When a child has diabetes, there are many experiences that they miss out on.  Halloween for the diabetic child, means collecting a bag of treats they will not get to enjoy.  Playing at a friend’s house entails heading home for medication or a shot, and having to say no to sweet snacks if they are offered.  Class parties can leave a child feeling left out when sugary treats are being served and a birthday party without cake and ice cream seems dismal.

If you have a child that has been diagnosed with diabetes, there are ways to make their birthday special.  With a little preplanning a birthday party for a diabetic child can be lots of fun for everyone.

As your child’s party approaches, make sure that they are eating carefully and doing everything they can to keep their blood sugar levels in check.  The excitement of the day can change their appetite and not eating can wreak havoc on blood sugar.  Make sure that on the day of the party, your child eats a good breakfast and has a snack before everyone arrives. Make sure that they are well rested the night before their party and if at all possible, have your child take a short rest or nap the day of their party.

If it is too hard to plan a menu that your child can eat and the other guests will enjoy, simply plan to have your party in the afternoon, so guests won’t be expecting you to serve them lunch or dinner.  If you are serving food, make sure that there are lots of healthy things to eat, served in fun ways. Put out trays of vegetables instead of chips with dip, or crackers and cheese. Many children will appreciate the healthy fare over the sugary foods that are often served at children’s birthday parties.

Instead of giving sweets as party favors, give out little toys.  Make the main focus of your party fun activities and no one will miss the fact that there aren’t an abundance of sweet snacks everywhere. Some fun activities include party games, crafts, scavenger hunts, or even playing outside.  If you don’t want to plan these types of activities, host your child’s party at a skating rink or play park.  The kids will be so busy, that a lack of snacks won’t bother them.

It is hard to avoid a birthday cake at a party. If your child’s diabetes is under control, a small piece probably won’t hurt them.  Most diabetics are allowed to have angel food cake, so serving this delicious confection is always an option. You can top it with sugar free fruit pie filling or even sugar free candies.  You can even check with your bakery and see if they have a diabetic friendly recipe for birthday cake. 

The best thing you can do to make your child feel special on their birthday is to make the day as normal as possible.  Don’t make your child eat sugar free cake while the guests get a sugar sweetened variety.  Don’t make a big deal over the fact that the cake is sugar free.  Most of your guests will probably not even notice.  Just have fun, keep an eye on your child, and congratulate yourself on another year of successfully controlling your little one’s diabetes.