Too young for a pump?

My 6 year old son has type 1 Diabetes and has been doing really well with injections. Since starting school things have been tough and we now are considering a pump.(Here in Finland they use the Medtronic paradigm I think) My concern is that he is still so little and how will he manage being attached to a pump 24/7. He loves his showers and is just learning to swim - things that seem so much harder with a pump. I would love to here how other little ones manage and your views on the pumps for children. Thank you.

an answer for your main question,of course not.
I heard alot about toddlers or something around that age pumping,sure a 6 yrs old can!why not!
but of course,he won’t make it if he’s not comfortable about the idea,why not ask him first?maybe he would like it as if it was a toy or something.you can tell him in a funny way like a way that I once seen,a stuffed animal who have a pump,tell him about it,how cool it is to have a toy around you all the time(not for real,of course you have to lock the key pad)and show him the shiny colors or covers and let him choose it and all,he will difinetly get through it,also,mention to him that with a pump,he somehow can have a bigger freedom to eat what he likes(a point that’s gonna make a big difference for a kid :slight_smile: ).
as for the showers,why not get him an omnipod (another brand),actually,there is a mother here her son is called Caleb who is using this very pump,and,he happens to be young !.
or the one touch ping,they both can get submerged in water.
hope it helps :slight_smile:

well i dont know any young kids on the pump, but i can tell you this: i was just at the endo and they told me about a kid they had just put on the pump and he is doing great with it. this kid is 2.
i have a one touch ping and i love it. like Saya said, the ping can be submerged in water.
b

I know people who had a pump for their infant (under a year).

I never think your too young for a pump. Seems like over here in America kids get them as young (or younger) than 3 years old. As for your other qyestions he can thak a bolus , then disconect for everything else.

As long as they’re still not in the womb I think pumps are appropriate.

Hi, Amanda,
My daughter was diagnosed at 15 months and was on the pump by 18 months of age. She wears the Medtronic 522 pump. She has done really well with it, it’s a part of her body now. We have a little belt that goes around her waist with a pouch that zips the pump out of sight. She still takes baths, although we give her quicker baths the nights we are NOT changing the pump so the adhesive won’t come off. The night we change the pump site we let her soak and play in the bubbles to her heart’s content. She’s fine to swim for a few hours or so, I just have to monitor her adhesive and how well it’s holding up.
Reasons I love the pump: if we’re very active, I can lower her basal or suspend all together. If I see her BG going lower during the night hours, I can lower her basal so she doesn’t go too low. We have greater flexibility with her foods, which is also great when they’re younger.

Feel free to send me any questions you might have!
Take care~

Hey Amanda!

I know I’m totally new here and this is actually my first post but I’ve been lurking for a couple months. Your question is what inspired me to finally join, apply, etc…

My 4-year-old son has type 1 diabetes and was diagnosed in April when he was 3. In July we were able to get him an Animas Ping and in August he turned 4. The pump has been a small miracle for us. Because of his little body, it makes a significant difference in control if he gets 1.35 or 1.5 units of novolog. Tyler also prefers having a set change only every 3 days instead of 4-6 shots a day. Tyler is also very happy he doesn’t have to have Lantus anymore which burns for him.

For 4, he is remarkably responsible with his pump. He’s mindful of when it falls of his pants and he lets us or his teacher know when it beeps for attention. It’s been an adjustment and it’s not a perfect anything… I wouldn’t even say it’s easier than shots… in some ways it’s harder… but in the end I STRONGLY feel like we control his diabetes much better with it. Since beginning pump therapy Tyler has gone down a full point on his A1C from 8.5 to 7.5. We hope to continue to go down.

Disconnecting for swimming or heavy sports has not been a problem. We just tell Tyler we need to disconnect his pump - put the pump in suspend - and then make sure we test and dose when we hook him back up. With day-to-day playing and rough-housing with me, his big 6-year-old brother, and some of my teenage friends (I am a youth leader) he just leaves the pump on and does fine with it. It’s very durable and surprisingly good at holding onto his clothes.

Any more questions - please let me know. I love the Animas Ping - the remote control bolus system is priceless for these little guys. Set changes are the hardest part.

Good luck and God bless!

-Chris

well Mom Jessica , you said it well …do you use the lock keypad at night as has been suggested ? . I wish you and babe well .I know of others in my area , who do quite well with their chidren /pumpers . All the best Jessica .

Hi, Nel!
No, I don’t lock the keypad at night, but maybe I should? She’s worn the pump about 2.5 years now and we’ve never had an issue with nighttime. I do lock the pump if she’s going to be with other children, but now that we have her little belt pouch, it’s tucked away from little fingers. Thanks for your well-wishes! All the best to you as well.

Well said, Chris.

Amanda, I agree with all of Chris’ comments…having the pump has been a small miracle for us as well. It’s easier to dose in a restaurant for food, without having to pull out the syringe. Elisabeth used to have to do 5 shots a day, but having one starter needle every 2 days to put in the pump site instead of 10 shots for those same 2 days really improved her quality of life, I feel. Elisabeth’s A1C is also pretty good with the pump.

I found that adjusting to the pump in the beginning was the hardest…it is more work in the beginning to get the hang of everything. For set changes, we use ice to numb the skin, but some parents use numbing cream.

Blessings!
Jessica

I have read discussion(s) , where it is wel advised to lock with children and she maybe of the age, where experimenting is the subject ??..Danny ( from Las Vegas ) has a discussion going on the subject and I was intregued .

Chris - did you know that you can get some cool pump skins for our Animas pumps? We are getting them here in Canada soon, but they’ve been around in the States earlier then us. I managed to use my charm to get one from the Animas booth when I attended the IDF congress in Montreal (5 days of lots of learning about diabetes - amazing).

Anyway, I have a purple skin, so it means maybe my pump (called Limey but still not sure about this name - you have to read my blog to understand why I’m not sure ) will take less abuse when I’m doing some activity (I sail - and occasionally in rough weather get tossed around). My god daughters son Aaron, who is now 10, is getting a pump soon (Animas - not sure if it’s the Ping - hope so as the remote is handy) - so he wants a pump skin in a camouflage design (I saw them at the Animas booth - but didn’t see it on the link above)!

BTW, even for adults like myself, learning to pump can be a challenge! Wish I’d had a Mum to help me thru’ the learning process (if I’d known about Tudiabetes - one of you could have adopted me ). I was set in my ways of 40 years previous of MDI (multiple doseage injections) - and having to relearn a few things that make the pump work properly - but overall I sure don’t miss injecting 10 times a day - now it’s every 3 days - change the infusion set - gotta love that!
Anna from Montreal

Thank for all your help. The more I read and speak to people the more I think the pump is the next step. I will have a chat to Aleksi and see what he thinks! Thanks again.

In case you haven’t been here, www.childrenwithdiabetes.org. A Great site for Kids and their Parents. A lot of the little Ones are Pumpers. Many “tricks of the trade” there also. Good Luck! :slight_smile:

I’ll check it out - thank you! Tyler’s favorite color is Red but they didn’t make the Ping in Red (just pink!) so we bought him a blue one. He doesn’t seem to mind - but it would definitely be something special for him to have new colors to pick from!