Babysitting, Food, and Food Law

I’ve blogged about babysitting before (and the related “when can I leave my child home alone” question) and here is more babysitting news from an unlikely, but logical, source: the Splendid Table. Last night’s (12/30/07) program had a segment on the Nanny Nutrition Dilemma (And Babysitters a Mouse Click Away), with a link to Sitter City (and their library of articles).

Long gone, sadly, are the times when babysitting meant playing with the kids, sharing a snack, putting them to bed, and then combing the shelves for books your parent didn’t have on their own shelves (or at least not on their open shelves). I grew up in a very progressive, academically-inclined, and diverse community so babysitting reading material was an education in itself.

Now you must think about food allergies – and the accompanying lawsuits and insurance if you, the babysitter, don’t follow instructions or if you, the parent, don’t behave like, well, parents.