• A meal plan which helps your child learn how to eat in ways that will help control blood sugar and stay healthy
• A target range for your child’s blood glucose level
• A schedule for checking blood glucose levels
• Directions for adjusting insulin doses as needed, depending on blood glucose levels and activities
• Regular exercise

Diabetes treatment is much more flexible than it used to be, reflecting the knowledge gained and new technologies available today. While there are some restrictions, children with diabetes today have far fewer limitations than did those in earlier generations. Treatment today is geared to the needs of the individual child and his/her family.

Your doctor or diabetes team will teach you and your child how to monitor blood glucose levels and how to adjust insulin doses accordingly. They will make sure you understand the symptoms of both low and high blood glucose levels, and how to treat them promptly.

As your child gets older, he/she will gradually take more responsibility for following the treatment plan. But you must continue to be involved and supportive to make sure that he/she is keeping blood glucose levels within the target range.

Many organizations offer insulin dosage adjustment classes, with 24-hour hotlines for assistance. Click here for information on such resources.

Your child will have to have insulin shots every day – usually several times a day. Improvements in insulin and its administration are occurring quite regularly. New forms of insulin have greatly increased the flexibility in eating patterns and insulin dosage regimens. Efforts to improve comfort have created more choices in devices to administer insulin such as pen-type injectors. External insulin pumps are popular among adolescents and young adults, and implantable insulin pumps are being tested as well.

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