1. are you at risk
    2. about insulin

 
  • Are you at risk
  • Bodymass
  • Dental Care
  • Treat Low Blood Sugar
    •
     

    Diabetes, your child, and you

    Diabetes, your child, and you

    It is rare for children under five to develop diabetes, but type 1 diabetes can occur in babies when they are only a few months old. Type 2 diabetes is just now being found in children under five. The symptoms of diabetes, such as urinating a lot and being very thirsty, are the same in children under five as in adults. Symptoms can become apparent very quickly—over a few days or a week—you might have noticed that your child’s diaper needed changing more often, or that he or she started to wet the bed, or needed extra feedings and drinks.

    Discovering that your young child has diabetes can give rise to many emotions: you may feel angry, upset, guilty, helpless, or anxious, and you may worry whether you will be able to cope with the level of care your child will need every day. Because your child is so young, you will have the responsibility for looking after his or her diabetes, which can make your job as a parent even more demanding. Your young child with diabetes needs food at regular intervals, blood tests, and insulin injections. Your child might not yet be able to tell you how he or she feels, so making sure that his or her blood glucose does not fall to a level at which hypoglycemia can occur is also your responsibility.

    However, you are not alone. You have the full support of diabetes health professionals as you learn more about diabetes and what you need to do to take care of your child. It is important to take your child to regular diabetes visits and to talk with diabetes health professionals on a regular basis to discuss your child’s growth and development, as well as his or her diabetes control. Keeping your child’s blood glucose level between 4 and 7 millimoles per liter helps reduce the risk of complications when he or she is older.

     

    Telling other people

    Your family and friends will probably be concerned about your child’s diabetes and they will almost certainly want to know more about it. In general, it’s up to you to decide how much to say and to whom, but you will need to give more detailed information to people who care for your child, such as child care staff, babysitters, or caregivers.

    When you tell people that your young child has diabetes, you will probably find that they respond in a variety of ways. People who are close to you may be upset and unsure how to treat your child. You may find it difficult to support and reassure others when it is all new to you, too, but it is important to try to help people understand what you are going through and to appreciate how they are feeling too. If you have other children, they should also feel included in what is happening.

    Whoever you talk to, you will probably find that everyone has something to say about diabetes, regardless of whether it is relevant to you and your child. When dealing with other people’s reactions, you might want to prepare yourself with some stock answers to common questions such as “What’s diabetes?” “How did he or she get it?”, or “Will he or she grow out of it?”. If people try to give you advice, you could answer, “Thank you, I’ll think about that,” or “I’ve been told diabetes is very individual.” You may sometimes receive conflicting advice from other people or health professionals—talk this through with your diabetes health professional to see how it relates specifically to your child’s diabetes.

     

    Talking to caregivers

    You need to make sure that anyone who looks after your child is given enough information about your child’s diabetes, for example:

    • What diabetes means.
    • Your child’s eating and drinking requirements.
    • What treatments and blood glucose tests your child needs and when.
    • Symptoms that might suggest hyperglycemia.
    • Symptoms that might suggest hypoglycemia.
    • What to do if your child has a hypoglycemic episode.
    • What to do if your child is unwell.
    • Your contact details at all times.
    • Your physician’s contact details.

    Your child’s caregiver will probably want to ask lots of questions and may be worried or even frightened about giving injections or testing your child’s blood. Reassure him or her by demonstrating exactly what is involved. You may need to repeat the information often before it becomes familiar to your child’s caregiver.
    RELATED LINKS