Has your child recently been diagnosed with a chronic illness? While you may feel all alone, the truth is, 10 to 20 million children and adolescents in the US are living with some form of chronic illness or disability.

Being the parent of a child with a chronic illness can be especially tough, however, you need to remain strong for your child.

While it may be tough for you, just imagine how hard it is for them. To be an effective parent in this situation, one thing you must do is learn strategies to help your child cope with their chronic illness diagnosis.

Check out this guide to learn how to help your child cope when dealing with chronic illness.

1. Inform Your Child About Their Condition

Many parents struggle when it comes to deciding whether or not they should inform their child about their medical condition. However, keep in mind that knowledge is power, and the more knowledge you provide your child (and yourself) about the condition, the more power you will feel you have over it.

Also, keep in mind that children are very perceptive, and while you don't want to cause your child anxiety over their illness, you also don't want to be misleading.

When talking to your child about their diagnosis, make sure you provide them with simple information they can understand. It may help to incorporate visual materials so you can better show them what's going on in their body.

chronic condition of child

Also, it's very important that you let your child know that the illness is not their fault. Young children sometimes mistakenly think that an illness is some form of punishment for something they've done, so it's very important that you make it clear to them that this is not the case.

In terms of explaining the particular illness your child has, you may want to talk to your child's doctor about some strategies. Typically, they'll have some suggestions about the type of language you should use when it comes to discussing your chid's illness.

You should also let your child know that you are available for them whenever to talk about their illness should they have any questions.

2. Help Your Child Manage Stress

There's no doubt that a chronic illness is going to bring about stress in your child's life. As a parent, it's your job to help your child manage this stress.

Here are some ways you can help your child with stress management:

  • Help them find a healthy outlet for their stress, whether that be reading, sports, video games, drawing, or watching movies
  • Frequently talk about the illness so that your child feels comfortable opening up about it
  • Visit hospitals and surgery rooms ahead of time so that your child can acclimate themselves with these environments
  • Maintain a schedule- Children function best when they're on a schedule, so do your best to maintain the same bedtimes, wake times, and meal times

3. Encourage Them to Join a Support Group

support group of children

Sometimes, it can be incredibly hard for a child to open up to their parents about their illness. A lot of times, children don't want to see their parents become upset or sad, so they hold in their own feelings

But, this isn't healthy for the child, and it's important that they always feel comfortable opening up about their illness. This is why we encourage you to find a peer support group for your child. With these groups, your children can meet people the same age as them who are also going through the same thing as they are.

Not only is this great because it gives your child an emotional outlet outside of the home, but it also means your child will have a different friend group. Chances are, your child also feels uncomfortable opening up to friends and peers about their chronic illness, which is why it's so important that they have someone their own age to talk to.

In addition to joining a support group, you may also want to consider signing your child up for talk therapy.

4. Help Them Lead a Normal Life

One of the biggest stressors for kids with chronic illnesses is that they hate how they feel "different" from other kids their age and they often wish they could just lead a normal life.

Luckily, as a parent, you can help your child lead as normal of a life as possible. This means giving your child responsibilities and disciplining your child just as you would with your other kids. Although their illness may prevent them from taking on some responsibilities, they still should be able to help with simple chores around the house such as setting the table, letting the dog out, and doing the dishes.

And, while it can be hard to discipline a child with a chronic illness, just know that you're doing so for the betterment of the child. Discipline provides your child with security and structure, and it shows them that they are no different than their brothers and sisters.

5. Look for Role Models

look for a role model

One thing that can really help your child is to find a role model who is suffering from the same chronic illness they are. This may be a person you know in real life, or it may be a famous athlete, singer, or actor.

When your child sees someone else with their illness succeeding in life, it will give them hope that they can also find success and happiness.

6. Invest in a Medical Alert Bracelet

Last but not least, you should also consider investing in a medical alert bracelet for your child.

Medical alert bracelets, for those who don't know, contain important information about your child's illness that may be necessary to know in an emergency situation.

When your child spends time away from you, the can wear this bracelet and then rest easy knowing that should an emergency arise, all the information needed to handle the situation is right on the child's wrist.

At Mediband, we have medical alert bracelets for diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, allergies, and other conditions, so make sure to take some time to check these out.

Not only do these bracelets provide your child with a sense of security, but they can also help provide you with peace of mind when your child is away from you.

Dealing with Chronic Illness: Ready to Help Your Child Cope?

Now that you've read this article on dealing with chronic illness, it's time to put these tips into action so you can make your child's life easier.

Also, if you're interested in purchasing a medical alert bracelet for your child, be sure to check out our custom ID options.