Type 1 Diabetes

• Type 1 diabetes is a disease where your child's body does not produce enough insulin, and that insulin has to be replaced. Unfortunately for you and your child, this means that the main treatment for this type of diabetes is a daily insulin injection.
  Other treatments for this type of diabetes involve regular blood sugar monitoring. Frequent blood sugar testing means using a blood sugar or glucose monitor on your child. This monitor will prick your child's finger (or another area) and test the blood from the prick to measure glucose levels. Then your child may need to take an insulin vaccination to balance out the levels, or eat a specific type of food to raise or lower his blood sugar.
  Some more severe treatments include a pancreas transplant or islet cell transplantation. Unfortunately, both of these options come with significant risks to the patient. Only a doctor can say for certain whether one of these treatments might be beneficial for your child.
  
  

Type 2 Diabetes

• Type 2 diabetes generally affects adults, but in recent years it has become a growing problem for children as well. Type 2 diabetes affects the way the body metabolizes glucose, or sugars.
  Treatment for type 2 diabetes also involves regular glucose monitoring. Your doctor will tell you the appropriate range for your child's blood glucose levels, and you will have to monitor and adjust eating to keep his levels appropriate.
  Some people affected with type 2 diabetes will also require insulin shot treatments, but most of the time this type of diabetes can be treated through healthy eating and exercise, along with the blood sugar monitoring.
  
  

Healthy Eating, Healthy Lifestyle

• For both types of diabetes, healthy lifestyles go a long way in treatment options. Children with diabetes need to eat healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Occasional sugary foods are usually OK as well. For a child with diabetes, a nutritionist should work with the children and their parents to create a healthy menu.
  Food is a major factor in blood glucose levels. A child with diabetes will probably have to eat a specific amount of particular foods to alter or maintain her blood sugar levels.
  Physical activity lowers blood sugar, so a child with diabetes may need to have a lower insulin dosage before physical activity, or may need to eat a snack before exercising.
  Other medications and illnesses may also affect blood sugar, so if your child is sick or taking a medication for some other problem, you may notice a change in her normal blood sugar levels. You will have to compensate accordingly by altering her insulin dosages or her food intake.