Topic Overview
is a lifelong disease that currently
has no cure. Your child needs to take insulin injections. This can be a scary
process for adults, not to mention for a child. If your child is very young,
you will need to give these injections. When your child is older, he or she can
take on some of the responsibility for insulin injections.
Diet
Your child needs to watch his or her diet closely. Again, this is
an area many adults have difficulty with, and it can be even harder on a child.
It helps if the entire family gets involved and learns about counting carbohydrate. If your family adopts a low-fat,
multiple-vegetable diet, it will be easier for your child. Although the lure of
eating junk foods remains, you can balance your child's meals with healthier
selections at home. Above all, a child needs to understand the relationship
between food and his or her blood sugar.
Many children "cheat" on their diets and eat extra foods without
telling their parents or other adults. This can lead to high blood sugar levels
and hospitalizations. Make it clear to your child that eating equals a need for
insulin, and he or she should always tell an adult when eating something that's
not on the meal plan for the day.
It's helpful to incorporate the idea of balance into your child's
understanding. If your child wants to eat a food not on the meal plan for the
day, then your child needs to adjust the insulin dose to reflect this
change.
School
School can also present a particular challenge for a child with
type 1 diabetes. Because of the need to take insulin injections throughout the
day and the need to eat on a regular schedule, children with type 1 diabetes
stand out from their peers. It may help if you encourage your child to explain
diabetes to his or her friends and show them how the equipment works. Most
children are merely curious and are eager to learn.
It is also important that you meet with your child's teacher,
school nurse, and school administrators to discuss diabetes care at school. The
Americans with Disabilities Act covers children with diabetes, and therefore
the child's school must assist you with his or her diabetes treatment. Make
sure that the school has on hand the correct type of supplies and insulin for
your child.