Okay so we haven't had a sitter for Joshua yet. We did put him in day care at a church we took a financial class at because we were right upstairs the class was an hour and they have a beeper system. They didn’t even have to think about his diabetes. They just played and we did everything. At our church we have taken him with us instead of putting him in nursery time or I volunteered in the nursrey and missed church. I know we are being slightly over protective but this our truth. So my question is do you use a sitter? How did you find them? Do you pay more because of Diabetes? My endo said she would recommend the daughter of her nurse who has a type 1 sister. Would you allow a high school senior to sit for your 15 month T1? Do you think they have to have family who has had T1 or is that just an added bonus. What will you allow them to do? Or do you make sure you are home before shots are needed.
Bonus question- For your T1 boys what id gear have you chosen. They have cute girl ones but I cant find a boy one I like.
Call me over protective, but Elise has never been left with anybody (except for my Mom for an hour or so). She comes with us to service because our church doesn't have a service time that doesn't coincide with a BG test and a snack/meal time. Luckily, she is well-behaved and quiet enough to sit there for the whole service.
ReplyDeleteAs for the sitter thing, for me a 15 year old sister of a diabetic would be too young and not experienced enough. Especially since Joshua is so young. I would HAVE to have someone with diabetes experience if I were ever to leave Elise with them.
I know Jessica (Liam's Mom - Sticking it to Diabetes), just left Liam with a teenager whose Mom (I believe) has diabetes and she lives right next store. Although Liam is a lot older than Joshua, you might want to pick her brain.
Luckily, my family has all taken "Diabetes 101" so my sisters can all watch my daughter, give insulin, check bg, etc. So I have plenty of available sitters. However, I've had the high school age sister of a girl with T1 offer to babysit, as well as a 12 year with T1 offer to babysit-- if my family wasn't available, I'd consider one of them. However, since your little one is so small, I don't blame you for being extra cautious.
ReplyDeleteFor nursery, the teachers know the signs to look out for for highs and lows. But we test her right before she goes into nursery, and then we come back in later, test again, count carbs and bolus for the nursery snack. So she never goes very long without one of us checking on her.
We have not left Justin with a sitter either. My in-laws live right down the road so IF we need help we take him there. I also do not know of any teenagers I would leave my non D kids with so maybe that's the problem :)
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER, if my doctor recommended someone... I probably would consider it. A doctor wouldn't recommend a teenager who she felt was the least bit irresponsible. Find out if she has watched any D kids before... if so, have her come over for a "trial run". Go grocery shopping or go get a Starbucks and a pedicure :)leave her with them for an hour or so and stay close by until you get comfortable.
personally, I would not expect a teen to give insulin. I would plan my time away around that... but that's just me.
BTW~ Your not being silly AT ALL... he's your baby.
NOW an a lighter note.
We just bought Justin two med id's from
http://www.n-styleid.com/
one was a distressed camo and the other was one of their ultralight bands... I can switch the id tag on them so it saved me some money. They are both nice and I am VERY picky when it comes to how I dress my kids.
I ordered it on Sunday and it was in my mailbox on TUESDAY!!! If you see anything you like... check out their fan page on facebook. I didn't see it until after I ordered, but if you scroll a little... there was a code for free shipping($7.50) through July in honor if their new website or something.
Good luck on both accounts :)
I would FOR SURE have the girl over. See if she is comfortable checking sugars, watch how she plays with the kids. Start out small, just a trip to the store, and then move up to dinner with your husband. If you have someone in mind, and they are willing to learn. I say give em a shot. First of all...there are cell phones. You can check in every hour if you wanted to. She can check, and then text you with numbers too. Getting out, even for a couple hours, is SO important. I have so much family, I haven't had to find a sitter...but if I had to...I would. My time away is THAT important to my sanity. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHere's my take...some might call me crazy, but this is what we do. Meri is right....getting out, even for a few hours is CRITICAL. Just stepping away...getting away from the madness, helps your brain to RELAX! :) We haven't left Jada overnight yet...I'm not ready to do that and I don't think she is either. But, we do go out on dates. We will get a sitter, but our oldest, who is 11 1/2, checks Jada's blood sugar and helps the sitter figure things out. We always call a few times to get the numbers and we never turn the phone off. If her numbers are iffy, we stay within about 5 minutes from home if we need to get back quickly. Oh...I try to have the kids fed at least an hour and a half before the sitter comes, so that I can get a good idea of which way she's going. I would never let a teen age sitter give Jada any insulin. And by the way...I'm PICKY about who watches my kids and it's been a while since we've had a teen. We have "young adult" friends and also other adult friends as well as married couples who we leave the kids with.
ReplyDeleteChurch is a great place to start...it's the first place I left Jada. We check before she goes to Sunday School and if she has a new teacher, I give the whole spiel. Church is now one of those times that I'm not distracted by her and my mind can be at ease because I know she's okay and they will get me if their is a problem.