The Beyond Type 1 2018 Gift Guide!


 2018-11-20

Welcome to the Beyond Type 1 Gift Guide for all the must-have diabetes goodies of the 2018 Holiday Season! What better time to treat your favorite type 1 diabetes (T1D) (or treat yourself!) to some cool new diabetes swag? Gone are the days of ugly meter cases and not-so-fun accessories—there are so many great products for type 1’s out there! Check out some of our offices top picks below:

 

1.  A new medical ID is always a great gift! Lauren’s Hope, Poppy Medical, RoadID and Universal Medical ID all have hundreds of options, so you’re bound to find one. Check out our “Medical ID Guide” here for more.

2. PumpPeelz has a wide variety of fun stickers + covers for nearly every diabetes device out there, and plenty of holiday Peelz to choose from.

3. MedAngel ONE is the best tool to manage the temperature of your insulin. It consists of a wireless thermometer you store with your insulin and an app (for iPhone + Android) that monitors the temperature of your insulin. Some of the coolest features? You will receive alerts if the temperature approaches or exceeds a safe level, there is a built-in medication database of EU and US insulins (along with many other medications), you can see the history of your medications, and it is waterproof! Get MedAngel ONE here.

4. The Holiday season is the perfect time to grab a new bag for all your diabetes supplies, and what better company than Myabetic? With a huge variety of bags + cases in practically every color and size, there truly is one for everyone. We’re thrilled to be carrying Myabetic in our store, ShopTheDrop, so head on over to check out some of our top bags, such as the James Compact Case (seen above), the Banting Diabetes Wallet and the Thompson Diabetes Travel Carry-All—an excellent choice for traveling with all those supplies!

5. A SPIBelt is a great accessory if you’re looking for something to hold a diabetes device such as a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) or pump (there is a little hole for tubing to go through, so handy!) on your person. These come in both adult and child sizes, and can be worn anytime—for school, for playtime or for a workout.

6. Say goodbye to painful fingerpricks with the Genteel Lancing Device. While this baby might look intimidating, it truly makes those pricks hurt a little less. It can be used on nearly any part of the body, comes in multiple colors and includes fun stickers to decorate with! Take our word, your fingers will thank you.

7. The Diabetic Survivor x Beyond Type 1 sticker sheets are the cutest way to jazz up your life. Stick these anywhere—your computer, phone, pump, diabetes bag—and you’ll smile every time you see one and are reminded what a diabadass you are. Make sure you check out the “Peace, Love, Insulin” stickers and the Beyond Type 1 sticker sheet as well.

8. Did the Grinch steal your pancreas? Then this shirt is for you! Hop on over to The Sugars shop to find this and other hilarious diabetes-themed shirts that will make you truly want to rock your diabetes. Diabadass Designs also has some great options.

9. Gift a Sun Basket membership to the T1D who likes to make healthy, delicious meals quickly and easily. These meal kits contain organic produce, clean ingredients and responsibly sourced meats + seafoods. There are a variety of meal plans to pick from including Paleo, Gluten Free, Vegan and diabetic-friendly. Each recipe includes nutrition facts—meaning yes, carb counts! Often one of the most difficult parts about cooking for yourself is figuring out the carbs, and this takes the guesswork out. Pick your meals each week and get your 100 percent recyclable + compostable box delivered straight to your door. Easy peasy.

10. Indulging in a few cocktails this Holiday Season just got a lot easier with BeMixed – an all-natural, zero-calorie, sugar-free cocktail mixer. We love the Moscow Mule made with the Ginger + Lime BeMixed mixer—a cozy cocktail for the chilly holidays! See our recipe here and find BeMixed here.

11. Jerry the Bear is a must-have for any kid (or adult!) with T1D. If you don’t know about Jerry yet, meet him here and find him on Shop The Drop here. Already have a Jerry? Pick up some new pump stickers here, or get another T1D stuffed animal and adopt Percy, our Snail Mail Mascot, here!

12. Dr. Remedy’s Enriched Nail Care is a line of specially formulated nail care products including 40 different shades of nail color, base coat, top coat, anti-fungal cuticle care and nail hydration. The doctors behind this nontoxic, vegan, cruelty-free line selected a special blend of ingredients including tea tree oil and wheat protein to nourish the nails, while leaving out the toxins stuff like formaldehyde and phthalates. Try the “Revive Ruby Red” for a fun Holiday pop.

13. If you haven’t seen Bike Beyond: The Documentary yet, you are missing out! Head to Shop The Drop to order your DVD and be prepared to be inspired by the 20 type 1 diabetics who cycled across the USA in the summer of 2017.

14. Looking for something luxurious? The 5-in-1 KYT Bag is the gift for you! Handcrafted in bovine leather with a faux-suede interior that can easily be wiped down (goodbye, inevitable blood stains!) and with two distinct compartments to organize your life and medical essentials separately, this bag is both stylish and functional. You can adapt the bag to change your needs, attach the strap to both compartments, attach it to one or the other, or ditch it and carry a clutch. Bonus? A portion of each sale benefits Beyond Type 1! You can shop and give back at the same time.

A few other great gift ideas include:

15. The official Beyond Type 1 Drop Hat, essential for any T1D or supporter (parent, grandparent, aunt, cousin, partner, friend) of a type 1.

16. A Real Good Foods Variety Pack of low-carb, high-protein Cauliflower Crust Pizza, Enchiladas, or Poppers. Real Good Foods products are gluten free, grain free, high protein and have very few carbs. It can be hard to find a guilt-free, low-carb pizza, but these do the trick.

17. For the type 1 who loves adventure, could benefit from some bonding time with other T1Ds, the gift of a Beyond Type 1 x Connected in Motion Slipstream Ticket is perfect! With four locations throughout the US and Canada in 2019, you’re guaranteed to find one that works. Check ’em out here.

18. One of our favorite books for diabetes is Bright Spots & Landmines by Adam Brown. Adam Brown’s acclaimed diaTribe column, Adam’s Corner, has brought life-transforming diabetes tips to over 1 million people since 2013. In this highly actionable guide, he shares the food, mindset, exercise and sleep strategies that have had the biggest positive impact on his diabetes—and hopefully yours too! Bright Spots & Landmines is filled with hundreds of effective diabetes tips, questions and shortcuts, including what to eat to minimize blood sugar swings; helpful strategies to feel less stressed, guilty and burned out; and simple ways to improve exercise and sleep. Learn more and grab your copy here!

19. For the type 1 who loves to run, the Type One Run Drawstring Bag is a fun + useful present. These durable bags are great for bringing your gear to your next run or race, and showing your love for Type One Run!

20. Can’t find the perfect present? Luckily, we’ve got you—a Shop The Drop gift card is the best thing to get the type 1 who you don’t know how to shop for. Shop The Drop has a whole slew of fun products to show your Beyond Type 1 pride!

WRITTEN BY Mary Lucas, POSTED 11/20/18, UPDATED 07/25/23

Mary was diagnosed with type 1 in 1998 at the age of seven and has been active in the type 1 community ever since. She started at Beyond Type 1 in July 2015. She has run the 2017 + 2018 TCS New York City Marathon with Beyond Type Run, raising over $16K. Mary attended Parsons the New School for Design in New York where she studied fashion design with a focus in childrenswear, and studied abroad at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Prior to Beyond Type 1, Mary was a freelance designer and photographer, working most notably with Myabetic and Refinery29. She has also worked at Women’s Wear Daily, Fashionista and Mel Ottenberg Studio. She is passionate about living well with type 1 diabetes (T1D), finding a cure, growing Beyond Type 1 and her French Bulldog Lola! Check out more from Mary on her instagram @MaryAlessandraa