DuPage Medical Group pediatrician: How to handle the holidays with kids in a global pandemic

Bright lights, sweet treats and glistening decorations all signify the holidays, especially for children. However, this past year has been flipped upside down due to COVID-19, triggering confusion and unexpected stress. Many parents are pondering, “How do we tackle the holidays while maintaining a healthy balance between safety and traditions?”

From being cooped up at home, learning virtually, to simply trying to understand the what, why and how behind the virus, kids have dealt with unforeseen obstacles, causing them to be more vulnerable and sensitive. While nobody wants to be the “bearer of bad news,” the reality is, this year's holiday season will be like no other. While routine holiday plans change and uncertainty looms, many youngsters may misbehave, act out, and feel more anxious than usual.

All kids can struggle with adjusting to our new normal, affecting their well-being in various ways. Warning signs of emotional distress can include the following:

Toddlers and little ones: Fussiness or irritability, difficulty sleeping at night, separation anxiety from parents or loved ones, tantrums, and even potty-training regression.

Older children and adolescents: Mood shifts, trouble sleeping, lack of communication, diminished self-care, increased anger or rebellious behavior and reduced desire to interact with peers, attend school or enjoy usual activities.

Taking care of your child's mental health is just as important as their physical health. Depending on their age, you can try to combat difficult behavior by implementing positive reinforcement or timeouts. However, if your child continues to misbehave or show signs of feeling down, he or she should seek mental health support or connect with their physician for a referral.

At DuPage Medical Group, the Institute for Personal Development provides psychological, psychiatric and integrative medicine services, across a multidisciplinary team, to serve individuals of all ages.

Additionally, many kids are wrestling with accepting that the holidays will simply not be the same as in years past. To initiate and handle conversations, it's essential to keep the lines of communication open. Make sure to regularly check in with your child to see how he or she is feeling.

Instead of focusing on what you can't do this year, concentrate on what you CAN do. For instance, try expressing, “While we're not doing ‘this', we can do ‘this' instead.” Kids of all ages are explorative listeners and can pick up on elders' perspectives — if you're positive, they're more likely to follow with optimism.

While tantrums and negative feelings can't disappear completely, the best way to handle frustration is through reassurance, support and positive feedback.

To further help reduce holiday concerns, invite your child to participate in a hobby or favorite activity, as a relaxation technique, to ease fears. “Feel good” actions, like painting, scrapbooking, holiday baking and making arts and crafts, can help stabilize positive and negative emotions while also allowing him or her to acquire more autonomy.

Another tip? Embrace “normalcy” as much as possible. For example, if you decorate your home, continue to do so. Try to sustain relationships with family and friends, even if you can't see each other in-person. This year has provided great options for virtual connections, such as Zoom meetings where kids can have something to look forward to.

Safety and reinvention serve as the cornerstone of this year's holiday season. Traditions can still be brought to fruition with proper precautions, including social distancing, masking, sticking with only those in your household and participating in outdoor activities that allow you to socially distance.

If you opt to take part in in-person gatherings, follow CDC's guidelines regarding quarantining, masking, socially distancing, and hand washing, to reduce the spread of COVID-19. From reindeer farms to drive-by light shows, the pandemic has shown us that creativity is key when establishing new traditions.

To learn more about DuPage Medical Group or to find a DuPage Medical Group pediatrician near you, visit DuPageMedicalGroup.com.