Diabetes can be a scary condition. It is often not diagnosed until a person is quite seriously poorly and needs urgent medical treatment. Diabetes symptoms in children can be difficult to identify, especially in very young children who cannot communicate. Here are the important symptoms to look out for:

• Excessive Thirst
• Excessive Hunger
• Excessive urination
• Weight loss
• Fatigue

Diabetes UK provides important information on the basics of Diabetes at https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics, other links we have found useful can be found here.

Our son was diagnosed at 18 months old. We noticed him waking up more frequently and crying for milk or juice. At the same time he began to wet though his nappies very quickly, every 20-30 minutes. He was grumpier than usual and looked as though he was having a growth spurt. He looked a little leaner than he had. We thought he was “going through a phase,” and was demanding milk because he felt insecure about sleeping in his own bedroom. We didn’t immediately think what we were experiencing were the symptoms of diabetes in children.

On the third day of these symptoms, we made the terrifying error of googling them and were confronted by a wave of disaster merchant posts around brain tumours causing diabetes in children and awful life limiting secondary illnesses. We made an emergency appointment with the GP and delivered a urine sample to the surgery. Within 10 minutes we were making a mad dash to A&E, and the rest is history.

Looking back, I’m so very glad we took action. If you recognise any of those symptoms in your young child, even if you feel like you’re overreacting, seek medical help straight away. Chances are, your child will not have diabetes, but waiting can be life threatening, so follow your gut instinct and act sooner rather than later.