My son was diagnosed a month ago with T1D. he is 22 months old. We were told that in between meals he should have a snack no more than 15g carbs. We were told that string cheese, lunch meats cheese/crackers are good for these snacks. What are some other good snack idea that may not have a lot of “processed foods” that would appeal to a toddler?
This is just one of the many questions I have, but any ideas will be greatly appreciated
Ok one more question…I also have an almost 4 year old daughter who knows what’s going on and often says “he can’t have that he has Diabetes!” Now, while I’m glad she’s aware there’s always times where she will suffer (not getting ice cream, or my famous after work treats I USED to bring home) are “treats” completely banned for my T1D son? Or is it moderately ok as long as it’s done relative to what his bs and carbs consumption is?
Thanks in advance! I’m new to this!
I certainly feel for you, you will have lots of learning ahead of you and we will be here for you to answer your many questions and also be here when you need to just vent - and let me say it for you, "life isn’t fair?
A handy snack? a handful of Cheerios [sure, measure at first, and occasionally as time passes, just to make sure of the amount and carb count] and also vegetables such a lima beans. I’m far removed from parenting young children so maybe others will help you here.
I’ll have a little chat with your daughter [smiling ] but certainly your son can have and enjoy almost any food that she eats, and as you said ‘it just has to fit in’. Really, mothing is completely banned. You will learn as you go along how to “fit in” foods that myths say are banned - moderation, blood level checking as often as advisable [and possible] for a toddler, creativity with all foods and balancing insulin to carb intake.
We are here for you,
Dennis
PS: It is wonderful that your daughter has taken an interest and wants to help - best that she is really supportive, caring and not too negative - I still remember 60 years later how much I was helped by my siblings.
My daughter had just turned 2 when she was diagnosed, and she is 4 now. There is an organic brand called Earth’s Best, and they make cookies, crackers, cereal bars, etc. and Sesame Street is on a lot of them. The serving size was always between 12-15 grams of carbs, so it was perfect, and my daughter loved them because of the characters. Also you can do fruit (1 oz. blueberries = 4 carbs, 1 oz. strawberries = 2 carbs, 1 oz. watermelon = 2 carbs, etc.). It’s sweet and healthy! We have a digital kitchen scale which makes measuring things without nutritional labels much easier. And yes, your son can eat anything he wants, you just have to bolus him for it. My daughter is now on an insulin pump, and that has made her eating habits much more “normal” for a young child. She loves chocolate ice cream, and a lot of times that is her dinner dessert, so we just add up the carbs with the rest of her meal. And there are times in the middle of the afternoon or at bedtime when her BG is a little lower than normal, so she gets a “free” snack (no insulin). We have a lot of multicolored measuring cups and spoons (she helped to pick them out, which makes it more fun for kids), and she helps to measure our her food. She loves blueberries and she knows that she needs to count out 20 of them to make an ounce (or about that). Really, any time that you can get your son involved in helping to measure and things like that, I have found that my daughter is more excited to eat fruits and veggies than if I just put them in a bowl for her.
Thanks Dennis and mommyofT1D! It’s great to see you still going strong after so many years with T1D Dennis! I’m familiar with Earth’s Best so I will definitely take a look at those options and of course fruit mommyofT1D. The last couple nights my son has been "wired up"after his last humalog and lantus shots. To the point where it’s hard to put him to sleep. Last night he was up til 11pm before my wife could finally nurse him to sleep. I figure that’s a “sugar high” from his body digesting the carbs. His bs was in the high hundreds. Then we he’s sleep we check him around midnight and he’s in the low 80’s. My wife got worried and woke him a little bit to drink some juice, then he fell right back to sleep. I know going low is a problem, but do they normally go low when sleeping? Is that ok? When is it a concern? Thanks again guys!
You certainly are welcome for anything I’ve culled from my experience wit T1 - some people think I’m crazy to study diabetes to the extent that I do.
I would be concerned, or at least extra vigilant, when his BGL drops from high 100’s to 80 while he is sleeping; I want to certainly check again in another hour or two. In the last two tears I’ve been getting up to check BG between 2 and 4 AM and if I’m 100 or less I’ll eat without taking insulin - you guessed correctly, two years ago my wife had to call EMS ti wake me.
Your child’s doctor will tell you the “low” point of concern for him - there are differences in body responses between a two year old and a 75 year old, and my endocrinologist recommends that I set my low threshold at 95 ad ny HB A1c goal at 6.5 after having kept it about 6.0 for many years.
Treezee,yes, my daughter goes low more at night than during the day. On nights when she has “perfect” numbers (around 90), I get up almost every hour to check her to make sure she doesn’t drop. She has been known to be in the high 100’s and drop down to the 50’s in an hour, which is scary. We keep the small Juicy Juice boxes (15 carbs) in her bedroom so they are right there when you need them at night and you don’t have to go all the way to the kitchen. We keep them in the kitchen too. We tried a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) for her, but she hated it and it was very traumatic for her. We also found that it wasn’t very accurate (it would say she was over 100 when she was 65, or vice versa), so she only wore it for 2 weeks. I check her before her bedtime, and then about 2 hours later I check her before I go to bed. Then I set my alarm for about 3 hours later and check her. I’m a teacher and have to leave the house at 5:45am to get to school on time, so I check her before I leave, which is usually 2-3 hours after the middle of the night check. My daughter tends to go low between 2am-5am, but she’ll go weeks without a low and then all of the sudden will have lows every night. You never know, so that is why I check her so often. If she is below 85 at night, I usually go ahead and give her juice because she tends to drop quickly when she hits under 85. But every child is different, so you and your wife will figure out what works best for your schedules and your son.
I salute you @mommyofT1D ! Checking her multiple time a night and heading to school to teach at 5:45am has to be grueling, but I know very well that you Mothers do whatever is necessary! Have you tried a pump on your daughter yet? I still cringe when I have to BOLUS. Counting carbs and HOPING that he eats his whole plate is a nightmare every meal! Wondering if having the option of CGM and pump would make life easier?
First of all, thank you for your compliment, but as you said, moms will do anything for their children (or I hope that they will). For me, this sacrifice of sleep now and when she was an infant and I nursed, is 125% worth it so that my daughter can be healthy and happy! I’ve heard from other parents who had young ones diagnosed and now their children are in high school that when they are young you check more frequently at night, and as they get older the checks are only once a night because their numbers level out more. We’ll see what happens! And who knows, maybe when she is a little older she will be willing to try the CGM again.
Yes, my daughter has been on a pump for a year and a half, and we LOVE IT!!! It makes her eating habits so much more “normal” for a young child because they can basically eat whenever they want and you can easily give insulin for a snack instead of having to give another injection. Our endocrin doctor told us not to bolus until AFTER the meal, so we know exactly how many carbs she eats. Our nurse/diabetes educator is T1D and has been for over 20 years and is on the same pump as my daughter. She said that she only started pre-bolusing once she got into her 20’s because she can better judge what she is going to eat ahead of time. I know pumping isn’t for everyone, but for little ones, I definitely am for it! There are times when she needs a tiny bit of insulin which we couldn’t have given her by syringe, but the pump is able to. Her A1C score has gone from a 10.4 to an 8.0 since she’s been on the pump, and our goal now is 7.5.
Hi. I have a four year old daughter (not T1D) and a 13 month son who is T1D.
My son’s “snacks” are milk right now. Being so young he still wants milk as a “snack” right before his naps. His schedule is very consistent every day:
6:30 a.m. - Breakfast
9:30 a.m. - Snack (8 oz of milk)
11:45 a.m. - Lunch
2:30 p.m. - Snack (8 oz of milk)
4:30 p.m. - Dinner
7:30 p.m. - Bedtime
Does your 22 month old still want milk as a snack? Or what age did he grow out of the “milk for a snack” stage? I think as my son gets older he will get 4 oz of milk and another small carb snack (1/2 a yogurt, dried fruit, gram crackers, 1/2 of piece of toast with peanut butter, celery with peanut butter, hummus with carrots, veggies with ranch, etc.) I think it is more about portion control than trying to find crazy low carb snacks that a toddler will eat.
In regards to your older child and special treats…we have the same problem. I have found a couple of special treats that are between 10-15 grams of carbs. I have read a lot of labels to find ice cream, Popsicles, chocolate cover peanuts, and cookies. I have found that the better quality the ingredients usually equals less carbs. Our health food store carries “no suger added” chocolate items (32 chocolate covered peanuts is 15 carbs) that actually taste good. Popsicles at are made with fruit and very little other ingredients are under 15 carbs as well. Cookies were harder to find but I did manage to find small chocolate cookies that are only 2 to 3 carbs each. I think the key to special treats is keeping them on-hand at home and not buying them when you are out-and-about.
Hi, our 27 month old son was diagnosed at 12 months & we are still learning & trying to get adjusted but we’ve been told to pair carbs with protein for a more steady bs. He loves peanut butter & yogurt so that’s been our go-to for a while. If you would like to do Cheerios then try the plain, while it has about the same carb count as other types of Cheerios, the sugar content is lower so it doesn’t cause much of a spike. I know proper dosing is probably difficult if you have not gotten an insulin pump (it was for us) but it is actually wonderful & suggest you look into it.
As far as nights, I’m with the mommy that constantly checks over nights & even during naps occasionally. Savion finally got approved for a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) & has been wearing it for a few weeks & although it’s taking some getting used to, it is absolutely amazing during the nights because it alerts us if he’s going & staying high or if he’s hitting a low & it allows me to get some rest. He has the T-slim & it’s surprisingly accurate (as long as you calibrate when prompted), usually within 1-15 points off. Again, it’s definitely something to look into
] but certainly your son can have and enjoy almost any food that she eats, and as you said ‘it just has to fit in’. Really, mothing is completely banned. You will learn as you go along how to “fit in” foods that myths say are banned - moderation, blood level checking as often as advisable [and possible] for a toddler, creativity with all foods and balancing insulin to carb intake.