Halloween

Halloween can be one of the most fun times of year, especially for the littlies! But when you get a diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes, it can make events like Halloween become a stressor for parents - and the kids feel the anxiety too! However, we don’t think it has to be this way and have come up with a list of tips to help you navigate Halloween with Type 1 Diabetes in tow!

Worried about getting trick or treat lollies that your child can’t eat because of Type 1?

Your child can still eat lollies with Type 1 Diabetes! You just need to learn to bolus insulin for them correctly. We believe practice is the key to improving blood sugar management.
However, if you prefer your child not to have regular sweet and treats, you can focus on other Halloween activities like pumpkin carving, treasure hunting, crafts, dressing up, watching scary movies and telling spooky stories! There’s so much more to halloween than just sweets and treats!

And we’d like to mention that there are a lot of sugar-free lollies available on the market these days as well - in your average supermarket confectionary aisle.

Some other ideas are:

• If you accumulate a large amount of treats, you can store any lollies for hypo treatments for the remainder of the year! Just find out the carb count for one piece and label them for later reference. Do this with your children and practice carb counting together.

• Do some baking at home and get the kids involved in creating healthier treats for everyone to share. This is also a great opportunity to practice carb counting.

Important note about sugar-free treats

• Be careful of sugar-free lollies and chocolates as most will have a laxative effect when more than a serving is consumed each day (this can add up quite quickly!)

Christmas

Easter

Special occasions like Easter can be a tricky time to navigate when you or your child is newly diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.
We've provided some tips below to help you through these festivities.

So you or your child have been newly diagnosed with T1D and now it’s Easter! This can be an extremely stressful time for newly diagnosed families, with lots of food, decisions and socialising. We cover a number of different topics below to help you navigate and enjoy Easter time, despite Type 1 Diabetes.

Navigating Food

Food is one of the most overwhelming topics to get your head around when you are newly diagnosed. Throw a special occasion or festivities into this mix and the stress levels immediately start to rise! You may even be reading this months in advance, and just the thought of Easter is already making your head spin…!! We get it. It can be a LOT. And you might find it helpful to know that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to approach food at festive times of the year, including Easter, with T1D. Some families choose to cut the traditional sweets and treats out of their diets completely, others keep things the same as prior to Type 1 being a part of the family. And both of these ways is great - it’s completely up to you and your family as to what approach to take. Things can also look different year to year, there are many more Easters to be had, after-all! As you or your child become more accustomed to living and eating with Type 1 Diabetes, you will grow more confident in managing insulin and working around different types of food. So your first year with Type 1 Diabetes could look completely different to your 10th - and so will Easter!
Do what is right for you, your child and your family.

No matter what food you choose to eat at Easter, should you choose to celebrate it, carb counting is still the best way to accurately dose insulin for you or your child.
If you need help with carb counting, please reach out to your diabetes team and ask for guidance.

Chocolate or No Chocolate?

There is a lot of shame and opinions around eating Chocolate in the context of living with Type 1 Diabetes.

As we mentioned, many people choose to avoid regular chocolate at Easter time after they or their child become diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, and equally nothing wrong with continuing to eat Chocolate or allow your kids to eat it at Easter time. As you may be gathering, the way you navigate food with Type 1 Diabetes comes down to personal choice a lot of the time.
It is also important to note that trial and error is a massive part of improving your insulin dosing skills around different foods. By allowing a variety of foods into your diet, you can gain a stronger understanding of how to manage T1D around events like Easter or other festivities, compared to those who choose not to eat particular foods at all. Again, there is nothing wrong with either option.
We just want to reiterate that if you do want to include chocolate in your Easter festivities, but it’s giving you anxiety - that it can be helpful to think of it like a learning experience. Because that is exactly what it will be!

Discussions with Friends & Family

Meeting up with friends and family or a large group is another common issue that can induce stress for newly diagnosed families.

While family and friends are often a central part of our festivities, it can be a cause for anxiety when you are expecting a lot of questions, and concerned remarks about you or your child’s diagnosis and food choices. This is a normal and common part of transitioning to life with T1D, and many people can attest to the difficulties that come with explaining the nature of Type 1 Diabetes to those who don’t have it, or understand it, the way you now do.

Some for friend & family discussions:

• answer questions with just enough information - too much explanation can lead to confusion

• share only what you’re comfortable with sharing - give yourself compassion - diagnosis is traumatic

• reiterate that you/your child’s condition is complex, but being managed as best as possible

• notify them of dietary changes, if any

• offer to bring your own food, if you choose to

• know that you don’t have to answer questions or explain if you don’t want to… It’s okay to say ‘I don’t want to discuss that right now’

• feel free to change the topic!

• say you will ask for help/advice when you need it

Feel free to right click and save the chocolate cheat sheet below as a starting point for counting carbs in those easter choccies!