Are you just counting down the days until summer with your kids. In as much as I love the summer, I think one of the most brilliant commercials ever made was this one (only 30 seconds): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvQO0jrRj6I ……and they ran a whole series of them……and you can bet it will be back again.
There are plenty of ideas for your child with diabetes; insulin kept in heat too long, diabetes devices falling into pools, check your back-ups—-but today, is an important and necessary message as I remind you of your other kids, while you tend to your child with diabetes.
Summertime, of course, comes with an entire list of ‘keep-an-eye-on’ aspects and you should always be ready for them. First and foremost be safe. Do not forget that while you are attending to your child with diabetes and their lows; you may have reacted and left that back door open that leads to the pool area. That is a huge invite to your younger ones so make sure that you have taken care of the details while you are needed elsewhere.
Also do not think you will be ‘only a minute’ and leave any young children unattended in a pool. Of course you would never do it normally; but when distracted for one emergency be ready to avoid another.
Arriving home from somewhere. You are pulling into your driveway and your child is having a reaction. I get it, you want to get to them right away but do not take one child inside and say to the other, “You stay right here, I’ll be right back,” Absolutely not. That car will heat up so quickly and you will have another big problem on your hands. It will take thirty extra seconds to get all children inside the house.
And speaking of inside the house……..
Especially when coming in from outside; make sure that all doors that need to be closed with a child-proof latch……..closes with the child proof latch. While you are tending to your child with diabetes, an unattended door can spell big trouble to a little one. Make sure the door gets closed.
This one is all year round but always remember that when your child calls you; stop and think, “I’m going to go to them, am I leaving what I am doing in a safe manner.” Sounds like a silly idea, but stop and always ask yourself and it will serve you well. Are you giving a child a bath, are you leaving a tool or a kitchen knife in an area that it can be grabbed?
Just stop, take a quick inventory, and go forwards. Anytime your child with diabetes calls out to you, or you get that feeling that you need to check on them, always think of one word: SIM. Stop Inventory Move. SIM as in; it’s SIMple. Stop Inventory Move.
It is a silly idea……a silly word……but do this every time you need to change your direction because diabetes is trying to get in the way; I promise you there will be one time that you will see an unlatched door, a knife in the wrong place, a screwdriver, or scissor left behind and you will be glad you took this SIMple step.
When called away, 3 seconds is all it will take. Stop. Inventory. Move. SIMple. Now go enjoy your summer.
I am a diabetes dad.
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