Diabetes is a life-long disease that doesn’t only affect adults, but also children. Among the younger population, type 1 diabetes remains the most common. This illness was initially called juvenile diabetes, particularly due to the fact that it is often diagnosed during childhood. When diagnosed with diabetes, it generally means your body is not able to produce a sufficient amount of insulin. The hormone is crucial for cellular energy production.
When your child is affected by diabetes, they might still want to go out and have a great time during Halloween. Trick-or-treating is something that every kid should be able to experience, but the candy that people hand out can cause a spike in blood glucose levels and create a sugar crash. In this post, we are going to take a look at how you can still allow your diabetic kid to have a fun time during Halloween.
Join In On The Hunt
One of the first things that parents should consider is to join their kids on the hunt for treats during Halloween. When you allow your kid to roam freely with their friends, they might end up eating more candy than they should. This can lead to unfortunate effects when your kid’s blood glucose levels start to rise too much.
When you join your diabetic kids on the trick-or-treat hunt, you have more control over the candy they will consume throughout the night. You can collect the candy with your kid and ensure you properly look at all the sweet treats that have been handed out to determine which ones may not be an appropriate choice for your kid.
This also gives you an opportunity to spend some quality time with your kid. According to one study, researchers have found that a warm and caring environment, along with a close relationship with parents, may be beneficial for youth who have diabetes.
Keep Candy For When You Are Back Home
Another strategy that you can use is to focus on collecting candy during the trick-or-treat event, but only to sort through the candy and allow your kid to have some when you are back home. This particular strategy makes it easier to determine the carbohydrate and sugar content of each candy that you collected during the hunt – which also ensures your kid does not end up with significant spikes in their blood sugar levels.
Of course, your kid may not fully comply with this rule, as they also want to snack on their trick-or-treat rewards as they explore the neighborhood. There are ways that you can keep them happy without allowing them to dig into the bag of candy unsupervised. The best strategy here is to keep some treats and snacks with you that are safe for diabetic children. Make sure these snacks can help to keep your child’s blood glucose levels stable as you walk outside.
Once you are back home, it is time to start sorting through the candy collected. Make sure you keep factors like how much sugar each candy type contains in mind. Then, divide the candy into different groups and ensure your kid understands which groups are the most appropriate for them to consume.
Talk To People In The Neighborhood
If you know your neighbors, then there is a good chance that they will understand your situation. Consider going over to the neighbors who generally hand out candy during trick-or-treating and discuss the fact that your child has type 1 diabetes with them. There are a couple of suggestions that you can make. For example, ask them to provide your kid with candy that contains peanuts – this at least adds some healthy fats and protein to the candy that your kid will eat.
Of course, you could also go through the trouble of finding sugar-free substitutes for the candy that people often hand out. Head over to your neighbor and provide them with a few of these sugar-free candy options, and ask them to hand these out to your kid when they come knocking on the door. Several sugar substitutes exist that won’t cause your kid to experience a spike.
Make Sure Your Child Is Well-Informed
When you suddenly stop allowing your child to have candy or enjoy the things they used to; they may start to feel confused and even depressed. Up to 20% of young individuals with type 1 diabetes experience depression, and there is also a risk of suicide among these individuals. Eating disorders can develop as well, which can interfere with your child’s ability to effectively manage their condition.
This is why it is crucial for parents to be honest and open with their children when they learn about a type 1 diabetes diagnosis. The idea here is to ensure your child has a proper understanding of what type 1 diabetes is, how it affects them, and what lifestyle changes need to be implemented. As a parent, your job is to keep your child motivated and to ensure they do not feel overwhelmed by diabetes. Make sure they understand that there are still many things that they can do, and with proper management, they can live a normal life. Try to explain these factors to them in a way that they would understand, but without causing them to fear the condition.
When your child is informed and educated about their condition, they may offer better adherence to a diabetes management program that you develop for them. This can make both your own and your child’s life easier and less stressful since they cooperate with any instructions necessary to manage the condition.
Conclusion
Trick-or-treating is a fun time for kids, but when affected by diabetes, it can also be a dangerous time of the year. While kids with type 1 diabetes need to carefully monitor their carb and sugar intake, this does not mean they cannot have fun when other kids are going door to door for candy. Start with the tips that we shared in this post to help keep your kid safe, while still allowing them to have an enjoyable time with their friends.