Tips for Checking Your Child’s Blood Sugar

October 2017

If your child has diabetes, it’s important to check his or her blood-sugar levels regularly:

  • Before meals and at bedtime, a minimum of four times a day.
  • If you suspect your child has a low blood-sugar level.
  • Before and after your child exercises.
  • When your child is ill.
  • Two hours after the start of a meal, if results from before the meal don’t match HbA1c.
  • During the night. (This is particularly important if your child had a low blood-sugar level during the day, exercised more than usual, made a change in the insulin dose or has been ill.)

A healthcare professional will teach you and your child how to properly use a blood-glucose meter. Remember to:

  • Wash hands with soap and water. Make sure the finger is dry before obtaining the blood sample, as wet fingers can alter the value.
  • Prick the side of the fingertip. The forearm also can be pricked with certain meters using a lancet device. Do not use the forearm if you suspect a low blood sugar or when the blood sugar is rapidly changing, such as after meals or exercise.
  • Insert strip into meter.
  • Obtain a drop of blood.
  • Apply the drop of blood to a test strip.
  • Read the result and enter it in a logbook.
  • Bring the meter and logbook to all doctor visits

Your child’s doctor will give you a suggested target range for your child’s glucose reading, depending on age and other factors.

Source: University of California San Francisco’s Benioff Children’s Hospital

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