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What to Do When a Toddler's Blood Sugar Is High?

Checking the blood sugar level is the most efficient way of monitoring your child's ability to process insulin, food and physical activity. Toddlers who suffer from diabetes often experience high or low blood sugar levels, but with careful management and daily monitoring, children with a high blood sugar level can maintain a normal life.

  1. Determine a Target

    • Generally, the first step in controlling a toddler's high blood sugar level is to determine a blood glucose target range. This is normally completed with the help of a physician or diabetes specialist. This target range is generally flexible enough to accommodate normal drops and peaks of blood glucose levels, but will help your child determine the proper amount of insulin or food intake. For a toddler, this range is normally 6 to 12 mmol/L, or millimoles per liter, before meals. Millimoles per liter is the standard way for measuring glucose levels in the blood. Because food intake is unpredictable at this age, a physician will help the toddler identify feelings of high or low blood sugar levels, if verbal communication is possible, and will instruct the child to act upon them and discuss the feelings with an adult. As the child grows and develops, so too does his target blood glucose range.

    Regular Blood Glucose Tests

    • Because eating patterns are often unpredictable at this age, toddlers who suffer from high blood sugar levels should have their blood glucose levels checked two to four times a day, generally before meals or a bedtime snack. These tests will help determine how effective insulin is for the child's body. For example, checking your toddler's blood sugar level in the morning before breakfast will help determine how well the intermediate bedtime insulin worked throughout the night. Similarly, checking your child's blood glucose level before bed determines the effectiveness of the fast-acting insulin taken at supper. As these daily tests may be difficult for some--parents who work, for example, or children in daycare--a special support staff may be necessary, so it is important to inquire about the procedure at your child's daycare if necessary.

    Comfort and Reward

    • Daily blood glucose tests may be difficult, painful or scary for your child, so it is important to discuss diabetes with your toddler and reinforce good behavior during blood glucose testing. Remind your child that you are helping him and that everyone is built differently with different and unique needs. To ease any fear your child might have about blood glucose testing, allow her to accompany you to a doctor's appointment where you get a shot and explain how common and helpful these injections can be. When completing a blood glucose test, remind her to stay calm and try to comfort her with soothing music or a blanket.

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