At the age of thirteen, I started babysitting for children with diabetes whose parents needed some well-deserved time off. In the process, I have learned a great deal about making the experience go smoothly.

I gained my first experience by caring for my little brother, Danny, who was diagnosed with diabetes when he was seven years old and I was ten. I went to all the initial training meetings at the hospital because I wanted to help, and I have played a growing role in taking care of him ever since. Eventually, I learned to babysit Danny alone when my parents needed to go out for a night.

Parents of a child with diabetes can think about leaving him with a responsible babysitter once he (or a sibling) can give himself shots and test his own blood sugar. But the babysitter will still need both verbal and written guidance from the parents. By following the tips that I have listed below, parents can make it much easier for their babysitter to do a good job.

Ask the babysitter to come an hour early the first time so that you can talk to her about diabetes.

Make sure that she knows where all the diabetes supplies are, just in case the child can't find his glucose monitor, test strips, or other supplies.
Demonstrate to the babysitter how your child tests and gives himself a shot.
Explain the meal plan and lay out the foods that need to be eaten. Advise the babysitter about what to do if the child decides he is not hungry.
Explain the signs of a low blood sugar and go over what to do if the child's blood sugar is low.
Create a timeline.

Include testing times, eating times, and injection times, in addition to bedtimes of the child and any siblings.
Set a timer for the next thing on the list. When everyone is playing or watching TV, it is hard to pay attention to the clock.
Type up an information sheet.

Leave your cell phone numbers, informed neighbors/family's phone numbers, and the doctor's number. Make sure you stress that the babysitter should call without hesitation if she has a question.
Write down what happens when your child experiences a low blood sugar and how to detect it.
Babysitting can be a lot of fun for both the sitter and the child, and it can give exhausted parents some needed time off. If the parents create a careful plan and prepare the babysitter well, diabetes need not get in the way of a good time for both parents and children.

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