Occurrence of diabetes in children has assumed huge proportions. As a parent of children with diabetes we have to take extra precautions. Regular monitoring of glucose levels in blood is also a must. Read on to know how as a parent of a diabetic child you can help in the treatment plan.According to statistical data around 13,000 cases of diabetes in children get diagnosed every year. Given this annual data, diabetes can surely be considered to be an endemic across the world. It is therefore natural that parents need to be very observant in seeking out the early signs and symptoms and take the child for a blood sugar test and get him treated at the earliest. For a diabetic child, it a lifetime of care that is required and utmost concern should be to keep the blood glucose levels under control. According to experts, the best possible way to keep diabetes under control in your child is to take one day at a time and follow the regular routine with diligence. In this articleMonitor the Sugar LevelsMaintain the Kid’s DietMaintain the Insulin ScheduleTips for Parenting a Diabetic Child Here are a few tips for parenting a diabetic child. Monitor the Sugar Levels Be in touch with your pediatrician as you regularly monitor the glucose levels. The doctor will advise on the number of times every day that you need to carry out the checking. Considering his condition he will suggest a target range for your child. It is necessary to maintain a log book of the results so that the doctor can refer to them and you will also be aware of the fluctuations, if any and then decide on the measures that you ought to take. Here is how you do the checking – prick the side of the fingertip of your child and make sure that you take a different finger every time you do the checking. If you find that the blood is not coming out easily, hold his hand down and ask him to gently shake it a bit, and then squeeze the tip a little and you will find the blood to flow easily. Take a test strip to collect this drop of blood and record the result in your log book. Maintain the Kid’s Diet As a parent you need to plan the diet of you diabetic child very carefully. Consult a dietician to know the exact chart that you need to follow in order to keep the kid’s blood glucose levels under control. In the general diabetic cases, doctors suggest to follow the food pyramid where the primary focus lies on whole grains, veggies and fruits. Since the glucose in the food gets broken down to add more and more glucose in the blood stream it is important that the child consumes such foods that has less crabs and energy. Care should be taken that the body’s requirement of essential nutrients is also met. Only a control amount of milk and protein can be added along with limiting fats and oils to make a balanced diet. Maintain the Insulin Schedule Diabetic children not only require a perfect diet plan, but their insulin replacement schedule is also very important. There can be a sudden drop of blood sugar and the tip is to stack loads of snacks at your disposal. If the drop suddenly happens to your kid you should be able to feed him with foods like juices that can shoot up the blood sugar, I an emergency. Since insulin is not produced naturally in diabetic children, they require insulin shots or pumps. Ensure that the kid is following the insulin schedule prescribed by the doctor. The schedule is variable and continuously adjusted according to the requirement of the kid that is, after the doctor studies the blood sugar level log book. You should give the insulin shots upper arm, abdomen or thigh and rotate the place after administering the shot so that no unpleasant lumps develop in the area.
Occurrence of diabetes in children has assumed huge proportions. As a parent of children with diabetes we have to take extra precautions. Regular monitoring of glucose levels in blood is also a must. Read on to know how as a parent of a diabetic child you can help in the treatment plan.According to statistical data around 13,000 cases of diabetes in children get diagnosed every year. Given this annual data, diabetes can surely be considered to be an endemic across the world. It is therefore natural that parents need to be very observant in seeking out the early signs and symptoms and take the child for a blood sugar test and get him treated at the earliest.
For a diabetic child, it a lifetime of care that is required and utmost concern should be to keep the blood glucose levels under control. According to experts, the best possible way to keep diabetes under control in your child is to take one day at a time and follow the regular routine with diligence.
Tips for Parenting a Diabetic Child
Here are a few tips for parenting a diabetic child.
Monitor the Sugar Levels
Be in touch with your pediatrician as you regularly monitor the glucose levels. The doctor will advise on the number of times every day that you need to carry out the checking. Considering his condition he will suggest a target range for your child. It is necessary to maintain a log book of the results so that the doctor can refer to them and you will also be aware of the fluctuations, if any and then decide on the measures that you ought to take.
Here is how you do the checking – prick the side of the fingertip of your child and make sure that you take a different finger every time you do the checking. If you find that the blood is not coming out easily, hold his hand down and ask him to gently shake it a bit, and then squeeze the tip a little and you will find the blood to flow easily. Take a test strip to collect this drop of blood and record the result in your log book.
Maintain the Kid’s Diet
As a parent you need to plan the diet of you diabetic child very carefully. Consult a dietician to know the exact chart that you need to follow in order to keep the kid’s blood glucose levels under control. In the general diabetic cases, doctors suggest to follow the food pyramid where the primary focus lies on whole grains, veggies and fruits. Since the glucose in the food gets broken down to add more and more glucose in the blood stream it is important that the child consumes such foods that has less crabs and energy. Care should be taken that the body’s requirement of essential nutrients is also met. Only a control amount of milk and protein can be added along with limiting fats and oils to make a balanced diet.
Maintain the Insulin Schedule
Diabetic children not only require a perfect diet plan, but their insulin replacement schedule is also very important. There can be a sudden drop of blood sugar and the tip is to stack loads of snacks at your disposal. If the drop suddenly happens to your kid you should be able to feed him with foods like juices that can shoot up the blood sugar, I an emergency.
Since insulin is not produced naturally in diabetic children, they require insulin
shots or pumps. Ensure that the kid is following the insulin schedule prescribed by the doctor. The schedule is variable and continuously adjusted according to the requirement of the kid that is, after the doctor studies the blood sugar level log book. You should give the insulin shots upper arm, abdomen or thigh and rotate the place after administering the shot so that no unpleasant lumps develop in the area.
