Halloween Fun for Kids with Diabetes
Tricks (and treats) can help parents make sure that kids have fun, stay safe, and enjoy their Halloween candy—even when diabetes is a part of their lives.
To make the most of the upcoming festivities, here’s a checklist from experts at Fit4D, a personalized diabetes coaching service:
1. If your child is invited to a Halloween party, find out when it starts, how long it lasts, and what food will be served. Then adjust your child’s meal and medication plan accordingly.
2. Discuss the meal plan with your child. Also talk with the party hosts to address any of their questions or concerns.
3. Is your child going trick-or-treating? Do some homework. Review nutrition labels in stores, or go online to sites such as jdrf.org and calorieking.com to learn the carbohydrate amounts in pieces of popular candy treats. The information will help you appropriately include candy in your child’s meal plan.
4. Instead of taking away your child’s hard-earned candy, play “Let’s Make a Deal” for a nonfood item. For example, five small candy bars and four pieces of gum could “buy” a stuffed animal or music download.
5. Should your child’s glucose level drop too low, consider letting them choose a safe piece of nonchocolate candy from their loot that you know is equal to 15 grams of carbohydrate. Retest your child’s blood sugar to ensure that it has come up to a safe range.
6. Most importantly, be safe and have fun! Children with diabetes can participate in the same activities as those without the diagnosis; it just takes a little more planning.
Here, Marc Wolf, pharmacist and CEO of Diabetic Care Services, offers more ways to make Halloween fun for children with diabetes.
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