Back-to-school tips for keeping diabetes in check

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(ARA) - Back to school means "back to busy" for all parents and kids. Getting settled into a new school year and schedule requires thoughtful preparation. But for parents of children with diabetes, back to school requires extra steps to prepare your child for the task of managing his or her diabetes in the classroom and on the playground.

Families of children with diabetes know that maintaining a consistent monitoring schedule is crucial. Using these tips, however, can make you and your child feel more confident and prepared for managing diabetes and everything related while at school.

* Be prepared. Diabetes can be unpredictable. Make sure that your child, his or her teacher and school nurse have the proper tools, plans and teams in place to handle any situation.

* Talk to your child's health care team and school medical staff to determine the best diabetes care management plan.

* Give your child a medical alert bracelet. Identifying him or her as diabetic will be important in case of an emergency.

* Provide your child's teacher and school nurse with emergency phone numbers for you and your child's doctor.

* Prepare an extra glucagon kit with a special, pre-filled syringe that can be used in case your child has severe hypoglycemia and is unable to take some form of sugar by mouth.

* Think ahead. Your child should keep a box of diabetes supplies at school with things like snacks, glucose tabs and testing strips. Remind your child to check his or her supply box often to make sure it is adequately stocked with everything he or she needs.

* Don't pack lightly. The most important thing you can do to help your child feel confident managing his or her diabetes at school is make sure he or she has all the necessary tools. Have your child check off each item below as you pack:

- A blood glucose monitor, such as Bayer's CONTOUR meter.
- Testing strips.
- Lancing devices, such as Bayer's colored MICROLET2 lancets and MICROLET2
- Blood sugar logbook (if your child is unable to log onto his/her diabetes management software).
- Insulin pens or traditional syringes and insulin.
- An extra infusion set with tubing and a reservoir if your child uses an insulin pump.
- Alcohol swabs and tissues for your child's fingers.
- A juice box or glucose tabs to counteract low blood sugar. Avoid using your child's favorite candy - as he or she may continue to ask for it.
- Repeat glucagon kit.
- Snacks, like granola bars, fruits or veggies.
- An extra glucagon kit.

* Pack for tests and testing. Remember, a school-age child with diabetes is still a child and a student. Make sure your child is prepared to manage his or her diabetes at school, but don't forget the reason they're going in the first place. Have your child check that he or she packed all the necessary school supplies:
- Homework
- School books
- Pens or pencils
- Lunch or lunch money

* Keep the motivation going at home. Help your child be more engaged in his or her diabetes management. Intended for use by kids ages 4 and up, Bayer's DIDGET meter connects directly to a Nintendo DS or DS Lite gaming system and rewards kids for building consistent testing habits and meeting personalized blood glucose target ranges through points that can be used to unlock new game levels.

* Stay connected while away from home. If you have a child who is going off to college, Bayer's CONTOUR USB meter provides an easy way to manage diabetes while away from home. The CONTOUR USB connects directly to a PC or Mac, allowing users instant access to graphs and charts to see trends in their blood glucose levels. Plus, Bayer's GLUCOFACTS DELUXE software can highlight patterns and trends in the data, so you and your child can keep the rest of the diabetes management team informed by simply e-mailing the results to his or her doctor.

For more back-to-school tips, visit NicksSimpleWins.com. For more information about Bayer's products and services, please see SimpleWins.com.