My son will turn five the week before kindergarten starts in September. Who is responsible for counting carbohydrates at lunch? Here, all kindergarten is full-day and his school has a full-time nurse on staff. However, my son is not a reliable witness regarding how much of his lunch he eats. So, how will the nurse know how much insulin to give him if she doesn’t know how much he ate?

School lunch menus should be provided in advance with carbohydrate counts and other nutrition information. Work with your school nurse and food service manager to determine what your child will eat (kids are creatures of habit which makes it somewhat easier and more predictable) and also to determine which school staff member will be responsible for monitoring your child’s intake. Since this is a younger child, you should work with your child’s provider to determine if giving insulin after carbohydrate intake will achieve a better outcome as well as the appropriate insulin to carbohydrate ratio for the school day. For more information call 1-800-DIABETES and review our web page on School Discrimination.

CJ

[Editor’s comment: Were your son to take a lunch from home, be sure you write on the lunch bag or include a note in the lunch box indicating the number of carbohydrates for the food you are providing. Be as specific as possible, i.e. 1/2 turkey sandwich – 12 grams; 11 grapes – 15 grams, etc.

BH]