Preparing 3yo for pump

[payam7777777]

Hi All,

I'm looking for tips to prepare a 3 y/o kid for pump, probabely 515 or 522. Tipe like these:

. be "sold" on the idea of wearing a pump.

. Syringe breaking session.

. Most importantly, involve your son or daughter in the decision in a way that's appropriate for their age. They're the ones who'll wear the pump, control the pump, and ultimately determine whether this treatment works or not.

. Numbing creams like EMLA

. If you're new to pumping, you should numb your skin before you do an insertion for the first time. This is especially true for children. A bad experience with the first infusion set insertion can result in a negative view of pump therapy. You only have one first infusion set insertion -- make it painless.


Best.

[CarrieP]

I have a 3 year old pumper (minimed 515)...Started when she was 2 1/2. We have our ups and downs, but they are young enough, they pretty much look to your attitude about all this stuff.

First of all, don't break the syringes. You may need to use one and you want your child to be friendly with them. My child thought she would never see one again after the pump and that has proven wrong. She is now very unhappy if I have to use a syringe.

We use a harness to hold the pump on her back like a backpack. We bought one from medronics website and it worked great. We have since found that the Diabetes Mall has better ones that you can pick out the fabric for and they take the child's measurements so it is custom fitted. Well worth getting!!! Rachel wears hers and shows it to everyone because she loves the kitties on it!!! It is so comfortable that she even sleeps on her back sometimes...

MOST IMPORTANT...You have to make the pump fun and cool for the child. Your attitude is what really counts. If you act afraid or hesitant about the infusion site, then the child will be the hesitant of araid every time you change the site....Be careful. Try putting a site in yourself so you can see that it really doesn't hurt very much. We have the EMLA cream but never use it because it takes too much time to work and the process creates more anxiety about the site change than necessary. Rachel handles the site changes fine as long as it is quick and we don't make a big deal out of it.

Let me know if you have any other questions... The pump is a wonderful aid but it still requires work. There are lots of questions when you start...I am here if you need me!!

CarrieP

[payam7777777]

Thanks. CarrieP. Quite informative. We're going for 515 too. What do you recommend we should do toprevent kinks and whatnot while he's sleep?!

[CarrieP]

Make sure you get the short tubing. They usually give it to you automatically when you have a little one on the pump. We have never had a kink or any trouble like that. Rachel wears it on her back to bed and that has never seemed to be an issue. Nighttime is the easy time because she isn't moving, as much!!! *smile*

CarrieP

[payam7777777]

Well Ali does a LOT of tossing and turning while sleep and during the night. What do you recommend?

[CarrieP]

I find if I tuck the tubing into the harness that she wears, it is never a prob. It is harder than you would think to kink up the tubing. I also put the pump site on her bottom... It keeps both the pump and the pump site on the same side of her body.... I also use Tegaderm tape to cover the site so that it can't be pulled out easily.

Happy pumping!!
CarrieP