Blood Sugar Management for Children

A Guide to Caring for Kids with Type 1 Diabetes

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The diagnosis of diabetes doesn’t come easy for anyone. But, it becomes all the more difficult when a child is diagnosed with the illness. In this case, the impact of the disease goes far beyond the patient and affects their entire family. In addition to dealing with the emotional shock, the situation requires getting immediate medical care and making the child understand and come to terms with the disease. While younger children may have difficulty in understanding blood sugar is and how it affects their body and life, older ones may get upset the news.

In both cases, it all comes down to the love, care, support and planning for blood sugar management in children.

The more support and the better care children receive from their family, the easier it is for them to accept the reality and adopt practices that can help with blood sugar management.

If your child has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, it is your responsibility, as a parent or guardian, to formulate a comprehensive diabetes management plan for him/her to ensure your child stays healthy and active.

Simply put, a diabetes management plan can help your child lead a normal life, despite their illness.

To help you in this journey, here we present all the essential information you need to keep your child’s diabetes under control.

Diabetes in Children

Although the rate of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes has lately been increasing among children, all over the world, type 1 is still the most prevalent form in the pediatric population. According to the International Diabetes Federation, about 132,000 new cases of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents (less than 20 years of age) are diagnosed every year. As of now, there are about 1.1 million children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes worldwide.

To be able to manage your child’s type 1 diabetes effectively, it is important that you gain an understanding of how the disease affects your child’s body and system. Before going into the details of diabetes management in children, let’s first talk about the disease itself.

What Is Type 1 Diabetes And How Is It Different From Type 2?

Type 1 diabetes is the name given to the condition that develops when the pancreas significantly limits or completely stops the production of insulin.

Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, there’s no difference in the production of insulin. The body (pancreas) continues to produce insulin, but it doesn’t get absorbed into the cells because they become less sensitive or resistant to the hormone.

For those who do not know, insulin is a hormone that plays the primary role in the metabolism of glucose, which is the principal energy source for the body. Without insulin, our cells cannot absorb and use glucose (sugar) from the blood, leading to an increased concentration of sugar in the blood. As a result, cells starve due to the lack of energy; this is why diabetic patients experience weakness and unusual fatigue.

While both types of diabetes lead to increased levels of sugar in the blood, their underlying causes are different and therefore they require different treatment and management approaches.

What Causes Type 1 Diabetes?

As defined by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), type 1 diabetes occurs due to a malfunctioning in the body’s immune system.

The immune system, which is responsible for fighting against bacteria and viruses, mistakenly attacks and destroys the pancreatic cells that produce insulin, known as the beta cells. This entire process is called the autoimmune response.

Despite all the advancements in the field of medical science, researchers have been unable to figure out what exactly causes this malfunctioning of the immune system. However, the research that has so far been conducted has revealed that a variety of factors can play a role in initiating this autoimmune response in someone’s body. These include genetics, exposure to certain viruses, and a number of environmental factors.

Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes

As of now, we do not have a way to cure type 1 diabetes. This means, the only option is managing the disease to reduce its negative impact and the risk of complications to continue to live a normal life.

Since there is very little or no insulin in the body of the affected person, people with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin regularly to keep their blood sugar levels within a healthy range. This is often paired with several lifestyle changes, such as improving your dietary patterns, including what, how much, and when you eat, and getting physically active. All in all, people with type 1 diabetes need to adopt a healthy lifestyle to keep their blood sugar under control.

Diabetes Management in Children – What’s Different About It?

While theoretically there isn’t any difference between what it takes to maintain healthy blood sugar levels in adults and children, the reality is a lot more challenging, especially if the affected child is very young. Since young children are unable to engage in self-care, the entire responsibility comes to the parents or guardians.

If you have a child with type 1 diabetes, you are responsible for taking care of everything from the diet to the administration of insulin to the amount of physical activity your child can safely perform. You are also responsible for regular monitoring of blood glucose levels to ensure it is within the healthy range.

Moreover, you have to make sure that the people your child spends a lot of time with, including teachers, other school staff, and coaches/instructors (if your child goes somewhere to learn a skill or sports), know about the condition. They should also know what to do in an emergency situation if it arises.

It’s a lot of work and a long journey! To offer some help, here we have summed up all the essential information that can help you with blood sugar management for children.

Meal Planning for Children with Type 1 Diabetes – Guidelines for a Healthy Diet

With the stress and concern that comes with a child’s diagnosis of diabetes it makes it easier for parents to get carried away. With all the information available on the internet it may be tempting to put their child on a very strict diet. However, this is not the right approach!

No matter how many times you have been told about a diabetic diet, do not put your child on a highly restrictive diet unless, of course, a doctor recommends it.

The very first thing that you need to understand when setting up a meal plan for your child is that there is no such thing as a diabetic diet. What you should instead aim for is to provide your child with a healthy and balanced diet to make sure he/she doesn’t develop any nutritional deficiency. You need to watch your child’s carb intake to prevent blood sugar spikes. While at the same time, you have to make sure you are not completely eliminating carbohydrates from your child’s diet.

Since type 1 diabetes requires children to take insulin, not consuming any carbs will put them at the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which can be very dangerous.

Calculating your child’s carb intake is also important to determine his/her insulin dosage.

Ask your child’s doctor to provide you with a resource guide listing the amount of carbohydrate present in commonly consumed foods.

In addition to limiting carbohydrates, you need to make sure that the diet you are giving to your child fulfills the nutritional needs of a growing body as well as fits perfectly in his/her routine.

Another important factor that you need to be careful about is the timings and frequency of eating. Since type 1 diabetic patients are dependent on insulin medications for keeping their blood sugar levels under control, they need to follow a specific eating schedule, as recommended by their doctor. For example, insulin administration needs to be followed by eating to prevent hypoglycemia.

As a parent of a child with type 1 diabetes, you need to make sure that your child sticks to the routine recommended by the doctor and does not eat at a different time or a lot more than the recommended amount. In addition to this, you need to talk to your child’s doctor about what you should do in the event that your child happens to disregards the directions.

To learn more about how to formulate a healthy and balanced diet for your diabetic child, download our free eBook now!

Important

For children with type 1 diabetes, it is generally recommended to check their blood glucose level just before they eat and then again 2 hours after eating. However, make sure to confirm the blood sugar monitoring schedule with your child’s doctor as some may need more frequent monitoring.

How to Treat Hypoglycemia in Children with Type 1 Diabetes

While all diabetic patients are at the risk of hypoglycemia, it is more likely to occur with type 1 diabetes because of insulin intake. Since children are often unable to detect the signs of hypoglycemia, they are at an increased risk of the complications low blood sugar can lead to.

We don’t want to scare you, but severe hypoglycemia could be fatal. This makes it highly important for parents and guardians to know how to detect and treat low blood sugar in children.

Detecting Hypoglycemia in Children with Type 1 Diabetes

While regular monitoring is the best way to ensure that your child’s blood glucose level is within a healthy range, you cannot completely eliminate the risk of blood sugar level dropping too low. Therefore, you should be able to identify it at an early stage to prevent any serious complications.

Here are some of the most common signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia:

Hunger
Sweating
Headache
Unusual fatigue
Shakiness
Feeling dizzy or having difficulty in concentrating
Getting irritated for no apparent reason
Pale skin
Being clumsy
Exhibiting jerky movements
Sudden behavior and/or mood changes, such as crying or getting angry for no apparent reason

As soon as you notice any of these signs, test your child’s blood glucose immediately and take appropriate steps if it measures lower than the required level.

How to Treat Hypoglycemia in Children

For specific recommendations about treating your child for low blood sugar, talk to his/her doctor because only a healthcare expert can guide you about what’s the best way for your child to bring blood glucose level back to normal. The doctor will also be able to tell you about what glucose level is considered dangerously low and require emergency medical help.

In general, however, it is advised to give your child about half a cup of a sugary drink. Wait for about 15 to 20 minutes and then check the blood glucose level again. In most cases, this is enough to bring the blood sugar back to normal. But if your child’s glucose level still measures low, give him/her another half a cup of a sugary drink and then check again after another 15 to 20 minutes.

In case, your child’s glucose level still reads low or his/her condition worsens during this time, take him/her to emergency care immediately.

If your child gets unconscious due to hypoglycemia, call for emergency help. Meanwhile, administer a glucagon injection to your child. Remember to not give insulin if your child is unconscious. Glucagon has a rapid mechanism of action than insulin and works faster to bring the blood sugar level back to normal.

Important

To prevent the risk for any serious complications due to the extremely low sugar level, make sure:

Your child always has a sugary drink, candy, or glucose tablets, no matter where or for how short a period of time he/she is going. But, make sure your child knows these are for emergency situations and he/she is not supposed to eat them without asking an adult.
Make sure there’s a glucagon emergency kit available at all times, to deal with emergency situations when your child is unable to eat or drink or lose consciousness because of blood sugar level dropping too low. To prevent any risks, place a glucagon emergency kit at all places your child regularly goes to, like school, sports center, home, and your car. For further safety, place an emergency kit in your child’s school bag as well as with you. Lastly, make sure your child’s teachers and supervisors know how to use the kit in case of an emergency.
Beware of the risk for nighttime hypoglycemia. Identifying low blood sugar is very difficult at night or when your child is sleeping. While it can be largely prevented by strictly following your doctor’s recommendations with regards to both insulin intake and lifestyle factors, diet and physical activity in particular. Low blood sugar levels can make your child experience headaches, nightmares, and sweating while sleeping.

Final Thoughts

Blood sugar management in children with type 1 diabetes is a challenging task. The best thing you can do to ensure your child leads a normal healthy and active life is to regularly consult a doctor and religiously follow the given medications and lifestyle recommendations. However, do not be too hard on yourself and accept the fact that no matter how vigilant you remain, children with type 1 diabetes will experience highs and lows in blood sugar levels, at some point. You cannot completely prevent it. But, what you are capable of doing is to equip yourself with the right knowledge about identifying signs of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia and treating them. For this, download our free eBook on blood sugar management by clicking here!