Mea Gremmels admits she knew very little about diabetes until doctors diagnosed her 2-year-old son in August.

"I didn't even know diabetes was incurable before doctors told us Elliot had it," Gremmels, 33, said.

Gremmels and her husband, Steve, have three children together. Elliot is the only one with diabetes.

Gremmels said she first began to worry when Elliot always seemed to need water.

"We had to have water with us at all times, and if I forgot, he would cry. It didn't make sense to me," Gremmels said.

The parents also noticed Elliot getting thinner but figured it was a result of him being more active.

"It was summertime, so we just thought he was thirsty because he was playing more. At his age, we thought he was just growing up," Gremmels said.

Potty-Training Clues

When his parents started potty-training Elliot, they noticed how often he was going to the bathroom.

"We took more notes on how much he was drinking. If we didn't potty-train him so young we might not have caught his diabetes as early as we did," she said.

One night in August, Elliot went to the bathroom six times in about an hour and a half.

"The amount of urine he was putting out was a lot each time he went. So after I finally got him to sleep, I looked up symptoms for diabetes on the Internet -- he had a lot of them. I called the pediatrician the next day," Gremmels said.

Common indicators include loss of weight, frequent urination, excessive thirst and tiredness.

With a simple blood and urine test at the pediatrician's office, doctors diagnosed Elliot with type 1 diabetes.

"They confirmed our fears in just a matter of minutes," Gremmels said.

Not The End Of The World

Elliot is not alone. According to DiabetesTrialNet, more than 15,000 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2008.

Dr. John Bantle, an endocrinologist for the University Of Minnesota Department Of Medicine, says the first thing parents need to realize is that it's not the end of the world.

"Having diabetes can be inconvenient but a lot of things in life are not convenient," Bantle said.

Bantle says early detection for diabetes helps immensely because the sooner it’s recognized, the sooner it can be controlled.

According to Bantle, “Type 1 diabetes occurs more frequently during adolescence years, type 2 usually occurs later in a life as a result of being overweight or from poor eating habits.”

Snack Time

Because of Elliot's young age, his parents say, he has adapted very easily.

"He knows he has to have his blood checked before every meal and receive insulin after he eats. Sometimes, his older brother will even help," Gremmels said.

The family had to change what they gave Elliot, especially at snack time.

"His favorite was fruit snacks, but they have too many carbs. He can have them, but I would have to give him a shot to cover the carbs. We'd rather not give him more shots."

They just find other snacks that have fewer carbs, such as peanuts or beef jerky.

If he wants candy or sweets he has to wait for lunch or dinner, when he would need an insulin injection already.

Early Testing?

Because of the emphasis on detecting diabetes as early as possible, the temptation for some parents is have their child tested right away.

Bantle advises parents wait until their child shows symptoms before requesting a diabetes test.

"Testing your child at such an early age without a family history of diabetes is a waste of time and medical resources," he says. He also added that both types of diabetes can both be easily controlled.

"It's when families don't have the means or follow the proper nutrition guidelines does diabetes become a serious problem," he said.