Bayer Didget Glucose Meter Review

The Bayer Didget is arguably the only blood glucose meter designed exclusively for children. What a concept, huh? The whole purpose of this meter is to motivate children to take responsibility for their glucose level testing. How do you motivate a child? Make it fun.

How is this done? After testing, the user can plug the meter into the Nintendo DS or DS Lite. Points are provided for good results and the number of test you perform (up to 4 a day are rewarded, but you can do more). The points you get can be used to get better game features and customize their playing experience.

The glucose monitor’s premise is that if kids get rewarded for testing an glucose control, then everybody wins. Or do they? Let’s take a closer look.

Key Advantages

• Video Game Tie-In: I will give huge kudos to Bayer for integrating a video game into the meter testing process. Seriously, no one else has done it (that I am aware) and it shows that at least one big company is putting its efforts behind coming up with creative solutions to helping kids cope with diabetes. Most other meter companies simply provide different colors for their meters then anoint them as “kid friendly.”
• Community Tie-In: If you don’t want to use the points with the Nintendo video game, Bayer is setting up a community based site where points can be used. Points are earned for testing within personal preset ranges, number of daily tests, and testing consistency. Kids can then use these points to play online video games with other kids and other cool features.
• Dual Mode: The meter comes with an advanced and basic mode. For younger testers, the basic mode gets the job done. As your child gets older, you can implement more advanced testing and tracking options.

Disadvantages

• Setup Ease: Maybe I am showing my age, but the meter takes a bit to set up prior to testing. This is a little odd given that it is aimed at children. Once you are set up, the meter does get easier to use. Of course, my six year old is already starting to know about how to use my phone and iPad more than me, so take this one with a grain of salt.
• No BackLight: There is no backlight on this meter.
• No AST: There is no alternative site testing. You only can test with your finger tip.

Test Strips

The Bayer Didget is based on the Contour glucose meter. As such, you use Contour Test Strips with this meter. For the latest prices, check out my Diabetic Test Strip Deals page.

Other Consideration

First, I like dealing with a bigger company when choosing medical products for children. This is because Bayer has a 24/7 customer service line which can help you if you are experiencing difficulties with the meter. Some of the other smaller blood glucose monitor companies do not have this service and that makes me nervous at 8:00 pm on a Saturday.

Second, even though this meter is just for kids, all you concerned mom’s and dad’s can still download the results to Bayer’s management software GlucoFacts. GlucoFacts is free and just for adults! This helps you keep track of how your kids are doing.

Bottom Line

As a kid oriented product, Bayer has a winner here. I would like the set up to be a little easier. For example, Agamatrix allows you to program meter settings from the computer in a very easy interface, then synch with the meter.

Otherwise, Bayer has done a good job making a difficult process and situation better. In the end, that seems to be the whole purpose for a product like this.

Technical information