This article explores the unique experiences of children who lived in a famine-affected region of Central Anatolia between 1873 and 1875. The deplorable conditions forced some children to consume inappropriate foods, be traded for bread, be abandoned during migration, or be subjected to exploitation and domestic servitude. The research emphasizes the contrast between child-rearing practices and the concept of childhood in the Central Anatolian region and urban areas of the period. This challenges the prevailing emphasis in previous studies that have primarily examined urban children during the period of peace. The experiences of the bureaucratic-theocratic ruling elite's children, or children of upper-class urban societies, were drastically different from those of children from poorer rural families. Critically, primary sources predominantly concentrate on urban male children, limiting insights into rural, lower-class households and the experiences of children during extraordinary periods. Emphasizing the famine of 1873–1875, the research underscores that the concept of childhood and the material culture developed and adopted by urban families of the period under the effect of modernization were not observed in Central Anatolia. It achieves this by conducting a comprehensive examination of Ottoman archival sources, periodicals, and gazettes, as well as contemporary accounts and reports from the famine period. Thus, this article suggests that an examination of childhood in the Ottoman Empire necessitates a periodical and regional methodology that takes into account the socioeconomic and cultural variations that influenced the experiences of children in various regions and eras. In addition, the study delves into the Ottoman government's reaction to the famine, uncovering internal strife that impeded the implementation of efficient measures. Despite the Ottoman central administration and local governors’ efforts, the lack of railroads and the failure to systematically address the issues that contributed to the famine further aggravated the gravity of the crisis.