Different Responsibilities to give Children with Diabetes

The best way to help your child adjust to being a diabetic is to involve him or her in their treatment plan. Depending on their age and level of maturity the level that they are involved and what they can do will be different. Be aware that as children grow older, they are going to take more and more control over their disease and you have to know when it is time to step back and let them.

For children three years of age and under, the management process is going to be solely in your hands. Even if there is a desire to do things on their own, their coordination skills and maturity level isnt where it needs to be to give themselves injections or test their own blood. As they are approaching the three year old mark, you may be able to involve them in decisions like which finger is to be used to test their blood or putting the strip into the monitor. Be on the look out for ways to include them as they become older and interested in doing so.

As your child becomes a preschooler they are going to want to do everything on their own no matter what it is. Your child may begin to have more control over testing their blood but it still needs to be done under parental supervision. Insulin injections should still be handled by the parent at this age. Your child will have definite opinions on what they should be eating for meals. Give them options and let them decide what is going to be made for dinner.

From the age of about eight years old and up, your child may be ready to give themselves their own injections. You will have to follow your childs and your own comfort level.

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