Dining with a diabetic kid

[OffToTheMouseHouse]

Hi everybody! I'm taking my diabetic 10 yo to Disney for a week in January. We already have ADRs for every night. Is it important to put a note on the ADR that he is diabetic? I've read that the chefs will come out and give you general info about meal choices, although they aren't much help about carb counts.

I was planning to just wing it with my CalorieKing. I'm more worried about the snacks than meals.

thanks!

[OneLittleSpark]

Hey there! I'm not diabetic but my condition is affected by my blood sugars, so I'm used to the sugar-free world of Disney!

If you have ADRs booked, it won't do any harm to let them know that one member of your party is diabetic. That way they can advise you on the best foods to go for, and warn you of any hidden nasties. You might also want to drop an email to Brenda Bennett ( Brenda.Bennett@disney.com ), as she should be able to give you some useful pointers.

Remember that the heat and exercise of Disney will probably put more stresses on your child's body. Make sure you check blood sugar regularly; keep hydrated; keep cool; and carry a few emergency snacks with you, in case you get 'caught short' in a line (I found thing a lot easier after I started doing this). A bottle of Gatoraid might also come in handy.

You will be able to find plenty of low-carb options on the menus, especially if your child is happy eating meat (I'm a veggie, which just adds a whole new layer of 'fun' to things). As a 10 year old, they should be able to manage the adult portions, but still not feel underfed on the kids' menu (actually, I often went for the kids' options, and I'm in my twenties!). The little apple symbol next to a restaurant on the park maps denotes a place with healthy options, which might be of some help.

Can your child cope with sugar-free treats, or are artificial sweeteners a problem (I know they are for some diabetics)? If they're OK with 'fake sugar', there are loads of sugar free treats around Disney. All of the big ice cream places (i.e. the buildings, not the carts or stands) have at least 1 sugar free ice cream on offer - I recommend the pecan, it's delicious! The bakeries all have sugar-free cakes (the brownies are lovely), and the sweet shops have a few different sugar free options.

Hope this helps somewhat. I know there are a number of diabetics on this board, so I'm sure they'll come and give you some more information soon!

[OffToTheMouseHouse]

I will email her - thanks! My son has been diabetic since he was 3, so he's pretty used to sugar free/artificial sweetened snacks. As long as it's within reason, I'd rather let him eat special snacks and just cover it with insulin. Unfortunately the trick to that is actually knowing the carb counts.

I know we'll have a fabulous time. I just want to keep his sugar under control to help him feel his best while he's soaking up the magic

[pudge the fish]

I carb count and I just assume that a banana at WDW has the same carbs as a banana at home
(it just tastes better at WDW!
I kinda eyeball serving sizes and know that a serving of potatoes has ____ carbs, and a bun has ___ carbs. I also have the calorie king guide and use that. Not perfect, but very good in my opinion.

the heat & all that walking can really mess with tests

I have issues in Epcot sometimes- have to stop and rest a bit- a bit of powerade helps.

Have a blast and enjoy!

[daneenm]

Originally Posted by OffToTheMouseHouse

As long as it's within reason, I'd rather let him eat special snacks and just cover it with insulin.

This is what we do as well. This is the reason i DO NOT put that DS has T1D on our ressies. I am sure the chef will bend over backward to accommodate him with sugar free stuff, but we choose to have him eat as we eat and save sugar free for the few occasions he might have soda. In fact. many sugar free items have nearly as many carbs as their 'regular' counterparts.

I didn't even take my book with me. Most things that DS eats are fairly standard (chicken fingers, hot dog, pizza) and those that were not, we were able to guess pretty well.

We found the heat and activity to play much more havoc with his BGs than the food itself. Dialed way back on our IC ratios while we were there.

Have a great time.

[SueM in MN]

It doesn't sound like you need this information, but just pointing out that there are some helpful links, including past discussions about diabetes in post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread (there is a link in my signature or you can find the thread near the top of this forum).

being a nurse, but not having diabetes, my question to you would be:
If you have a note about diabetes on your ADRs, what do you expect them to do with the information - what actions would they take based on the information?

If your answer is, "I can't think of anything," then it probably doesn't make sense to put a note on because they ask each time and will want to 'do' something with the information.
If you have specific things you want them to do or you want to talk to the chef each time, then I would add the note.
As you already read, they won't give carb counts, but will answer general questions about ingredients or how something is prepared. But, you would not need a note on the ADR to do that if you only need to occasionally - just tell your server that you need to talk to the chef with some questions.