How Safe is Your Child from Diabetes?

Diabetes in children can be connected with very serious complications and untimely death. Fortunately, there are steps you can take now to control your child's diabetes before it gets out of control.

Below are the four steps to control your child's diabetes:

1. Adopt a healthy meal plan

Help your child follow a meal plan that's designed by a certified physician, dietitian, or diabetes educator. Make sure the meal contains proper nutrition for your child's growth. Together with your child, learn how various types of food especially carbohydrates like pasta, bread, and rice can have effects in the blood glucose levels.

In addition, talk with your child about healthy eating habits such as portion sizes, reduction in sugary food consumption, the ideal amount of calories for his or her age, and how to make healthy food choices during meal and snack times when at home or away from home.

2. Regular exercise

Your child needs regular physical activities of 30-60 minutes per day if possible. Physical activities help decrease blood glucose levels and increase insulin sensitivity. Also, physical activities will help control your child's weight.

Don't forget to check your child's blood glucose level before starting any fitness exercise. You shouldn't allow your child to start any exercise until the blood glucose level is checked.

3. Check blood glucose level

Use a blood glucose meter to help your child check his or her glucose level on a regular basis. Use a meter with a built-in memory for holding information for this purpose.

You may seek the help of a health care provider to teach your child how to use a meter properly, and how often to use it.

Encourage your child to keep a journal or records of the blood glucose meter results. This kind of information will help your child's health care provider make any necessary changes to your child's personal diabetes management plan.

4. Follow diabetes medication as prescribed

Help your child learn how to take medication as prescribed. Show him or her the right medication to be taken at different hours of the day, how to take it - before or after eating - when in school or elsewhere.

Finally, you can help your child overcome the challenges of diabetes by adopting a healthy meal plan. Help him or her engage in some physical exercises, check his or her blood glucose level with a blood glucose meter, and encourage him or her to follow a diabetes medication as prescribed by your health care provider.