I am a parent of a type 1 diabetic child. My daughter is 19 months old. She was at a private sitter before diagnosis. Now, we find ourselves hesitant to send her back to the sitter. We worry about whether the sitter will be able to glucose read, carb count and give injections properly. Does anyone know how to find a quality daycare for children with medical needs? Or do you just take your child to a center and have to educate them yourself? Are there private sitters who take in children with medical conditions? Does anyone out there have any idea how to find one?
We had pretty good luck finding capable babysitters from 2 sources:
1.) The JDRF office helped direct us to teens and young adults who either had diabetes or were related to someone with diabetes and had no qualms with glucose testing and insulin injections.
2.) We are fortunate enough to live near a teaching hospital, and we found wonderful nursing or medical students to help out.
This was for occasional care. Day care may require thorough screening and training of the staff. As our daughter got older we had to do this at school. Training teachers every September has become a fall ritual for us.
If your private sitter is open and capable, you may want to try to train her yourselves. If the sitter had developed a bond with your baby, she may find herself motivated to learn. After all, we as parents had to (continually) learn to care for diabetes despite prior ignorance. Why not give someone who you trusted prior diagnosis the same chance?