To be annoyed by judgement when giving my son “junk food” that he needs?

[TammySwansonTwo]

One of my boys has a medical condition that causes dangerously low blood sugar. If I’m at home I have prescription methods for treating this but its a faff, requires mixing etc.

If we are out and he starts showing symptoms, I tend to give whatever I can pick up from a corner shop which could be full sugar premixed Ribena if they have it (but Ribena are pulling full sugar versions), a couple of sweets, lemonade or coke, followed by some carbs like breadsticks, until I can get him home and manage it more effectively.

I’ve only had to do this a handful of times and every single time without fail I have people tutting, staring or making audible comments. He’s small for his age so looks probably about 12-13 months old when he’s actually 18 months old. Obviously I wouldn’t normally give these things to a child of that age but needs must.

Part of me wants to explain to these judgemental people that the sugar is protecting him from potential brain damage but frankly my son’s medical issues are his business, not theirs.

AIBU to think it should occur to people that there may be a reason for it, or is it not something that would normally cross people’s minds?

[StaplesCorner]

probably silly, but would dried fruit/fruit strings work for your dc? - might do, but the OP says Ribena etc works for him. So why would she change?

[Rudgie47]

Where are you living OP somewhere like Shore ditch? round here no one would bat an eyelid if a child was drinking pop and eating a breadstick. I see toddlers eating Greggs pasties and sausage rolls every day.

[Confusedbeetle]

Staples corner
Because that would be the most effective and easiest solution. The packs are small and when my diabetic daughter was small I would always have some on me, as she grew she took that responsibility. Of course, people shouldn't comment, but you can never escape that. It just seems more stressy doing it on the hoof rather than being prepared

[BackPins]

The little cartons of apple or orange juice from Tesco’s are good for hypos we used to always use them when my type 1 dd was a toddler
Also 3 or 4 jelly babies or 3 glucose tablets but tbh glucose tablets are really dry and horrible. She HAS to have them at school rather than sweets etc as apparently is unfair on other kids and glucose tablets are classed as medicine so are ‘acceptable’

Do whatever you need to for your child OP and ignore anyone who judges x

[TammySwansonTwo]

Strangely fruits / fruit juices don’t seem to work - I dont really understand the science of it to be honest, but fructose doesn’t seem to be as effective. And with the sugar tax and companies changing drink recipes, sometimes you can go into a shop and coke is the only drink they have that contains enough sugar. So

[TammySwansonTwo]

Sorry, phone crashed.

Sometimes he won’t eat so it has to be a drink rather than food. It will definitely be easier when I can safely give him a glucotab without him choking.

I’m still getting used to it, hence the on the fly incidents before now! Milk used to bring him up perfectly well but that’s no longer the case which is a shame.

[TammySwansonTwo]

Backpins unfair on other kids? FFS!

[rookiemere]

When I was a child in the 70s Ribena was considered to be a health drink because of its ( possibly only nodding) acquaintance with black currents. Very distressing now to know that it is also a demon sugary drink.

Sorry not of much use, but do what you need to OP.

[Shednik]

Glucotabs are big and kind of dissolve, they would be fine for a toddler. You can get glucojuice which is liquid.
Glucogel is disgusting and unflavoured...glucojuice tastes a bit better.

Fruit juice works very well for us, especially apple juice. Milk works very well to prevent a hypo.

[DontFundHate]

Thanks for this thread OP. I'm sorry to say that I would most definitely have given you a look, and looked at home of the others on this thread too. Certainly very ignorant of me, I won't be judging any more. Sorry to all those who've had ignorant people looking at them

[Shednik]

The fat in milk will mean that it isn't absorbed into the blood stream quickly enough.

There is some science behind fructose not being ideal for hypos. I forget exactly but somehow it has to be converted to glucose or broken down so is too slow. Fruit juice still works well for us but many people find the same as you.

backpins your dd does not HAVE to have glucotabs, she can have her hypo treatment of choice. Your school are discriminating under the DDA by failing to make a reasonable adjustment. If I were you I'd fight that.

[Dungeondragon15]

I don't blame you for being annoyed. I would just put the rude, nosy judgmental idiots in their place personally.

[Shednik]

I got a very funny look from a waitress when I asked if the squash was sugar free, then when I discovered it was made with fresh fruit juice, ordered my dd a diet coke. She already had high blood sugar at that point and the fruit juice would have made her feel really lousy but I could see the total confusion!

[Allthewaves]

Perhaps cartons of pure apple or orange juice. You can carry them around and don't need to prep

[Allthewaves]

sorry saw fj doesnt work. Friend uses baby fruit and rice punches for her dd as they are higher sugar than most things.

[user1472334322]

Back pins - I'm amazed your dd's school won't let her have sweets. The type 1 child in the class I work in has always been allowed to have jelly babies or something similar. The children don't even comment now (she was new to the school in September, as were others who joined the primary from infant school) and in fact there were very few complaints at the beginning either. How is it 'not fair' anyway as the sweets are essentially being used as a medicine?! You need to fight that with the school. I'm sure they'd find the children won't even notice after a while.
The teacher in my class got Christmas jelly babies on the last day of term and let the rest of the children have one when the child had her jelly baby!

[Newlifeisstarting]

I’ve had the same many years ago, dd had to take large quantities of salt concentrate every day, or salty foods. The looks I used to get when in despair we’d sit in McDonald’s or similar encouraging a six month old to suck salty chips! She hates chips and salt now!! The comments, normally said in a loud stage whisper were hurtful, sometimes I explained, but you get sick of explaining.

[user1472334322]

Mind you, we're very lucky to have a very opened minded head teacher who definitely has the children's best interests at heart. It's a shame that not all heads are like that!

[TammySwansonTwo]

Shednik yeah, I managed to find that out a little while ago, when he was smaller milk would keep him stable through the night and pick him up if he was dropping, but now we have to add cornflour to keep him stable in the first place - it must be vile but he puts up with it!

The irony is my boys have never had chocolate, the other twin has never had anything sugary, and this one wouldn’t either if he was healthy. Of course sugar is not great for you but better than the alternative in some cases.

[TammySwansonTwo]

Just wanted to thank those who read this and admitted they would judge but will now think first - I wish there were more people like you

[Alpineflowers]

TammySwansonTwo-...sometimes you can go into a shop and coke is the only drink they have that contains enough sugar

That must be a difficult choice, considering coke has such a high caffiene content

[TammySwansonTwo]

It is difficult - lucozade used to be the drink of choice but not enough sugar these days sadly (although the rest of the country probably prefers less sugar, it does make treating random hypos on the fly much more difficult!). Obviously no one wants to pump a toddler full of caffeine but if it’s that or a hospital admission, potential coma, brain damage etc then it’s not much of a choice! Obviously it’s something I avoid unless strictly necessary.

Will definitely get some glucotabs and see if he can handle them in a more controlled environment!

[TammySwansonTwo]

I’m in a reasonably middle class town in the south. I think it’s the fact that he looks like a baby still drinking coke or eating jelly babies, I’m sure it’s a weird sight and may be less of an issue as he gets bigger.

[PerfectlySymmetricalButtocks]

I used to have the same problem with DS1 when he was a child. He's got cystic fibrosis. DM used to say I gave him too much junk food. This was when I was at hers and couldn't take over her kitchen making sausage casserole, so I'd make quick meals recommended for him: cheeseburger, chips and tinned spaghetti; oven-fried chicken, chips and beans.

[anzu66]

Can you get soft (not-chewy or hard) fudge type sweets where you live?

These are my staple for low blood sugar. They pretty much dissolve in the mouth, and don't have to be chewed or crunched or sucked, which makes them easier to cope with when blood sugar is low. Even the chewing involved for jelly babies is a lot harder compared to these.

Where I am, you can get them in large packs, and each one is individually wrapped in paper, which are ideal as it makes it easy to carry them around (usually have a little plastic bag that I keep a few in, and never leave the home without them).

As an added bonus, they tend to be less noticeable than things like coke, so might keep the judgmental types of your back a bit.