Tools to Manage Diabetes

Children with diabetes must work to keep their diabetes in check every day. These resources will help your child and family manage blood sugar testing, highs and lows, insulin, nutrition, and more.

as we go through daily life, it feels manageable. it's incredible to learn about the tools and technology that make living with diabetes easier.

Blood Sugar Testing

Blood Glucose Record
This tool can be used to help you keep track of your child’s blood sugar, carbohydrates and insulin dose. You can also include your child’s provider name and circle any blood sugar levels out of your child’s target range.

Blood Glucose Meter Manufacturers
Find a list of blood glucose meter manufacturers for convenient access for patients with diabetes.

Keeping Good Records and Insulin Dose Adjustment
This e-learning module will help you learn about blood sugar logs, and why they're important in helping you understand and prevent highs and lows.

Lancets and Lancing Devices
Find a list of lancet devices and accessories for easy access for patients with diabetes.

Low Blood Sugar Supplies
A list of supplies that can be used to treat a low blood sugar in children, including glucose tablets, glucose liquids/gels/powders and candy

High Blood Sugars

Ketone/Sick Day Rules – Insulin Pump [PDF]
This resource will help you monitor and regulate insulin and ketones levels for your child with diabetes when he is sick. Learn when to use basal insulin, correction bolus, food bolus and extra fluids depending on your child’s blood sugar level and positive ketones.

Ketone/Sick Day Rules – NPH Insulin Program [PDF]
This resource will help you monitor and regulate insulin and ketones levels for your child with diabetes when he is sick. Learn when to give your child NPH, fast-acting insulin and extra fluids.

Ketone/Sick Day Rules: Basal/Bolus Insulin Program [PDF]
This resource will help you monitor and regulate insulin and ketones levels for your child with diabetes when he is sick. Learn when to give your child basal insulin, correction bolus, food bolus and extra fluids.

Sick Day Log [PDF]
This tool will help you keep track your child’s symptoms, blood sugar levels, ketones, insulin site, amount of fluids, and comments.

Siga las siguientes instrucciones relativas a la administración de dosis de insulina y líquidos [en Espanol] [PDF]
This Spanish-language resource will help you monitor and regulate insulin and ketones levels for your child with diabetes when he is sick. Learn when to use basal insulin, correction bolus, food bolus and extra fluids.

Taking Care of Ketones
When you have type 1 diabetes, ketones can start to form and build up in your blood. Ketones also form when you don't have enough insulin in your body.

Quick View Ketone Rules: Check, Inject, Drink
Keep this ketone rules timeline easily accessible to help you stay on track with managing your ketones anytime you see purple pop up on the urine stick. Print it out, hang it on your fridge, or save the image on your phone!

Blood Ketone Meter Manufacturers
Find information about Precision Xtra®, which tests for both blood glucose and blood ketones, and learn about the advantages of checking for blood ketones.

Low Blood Sugars

Patient Instructions: Glucagon Injections
These instructions are for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia patients who need to treat low blood sugar with a glucagon injection.

Insulin

Food, Insulin and Blood Sugar
Watch these videos to help you better understand the effect of food and insulin on your blood sugar.

Caring for Your Child: Combination Bolusing with Your Pump
This resource will help you understand combination bolusing and when this form of extended insulin delivery is best for your child with diabetes.

Caring for Your Child: Fast-Acting Insulin
This resource will help you understand how fast-acting insulin (such as Humalog, NovoLog and Apidra) works and why your child may need it to treat her high blood sugars and/or ketones.

Holiday Meals and Combination Bolusing with Your Insulin Pump
Learn about combination bolusing using an insulin pump and how it might be helpful when eating high-fat meals, buffet meals and holiday meals.

Pre-Mixed Insulin [PDF]
This resource will help you understand what pre-mixed insulin injections are, how they work to keep blood sugar stable, and if they are an appropriate treatment for your child with diabetes.

Keeping Good Records and Insulin Dose Adjustment [PDF]
This e-learning module will help you learn about blood sugar logs, and why they're important in helping you understand and prevent highs and lows.

Insulin Manufacturers
The Diabetes Center compiled a list of insulin and insulin manufacturers for easy access to patients with diabetes.

Insulin Pump Accessories
Find creative diabetes accessories for kids and adults, anything from pump cases to insulin cooling cases.

Insulin Pump Manufacturers and Software
Find a list of insulin pump manufacturers compiled by the Diabetes Center at CHOP.

Syringes, Pens and Injection Products
The Diabetes Center at CHOP has compiled a list of syringes, pens and injection products for easy access to patients with diabetes.

Omnipod Caregiver Guide
This guide will help school nurses and other caregivers understand how the Omnipod insulin pump works in a child with diabetes.

Animas Successful Pumping in School
This presentation for school nurses and caregivers describes insulin pump therapy and other information about caring for a child with diabetes.

Medtronic Reference Guide for School Nurses
This guide will help school nurses and other caregivers understand how the Medtronic insulin pump works in a child with diabetes.

Preventing Complications

Patient Instructions: Diabetic Foot Care
These instructions are for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia patients with diabetes to learn how to care for their feet.

Diabetes Eye Exam
Our Healthy Eyes, Healthy Vision e-learning module will answer common questions teens with diabetes have about vision screening.

Nutrition

Diet and Diabetes
Learn about the importance of meal planning for children with diabetes, and how carbohydrates, sugars, proteins and fats affect your child's blood sugar levels.

Tips on Eating at College with Diabetes [PDF]
This tool will help young adults maintain control of their diabetes when they leave home and live more independently. Learn about healthy foods to keep in your dorm room, how to count carbs, portion control and healthy food choices in the cafeteria.

Carbohydrate Counting and Diabetes Basal/Bolus Regimen [PDF]
This presentation will teach you about counting carbohydrates, reading food labels, and managing snacks and meal plans for children with diabetes.

Count Carbs Because Carbs Count [PDF]
This module will help you count the carbs for small, medium and large portions of foods you eat often, and equate carb count to varying units of insulin.

Holiday Meals and Combination Bolusing with Your Insulin Pump
Learn about combination bolusing using an insulin pump and how it might be helpful when eating high-fat meals, buffet meals and holiday meals.

Diabetes and Vitamin D
Vitamin D is very important to the health of all children.

Diabulimia
Watch this e-learning module to learn more about diabulimia, including its risks and complications, and the dangers of DKA caused by diabulimia.

Nutrition and Diabetes [VIDEO]
Watch registered dietitians from the Diabetes Center as they make their way around the supermarket, giving tips on making healthy food choices for teens and families with diabetes.

Using Carb Counting Apps and Websites [VIDEO]
In this video, you will learn about the many apps and websites you can use to make counting carbohydrates easier.

Using Sliding Scale to Determine Insulin Dose [VIDEO]
In this video, you will learn how to use the correction factor and insulin to carb ratio on a sliding scale to determine how much insulin to give with a meal.

Carb Counting: Putting It All Together [VIDEO]
In this video, you will learn how to use a sliding scale to determine the insulin you'll need to account for the number of carbs you're eating in a meal.

Effect of Carbohydrates on Blood Sugars [VIDEO]
In this video, you will learn what foods are rich in carbohydrates, and how carbs affect blood sugars.

Effect of Fat on Blood Sugars [VIDEO]
In this video, you will learn what foods are high in fat and how fat affects blood sugars.

Effect of Food and Insulin on Blood Sugars [VIDEO]

In this video, you will learn how food and different types of insulin (long acting and fast acting, or lantus and bolus insulin) affect your blood sugars.

Effect of Protein on Blood Sugars [VIDEO]
In this video, you will learn what foods are rich in protein and how protein affects blood sugar.

Reading Nutrition Facts With Diabetes [VIDEO]
For those with diabetes looking at the Nutrition Facts on food packaging, this video will teach them to focus on serving size and weight, and total carbohydrate.

Timing of Meals and Snacks With Diabetes [VIDEO]
In this video, you will learn when you should and shouldn't take insulin to correct for high blood sugar. It all depends on the timing of your meals and snacks.

Using a Food Scale for Carb Counting [VIDEO]
In this video, you will learn how to use a food scale to weigh foods like chips and crackers to more accurately count your carbs.

CalorieKing
CalorieKing provides information about diet and weight loss, calorie counter and more.

SparkRecipes
Find and rate low calorie, healthy recipes at SparkRecipes. Use the free recipe calculator to find the calories, carbs, fat and protein in your recipes.

SugarStats
SugarStats gives you a simple and easy-to-use interface to input and access your data from home, school, work, when you're on the road or just about anywhere at all.

Exercise

Exercise and Activity [PDF]
This resource can help you motivate your child with diabetes to be physically active for at least 30-60 minutes a day, and how you can help manage your child’ sugar levels before, during and after activity.

Winter Sports and Diabetes
Find winter sports safety tips for children with diabetes to help keep you safe and active this winter while taking care of your diabetes.

Diabetes and Sports
This diabetes e-learning module is for young athletes who want to perform at their peak. Learn about keeping your blood sugar in the best range to maximize your peak performance.

CFRD

New Beginnings: Learning to Manage Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes at Home [PDF]
This resource from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia can help families facing CFRD manage the condition at home.

Tools and Equipment

Diabetes Apps
Find diabetes apps for your phone to help you with carb counting, keeping track of your blood sugar, calories intake and more.

Diabetes Forecast Consumer Guide
Learn about devices and products for diabetes management, see the trends, preview exciting new products that are still in development, and compare tools and devices on the market today.

Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Companies for Diabetes Supplies
These Durable Medical Equipment (DME) companies that offer diabetes supplies. Call and find if they have a contract with your insurance company.

Medical Alert Identification
These retailers offer medical ID bracelets, medical alert jewelry, and more products that will keep your child with diabetes safe.

Find more helpful tools, supplies and equipment/accessories you may need to effectively manage your diabetes.
 


Next Steps
Appointments and Referrals
girl testing blood sugar

Tools to Manage Diabetes

These resources will help your child and family manage blood sugar testing, highs and lows, insulin, nutrition, and more.

young boy smiling

Life With Diabetes

Review our information about support and coping, school, teen topics, and general well-being.