5 ways to make Type 1 Diabetes fun for your child

Every parent who has a child with type 1 diabetes knows this is not a fun disease to live with. You have to prick your fingers eight to twelve times a day. You have to count every carbohydrate that you eat. You have to be careful for blood sugar highs and lows because they can cause hypoglycemia (blurry vision, hunger, irritability, shakiness, fast heartbeat, fatigue, and headache and possibly even passing out) and hyperglycemia (increased thirst, frequent urination, headache, stupor, inability to focus).

As a parent with a twelve year old son who has had this disease for three years, I've become an expert on managing his blood sugar highs and lows, making sure the tips of his fingers don't turn black because he pricks one more than the other, and teaching him how to take care of himself so he grows up to be a healthy confident adult. But, this isn't the only thing that I'm teaching him. I'm also teaching him how to find ways to have fun in between the not so fun moments.

Below are five fun ways to make living with type 1 diabetes fun! The little things such as the below has truly made a difference in my son's life. And the smile I get when I do one of them is so worth it!

1. For dinner, eat dessert first. Then eat the meal.
2. For breakfast have a piece of birthday cake or a slice of pizza. My son has been invited to late night birthday parties and has been unable to eat the cake because of the time of day. So instead, we wrap it up, take it home, and he eats it for breakfast.
3. When changing his inset, I let him take the pump off for an hour and a half, and without any inset or tape on his behind (that's where we have to attach the inset) he can run around and have some freedom.
4. Give a lollipop after your child's plays baseball, basketball, or other extracurricular competitive game. After every softball, basketball, and soccer game, I surprise my son with a different colored lollipop. This keeps his blood sugar from dropping fast and also puts the sweetest smile on his face. It's his special treat after the game.
5. Sneak two pieces of hershey kisses into your type 1 child's lunch box. I usually try to sneak two pieces of chocolate because it doesn't affect my son's blood sugar as much as other treats. And he loves chocolate! Two Hershey kisses are only 5 carbs.

Just some fun ideas to enjoy this new school year. I know my son loves the the little things and appreciates the small things. So do something fun for our Type 1 kids! Enjoy the new school year.