Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas stops making insulin. Your body needs insulin to let sugar move from the blood into the body’s cells. This is where it can be used for energy or stored for later use.

Without insulin, the sugar cannot get into the cells and do its work. It stays in the blood instead and causes high blood sugar. High blood sugar causes diabetes.

What symptoms should you watch out for

Your child can have high or low blood sugar when you  do everything right. Teach your child to look out for signs of low and high blood sugar.

Signs of low blood sugar :

• sweating a lot
• shaking, weak or hungry

Low blood sugar happens quickly. Low blood sugar can happen within minutes after exercising or after taking insulin without food

Signs of high blood sugar

• feeling very thirsty or hungry
• urinating a lot
• have blurry vision

High blood sugar usually develops slowly over hours or days.

It can be difficult for young children to tell if they have low or high blood sugar . If your are unsure about the symptoms, do a home sugar test.

How to manage diabetes

Keeping your blood sugar level on the target range will help treat diabetes. To do this, your child needs to take insulin, eat about the same amount of carbohydrates at each meal and exercise. You should also check your blood sugar level daily.

Your child may need to see his doctor every 3 to 6 moths to check how well treatment is working.