Between festive desserts, classroom celebrations, stocking stuffers and tasty gifts arriving from friends and family, the holiday season brings endless opportunities for sugar overload. As a result, while the season certainly brings joy, it can also create stress for parents to keep meals balanced and their families healthy.

Feeling the pressure of finding some middle ground when it comes to nutrition this time of year? It is doable! With a few thoughtful strategies, families can enjoy the treats of the season while still supporting children’s nutrition.

It begins with a health-first mindset. Sweets can absolutely be part of the season, but they’re best treated as “sometimes foods,” not everyday items or rewards for good behavior. Portion size is an easy place to start. Large slices of pie or several cookies can add far more sugar than a child needs in one sitting. Offering a small slice, one cookie or sharing a dessert helps keep the balance without removing the fun. Fruit is also an excellent dessert option any day.

Timing matters, too. Holiday treats are best offered after a balanced meal, so children don’t fill up on sugar first. A balanced plate includes a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and a calcium-rich item. These components help balance the rest of the day even when special desserts are involved.

Once the foundation of balanced meals is in place, families can build healthy habits through simple practices that last well beyond the season. Preparing meals at home gives families more control over ingredients and helps children see healthy choices in action. Involving kids in the kitchen also makes a difference. Younger children can stir and mix, while older children can measure ingredients or — if they’ve been taught proper knife safety — take on age-appropriate chopping tasks. Children are often more willing to taste foods they’ve helped prepare.

Sharing meals without distractions is important as well. Parents can support healthy snacking habits by supervising snack times, offering healthy snack choices and portion sizes and encouraging kids to eat at the table and without screens. Limiting grazing between meals helps maintain structure and promotes a good appetite at mealtimes.

Also, bringing children to the grocery store can turn nutrition into a small adventure. Invite them to pick a new fruit or vegetable, explore how to prepare it, try it together and talk about what they enjoyed or want to try differently next time.

Then, of course, there is all that holiday baking. For many families, this is one of the most enjoyable parts of the season. Because baking is precise, plan ahead when making small adjustments to increase nutrition or reduce sugar and fat — it may take a few tries.

Try these tips to get started! Consider swapping half of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour to add whole grains. You can also replace half or all the oil or butter with applesauce, mashed banana or pumpkin puree to reduce added fats while retaining moisture. Keep in mind that this may change the flavor; try pumpkin with holiday spice flavored goods and applesauce for a more neutral flavor profile. Greek yogurt is another helpful baking swap to replace butter, sour cream or cream cheese in some recipes. To reduce sugar, try decreasing the amount by 25 percent without any other changes.  You can also try reducing sugar by half and replacing the rest with pureed fruit — prunes work well with chocolatey flavors or banana with fruity desserts.

Invite kids to help with these experiments to build kitchen confidence and fun memories. Write your recipes down and keep notes on what works to recreate your family’s new holiday favorites next year.

Speaking of making memories, families can even turn dessert — because let’s face it, there will be desserts — into a moment of connection by sharing one larger treat on a single plate with multiple forks, encouraging conversation and slowing the pace.

Approaching the season with this spirit of togetherness keeps nutrition from becoming another source of stress. With a bit of planning, an open mind and a focus on joy, families can savor the magic of the season while supporting their children’s well-being.

Lindsey Manz is a pediatric dietitian at Phoenix Children’s. For more information, visit www.phoenixchildrens.org.