Diabetes in children and teens

Helping your child manage diabetes

• Teach your child to make healthy food choices.
  • Help your child to eat about the same amount of carbohydrates at each meal. This helps keep your child's blood sugar steady. Carbohydrate affects blood sugar more than other nutrients. It is found in sugar and sweets, grains, fruit, starchy vegetables, and milk and yogurt.
  • Your child's doctor, a diabetes educator, or a registered dietitian can help you make an eating plan that is good for your child and also good for your family.
• Encourage your child be more active.

  Kids need at least 1 hour of moderate to vigorous activity every day. It's okay for a child to be active in smaller blocks of time that add up to 1 hour or more each day. Your child doesn't have to start a strict exercise program, but being more active can help control blood sugar.

  • Help your child find ways to make activity more fun. For example, your child could play outside with friends, take brisk walks with a family member, and take part in sports.
  • Limit the amount of time your child watches TV and uses the computer and cell phone.
• Check your child's blood sugar.

  You and your child will need to monitor your child's blood sugar. This will help you learn how different foods and activities affect your child's blood sugar. Your doctor can teach you and your child how to do this.

• Help your child take medicine, if needed.
  • A child with type 2 diabetes may need diabetes medicine to stay in the target blood sugar range. Your child may need one medicine at some times and more than one at other times.
  • If your child has high blood pressure or high cholesterol, your child may need medicines for those conditions.
• Learn how to prepare and give insulin shots.

  A child with type 1 diabetes may take several injections a day or use an insulin pump. A child with type 2 diabetes may need to take insulin for a while when first diagnosed or during illness or surgery. In time, a child may need daily insulin.

• Help your child become independent in caring for diabetes.

  Let your child do as much of the care as possible. But provide support and guidance as needed.

  • Children in grade school can help with all tasks required for their care. By age 8, children can test their own blood sugar if they are supervised.
  • Children in middle school or junior high should be able to test their own blood sugar, but they may need help during low blood sugar episodes. By age 10, some children can give insulin shots if they are supervised.
  • Teens should be able to handle their own care with some adult oversight.