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A Babysitter's Guide to Babysitting for Parents Who Have a Child With Diabetes
Jessica Plunkett was recently featured with her family in the book "The Challenge of Childhood Diabetes: Family Strategies for Raising a Healthy Child," available at www.challengeofdiabetes.com.
Hiring a babysitter is not a problem for most parents, but for parents of kids who have diabetes, it is very challenging. Babysitting such a child is a huge undertaking, and it takes a lot of experience.
At the age of thirteen, I started babysitting for children with diabetes whose parents needed some well-deserved time off. In the process, I have learned a great deal about making the experience go smoothly.
I gained my first experience by caring for my little brother, Danny, who was diagnosed with diabetes when he was seven years old and I was ten. I went to all the initial training meetings at the hospital because I wanted to help, and I have played a growing role in taking care of him ever since. Eventually, I learned to babysit Danny alone when my parents needed to go out for a night.
Parents of a child with diabetes can think about leaving him with a responsible babysitter once he (or a sibling) can give himself shots and test his own blood sugar. But the babysitter will still need both verbal and written guidance from the parents. By following the tips that I have listed below, parents can make it much easier for their babysitter to do a good job.
Ask the babysitter to come an hour early the first time so that you can talk to her about diabetes.
- Make sure that she knows where all the diabetes supplies are, just in case the child can't find his glucose monitor, test strips, or other supplies.
- Demonstrate to the babysitter how your child tests and gives himself a shot.
- Explain the meal plan and lay out the foods that need to be eaten. Advise the babysitter about what to do if the child decides he is not hungry.
- Explain the signs of a low blood sugar and go over what to do if the child's blood sugar is low.
Create a timeline.
- Include testing times, eating times, and injection times, in addition to bedtimes of the child and any siblings.
- Set a timer for the next thing on the list. When everyone is playing or watching TV, it is hard to pay attention to the clock.
Type up an information sheet.
- Leave your cell phone numbers, informed neighbors/family's phone numbers, and the doctor's number. Make sure you stress that the babysitter should call without hesitation if she has a question.
- Write down what happens when your child experiences a low blood sugar and how to detect it.
Babysitting can be a lot of fun for both the sitter and the child, and it can give exhausted parents some needed time off. If the parents create a careful plan and prepare the babysitter well, diabetes need not get in the way of a good time for both parents and children.
Categories: Blood Sugar, Diabetes, Kids & Teens, Type 1 Issues
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Dec 12, 2007
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Diabetes Health
Diabetes Health is the essential resource for people living with diabetes- both newly diagnosed and experienced as well as the professionals who care for them. We provide balanced expert news and information on living healthfully with diabetes. Each issue includes cutting-edge editorial coverage of new products, research, treatment options, and meaningful lifestyle issues.
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Topics
- Diabetic / Diabetes Health
- Type 1 / 1.5 Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Blood Glucose / Sugar
- High/Low Blood Sugar / Fast Acting Glucose
- Insulin- Pumps, Pens & Syringes
- Continuous Glucose Monitors, CGM, Infusion Sets
- Type 2 Medications
- Hyperglycemia
- Hypoglycemia
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