Posts Tagged ‘parenting’

How the Whole Family Can Cope with Diabetes in Children

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

Diabetes is really a very serious illness. Managing this illness for adults is hard enough, even more if a kid is diagnosed of having the said illness. For parents, it will certainly be a challenge to find out that their little one has diabetes, and to ensure that the little one eats the proper food and doesn’t do anything to worsen the situation.

When a child is found to have diabetes, it will be the parent’s obligation to manage the child’s diet and lifestyle. It is also the parent’s responsibility to make sure that the little one isn’t emotionally affected by having diabetes. The child has to understand why he cannot eat the same food that his peers eat or engage in similar activities that his peers do. This can be really stressful for a child and also the mother and father need to make sure that they’re always there for their child to help him comprehend his special situation.

How can a parent determine if his little one is suffering from diabetes? The symptoms of diabetes in adults are very similar to what the child would feel or experience. When the parent observes constant fatigue and tiredness, weight loss, frequent urination, constant thirst, headaches and stomach aches, then it would be ideal to consult a doctor immediately. Diabetes isn’t life threatening in itself, but may lead to fatal complications if not addressed right away.

If a child is diagnosed with diabetes, the very first thing that the mother and father should take care of will be the child’s diet and eating habits. Diabetes causes the blood sugar levels to be erratic; it could be very low today and suddenly spike up the next day. Modifying the child’s diet to include fruits and vegetables will greatly help in lowering blood sugar levels. But in the event the child’s blood sugar level becomes really low, parents need to always have something sweet handy to be able to address the circumstances right away.

Encouraging the kid to exercise will also help to improve the situation. Most children nowadays are contented to just sit all day and spend time watching the TV or playing video games. Exercise will aid a lot in stabilizing the blood sugar levels inside the body. One way to encourage a child to exercise is to enroll him in a sports club where he can pick a game of his choice and spend enjoyable time with other kids.

Regular check-ups are also a crucial part of a diabetic child’s life. There ought to be regular monitoring to make sure that diabetes and also the child’s blood sugar levels are correctly monitored, and proper medications are also given to help alleviate the circumstances.

Having a child with diabetes can certainly affect not just the kid, but the whole family. Both the child as well as the mother and father will truly have a tough time dealing with the circumstances; but when the child’s situation is regularly monitored, and when the parents are strict enough to guide the child to do what’s proper for him, then the scenario could be a little simpler for everybody.

Brent McNutt likes working with healthcare professionals. He also likes talking about urbane scrubs, landau shoes, and baby phat lab coat as well as writing articles about various topics. He also likes hiking, exercising, and camping with his family.