Do you need wifi for the phone to pick up the data from the transmitter or just cellular data? How about to share the data to another user, do you need wifi?
IMHO a phone is not necessary with the G6. The receiver that comes with it works fine, and will allow your child to learn to monitor her progress on her own, which will be critical for her future.
You can use the Clarity software, and update it once a day and review progress, trends, etc with her, and share the learning experience.
On the one hand, this does not address your concern about being able to monitor her ‘at all times.’ On the other hand, ask yourself what you gain by doing so. If it’s something you must do, then you’ll need the phone, whether an iPhone or Android, and it’ll have to have Wifi at a minimum, though when it’s out of WiFi service, it won’t work anyway. Therefore, if you really must have the ability to monitor her at all times, then she will need a compatible Android or iPhone and the requisite service.
That’s fine, but I disagree. My kid is 3 and incapable of being in charge of her own care.
OP was speaking of her 9 year old, which is also very young. There have been several times I could see a downward trend and alert the school nurse before my daughter was truly low, and she was able to intervene. We can leave her and go out to dinner and still have peace of mind.
With young children it’s quite valuable technology.
Edit to add - the phone and receiver only work within a close range to the child. Our bedroom is too far, if we didn’t have a phone in her room we wouldn’t be able to hear any low alarms while she slept.
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9 y.o son dx 1 year ago. Has a Dexcom G6, we must have a iPhone for him to transmit CGM readings to our iPhones. We and him gained greater independence because we can see his numbers all the time. The Dexcom receiver only receives numbers from the Dexcom sensor, it does not transmit to a device. He rarely uses his phone for anything as he understands it is for his diabetes only. I also have an 11 y.o daughter who wants a phone. She understands it is for his diabetes. Apple has a ton of built in security features so at this point, we are not too worried.
a couple comments on the technology
The G6 transmitter is a very weak BLUETOOTH signal and so it has limited range connecting to an iPhone or Android. whichever phone you need to have, has to have a Bluetooth receiver. Your child will need to have the phone device on their person (not backpack, not hangin on a hook at the other end of the classroom) for it to receive data from the G6 transmitter.
In order for the phone to update data (that can be followed by other people with the appropriate software), the phone need to be connected to Cellular Data, or to WiFi. Either one. The “range”, if connected to a strong cellular station or WiFi LAN, to update data, is unlimited. Your kid could be in China, and you’ll still get data on the “follower” software…
In order for the application (“app”) to talk over cellular, you have to give that app permission… roughly you have to allow cellular data in the settings areas of your particular phone. Phones can be locked such that the only thing the phone can do is retransmit G6 data, if that’s what you want.
Sorry to repeat probably painfully obvious information, but there is a minimum of 3 signals here and I wanted to clarify in the slim chance someone doesn’t know already. cheers.
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I got diagnised and i didn’t have a phone… So we got a samsung that can connect to the dexcom app and it works very well
Thank you all for your initial & continued input on this subject. To update, we did get the iPhone. We’ve been on the G6 + iPhone Share/Follow + Omnipod for a few months now. We’ve learned a ton and are figuring out how to use this system the best way for us. Here are our thoughts & experiences for anyone else thinking about iPhones for kids.
We LOVE the G6 and we LOVE being able to get overnight alarms for highs & lows without having to get up, walk upstairs and check her BG. On nights when she’s had a big activity day or already had a bad low I do still set an overnight alarm to wake up and check where she’s trending (the G6 trend arrows are wonderful!). But I do this from my bed! In general, knowing I will get an alarm for No Data and out of range BGs has allowed me to to get more consistent sleep at night. And that’s a biggie!
It is also great that while at home, I can just check her BG and satisfy my own need to know that everything is fine. It cuts down on the number of times I ask, “What’s your BG?” which can get old for a T1D kid. Over time, I’ll hopefully need to know a little less often and develop more trust that if she feels bad she’ll tell me. But we are only 6 months into this journey, still learning the ropes, and this feature allows me to meet my need to know, and her need to not be hawked.
It also made me much more comfortable about her having her first post-T1D sleepover at her best friend’s house. The Share/Follow feature gave my Mom friend much more confidence to help manage T1D. We both saw & texted about an afternoon low and an overnight high that required a correction.
We do what others have mentioned and don’t allow the iPhone to be used for much else. It’s mainly a medical device to allow for the Sahre/Follow for now and also useful for emergency communication. There have been a few instances where she was able to text me a photo of a homemade school treat to ask me to make a carb guess. She is on Omnipod now and does her own bolusing for her home-packed snack & lunch but sometimes those birthday & class party treats pose an issue. Of course, without the phone she’s simply asks her teacher to text me the picture but it’s been nice to have this option.
I will say that I have mixed feelings about having the Share/Follow feature during the school day. First, @joe (you are an expert & a gentleman, Sir) is correct that the bluetooth signal is weak and requires wifi. I lose the Follow feed frequently during the day as she moves in & out of wifi range (like during recess) and near & far from her phone, which typically lives in her backpack in her cubby. I’m sure this would be different for a teenager who carries a purse from class to class & keeps their phone with them at all times like today’s teens do, but for an active 9yo who is already wearing 2 devices on her body and carrying a Dexcom receiver, keeping a phone with her is not something I think is realistic or desirable, at least for us.
She keeps her Dexcom receiver with her at school, and there is a very low teacher/student ratio. I feel like she & her teachers do an excellent job of watching her BG during those 7 hours. I have found that Following her Dexcom feed during the school day, even sporadically, has allowed me to monitor the school’s & my daughter’s response to highs & lows. That’s given me confidence to let go and trust them more, which is great. But it also feeds into my parental anxiety and keeps me in that constantly checking mode.
With the info and confidence we’ve gotten from Following during the school for a few months, we are are considering going back to no iPhone during the school day and using the Follow feature only at home and when in the care of less experienced adults.
Hope this helps someone. Like everything, it’s been a steep learning curve and we’re discovering what “system” works best for us.
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