Choosing Caregivers for Children with Diabetes

Contributed by

Kelly Alladina, RN, CDE 

Giving up control of your child’s diabetes to someone else is not easy to do. Many parents worry about sending a child with diabetes off to daycare or school, to a sleepover or even leaving the child at home for a date night. Remember, though…you MUST take care of yourself as well. Diabetes is a lot of work and parents also need a break!  In addition, kids with diabetes need to be KIDS.  They should get to do all the fun stuff their friends get to do. And although this may seem worrisome to you, these things are very important for your health and your child’s health. 

When the time comes to send them off, it is very important to keep the following things in mind: 

• Whether it is the school nurse, daycare teacher, babysitter or a fellow mom who will be taking care of your child, they should be trained in diabetes management. Important topics include: 

• Signs and symptoms of high and low blood sugar 
• When to check blood sugars 
• How to check a blood sugar or assist the child with checking a blood sugar using a blood sugar meter 
• How to treat a low blood sugar with a carbohydrate source 

• Use of glucagon for emergency low blood sugar 
• What to do during exercise 
• When and how to check ketones 
• When and how to administer insulin 
• If the caregiver will be overseeing meals/snacks, how to count carbohydrates and calculate the insulin dose 

• Depending on the length of time your child will stay with the caregiver, some of the above topics may need to be covered more in depth 
• It may be helpful to keep a notebook or binder with important information and emergency contacts with the child 

If you are having trouble finding a trustworthy candidate to care for your child with diabetes, you may try contacting community organizations such as Camp Kudzu or JDRF. Sometimes it is helpful to attend a local support group to network with other parents who have gone through the same process. Many parents even connect with babysitters or caregivers through diabetes Facebook groups. Lastly, you can search on babysitter/nanny databases such as Care.com. 

Once you have found someone you can trust with your child, you may wish to train this person on diabetes management by yourself. If you or the caregiver would like more formal training, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta offers a Diabetes Caregiver Class specifically for this reason. Visit the CHOA website at www.choa.org/diabetes or call (404) 785-4841 for more information on the class. 

Remember…it takes a village to care for a child with diabetes. Enlist the help of others so that you and your child can keep a happy, healthy outlook on diabetes!