Checking your child’s blood sugar tells you the amount of glucose (glucose level) in your child’s blood and is a key part of daily care. Each time you check, you will know if your child’s blood sugar is inside or outside the healthy range set by the care team.
Checking blood sugars regularly can help you and your child:
The diabetes care team will tell you when to check your child’s blood sugar. Most kids and teens need to test:
Sometimes you may need to test more often, even while your child sleeps. For example, if:
Two kinds of devices can test blood sugar or glucose levels:
Your child’s care team can tell you which device is best for your child.
A blood glucose meter is a small, portable machine that measures the amount of glucose in the blood. You place a drop of blood taken from a fingerstick and put it on a test strip, which you insert into the meter. The meter tells your child’s blood sugar now, as you do the test.
Many types of meters are available. The care team will help you find the meter that is best for your child, and they’ll show you how to use it. Blood glucose meters vary by:
A continuous glucose monitor is a wearable device that measures glucose every few minutes, all day and night. A CGM uses a thread-like sensor that’s put under the skin and secured in place. Sensors can stay in place for 10–14 days (depending on the product) before you replace them.
Instead of measuring glucose in the blood directly, a CGM measures the amount of glucose (glucose level) just beneath the skin in fluid surrounding the cells, called the interstitial fluid. Here’s how it works: As we digest carbohydrates, glucose enters the bloodstream. Then, it moves into the interstitial fluid on its way to all the cells in the body. It takes a little time for the glucose to move from the bloodstream into the interstitial fluid, so a glucose measurement taken with a CGM will be 5–10 minutes behind a blood glucose measurement. The benefit of a CGM is that because it measures glucose so often, it gives a more complete picture of how a person’s glucose level changes throughout the day.
People with diabetes often choose a CGM because:
Your child’s health care team can look at the data online when you need them to or at clinic visits. They will review your child's glucose levels to look for patterns, like high or low sugars at certain times of the day. Patterns can help the doctor adjust medicines and the dietitian make diet changes.
If your child’s glucose level is higher or lower than you expect from time to time, try not to get discouraged. Ask your child’s care team if there are some changes you should try. Together you’ll figure out the best way to keep your child’s sugar in the healthy range as much as possible.
Reviewed by: Cheryl Patterson, RD, LDN, CDCES
Date Reviewed: Apr 10, 2022
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