10 tips for caring for a child with diabetes (explained by a pediatrician)

When a child has diabetes, it can be difficult to deal with the situation, as it is necessary to adapt the diet and routine, the child often feels frustrated and may present behavioral changes such as wanting to be more isolated, having moments aggressiveness, losing interest in leisure activities or wanting to hide the illness.

This condition can cause stress for many parents and children, so in addition to changes in diet, there are other precautions that must be taken for children with diabetes. This care can help improve quality of life and reduce the impact of the disease on the child and includes:

1. Always eat at the same time

Children with diabetes should eat at the same time and preferably have 6 meals a day such as breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and a small snack before bed. It is ideal that the child does not go more than 3 hours without eating, as this helps to create a daily routine and makes it easier to schedule insulin applications.

2. Offer an adapted diet

To help adapt the diet of a child with diabetes, it is important to follow up with a nutrition professional, as this will create a food plan in which the foods that can be eaten and those that should be avoided will be written. Ideally, foods high in sugar, bread and pasta should be avoided and replaced with options with a low glycemic index, such as oatmeal, milk and whole-grain pasta. See more about which foods have a low glycemic index.

3. Not offering sugar

Diabetic children have a deficiency in the production of insulin, which is the hormone responsible for reducing blood glucose levels and therefore, when eating foods rich in sugar, they present symptoms of very high glucose, such as drowsiness, extreme thirst and increased blood pressure. Therefore, upon receiving a diagnosis of diabetes, it is necessary for the child’s family not to offer foods rich in sugar and carbohydrates and to make food based on other products with the lowest possible sugar content.

4. Avoid having sweets at home

You should avoid having sweets such as cakes, cookies, chocolates or other sweets at home as much as possible, so that the child does not feel like eating them. There are already some foods that can replace these sweets, with sweetener in their composition and that can be eaten by diabetics. Furthermore, it is important that parents do not eat these foods either, as this way the child observes that the routine has been changed for all family members.

5. Bring sugar-free sweets to parties

So that a child with diabetes does not feel excluded at birthday parties, you can offer homemade sweets that do not have a high sugar content, such as diet gelatin, popcorn with cinnamon or diet cookies.

6. Encourage physical exercise

Practicing physical exercise helps control blood glucose levels and should be a complement to diabetes treatment in children, so parents should encourage the performance of these activities. It is important to maintain an exercise routine that promotes well-being in the child and is appropriate for their age, which could be football, dancing or swimming, for example.

7. Have patience and be affectionate

Daily stings to administer insulin or perform blood glucose tests can be very painful for the child and, therefore, it is very important that the person giving the sting is patient, affectionate and explains what they are going to do. By doing this, the child feels valued, important and collaborates better in times when blood glucose tests or insulin administration must be carried out.

8. Let the child participate in treatment

Letting the child participate in their treatment, for example, letting them choose their finger to prick or hold the insulin pen, can make the process less painful and more interesting. You can also let the child see the pen and pretend to apply it to a doll, telling them that many other children can also have diabetes.

9. Inform school

Informing the school about the child’s health situation is a fundamental and very important step in the case of children who have to undergo specific nutrition and treatments outside the home. Therefore, parents should notify the school to avoid sweets and to educate the entire class on this aspect.

10. Not treating people differently

A child with diabetes should not be treated differently, because despite constant care, this child must have the freedom to play and have fun, as this way they will not feel pressured or guilty. It is important to know that with medical supervision, a diabetic child can lead a normal life.

These tips should be adapted to the child’s age and, as they grow, parents should teach them about the disease, explaining what it is, why it happens and how it can be treated.