Hello everyone my 3 year old son was diagnosed August 9, 2010 we are trying to get opinions from people that have experience using pumps with children. We are looking at the Omni Pod because our son is a very active 3 year old and like the tube free aspect but has anyone used this pump for there child how did it work out? I am also thinking about the Ping as well I would appreciate any information or experiences you are willing to share.
i used the omni pod my self and i had trouble with it staying on cause i am a very active person . i used it about 6 months before i switched t othe accu check , that i have had for about 3 years and now looking at a pump with a gcm with it . a friend of mine has a ping and she loves it .
I don't have children (yet), but your son sounds like a trooper!! I was 9 when I was diagnosed, and that was difficult for me. Choosing an insulin pump is a very personal choice. I believe you might be able to get trial pumps from companies. I would talk to your doctor or CDE about that, they should be able to help you out. Every pump has it's perks and potential problems, so it's something that you need to weigh out.
The OmniPod seems like a good choice for an active boy. Though I will say that having a tube (I use a Minimed Paradigm pump) isn't horrible - I always have it secure on my belt and "wire" the tube under clothing. I've never had an issue with the tubing. In a weird way, I actually like the tubing - gives me a sense of security in a weird way.
I know I didn't offer much information, but I just wanted to say that I'm happy to see such a caring and loving mother of a child with Type 1. It reminds me of my mother :) I hope that you figure out which pump will work for your son. The people here at Juvenation are very helpful!!
Good luck!!
My daughter Chasey is 6 and we use the medtronic minimed pump. She likes it and so do we. The tubing has never been an issue and she is very active. Also the sites stay on with no trouble. The one time I was having issue, the box of sites was defective and medtronic replaced the box for me. She swims, skates, plays baseball, dances and enjoys soccer, along with regular activities like bike riding and playing at the park. We have purchased the CMS but are not yet trained on it but look forward to using it to better manage her sugars. Good luck picking one out.
My boys all use medronic.
I did a blog post once where I blogged about Medronic, another friend blogged about Animas, and another about the pod. (The boy who is podding just turned 2.) Here is the link: Good luck!
http://ourdiabeticlife.blogspot.com/2010/04/pump-parade-medronic-minimed-paradigm.html
My son was 3 when dx'd and we started pumping 7 mos later. I selected the Ping because I felt the Pod was too big for my son to reliably find spots that we could rotate around too. (He is very thin and we use his butt/hip for his sites.) Also, I was worried that it can be hard enough for little boys to get their pants down fast enough for bathroom breaks and having to worry about working around the Pod was a concern. I liked the remote control aspect of both the Ping and Pod.
My son, now 5, wears the Ping in a belt around his waist. He really never has problems with the tubing getting caught, as it is mostly either in his pants or under his shirt. I also wanted to get a pump that was waterproof. We always take his pump off for swimming but boys can get unexepectedly wet. (Mom, I just fell in the lake!) And it has happened a couple times that he's gotten soaked with his pump on and it has no problems. (I read on here a few instances of teens/adults with Medtronic pumps accidently getting wet and then the pump not working.)
We are really happy with the pump - my son does not like the site changes still, but as he says, it is only every 3 days, so he'll handle it.
Hey, I'm 13 years old, and I got an insuline pump accu-chek spirit.
It's very good, specially for children.
Talk with your doctor about the accu-check spirit insuline pump, It's really good
Hello AdriansMom,
Everyone else has told you some good stuff, so I will just mention 2 things:
1) Children With Diabetes has some great info on pumps:
http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/pumps/
2) Make the pump reps work for you
You will be filtering quite a bit of money there way for a long, long time, so ask for what you need. Trials with saline? A in person visit where you and your child can see & touch a pump? ASK FOR IT!!
Good luck!