Diabetes

Learn about insulin use and blood sugar monitoring to help tamariki (children) and rangatahi (young people) manage their diabetes well.

With good support, tamariki and rangatahi with diabetes can lead healthy, fulfilling lives. Learn more about how to support your child with diabetes including managing things like travel, sick days and their mental well-being.

Diabetes is a condition where the level of glucose in the blood is too high. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are lifelong conditions. Read and learn about the condition and teach your child as much as possible about diabetes. Make sure to also use the skills and knowledge of the healthcare team looking after your child.

A lot of exciting changes are happening in 2024 with diabetes technology in Aotearoa New Zealand. Pharmac – Te Pātaka Whaioranga has announced that funding for continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), insulin pumps, and insulin pump consumables are available for people with type 1 diabetes (from 1 October 2024).

Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong condition. You can minimise the long-term risks and complications for your child.

Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong condition. You can minimise the long-term risks and complications for your child.

Financial support may be available because of your child's extra needs with managing diabetes. 

A healthy diet will provide the right building blocks for growth and development and support children and young people with type 2 diabetes to keep active and feel well.

A healthy diet will provide the right building blocks for growth and development and support children and young people with type 1 diabetes to keep active and feel well.

To give others easy access to all KidsHealth's diabetes content, you can share a QR code poster. Anyone can scan the QR code with their phone and go straight to the KidsHealth diabetes section. 

Children and young people with diabetes aged 5 years and over can have their COVID-19 immunisation now. The Paediatric Society Clinical Network for Diabetes recommends all children 5 years and over with diabetes have the COVID-19 vaccine to help protect against COVID-19.

Exercise is an important part of managing diabetes. It just needs some planning. Encourage and help your child or young person with diabetes to take part in physical activity.

Mini-dose glucagon can sometimes be useful for your child or teen with diabetes, if they keep having hypoglycaemia and won't drink or eat anything more. It's not a treatment for severe hypoglycaemia when your child or teen needs the full dose of glucagon. 

Regular physical activity is important and benefits people of all ages. It includes anything that gets your child/young person moving. It is not necessary to join a gym or buy expensive equipment at home.

You can reduce the risk of diabetes complications by maximising the time your glucose levels are in the target range (4 to 8 mmol/L). Screening is important to find any possible developing complications early.

Children and young people with diabetes can travel just the same as people without diabetes. You will need to do more planning to make sure travel plans include management of diabetes.