When my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, I had no idea what I actually needed to track.
If you want to read the full story of how we found out and how quickly our lives changed, I wrote about that here: The Day My Daughter Was Diagnosed – And How Fast Everything Changed
At the clinic, I was told to track her blood sugar and the time it was taken. That was it.
So that’s what I did.
Until one day I had to call the clinic and the doctor on call started asking a lot of questions.
What were her numbers two weeks ago?
When does she usually spike?
What happens after dance?
Have you noticed patterns with certain foods?
I didn’t know.
Not because I didn’t care. Not because I wasn’t paying attention. But because no one had told me I should be tracking those things, and when you are suddenly managing a life-changing diagnosis, your brain is already overloaded.
Honestly, that kind of mental overload is something I’ve talked about before when parenting gets chaotic and you feel like you’re juggling too many things at once. I wrote more about that here: Focus, What Focus.
I remember feeling like a neglectful mom on that phone call.
I wasn’t.
I just didn’t have the information.
Eventually I realized I needed a simple way to track more than just blood sugar and time. I ended up creating a blood sugar tracker for kids with Type 1 diabetes that lets you track the basics first and then add more detail when you’re ready.
👉 You can see the tracker here: Type 1 Diabetes Tracker for Kids
Diabetes Numbers Don’t Suddenly Become Predictable
One thing I noticed very quickly is that people talk about diabetes like the chaos only happens in the beginning.
From everything I have researched and from our short time living with it, that doesn’t seem true.
Blood sugar can still feel random.
The same food can give you completely different numbers on two different days.
Activity changes things.
Growth changes things.
Even your own child doesn’t always react the same way.
Every child with Type 1 diabetes is different.
Why Tracking Matters
Tracking isn’t about perfection.
It’s about being able to see patterns that your memory will never hold onto.
Two weeks later you will not remember:
- that random dip after dance practice
- the spike after a certain snack
- when corrections worked
- when insulin seemed delayed
But those details matter.
Doctors may or may not ask for all of them, but you will want them when things start getting tricky.
Tracking gives you a clearer picture instead of relying on memory.
I Also Tracked Dexcom and Finger Pokes
When we started using Dexcom, I tracked those readings too.
I wanted to compare them with finger poke numbers so I could understand how the Dexcom was working for my daughter.
Dexcom readings can sometimes run higher or lower than finger sticks, and I wanted to know when the numbers were within the FDA approved range and when they weren’t.
Tracking both helped me learn:
- when Dexcom was accurate
- when it was slightly off
- when it might be giving false highs or false lows
That information became really helpful when trying to make decisions about insulin or corrections.
The Tracker We Were Given Didn’t Work for Us
At one point I stumbled across a stack of papers that the clinic had given us.
Buried in that stack was a tracker.
Technically it worked.
But it only had about five lines on it.
The expectation was that we would check blood sugar five times a day:
- morning
- lunch
- dinner
- bedtime
- midnight
But our life doesn’t look like that.
My daughter doesn’t wake up and eat immediately.
She eats lunch at school.
Then she usually eats something after school before dance.
Then dinner.
Sometimes a snack after dance.
Then bedtime.
If I only tracked the five times they suggested, it would have missed most of the information that actually mattered.
So I was tracking far more often than that.
And the tracker they gave us just wasn’t useful.
Why I Made My Own Tracker
I didn’t go searching for trackers online.
Honestly, I didn’t have the time or mental space to dig through dozens of complicated ones.
I just needed something simple that worked for our actual life.
So I created the tracker I wish someone had handed me in the beginning.
Not ten pages of instructions.
Not something overly complicated.
Just something that lets you track the information that actually matters.
Two Ways to Track
The printable includes two versions.
Basic Tracker
For days when you just want to record the essentials:
- blood sugar
- carb count
- insulin doses
- correction insulin
When everything still feels overwhelming, simple tracking is easier to keep up with.
Detailed Tracker
When you are ready to look more closely at patterns, the detailed tracker allows you to record:
- pre-meal blood sugar
- meals and snacks
- carb ratios
- insulin given
- post-meal numbers
I don’t track this level of detail every day.
But when my daughter’s blood sugar starts doing strange things, this is the information I want before calling the endocrinologist.
Every Child With Type 1 Diabetes Is Different
Not every parent will track things the same way.
Not every child reacts to food or activity the same way.
My daughter is extremely active with dance, which means her blood sugar patterns can change constantly.
Tracking helps me understand what is happening so I’m not just guessing.
If You Need a Simple Tracker
If you’re managing Type 1 diabetes with your child and need a simple way to track blood sugar and insulin patterns, I created this printable based on what I wished I had when we started.
You can download the tracker here:
👉Type 1 Diabetes Blood Sugar Tracker for Kids
It includes:
- a basic tracker
- a more detailed pattern tracker
- a notes section
Nothing fancy. Just something practical.
One Last Thing
If you’re new to this, you are probably overwhelmed.
That’s normal.
Tracking doesn’t make diabetes predictable.
But it does help you start seeing patterns when things feel chaotic.
And sometimes that little bit of clarity makes a big difference.
This tracker is for personal organization only and does not replace medical advice from your child’s healthcare team.
Photo by Wendy Bandurski-Miller on Unsplash
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