Monitoring blood glucose levels is an essential part of living with diabetes. It becomes progressively easier over time for adults to prick their fingers to obtain a sample of blood. Parents must perform the testing for very small children. However, a day will come when parents will have to teach their child how to use test strips and glucose meters on their own.
How to Check
Even though they may have seen their parents perform the testing procedure many times, doing it on their own is an entirely different matter. Parents will need to walk a child through the process and it may take many repetitions before they feel confident and do it correctly. That’s to be expected and parents shouldn’t get frustrated with them.
Why to Check
Parents need to have an honest conversation with the child. Children need to know that testing is the way they can help keep themselves safe. Explain what normal readings are, along with what constitutes a high or low reading and what to do. The readings tell them whether they need to eat something, take insulin and if so, how much. If the child is involved in sports and other activities, they need to know that testing allows them to monitor their glucose levels so they can participate.
When to Check
Teach the child that they’ll need to check before breakfast, lunch and dinner and before bed. Teens will need to know they should never get behind the wheel of a car unless they’ve tested their glucose levels first. It’s important for them to know that sometimes they’ll need to check more often – before, during and after exercise. Sometimes glucose levels can drop during the night and there may be times when they need to wake up and check, especially if their glucose levels are low at bedtime.
Additional Checking
When people are ill, it can affect their glucose levels and some medications also affect glucose levels. Be sure the child knows that blood glucose levels can fluctuate if they’re sick and it’s a good idea to test more often if they’re ill. Parents shouldn’t panic about teaching a child to test their own blood – they’ll always be there to provide advice and assistance.
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