Child diabetes is a sickness that not only affects the child, but the entire family as well.
It is understandable that the parents of a child suffering from child diabetes get very worried as the child has to go through daily rituals such as blood glucose tests, insulin injections and planning the meals.
Some parents might even feel overwhelmed with all these added daily responsibilities.
Here are a few common problems that parents have with their child when faced with the daily rituals and included are some useful and helpful tips : Problem 1 : Fear Of Needles This is the number one problem that children faced when it comes to insulin injections.
Children are fearful of needles as when they see needles, they think of pain immediately.
What You Can Do : Prepare the needles and the testing supplies out of sight.
Do not let your child know that you are preparing the needles for the test.
Let your child continue with his activity normally.
When the time comes, just do it as swift as you can.
Once you have completed the test, let him resume whatever he was doing prior to the test.
When you do the test on your child, do it confidently and be consistent with the steps so that your child will know what to expect.
If your child is fine with the testing process or he has gotten used to the process, you may want to let him take part by allowing him to do certain part of the testing process.
For example, you can teach him how to wiping the spot with alcohol or allow him to select which finger to use.
This is a good way to calm your child and to train him as well.
Problem 2 : Choosy About Food When it comes to the diabetic diet, the patient often does not have a lot of choices.
This is worse for a child with child diabetes.
A child can be very fussy and choosy when it comes to food during mealtime.
What You can Do : Everyone to have the same food! This is probably the best way so that your child will not be feel left out and the whole family can eat healthy food.
Make your child's mealtime a calm and pleasant experience.
The selection of food should be limited to only a few and not more, so that your child will get used to eating whatever is given.
Problem 3 : Low Blood Sugar In Child Diabetes Your child might still have low blood sugar occasionally even if you have followed all the tasks.
Many parents do not realize this and this could be dangerous! What You Can Do : Experts have found that when a child has low blood sugar, the child's normal behavior might change.
Thus if your child becomes more irritable than usual or more sleepy during normal timing, then either of these could mean that their blood sugar level is getting low.
Just be aware and take note of your child's normal behavior so that you can Watch for such unusual signs accurately.
Always keep a drink such as a fruit juice or a soda available at all times.
This will come in handy if you suspect that your child's blood sugar is low.
Why do we give him a drink such as a juice or soda instead of solid food? Drinks are easier for the child to consume than solid food which needs to be chewed at that moment.
Once your child had the drink, you can follow up with something more substantial such as a snack or a light meal to maintain the sugar level.
It is also a good idea to do a few more test before bed to ensure your child blood sugar level is ok.
What Else You Can Do Discuss and teach the signs of low blood sugar to your child so that he can be prepared.
You should make sure they have a sugar source like the juice or soda with them at all times and know what to do should their blood sugar get too low.
It is also extremely important that you make sure your child wears a medical ID as all time.
If your child isn't comfortable with wearing them, get them a medical ID that is on a necklace instead so it can be worn under their clothes.
It is understandable that the parents of a child suffering from child diabetes get very worried as the child has to go through daily rituals such as blood glucose tests, insulin injections and planning the meals.
Some parents might even feel overwhelmed with all these added daily responsibilities.
Here are a few common problems that parents have with their child when faced with the daily rituals and included are some useful and helpful tips : Problem 1 : Fear Of Needles This is the number one problem that children faced when it comes to insulin injections.
Children are fearful of needles as when they see needles, they think of pain immediately.
What You Can Do : Prepare the needles and the testing supplies out of sight.
Do not let your child know that you are preparing the needles for the test.
Let your child continue with his activity normally.
When the time comes, just do it as swift as you can.
Once you have completed the test, let him resume whatever he was doing prior to the test.
When you do the test on your child, do it confidently and be consistent with the steps so that your child will know what to expect.
If your child is fine with the testing process or he has gotten used to the process, you may want to let him take part by allowing him to do certain part of the testing process.
For example, you can teach him how to wiping the spot with alcohol or allow him to select which finger to use.
This is a good way to calm your child and to train him as well.
Problem 2 : Choosy About Food When it comes to the diabetic diet, the patient often does not have a lot of choices.
This is worse for a child with child diabetes.
A child can be very fussy and choosy when it comes to food during mealtime.
What You can Do : Everyone to have the same food! This is probably the best way so that your child will not be feel left out and the whole family can eat healthy food.
Make your child's mealtime a calm and pleasant experience.
The selection of food should be limited to only a few and not more, so that your child will get used to eating whatever is given.
Problem 3 : Low Blood Sugar In Child Diabetes Your child might still have low blood sugar occasionally even if you have followed all the tasks.
Many parents do not realize this and this could be dangerous! What You Can Do : Experts have found that when a child has low blood sugar, the child's normal behavior might change.
Thus if your child becomes more irritable than usual or more sleepy during normal timing, then either of these could mean that their blood sugar level is getting low.
Just be aware and take note of your child's normal behavior so that you can Watch for such unusual signs accurately.
Always keep a drink such as a fruit juice or a soda available at all times.
This will come in handy if you suspect that your child's blood sugar is low.
Why do we give him a drink such as a juice or soda instead of solid food? Drinks are easier for the child to consume than solid food which needs to be chewed at that moment.
Once your child had the drink, you can follow up with something more substantial such as a snack or a light meal to maintain the sugar level.
It is also a good idea to do a few more test before bed to ensure your child blood sugar level is ok.
What Else You Can Do Discuss and teach the signs of low blood sugar to your child so that he can be prepared.
You should make sure they have a sugar source like the juice or soda with them at all times and know what to do should their blood sugar get too low.
It is also extremely important that you make sure your child wears a medical ID as all time.
If your child isn't comfortable with wearing them, get them a medical ID that is on a necklace instead so it can be worn under their clothes.