We Have a Diabetic babysitter...should I Be Worried??

I wouldn't worry. I have a few cousins with type 1 and I would leave my kiddos with anyone of them if they lived closer :)

No, I would not be worried...

Diabetic shock for someone who has a pump is rare and extreme. She would really have to let herself go to have a problem.

Diabetic shock is an extreme situation, and a person would have to allow herself to get her sugar to such a low point that she was unable to eat and drink and bring herself out of it. If her pump is anything like my husband's, it alerts her when she is going low, or when her sugar is too high, and she can make the adjustment quickly. Diabetics in good care are used to testing their blood sugar multiple times a day and staying right on top of things. If she is a babysitter and your kids love her, chances are she is careful and will monitor herself without needing a reminder. A teenager texting, on a cell phone, or otherwise distracted runs a higher risk of allowing something to happen to your kids... please study up a bit more on this disease and do not tell her you have this concern. Diabetics are tired enough of managing a disease they did not ask for yet can never get rid of, trust me. There are such gross stereotypes and misconceptions about diabetics out there. The vast majority of them never go into shock or have life-threatening complications. I'm sure your kids' environment is perfectly safe, and it SHOULD be easy for you to "forget" that she is diabetic, quite honestly. She is just like anyone else.

Your children are in good hands. My husband has Type 1 diabetes, uses an insulin pump and for the nearly 9 years that we have been married, he has never had a diabetic emergency. He knows exactly how to care for his body so that he doesn't have extreme high or low blood sugars. It's likely that your babysitter is very conscious of her body's needs as well.

Rest easy, mama!

The best thing about diabetes is that it is treatable. As long as your babysitter is diligent about keeping track of what she needs to do for her diabetes, you have nothing to worry about. :-)
Don't hesitate to ask her about her diabetes. Have her explain to you what all she needs to do for herself to keep her body regulated. Talk to her about your concerns for your kids being in her care, and allow her to reassure you that everything is ok. Here is a website for you as well to help you understand about type 1 diabetes:
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-1/?utm_sourc...

I hope this helps you. Your babysitter may have a pamphlet as well on type 1 diabetes.

As long as her condition is medically managed, then I don't think that there should be a problem. If she refused to take her meds, then yes THAT would be an issue.

I wouldn't be worried, she's old enough to know how to manage it. Diabetics know how to live and know what to do if something happens, which shouldn't happen, since they know what they're doing.

Remember Elliott Yamin, he was on American Idol? I used to work with him, he wore an insulin pump. He was a great friend and employee, and when an elderly gentleman fell at the pharmacy we worked for, he immediately recognized that this man went into diabetic shock, and with my EMT experience we were both able to give him immediate help. It worked in his favor that day :)

No I dont think I would be worried.. Every time we have a sitter our cell phones are on incase something happens..Diabetics know when their sugar is starting to crash or spike for that matter... if you are uncomfortable with the situation cause there is not info ask her.. i am sure she would be more than willing to tell you about her pump, how it works, how often her sugars go really low/high, ask if you could keep snacks in the house incase of emergency for her, or keep a land line available... not like she has epilepsy or something worse... just talk to her if you feel uneasy :) but dont make her feel bad either, its not her fault.. good luck momma!!

I would ask her and see if she ever has episodes of being unwell (unwell enough to not be able to take care of the kids). Odds are, if she is keeping her levels normal, she's going to be fine. She can likely explain it all to you to help you not worry.

I would not worry at all, especially if she has an insulin pump. My husband has one and I call it his "bionic pancreas." He can eat what he wants, when he wants, and just adjust the amount of insulin he regularly gets accordingly. Chances are, she has had it long enough to be at ease in using the pump to regulate her blood sugar. If you need to put your mind at ease, you could ask her about her pump as if your generally curious, and have her explain how it works, and how she works with it. At the end of the "tutorial", you could just voice that if she is ever feeling unstable because of her blood sugar, she could always call you to come home early and you would not hold it against her.

How old are your kids? If there was an emergency would they be able to call 911? If yes I would sit down and have a talk with every one. She can explain what it looks like when something is wrong and she needs help. You can teach your kids how and when to call for help either through 911 or from you.

Very simple answer NO!!!!

I have a childhood friend with type 1 (who got a pump in her early 20s) and she is now a mom - had a super healthy and safe pregnancy and was home with baby for three months while daddy was at work, everyone is alive and well.
I wouldn't stress about the babysitters health, I'm sure with the pump things are managed just fine. Let you kids and babysitter enjoy each other while you enjoy your time alone! :)

In a word, no. There is no reason in the world why she is not as perfectly capable of caring for your kids as any other babysitter. I'd say you're lucky to have a babysitter you like and trust so much.

That said, having been close friends with a type 1 diabetic for 20 years, if your kids are older than 4 or so, you can teach them about the signs of hypoglycemia (the most likely complication to arise.) It's things like slurred speech, spaciness, mild confusion, just generally looking out of it. And the solution? Sugar. Your babysitter likely carries glucose tablets with her, or a nice glass of juice can do the trick. Ask your babysitter to talk with them about it, too, if she's comfortable doing it. It doesn't have to be scary or intense, it can just be "if you ever see me seeming kind of weird, or out of it, or like I'm not really hearing what you're saying to me, ask me if I need a glass of juice."

And there's nothing wrong with generally teaching your kids how to call for help (911) in an emergency. We have a little card by our phone that shows our address and a little strip of masking tape on the bottom of the phone receiver that says "911" in big numerals. Even if your kids can't read yet, as long as they know their letters and numbers they can "read" from the card letter by letter. (By the time they finish "reading" emergency services might have already traced the call, but it can give your kid something to focus on.)

As I said before, you're lucky to have a babysitter you like and trust.

I don't think you need to worry but I would teach the kids how to call 911. Even a 3 or 4 year old can do that if something is wrong. Something can happen to any caregiver or parent who is left alone with children. One time when my youngest was 2 I left him with my father in law while I went shopping with my mother in law. We lived on a ranch without any close neighbors. The next day my father in law was having chest pains and ended up have a quad. bi-pass. It scared me to think of what could have happened had he had a heart attack with my young son there and no one else to help. We taught my 2 year old that night how to call 911. So many things can happen, a fall, a snake bite, a stroke. To single this young girl out because of the diabitis would be very hurtful to her as she already feels different so unless she doesn't take care of her diabitis as she should, watching her diet and such, I wouldn't worry and teach the kids how to get help just in case.

I'm not sure how old your children are, but I had a close friend that used to babysit who was type 1. I taught my girls, at ages 6 and 8, what diabetes is, what symptoms to look for if a low blood sugar was coming on, and how to help.

A person with very high blood sugar will fall asleep, and it's very difficult to wake them up. They can become irritable and confused. With very low blood sugar, they will most often sweat, profusely, and become dizzy and disoriented. They may jumble up words and stumble. Both cases, in the extreme, can put someone into a coma. My girls both new where the glucose tabs and gels were, only to offer them if the person was coherent enough to request them, and were confident in calling for help. We had our address posted on the fridge with emergency numbers, including 911. In an emergency, EVERYTHING had to be easy to find! Nothing every happened, but I felt secure knowing that if it did, my girls would be as prepared as possible.

To ease your mind, many-not all-but many people with diabetes know when their sugar is dropping or getting too high. If your sitter has a pump, it means that she has proven to a physician that she is handling, and responsible with her diabetes. This doesn't mean that an attack will never happen, but the likelyhood is much lower than someone who is careless with thier insulin.