Question from Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA:

My boyfriend’s son, who is almost five years old, has had type 1 diabetes for just over a year and a half. He goes back and forth from his mom’s house to his dad’s house weekly, with four days at his mom’s and three days at his dad’s. Since he was diagnosed, his mom has only done his shots in his butt. She gives him 19 shots a week, and his dad gives him nine, four a day. His dad rotates the shots between his arms and legs.

From what I’ve read, this is an unhealthy rotation plan, but his mom refuses to rotate his sites because he tells her that they hurt anywhere else, although he does not complain about them hurting when his dad injects them in his arms and legs. His dad and I are very confused as to what we should do and the doctors did not touch the subject much when we consulted them. Is this healthy or normal? Is there something that we can do to help her rotate injection sites and make it easier for the child? We don’t understand why it is such an issue when his mom tries to rotate, but not when his dad does.