Children With Diabetes – What Can You Do?

Some children are also affected by diabetes and it is known as juvenile diabetes. If your child is affected by type 1 diabetes, this type of diabetes is thought to be an auto immune condition because it causes the immune system to attack the pancreas so that it cannot create insulin. Statistics show that nearly 40 children a day are diagnosed with this condition in the United States alone.

This is thought to be the rarest form of diabetes, but more and more children are being found to be affected. It can be quite disturbing if you, as a parent, are told your child has this type of diabetes, as you are advised to begin using insulin injections to help them survive and stay healthy. These injections will most likely need to be used twice daily for the rest of their lives.

If your child has type 2 diabetes, at least you as a parent have some power to help your child!

We All Need Insulin

Every human needs insulin; it helps the body to properly digest sugars in the body and send them to the cells, rather than leaving it in the blood stream to cause heart problems, blood clots and poor circulation and kidney problems.

However, when people do not have insulin, the blood becomes thicker, which leads to many of the complications of diabetes. In addition to this, the kidneys are forced to work harder to remove the sugar from the blood, which can cause them to be weaker and less able to filter out the waste in the long term.

Children With Type 1 Diabetes

Today, children with type 1 diabetes are more able to live normal lives thanks to recent advances in technology and medicine. Children with diabetes do not have to be fragile or sick, they simply need to control their insulin levels and this is becoming easier and easier to do.

How To Cope

If you have a child with type 1 diabetes, you may be wondering how you are going to help your child grow up strong and healthy and have a fighting chance of dealing with their condition. Experts agree that there are some things you should be doing as a parent when children with diabetes are affected.

From an early age, make sure that your child has healthy eating habits. As they grow, teach them how to eat healthy and maintain a diet which will help them to stay healthy. Encourage them to stay away from foods that are too starchy or sugary so that they can help to control their insulin levels on their own as they get older.

You will also need to make sure that your child monitors their glucose levels and follows their daily shot schedule while they are young to make it a daily life habit. Also, teach them to eat healthy snacks and never skip meals so that they can maintain their glucose levels at all times.

As a parent, it is your job to make sure that your child’s blood glucose levels are properly monitored and regulated every day until they are old enough to do so on their own. Even as your child grows you may need to check from time to time to make sure they have everything under control.

Teach your child about how important it is to get exercise every single day. This will help them to always keep their weight under control and reduce the effects of the diabetes. Don’t go so tough on them that they do not want to partake, but make sure they stay active.

Make sure your child knows that they can live healthy and happy even when they are a child with diabetes. Explain that you have their condition under control and that they will be fine as long as they continue to maintain their insulin levels and keep up the habits you have taught them.

Most of all, remember that children with diabetes can and will live a healthy life, but you have to give them the right advice and guidance to properly handle it into adult hood.