What food do I need for a 6 year old’s birthday party?

[WhatsTheTimeMrCat]

Specifically, do I need sweet stuff for the birthday tea? I’m out of practice at this thanks to Covid. Party is tomorrow but need to update online order for delivery in the morning.

So far, I’m planning:

• sandwiches (choice of ham and cheese)
• crisps (two types)
• pizza
• sausage rolls or cocktail sausages
• cucumber/carrot sticks
• maybe some strawberries, hulled.

Do I need biscuits/little cakes as well? I was planning to cut and serve the birthday cake at the party, and will also be handing round sweets as prizes.

The last party we had was for 4 year olds and the mini cupcakes were only half eaten with Smarties picked off various ones. The year I put out Party Rings, they went down well. This is the first party where I’ve only catered for kids, though, and I don’t want to end up wasting food!

Ditch the cucumber/carrot sticks as no one will eat them. Unless it’s to virtue signal to the other parents at which point respect and crack on. Have you asked about allergies? If not then a dairy free food option might be good like ham with vegan spread. Otherwise sounds pretty good. I’d probably get some biscuits but I don’t think they’re strictly necessary. Do you have drinks sorted?

Cheese and pineapple hedgehogs are standard at a children's party. Discovered I can eat quite a few of them. Yum!

I’d probably get some party rings and chocolate fingers. My girls would eat the carrot and cucumber so I’d still keep those. Maybe also do some jam sandwiches as well as ham and cheese ones, those 3 types are normally what’s on offer at soft play parties.

Definitely keep the cucumber and carrot sticks - they were the first things demolished at my DS’s last birthday tea

I think what you have planned sounds great.
Maybe add in some chicken nugs/strips.
And then yes I’d add in little cakes and party rings/Jaffa cakes.

I'd scrap all the finger food and literally do some pizzas and some chicken nuggets then sing happy birthday, cut the cake and have it as pudding

Minimal waste - I did that last time it worked much better and was cheaper plus no manky squashed cake in party bags

Crisps chocolate buttons Jaffa cakes lollies birthday caterpillar job done

From my experience I would ….
Half the number of sandwiches. I find they don’t get eaten! Although one year I did chocolate sprinkle sandwiches and jam sandwiches. Kids ate them, don’t think the parents were impressed! Don’t think you need pizza and sandwiches. One or other?
Don’t bother with the veg.
Individual jellies are good, or frubes, or individual mousses. One year I handed round ice poles and choc ices. Tip: Don’t give 20 five year olds choc ices. The mess was indescribable.

Party rings and chocolate fingers are always popular and disappear quickly. I've found fairy cakes never really get eaten.
I used to do mini fruit kebabs too- a cocktail stick with a strawberry, grape and blueberry on. These went down well too.

Keep the carrot and cucumber sticks always very popular at parties.

Virtue signalling? Not here. I’d be putting the hummus out in that case. DC1 is old enough to show me up and call me out if I do that.

Ok, sounds like we need some biscuits. Good shout on Jaffa cakes, not least because I think we have some in the house…

Drinks: I was going to do jugs of tap water and blackcurrant squash. Does that sound ok?

Allergies: I have checked and one mum has flagged an allergy. If anyone swans in on the day and announces little Frankenstein is dairy-free, I’ll shove the crisps at them.

Just checking in because this'll be us a day after you OP. Four yo's party but guests age 2-7. I was thinking of pre-plating things (covid, possibly overkill) and having:

Cheese and jam sandwiches (not in one!)
Babybel
Kids' yoghurt
Crackers/mini cheddars
Carrot and cucumber sticks
Mandarin/strawberries

Though there will be a lot of other snacky stuff available, and cake after.

Ham, jam, cheese sandwiches
Cheesy puffs/plain crisps
Carrots & cucumber sticks
Party rings/jammie dodgers / chocolate fingers

But actually we’ve done pizza & chips, ice cream.
And also hotdogs and ice cream cones (outdoors in summer)

You need party rings. Also I disagree about halving the amount of food - in my experience the parents hover up the leftovers!

We did individual jellies that went down well.

Might be too late for you OP but we did individual picnic bags so that they could take home anything they didn’t eat. We did a roll (cheese or ham), packet of crisps, carton of juice and the jelly. Then we cut the cake.

There’s usually so much food left at a kids buffet so I really cut back. We had a few spare rolls and they didn’t get eaten so they obviously had enough to eat.

Not hummus! I went to nephew’s party years ago, millions of kids double dipping in the hummus. At the end of the party dbil put the lids on the half eaten pots and took them home to avoid waste

Mine wants afternoon tea, so will be getting two bite brownies, some form of tart (bakewell or jam), fondant fancies and some iced cupcakes from the supermarket.

Along with various sandwiches, sausage rolls, and quiche.

Wotsits. Grapes. Cocktail sausages (no more than 3% meat content )

Oh god, nothing dippy.
Kids are revolting.

Pink wafers, party rings, jammy dodgers!
Ham, jam, cheese sandwiches
Or chocolate spread open sandwiches with sprinkles
Sausages
Crisps
Decorative fruit!

Definitely add party rings - it’s not a party without them!

Plus chocolate fingers is a good shout.

Keep the carrot and cucumber- add some pepper sticks. It will make you feel better about how much crap they eat. And talking crap, you appear to have forgotten jam sandwiches and /or Nutella sandwiches.

Grapes get eaten more than strawberries IME and are cheaper. (At 6 at least you no longer feel the pressure to cut them.)

You need a pudding. So biscuits and cakes. Don't bother with nice cakes, get some of the un-iced fairy cakes, mixture of vanilla and chocolate. Party rings, jammie dodgers, chocolate fingers and rich tea. Birthday cake is separate second pudding and often taken home.

Party Rings it is!

Definitely no dips.

I did wonder about picnic bags but haven’t got any so it will be good old helping yourself. I might be being a bit too relaxed about Covid but all bar one of them are in the same class and will be rolling around playing baby dinos or whatever else they do in the playground from Monday. Maybe I should put the big bottle of hand gel by the buffet?

Party rings or little bags of animal biscuits are good

I always make everything veggie usually. There always seems to be a kid who has just decided to give up meat and no one has mentioned it. We do have a lot of vegetarian kids round here though, plus this caters for the Muslim kids, but if that's not a requirement then sausages and sausage rolls definitely a winner

Interesting to see the love for ham sandwiches! Honestly have never seen those at a party. Nutella is out as we have an allergic child (I think his mum said peanuts rather than all nuts but I’m going safe and avoiding any nuts).

I like the idea of fruit kebabs! Pepper strips also a good shout, DC1 won’t touch them but sure others will.