We currently put Samson’s phone inside a pouch sewn to the back of an undershirt, so that he can’t reach it and play with it.
But he’s getting to the age that he might soon be able to read his BG numbers, understand them, and maybe even act on them. And he’s getting too old for undershirts – or at least in SF. And we don’t really want him “using” a phone at this age; he’s too young for his own phone.
I was thinking of getting him a smartwatch that can act as his receiver once he starts kindergarten in 6 months. But I’m wondering if it’s over the top for a 5-year-old to have an Apple watch? Is there a high risk that some older kid is going to bully him and steal it? Or do you think that’s not a concern? Or maybe it will just be ginormous on him?
We thought about it a lot when my son was in 4th/ 5th grade. We did not do it in the end, because he is very poor at keeping track of his gear and loses everything. We thought a small watch would be easier to lose, and also very easy to break.
But I am not sure if we were right. He has never lost his glucose phone, an Apple XE.
I don’t think the prestige watch is an issue though. When kids start getting phones, half of them have iPhones… (Small WI village, not very high income).
I have heard surprisingly little from Dexcom on this. Of recent. Although perhaps I missed some talk from the company. In any event, (at this point) I would not hold my breath waiting on a Dexcom provided direct communication from the transmitter to the Apple Watch.
If anybody is looking for a watch to act as an independent collector then @docslotnick is probably the best place to start.
My son uses the apple watch, but it is pretty large which is fine for a 15 year old…
The watch cannot act as its own collector, which is a bummer.
The plus side is that every time he looks at it, he sees his blood glucose numbers right in the middle of the watch face. No buttons to push or anything like that.
If you want to go watch as a collector you have to move to the dark side. (xDrip+).
I still do not have a Dexcom for my son because I can’t figure out in my mind how to keep a phone/receiver on him and - well - we just test a lot. I like your suggestion of sewing it into a shirt.
I’m totally willing to do the dark side But are there watches that are collectors for Android Wear AND not ginormous? I think @docslotnick mentiond one once, but when I looked into it it was almost the size of Samson’s head
I feel like what I’m aiming for is a tiny little watch that could serve as the collector. And at the least will display his numbers all the time so he’s aware of them.
@TiaG Aside from the Sony Smart Watch 3, which is huge even for me, there are other Android watches that will work as xDrip collectors–with a bit of tweaking. One of them may be suitable for Samson.
At this point if a big gaudy watch is ok, then the Finow Q1 pro is a good way to go to eliminate the phone for an uploader. It’s a full blown Android 6.0 device in the size of a watch. I’ve heard that many people are using it successfully,and the thing is only $75.
I will say that when I got Eric the Apple watch and he deployed it with the Dex numbers on the face, his control increased substantially. Even his CDE commented on how much better it was with the watch than without it. He misses the alerts/info on the phone a lot. Not as much on the watch.
Also it comes in two sizes - so maybe the small one would work? Apple care and an insurance plan would probably be wise.
Anyhow, even without acting as the collector it’s been helpful at our house.
What about the Sony SW 3? That’s what we were considering for Liam when (if) he does public school. Having a watch that can serve as a collector saves a lot of trouble in needing to also have a phone and have that close to him at all times.
The way I look at it is…if Liam can sport the POD, he can sport the smart watch. I have one of the largest watch face watches in the world (a Diesel watch, the “Big Daddy”…66mm watchface.) Some of the taller people on this site may say I’m compensating for something. I’m OK with that and that may be true. But I’ve always liked large watch faces. I’ll just teach Liam to like (and learn to wear in style), large watch faces, if it is; indeed, large. It’s a trade off.
haha! Samson’s pretty tiny though. Also he’s very particular about his outfits lately so I guess we’d have to show it to him first to make sure he thinks it’s “sporty” (his new favorite fashion term).
Liam is small too. I saw the recent photo you posted at the waterfall in Vancouver (I think that’s where it was?
now I don’t remember and my memory is horrible…I hope I got this right), and Liam is about Samsons size I would say.
FYI - going on year 3, and Liam STILL hates change-outs of the POD…he doesn’t mind the CGM as much. he still screams bloody murder. I am over the frustration and sadness I once felt during every change because I’ve just gotten used to it and accepted it for what it is…he hasn’t accepted it at all yet.
Correction: I think the phone does have to be in range for apps as well as calls. I answered that based on the fact my watch still does lots when I head down the road for exercise. So I headed down the road for exercise today… and realized I bring my phone with me.
Going to try to refrain from answering technology questions for now. And forever.
But are there watches that are collectors for Android Wear AND not ginormous? I think 
But I’ve always liked large watch faces. I’ll just teach Liam to like (and learn to wear in style), large watch faces, if it is; indeed, large. It’s a trade off.
I am over the frustration and sadness I once felt during every change because I’ve just gotten used to it and accepted it for what it is…he hasn’t accepted it at all yet.