Key tips
Treatment, support and relief are three important keys to maintaining good blood sugar control, reducing the risk of serious episodes of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), and helping achieve a good quality of life for children with diabetes.
Treatment
Insulin treatment should be as simple as possible.
Blood sugar should be measured frequently during the day.
During periods of wide blood sugar fluctuations and after any change in insulin dose, the blood sugar must also be measured during the night.
Nutrition
Nutrition is also important, and family members can learn how to give food that meets the special needs of small children. The meal plan will be developed by your dietitian to incorporate individual eating patterns and activity schedules.
The overall aim of the child's diet is to promote normal physical growth.
The key elements include:
- Providing consistent carbohydrate intake
- Providing small, frequent meals
- Not reducing the fat in the child's diet
- Offering plenty of liquids
Flexibility is key! Erratic toddler eating habits, grazing eating behaviours, school, peer influences and eating disorders in adolescents all add to the challenge of nutrition planning in children with diabetes.
Support and relief
Parents or guardians are encouraged to communicate frequently with the child's diabetes team both during and between outpatient visits.
Parents should not feel that they must attend to the child all of the time. Daycare and school is suitable for a child with diabetes. Teachers can be quickly and thoroughly taught how to care for a small child with diabetes.
Extended family and friends should also learn about diabetes care so that the parent or guardian can have time off occasionally.
The child's diabetes team can help a parent apply for leave from work. Support groups also offer parents an opportunity to meet other families of children with diabetes.
At school
It is recommended that parents of a child with diabetes should supply the teacher(s) with educational materials about diabetes.
Parents can work with their health care professionals or support group personnel to help ensure good care of the child with diabetes in school.
Important information can be also obtained here on this website. Print out sections from the site to provide to the teacher(s) at your child's school.
