in crowded places: 
When visiting flower streets, fairs, or shopping malls, parents should closely supervise their children to prevent getting lost or being injured in collisions. 

🔔 Essential “Travel Medical Kit” for children during Tet: 

▪️ Antipyretics (Paracetamol dosed according to body weight). 
▪️ Probiotics or oral rehydration salts (ORS). 
▪️ Normal saline for eye and nasal irrigation, adhesive bandages. 
▪️ Antiseptic solutions and antihistamines. 
▪️ Insect bite and sting ointment. 
▪️ Any medications routinely used by the child. 

Expert advice: 

A truly fulfilling Tet holiday is not measured by how many places a family visits, but by the health and happiness of all its members. Careful observation and thorough preparation by parents serve as the most effective shield in protecting children’s health during the festive season.