I was seeing if there was anyone that their baby was put on a pump at a such young age. My daughter was diagnosed with type one at the age of 13 months . And her endrocrenlist considered putting her on a pump. We chose the ominpod for her cause it was tubeless and it seemed to be better for her. But I was wanting to see if the pump is a choice to go with since she’s only 19 months old. She’s has the Dexcom G6 continues montier that she has been wearing since she was 16 months. Just wanted to get advice and I’m just concerned about using the pump
Thank you in advice
Hi @HeavenlyFaith Leah, a pump is just a method of delivery just like subconscious shots are. In terms of a requirement, one or the other is required. Picking one is a matter of preference and of utility and neither preferences nor utility are overwhelmingly more important so both are “good” choices.
Don’t get hung up on trying to be perfect. Try to do what is sustainable and what works for you. Then let her make her own choices when she’s old enough.
If no one said it lately, let me remind you that you are doing a great job as a loving mom and in taking care of this difficult and unpleasant disease.
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Thank you so much for the advice and all of the encouraging words. It means so much to us . My main concerns about the pump is do they malfunction and are they had to manage .
Have a goodnight
My daughter has been on the dexcom since she was 11 months and it has been amazing but the insurance just approved her omni pod pump last week.we will be trying it out in a couple of days I’m hoping it works out well she just started using full strength insulin a month ago so fingers crossed for all of us.
Sending prayers yalls way that the Omni pod will work out great for your daughter . It’s a tough decision for us to make about using the pump or continuing with the shots . We canceled one pump class because we got scared but recently scheduled another pump class to go ahead and start using her pump .
Hello Leah, yes pumps can fail, any machine can fail. After 40 years of diabetes and 19 years on a pump yes I’ve seen some failures, 1 time actually, and so I just go to shots of there is a failure but it has been rare for me.
Pumps are harder than shots, there are buttons to push and warnings to look at and other “routine” things. Pumping adds more complexity when trying to figure out a high or low blood sugar but over the years it’s been reliable and for me, and generally better than shots. Good luck @HeavenlyFaith
Thank you so much for all the advice.
I’m hoping it works out good for you and your little one as well. I’m feeling nervous about it but hopefully it turns out for the best it’s so hard poking her little body all the time. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for all of us.
I didn’t realize kids that young were put on pumps, but I started pumping about 20 years ago so things may well have changed. A few thoughts just to consider and discuss with her doctor if you haven’t already:
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Many people do find their control is better with a pump; but some do just fine with shots or even prefer them. Of course the idea of such a tiny one taking shots is daunting to say the least, but FWIW the syringes used now are much finer and hopefully less painful than they were many years ago.
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Pumping may be a more convenient way to deliver insulin. But there is the possibility that a child could pull out the pod or infusion set - probably not to worry about at this age but sometime down the road. And heaven forbid if they should swallow the pod or other pieces.
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Lack of tubing with the pod is a plus, but at the same time if the pod is pulled out you lose all the remaining insulin;
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On the other hand, with tubing you could simply insert a new infusion set and keep the tubing. But the tubing could get pulled out easily as well.
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I don’t use the Omnipod myself (I used T-Slim) but I did try a sample one time and found it takes up a good deal of real estate - and I’m not exactly a petite woman. I don’t have children myself (a personal choice only minimally related to my diabetes) and don’t have experience with infants, but I understand sleeping position is very important and pod placement could be an issue, especially when rotating sites. Pod people - and I use that term affectionately - feel free to chime in as I can only speak from imagination, not experience here. Please forgive any transgressions:).
Now, if you’re interested in the CGM feature, Dexcom does have its own separate receiver for those who don’t use pumps, and some will link to your cell phone. I use the G5 which doesn’t have that feature so I can’t speak on it.
You said your daughter is seeing an endo, which is great. If her endo doesn’t specialize in pediatrics it might be worth seeking one out - a pediatric endo may consider things another might not think about, especially for such a young child.
I imagine if I were a parent I would go with injections, but it is a personal decision. Just giving you a few things to consider.
My daughter is 11 now and refused the pump for her 1st year with T1. We were able to introduce her to another young lady with an OmniPod and she decided to at least attend a class to hear about it. She ended up choosing the OmniPod, however, she consistently says she doesn’t like it because “it hurts”. She is still using the OmniPod because it offers her more chances for freedom, after school or at a friend’s house, where I would have to be nearby for injections. During the class, they focused a lot on problems. We have had very few problems since starting earlier this year.
At 19 months, you will have to decide for her. I agree with another post that really any choice is a good choice.
I have a 16 y/o son, diagnosed at 24 months and on a pump at 26 months. We found pumping to be a great asset in his care as a toddler for one major reason…being able to give him much smaller doses of insulin more frequently. That was life changing. I worried when we started, but our endo said something like…if you want to live a long healthy life, you want him to have the best technology and he’s going to start pumping at some point so why not now. We did start with a pump with a tube which was not really a huge deal and you may want to reconsider that as if I were looking now for a toddler, I would consider the Tandem Tslim pump because it works with your Dex and will in fact suspend insulin delivery in order to prevent or address low blood sugars. An software update will be coming out soon that allows it also to address highs with increased basal rates.
My son started using Omnipod at 19 months old in March. We love it. It’s made life just a little easier with diabetes for us. But I understand it’s not for everyone. They are so small and have limited real estate for such devices. He also uses the Dexcom G6. Between the two Omnipod is the most reliable we’ve had minimal failures with it. Most of the time it alarms when there is an issue but we’ve had a couple of instances where the cannula has come out and we were unaware. But both times we figured the issue and now know to look for that if his glucose reading is off. He predominantly wears his on his upper thighs and has never really messed with it. He does well with site changes too. These kids are so brave!
Update…my daughter has been on the omni pod pump for 1 week now were still figuring out her numbers for it but that’s only because she dosen’t do well with any amount of insulin at night. And the basal testing has been hard because she still nurses at night so it has been a long week.Other than that her numbers have been great and it’s been amazing not to half to poke her little body all the time i was nervous of a machine doing the job of giving her the insulin at first but now we’re all really starting to like it alot. And she is alot happier about getting her medicine she shows it to everyone. It’s nice seeing her with more feedom.