How to explain T1 diabetes to a child

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getcarter76

getcarter76

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi there,

This may have been asked long before i joined so apologies if it has but I was wondering as my daughter is now at that age of asking why? and whats this? and why? etc etc of how to explain T1 diabetes to her.

She is 4 and a half and takes things in very well. Like most children this age though she has a short attention span!

I have tried to show pictures but stumble on making her understand what the pancreas is etc in child language. She also understands when my blood sugars low that i must have a sugary drink.

She has asked me what diabetes is but i start to talk to her like a grown up she understandably loses interest. Scarey thing is i was diagnosed at 6 but was taught in a way that wasn't very factual and subsequently was amazed when I went to school and learnt that it wasn't as i had been told 😱

For now i would like to teach her in child's language about the T1 diabetes that I (and others of course) have so that she will understand the facts and not the myths.

I am sure you all have some great ideas and I would be interested to learn of them and/or what you may have done if applicable...

Thanks everyone

Bernie 🙂 xx
 
When my cousins were younger and saw me injecting, I think they were told that basically one of my organs didn't work properly, so I had to have injections as my medicine, as it were.

I think it's great she knows you need a sugary drink when you're low. Just out of curiosity, does she recognise your low symptoms, or do you have to tell her?
 
Hi, I have 3 daughters aged 5, 3 and 7months, my 3 year old is T1 and since her diagnosis have found the child areas of diabetes uk and a book from JDRF useful in explaining T1 in simple terms mainly for the children but also for me!!.
 
shiv said:
When my cousins were younger and saw me injecting, I think they were told that basically one of my organs didn't work properly, so I had to have injections as my medicine, as it were.

I think it's great she knows you need a sugary drink when you're low. Just out of curiosity, does she recognise your low symptoms, or do you have to tell her?
Click to expand...

Rarely can has recognised i'm low and mostly have to say i need some Lucozade for example but she has once handed me a bottle of lucozade when i sat on the couch quiet and feeling tired. Odd and difficult to know whether it was a fluke or she knew. Tony says she could sense it but as she grows i am finding her curiosity about diabetes is growing and her wanting to learn increasing by the day. She's a curious little thing!

Its very hard not to give her a science lesson as she wouldn't understand what an organ was and then giving her a run down of this is quite tricky as she soon loses interest when it doesn't suit 🙄 She understands how to do wheelies and ollies on her mini scooter mind :D

She asked me the other day what a shoulder blade was and what does it do? Good question...so i said ask your father 😛

Bernie xx
 
rlw890245 said:
Hi, I have 3 daughters aged 5, 3 and 7months, my 3 year old is T1 and since her diagnosis have found the child areas of diabetes uk and a book from JDRF useful in explaining T1 in simple terms mainly for the children but also for me!!.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip...she luuuurvs the computer...that may be a good one if there is anything interactive...

Many thanks

Bernie x 🙂
 
My little feller is almost 6. He has noticed I don't eat sweets like he does. I told him that part of my tummy doesn't work properly so I must be careful about the treats I have and that is why I have to take pills (I'm type 2) and test my blood sometimes to make sure everything is OK. He asks the same things each time, so when he is ready I'll tell him some more.

There is loads of stuff on the internet and loads of books. It might pay if you went to the library and had a browse there.

I do know a couple of families where one of the parents is type, but so far the children have showed no signs of developing diabetes.
 
getcarter76 said:
Hi there,

This may have been asked long before i joined so apologies if it has but I was wondering as my daughter is now at that age of asking why? and whats this? and why? etc etc of how to explain T1 diabetes to her.

She is 4 and a half and takes things in very well. Like most children this age though she has a short attention span!

I have tried to show pictures but stumble on making her understand what the pancreas is etc in child language. She also understands when my blood sugars low that i must have a sugary drink.

She has asked me what diabetes is but i start to talk to her like a grown up she understandably loses interest. Scarey thing is i was diagnosed at 6 but was taught in a way that wasn't very factual and subsequently was amazed when I went to school and learnt that it wasn't as i had been told 😱

For now i would like to teach her in child's language about the T1 diabetes that I (and others of course) have so that she will understand the facts and not the myths.

I am sure you all have some great ideas and I would be interested to learn of them and/or what you may have done if applicable...

Thanks everyone

Bernie 🙂 xx
Click to expand...

Hiya, if you go here: http://www.childrenwithdiabetesuk.org/diabetes-at-school/diabetes-at-school-for-parents/ and click on the links "I am Rose, school book for schools" for injections and "I am Rose and i wear an insulin pump" they are books aimed at schools in simplified language to explain what diabetes...hopefully they might be something in them 🙂
 
This is something I've thought of asking but I don't think Jessica will be asking me just yet about my diabetes 🙂 x
 
My daughter is 3 and has been asking me about it for almost a year now. I wear an insulin pump in my bra, so mostly she's complaining that it gets in the way of cuddles lol. But she's been told that a bit of my body doesn't work properly, and that means when I eat things my blood gets too much sugar in it. So I have the pump to take away some of the sugar in my blood so I don't get poorly. I've also told her that sometimes my blood doesn't have enough sugar in it, so sometimes I need to eat some sweets (I use jelly babies to treat hypos) or "mummy tablets" (this is what she calls my glucose tabs) to put some sugar back.

I figure we'll get into more details as she gets a bit older...mind you yesterday she was asking me about breastfeeding and puberty 😱🙄 so it might not be long!
 
Cate said:
My daughter is 3 and has been asking me about it for almost a year now. I wear an insulin pump in my bra, so mostly she's complaining that it gets in the way of cuddles lol. But she's been told that a bit of my body doesn't work properly, and that means when I eat things my blood gets too much sugar in it. So I have the pump to take away some of the sugar in my blood so I don't get poorly. I've also told her that sometimes my blood doesn't have enough sugar in it, so sometimes I need to eat some sweets (I use jelly babies to treat hypos) or "mummy tablets" (this is what she calls my glucose tabs) to put some sugar back.

I figure we'll get into more details as she gets a bit older...mind you yesterday she was asking me about breastfeeding and puberty 😱🙄 so it might not be long!
Click to expand...


I love the phrase 'mummy tablets' I am going to use that if you don't mind 🙂
I too eat Jelly babies but I offer one to her first and shovel however many I may need in my moush!

I know what you mean about asking questions....H is 4 going on 14!

Thanks for your tips..

Bernie xx 🙂
 
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