If you care for a child who has diabetes, this section can help you navigate his or her diabetes care, from diagnosis to the first day of school to the teenage years and beyond. Whether you're looking for information on insulin pumps, diabetes camps, making injections easier, dealing with hypoglycemia, or other issues, the articles below can help.

Be Aware of Hypoglycemia Unawareness by Karen Kelly, R.N., B.S.N., C.D.E., and Amy Gilliland, R.N., M.S.N., C.D.E.

Anyone whose child uses insulin has no doubt been warned of the dangers of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and the need to treat it promptly. Mild hypoglycemia can cause a person to feel uncomfortable and can interfere with his normal functioning...

Helping Young Children Succeed With Diabetes Care by Alisha Perez, M.S., C.C.L.S.

One afternoon, at the close of a children’s support group session, I gathered the kids around for an activity. I sketched a tree trunk on a roll of butcher paper and gave each child two green paper leaves. On one, I asked them to write or draw...

School Planning 101 by Margaret T. Lawlor, M.S., C.D.E., and Cindy Pasquarello, B.S.N., R.N., C.D.E.

School-age children spend about half their waking hours at school, and children with diabetes are no different. Since your child can’t leave his diabetes at home when he goes to school, it is necessary to have a plan—preferably a written plan—for...

Also inside: School Plan Resources

Sending Your Kid to Camp by Karen Riley, R.N.

So you’re thinking of sending your child to summer camp. What a great idea! Camps are wonderful places—without parents—where children can experience the great outdoors, learn new skills, make friends, meet positive role models, become more independent...

Also inside: Doing Your Camp Homework

To Pump, or Not to Pump? by Deborah Butler, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W.

Your 10-year-old daughter just returned from diabetes camp. She said that everyone was using an insulin pump, and she wants one too. You are worried about having a tiny computer deliver insulin into her body. Should you ask your daughter’s health-care...

Also inside: Before You Get a Pump…

Treating Type 2 Diabetes in Children by Jill A. Goldfarb, M.D.

Until recently, it was thought that Type 2 diabetes was a disease of adults. During the 1990’s, however, pediatric endocrinologists began to recognize and diagnose it in children. There has been an increasing number of children diagnosed with Type...

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