When your child is diagnosed with diabetes your child may have many feelings. Acknowledging feelings such as sadness, anger, denial, isolation and loss of confidence is very important.
Some common questions are:
- Will behaviour change at the beginning of a diagnosis?
- Some children will appear to accept having diabetes yet can be sad, angry or worried for you and themselves. This could be the reason for unusual, unexplained behaviour from your child. Reassure your child that you will all get through this together and that life goes on.
Your concerns as a parent.
You may feel that you have let them down because they are used to being protected by you and now you can’t make their diabetes go away. You may need to explain to your child that sometimes things are just outside your power; that things happen out of the blue and unfortunately can’t be changed.
Emotional reassurance
- Some children believe that diabetes has happened to them for a reason, perhaps because of something they have done wrong, Frequent reassurance from you that diabetes happens to all different children, and is not a punishment, will help them. Meeting other children at camps and day activities, especially for children with diabetes, helps your child to feel less isolated.
- Sometimes children may become tired of diabetes tasks and may avoid checking glucose information, administering insulin, or sharing accurate diabetes data. Additional support and supervision may be needed during these times.
- As your child gets older, they will gradually learn to take on more diabetes management tasks, such as checking glucose levels, giving insulin, operating an insulin pump, or responding to CGM alerts.
- Your child may be capable of preparing simple foods and can start to recognise great food choices. Encourage your child to help at mealtimes and be involved with preparing food for school/sport.
Many children using hybrid closed-loop systems may not always require additional snacks before exercise. Management depends on insulin on board, glucose trends, exercise intensity and individual plans
How I can support my child emotionally
Diabetes brings extra challenges, but with support and the right tools, children can participate in the same activities as their peers.
Parties and sleepovers
Many children can safely attend sleepovers with appropriate planning and support. Parents can discuss management strategies with the host family.