I’m a mom of a toddler (20 months) who was just diagnosed with T1D a few weeks ago. We’re trying to navigate the overwhelming world of managing T1D for our little guy, and trying to learn as much as we can from others with similar experiences. Additionally, we’re expecting baby 2 next month and—while we understand you can’t rush getting blood glucose levels under control—we’re trying to find as many tips and tricks to establish as much of a ‘new normal’ as we can before our lives change in a big way, again!
We just received the Dexcom G6 yesterday, and my son Jordan’s doctors are encouraging of starting a pump soon with him. I’d love to hear strategies for managing T1D for a toddler as well as experiences with the sensor/pumps (including which you like or don’t like and why) in little ones.
TIA! This community seems great!
hi @Kborreson Kelly, Welcome to the Type One Nation forum. First of all please go easy on yourself it takes a good year to get used to the new language and all of the things you have to learn… which seems like a lot now… but for which I can promise you will be a full expert soon.
Diabetes isn’t like you take a medication and you’re good. Regulating sugar is a balancing act of carbohydrates (makes blood sugar go up) and insulin and exercise (makes your blood sugar go down). No one will ever be perfect at this, and after treating it for 40 years, I can tell you that lows are more dangerous then highs, that when you are high or low you feel terrible, but once you learn how to use insulin you can eat when you need, have reasonable control over blood sugar, and have whatever kind of life you want to have.
there’s technology out there including pumps, pens, and reasonable accurate finger stick machines. The name of the game is measuring blood sugar, everything else you will do depends on what the sugar is, and if it is rising or falling.
Many people like the CGM… many do not. the important thing is to understand the technology and be open to trying stuff.
Please consider getting a book “Think Like a Pancreas”, it is a great overall collection of information designed to teach you the basics, and is device independent.
I hope you have access to an endocrinologist and certified diabetes educator, they will be valuable resources in the next year, but sooner or later you will get the part that diabetes is a self-managed disease.
above all else, please take care of yourself first. you have to remember you must put your oxygen mask on first before you can help other people.
As far as direct toddler experience, my kid is a ball of energy and it’s been and continues to be the greatest experience of my life. I would strongly suggest listening to the endo’s advice, and consider only giving fast acting insulin after he eats so you don’t get into a situation where you gave more insulin than the carbs he just ate.
you’re going to be great at this. everyone has challenges in life, this will just be a background task… like a reflex, after you get that year of experience in. Please check back in often to tell us how you are doing!.
Hi and welcome to are type one community.Im sorry to hear about your little ones new diagnosis I know it’s a hard thing to get use to.My little one just turned 2 she was diagnosed at 9 months and has been on the dexcom since before she was 1 and I don’t know how I would live without it this device is truly a life saver way better than not knowing where her sugars at or where it’s going.and definitely better than testing their poor little fingers all the time especially at night.We are currently waiting for her omni pod pump we were able to get a sample of one from her doctor and we believe its going to work well for her needs.and the are paintable so her siblings are excited to be able to add their own touch of art to what we call her robot parts ;)I wish you the best of luck with your little warrior and your new little one on the way.
No toddler experience, but in my opinion a pump is a game changer… when it is interoperable with CGM. Dexcom G6 is an amazingly accurate sensor, but the data can be overwhelming and not actionable for many people. Where the pump and CGM work together, as with the Tandem t:slim and Dexcom G, some of the decision making is done by the pump software. I didn’t realize pumps were approved for children under two, but if you can get an integrated system, I’d suggest you seriously consider it. You can also join the “Looped” group on Facebook to see how people are managing their children’s T1D with Dexcom and DIY closed loop systems. Best wishes.
I appreciate the encouragement 
I am already starting to see how supportive the Type 1 community is, and I also feel lucky to live in the Minneapolis metro area with access to great doctors and diabetes educators who’ve already taught us so much in just a short time!
The book you mentioned seems like a great resource to gain a deeper understanding of diabetes management—I’ll definitely add this to my Amazon cart!
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing this! We have the same hope with the dexcom, and have been leaning toward the omnipod—I’m glad to hear you feel that’s a good combination for your toddler.
Thanks for your reply! I’m not sure the pumps are FDA approved under 2 years old, but we’ve learned from our diabetes clinic and the pump companies that they’re often used in this age group
Hi Kelly! I’m Abby, I’m 17 years old and I was diagnosed with T1D when I was 7.
First of all–welcome to TypeOneNation, and welcome to the crazy world of T1D! I’m so glad you found this website. It’s a great place to get advice, share tips, and just connect with other folks who know what it’s like to live with this condition.
I’m so glad Jordan has the g6! I got my first Dexcom 2 years ago after 8 years of manual blood sugar checks, and it’s a life-changer. I don’t have a pump so I’m afraid I can’t provide any advice there, but hopefully some other folks can.
I will say, my biggest piece of advice is to be prepared for the fact that you’re gonna have some bad days. Don’t be too hard on yourself–it happens to everyone! Learn from it if you can (I say “if you can” because there will be days when you do everything right and still end up with a crazy blood sugar), and then move on. It probably feels like this is never going to get easier, but I promise, it will. Don’t forget that your son can do anything he wants to even with this condition! It won’t limit him at all–he’ll just have to do a little extra work to stay healthy as he gets older. In the meantime, feel free to reach out with any questions!
Kelly @Kborreson Welcome to TypeOne Nation Forum!
I see you have already found from the responses that you are not alone trying to figure out this diabetes thing; you’ve received some good suggestions so I wont repeat.
You can also find support first hand from people like us bu contacting a JDRF Chapter near you; a lint to the Minneapolis chapter is below. Although I’ve lived with diabetes for more than 60 years, I’ve found that seeing and listening to others in the same boat is really uplifting.
Check into the book Sugar Surfing by Dr Ponder. It has made the biggest impact in our care for our little one. If you go on his website, I believe newly diagnosed families can still get a free e-copy of the book. I paid the $30 and bought the book so I could reference it and share it with other caretakers. Well worth the investment!
Omnipod is approved for much younger children but I don’t remember the age. We just started my 7 year old on the Omnipod and we love it!