• The blood sugar test kit is a container that holds all the diabetes supplies needed for you or your child.
• Essential items include insulin vials or pens, insulin syringes or pen needles, glucose (sugar) monitoring equipment, and glucose tablets.
• Along with a daily kit, people living with type 1 diabetes should have larger kits for travel and emergencies.

What Is a Blood Sugar Test Kit?

Also referred to as a diabetes to-go kit or diabetes care kit, the blood sugar test kit is a container (bag or pouch) that holds all the diabetes supplies you or your child needs every day. Because of the need for frequent blood sugar testing and insulin use, having a blood sugar test kit on hand is essential to safely manage type 1 diabetes.

Having one kit to use daily and another larger one for overnight trips is generally recommended. The contents can vary by individual needs, but several items are universally important.

Test Kit Must-Haves

People living with type 1 diabetes should always have certain items in their daily-use blood sugar test kit. These include:

• Continuous glucose monitoring receiver/reader
• Blood glucose meter and extra batteries
• Test strips
• Ketone test strips
• Lancing device
• Lancets
• Insulin vials or pens
• Synringes or pen needles
• Fast-acting carbohydrates, such as glucose tablets, glucose gel, or candy, as recommended by the care team
• Severe hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) emergency therapy, such as glucagon
• Alcohol wipes
• A letter detailing your (or your child’s) diagnosis and the need for daily injections that necessitates carrying a supply of medications and syringes
• Treatment plan instructions for calculating the insulin dose
• A container for safely disposing of lancet devices, pen needles, or syringes
• A list of allergies
• A list of emergency contacts
• Healthy snacks for after hypoglycemia treatment
• Drinking water

This list represents the essentials of every diabetes care kit. Ideally, you or your child should have these items at all times. When a smaller kit is needed, the following items are most important:

• Insulin vials and pens
• Insulin syringes and/or pen needles
• Glucose monitoring equipment, including test strips and lancets
• Glucose tablets or gel
• An alcohol wipe

You’ll need the above-mentioned supplies to recognize and manage life-threatening hypoglycemia, so they should always be within reach. Importantly, children or adults who use an insulin pump should still have insulin vials and pens to use if their pump stops working. If someone uses a pump, pump supplies should also be included in their daily blood sugar test kit.

The Overnight Kit

Traveling with type 1 diabetes requires a larger overnight kit with additional supplies. These include:

• Replacement continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) supplies
• Replacement pump supplies, if applicable
• Extra pump battery, if applicable
• Antinausea medicine for vomiting (like ondansetron, sold as Zofran, if prescribed by your doctor)

Along with these additional items, the larger overnight kit should contain about double the amount of all daily kit supplies that you think you’ll need for the trip. Packing nonperishable, nutritious snacks is also recommended.

Choosing the Right Container

When choosing the best container for the blood sugar test kit, keep the following characteristics in mind. First, insulin should be kept between 40 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit, so it’s recommended to use a bag with insulation, an insulin cooling case, or ice packs to stay in this range. This aspect is especially important when traveling with insulin and for people who live in hot climates.

A container with different compartments may also be useful. Multiple compartments allow for better organization and ease of access to supplies, along with protecting insulin supplies from water damage.

Managing Diabetes in an Emergency

Along with a daily kit and travel kit, people with type 1 diabetes should have a blood glucose test kit for emergency use. In case of a natural disaster or another emergency, having supplies to manage diabetes is lifesaving.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends using a checklist to ensure that the kit contains all supplies, medications, and information needed. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) has created a checklist.

Recommended items to include in the emergency kit are:

• A 30-day supply of all medications taken by mouth or injection to treat diabetes and all other medical conditions, if possible (check expiration dates)
• Insulin syringes or needles
• Insulin pump equipment, if applicable
• Severe hypoglycemia emergency therapy (glucagon)
• Blood sugar testing supplies, including two glucose meters with extra batteries if possible
• Ketone test strips
• A cooler that contains four refreezable gel packs to store insulin once the pack is in use
• Empty bottle or sharps container
• Fast-acting carbohydrates
• A two-day supply of nonperishable, nutritious food, including a can opener if packing canned food
• As many bottles of water as possible
• Notepad and writing utensil to record blood sugar levels and other important medical information
• First aid supplies, including alcohol wipes, bandages, dressings, and topical (applied to the skin) antibiotic ointment or cream

Detailed documentation of your or your child’s medical history is also vital for emergency preparedness. The AACE recommends including a list of information in the emergency kit, including:

• Type of diabetes
• All other medical conditions, allergies, and surgical history
• Names and doses of all medications
• Discontinued diabetes medications and reason for stopping
• Contact information for all health care professionals
• Two emergency contacts
• Most recent A1c kidney and liver test results
• Letter from diabetes care team with most recent diabetes treatment plan
• Health insurance card
• A living will, if applicable
• Health care power of attorney, if applicable

Certain items that may not seem directly related to diabetes care are also important to have in the emergency kit. These include:

• A flashlight with many replacement batteries
• Money, both bills and coins
• Candles and matches
• Blankets, if living in a cold climate
• Tarps and ponchos in case of hurricanes or flooding
• An extra cell phone charger or precharged battery pack

Having these items in an emergency blood sugar test kit can help prevent diabetes complications and other dangerous health problems that could occur during a disaster. Be sure to place all items in waterproof storage bags before adding them to the kit.

Talk With Your Diabetes Care Team

Ensuring that you or your child has the right supplies for daily diabetes care can be overwhelming, and creating your blood sugar test kit is a group effort. Although this article reviews many of the most essential items, each kit can look different. Additionally, it may not be feasible to store all the supplies listed above, so prioritizing is key. Your diabetes care team can help review your supplies and make any suggestions specific to your situation. Diabetes educators, in particular, can also help explain each item’s importance and instructions for safe use.

To learn more about type 1 diabetes, read “9 Tips for Living With Type 1 Diabetes.”

Talk With Others Who Understand

At myT1Dteam, the site for people with type 1 diabetes and their loved ones, people come together to learn more about type 1 diabetes and share their stories with others who understand life with the condition.

Do you have any tips for others putting together a blood sugar test kit? Have any items been surprisingly helpful to include? Share your experience in the comments below.