Managing Diabetes in Children

If your child is diagnosed with diabetes you will want to ensure that he remains as healthy as possible. To do this, you will need to take control and take the necessary steps to manage it properly. This will ensure that you, your child and those who interact closely with him will know how to cope with, recognize and handle any situation that should arise as a result of diabetes.   

• Talk to your child's coach, school nurse and teacher and explain to them that your child has diabetes. This will be necessary for the teacher to know that they cannot serve him certain foods, such as items that contain sugar, flour or anything else that is high in simple carbohydrates. The coach and nurse will need this information in order to know how to recognize and respond to any emergencies that might happen.


• Educate your child. He will need to know the inherent dangers of dealing with diabetes, and that certain foods can be dangerous for his health. In addition he will need to know about the importance of insulin injections, what is involved in monitoring his blood glucose, and how to recognize the symptoms of dangerously high or low blood sugar levels.


• Try not to consume foods that are bad for diabetics in your child's presence. It can be demoralizing to a child to see parents and siblings eating cake and ice cream when he cannot. Substitute high carbohydrate foods with low carbohydrate alternatives, like mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes.


• Exercise with your child and include some form of it as a part of his dailly routine. This will encourage him to understand the importance of exercise as a part of managing his diabetes.