I think you might be worrying a little too much. The t:slim X2 was my first pump and I know I did the same thing, too. There’s a lot of anxiety in the “what ifs”, that disappear completely after actually living with it for a while.
You should do a #tsliminthewild search on Twitter, Instagram, or even just Google (sort for images) if you’re not on the other social media platforms. You’ll see that TONS of people are living an active lifestyle with the t:slim, even playing sports.
Yes, you need to know it’s limitations, but they’re actually pretty minimal. It’s only water rated for 30 ft/30 minutes. It’s fine if you drop it in a puddle/sink/toilet/bath, but no… I wouldn’t let him go swimming in it. The general rule of thumb is that it’s fine b to remove it for an hour. Most people would bolus for the basal they will be missing, but if he’s going to be very active, he may not need that. Even if he’s disconnected for a longer time, maybe he just needs to reconnect briefly for any necessary corrections and disconnect again/carry on. I also wouldn’t recommend full contact sports, like football, while wearing the t: slim. I don’t remember how “grabby” basketball is allowed to be.
For the most part, though, both the pump and infusion sets are really durable. It actually can be difficult for me to remove the infusion sets some times because they’re stuck on so well. You just need a secure way of keeping the pump close to you. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t like the case/clip provided by Tandem.
The Spibelt is always a popular option: The SPIbelt
I know some have found small cellphone flip cases for a belt they like.
Personally, I choose to forego the Tandem case/clip altogether and attached this guy from Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007CBSBM4?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title .
I think it’s a much better option, because the clip is tighter, and will attach firmly to anything without falling off, not to mention unrestricted access to the button. If you search the Amazon reviews on it for “pump”, you’ll see just how many other five star reviews there are from t: slim users. The key for activities is having it clipped to something tight, like undershirt, Lycra shorts, underwear, jock strap, etc… You want to keep it close to your body as possible. Sandwiched between layers of clothes is even better…
There are infusion sets with a bit of extra shock absorption built into them, like the TruSteel. I wouldn’t actually recommend that yet for your child, because steel infusion sets are usually reserved for those who are having trouble with the soft cannula sets… But you could similarly add that extra bit of protection with just a piece of medical tape over the tubing, a few inches from the set. I planned on doing that myself, but found it unnecessary.
One last thought, you might consider wrapping the infusion location with vet wrap (that weird spongy tape that only sticks to itself), to provide a smoother finish that can’t be grabbed, snagged, or otherwise knocked off when things get rough.