Kids lunch - 3 yrs and 15 months

[BlooberryBiskits]

Hi All - could I please get a quick sense check on food for some kids age 3 & 15 months

Having an adult party at the weekend, there will be 3 x 3 yr olds (all summer born so I guess 3 yrs & 3 months or so) and 1 child of 15 months

Am planning a ‘kids table’ so can feed the kids and then they can play and adults can relax over our lunch with several glasses of wine. One of the mums (of one of the older kids) is a bit uptight about food /was horrified when I offered her DC a Fruit Shoot a few months ago so wanted to make sure I’m serving an inoffensive but balanced meal to the kids … all kids in my family are much older so can’t really remember what they ate!

Plan so far

• crudites (cucumber/carrot sticks, halved cherry Tom’s)
• dough balls
• plain humus, plain Philadelphia
• sliced mild cheese
• bread sticks
• ? sliced baguette & butter

(or could do sandwiches, or margherita pizza?)

• strawberries (and birthday cake later)

Is this enough? Do you think I should add something more high protein? Or more in the way of hot food? And will the smaller child be ok with these foods? (No allergies or SEN for any of the kids)

Drinks - water or apple juice

I also have both fruit winders & Pom bears in (for my older DNs) but I think these kids are a bit young for these?

It’s fine. Dear lord horrified over froot shoot. It’s a party! Nobody eats birthday cake every day but that’s fine at parties too.

Honestly, don't let 'horrified' woman knock your confidence.

The food sounds fine and if she doesn't like it, she can lump it.

I'd probably stick some ham in there as a cheese alternative though (in case not all of them like cheese).

Maybe put out some ham, cocktail sausages or halved boiled eggs. Most kids will eat those happily and uptight mum can always try to curate a plate if she has a problem with any of it.

Oh and every kid I've ever met has like sliced French baguette with butter. Sandwiches not so much, quite a few little kids have this weird thing where they like all of the parts of a sandwich but only if they are separated on the plate, not put together. Kids are odd little things.

There's no actual meal, just bread and bits. Is there an actual meal being provided?

Adults are having a roast dinner : I thought this might be a bit ambitious for the kids

^ thanks for this. I don’t think sandwiches are v exciting so will skip them

Thank you for the suggestions & support @HighlandPony ,@CheezePleeze and @FatAgainItsLettuceTime

Parents of the 15 mo are Jewish so maybe not the cocktail sausages - I will look for either veggie sausages or chicken goujons to add to the kids’ plate

I feel a bit bad about serving them a cold lunch but I also don’t fancy them wiping gravy stained fingers on my white sofa/curtains 😂

My kids would view that as snack food rather than a meal. I think it’s fine if the parents are grazing too but as they’re having a full meal I’d offer the kids a full meal.
Mine would love a roast and would try have my dinner in this scenario! So I’d either offer that or a pasta dish

My dcs would prefer a roast tbh altho that's their choice x they also eat cake crisps and have fruit shoots!
Just serve them a smaller portion. Less work for you

@Idontgiveagriffindamn : thank you for this, I did wonder. I think I will offer them some of the hot food as well as an option

I am going to do a roast dinner (chicken & lamb & nut roast). Was thinking I’d do 1 of the chickens with garlic, 1 without in case the kids fancied some

Re potatoes: roast ok at this age, or keep some back for mash?

Just message parents and say would your child prefer roast or nibbles.

I wouldn't eat a proper meal if my kids had a mini buffet. And still have to cook when i get home.

@Idontgiveagriffindamn & @WeeblesWibbleWobble : would you also say that for your 3 yo kids?

I grew up in a veggie household so don’t really know/not British origin and no such thing as kids separate food when I was growing up

For me roast potatoes are fine. As is a garlic chicken! Do a mini version of the adult dinner with the crudités and some sandwiches and then you have all bases covered.

Both of mine at 3 would eat a mini version of what we ate. Or all alternative hot meal - pasta, chicken nuggets or fish fingers. I’m often surprised how much they can polish off! Plus a well fed 3yo is a happy 3 yo and significantly less whingy. Which means a more positive vibe all around

Thank you @Idontgiveagriffindamn and others for advice

I was planning to have the adults have nibbles while the kids were having ‘lunch’ (the bread and bits)

So I think now I will lay out the table with kids nibbles 1 side, adult nibbles the other (obviously people can have from either) as a starter

Now thinking I will also put some of the main food out for the kids - when they are sitting down (adults can have their nibbles standing)

I would not want to serve the kids pasta instead of what we are having as it seems cheap. My idea in serving ‘nibbles’ was to have the kids eat first - but I guess they can just eat this hot food first too

One issue is that my table is going to be a massive squeeze so wanting to get the kids fed first either at main or a kids table and for them to play while we eat - as I’m trying to get 10 adults round a table that really fits 6!

Last question: guests are arriving about 12/12.30, was planning to get kids fed first then adult lunch around 1.30, cake around 3 perhaps

Would you offer the kids any snacks later - I expect parents will leave about 5, for a 45 min or so drive home

Adults will be having a cheese board either before or after the cake - nibbles for kids then?

Thinking about this some more, I think I will pick up a pack of chicken breasts for the kids as this will be easy/mess free

Is 1/2 a large breast an appropriate size for a 3yo (life long veggie so clueless, I guess most adults would eat 1-2 chicken breasts at a time?)

Ok so this is just based upon my kids / friends kids.
Let the parents know what time the kids will be fed lunch. Mine would normally eat around midday and I’d need to give then something mid morning if it were later than 12:30. Happy for them to eat later but need to be prepared.
If I had a 45 min journey I’d need to leave around 4pm to get back to feed them otherwise they’d be super hangry and no one would have fun for that last hour. But if you could after the snack meal you were going to have for lunch then that would be ideal. But I’d happily bring a sandwich / snacks for my children to keep them going as I long as I know about it.
However these children might have different routines.
It is lovely of you btw to try accommodate everyone.

Ok so this is just based upon my kids / friends kids.
Let the parents know what time the kids will be fed lunch. Mine would normally eat around midday and I’d need to give then something mid morning if it were later than 12:30. Happy for them to eat later but need to be prepared.
If I had a 45 min journey I’d need to leave around 4pm to get back to feed them otherwise they’d be super hangry and no one would have fun for that last hour. But if you could after the snack meal you were going to have for lunch then that would be ideal. But I’d happily bring a sandwich / snacks for my children to keep them going as I long as I know about it.
However these children might have different routines.
It is lovely of you btw to try accommodate everyone.

why not offer up something simple for a kids meal? Like nuggets?

I don't think a pasta dish would be seen as cheap. Only giving them nibbles and no proper meal seems more cheap to me IMO.

But yeah you could do a kids roast, it just seems like you are a bit unsure of how to go about it. Whereas I don't think I've met a kid who doesn't like pasta. Get some fresh penne, and make a sauce with passata, herbs, and lots of cooked veg all blitzed up so its 'hidden'. Takes about 20 minutes, is delicious and very nutritious. Grate some cheese that they can put on top too.

@Idontgiveagriffindamn : thank you. I get on well with the mum of the 3 yo DTs so I will ask her & check in with judgy mum 🤣

I was reluctant to do so as I think she will
just say ‘don’t go to any trouble’ BUT I very much agree with you that a well fed child is a non whingy child

I think I will do some nibbles & a kids hot meal early, & a second round of nibbles later on as you suggested for the kids as a snack - maybe along with the cake for them.

@JennyWI : thank you, I am afraid of being judged on the nuggets 😂 but will look for a healthy/organic goujon or chicken breast (so same thing really)

@Housenoob : thanks for this suggestion. It’s not the same thing, but if any of the kids want pasta I can do that quite easily as o have pesto/Tom sauce, so that’s a back up

I don't think not wanting a fruit shoot is uptight, I don't see the point in giving toddlers anything but water and milk and it's better for them not to realise there are alternatives at this age!

Agree with just doing more of the roast, with the nibbles alongside. Much better not to do totally separate food! For portion size, my DS of the same age ate 3 normal size sausages plus beans and mash and other veg/nibbles for tea. If they're hungry and like it they can put away a good amount.

Can you not have them on a kids table at the same time for ease?

Small children are fine with flavours like garlic! And just provide cloths/wipes and then they wont wipe gravy everywhere.

Also what are the kids doing while the adults are eating? I'd find that really awkward as DH and I would have to eat in shifts while the other looked after the kids. My DCs would definitely want to come and eat on our laps etc which would be really annoying! Maybe just do a buffet for everyone if you don't have room for everyone to sit?