Bday party with no sarnies?

[MassiveSalad22]

Party tomorrow and just thought I can probably get away with no sarnies?

5 year olds. Party is 2-4pm. Party lunchbox with pombears, mini choc fingers and juice box, plus the party favour and a cupcake to choose on the way out.

Does this seem measley? Purposefully chose that time slot tbh to avoid doing a full meal.

Want to avoid as much waste as poss - have borrowed proper cups, all paper decorations etc. I have bought the stuff for sandwiches but we’ll easily use it up through the week. Just hate the thought of platters of rejected sarnies!

Order a big pizza instead 🙂

I did a few sandwiches for the five year olds at DS’s birthday, and a Halloween party. How many got eaten? 2. Who ate those? Parents.

You are fine to slip them. Sausage rolls or mini sausages might be a better bet, though they didn’t eat those at mine either (they were cold though, hot ones might have gone down better).

I’d have given mine a light snack at lunchtime because I’d expect them to eat at the party.

It doesn’t have to be sandwiches but there does need to be something other than crisps and chocolate fingers

Actually this is great advice. Went to a 3 year old’s soft play party a couple of years ago, and the only food on offer was a big pizza cut into squares, but everyone seemed really happy with it (presumably not the vegans and coeliacs, so know your audience, but otherwise pizza is a great option).

Yes you definitely need to give them something that counts as food. Sandwiches, pizza slices, nuggets, hot dogs… I did a party 2-5 recently and was asked if they would need tea afterwards. Luckily I had planned on feeding them properly

It’s a bit miserly.. I’d get sausage rolls / veggie ones - if they don’t get eaten you can freeze and reheat for your kids tea when you CBA. Much less hassle than making sandwiches

I'd think it was a bit measly tbh and normally would give DDs a smaller lunch expecting that they'd be eating at the party. It doesn't have to be sandwiches....sausage rolls/pizza/nuggets anything like that always seems to go down well.

I'm surprised you're saying you're a #snob and don't like beige party food though when you're basically offering then crisps, chocolate fingers and a cupcake as their meal 🤣

What's a party box???
Food is Normally just on jelly, fairy cakes crisps and popcorn on the table

I’d say add pizza too. It doesn’t need to be hot.

A cardboard box, like a happy meal - means you don’t have to watch that everyone gets enough of everything. There’s always that one child that eats all the crisps.

We just had a 5 yr old’s party. We did those small brioche rolls two thirds of them cheese and one third ham. All the children took one and I don’t think there was much waste.

I've held birthday parties (at home) and the secret to getting the little darlings to eat sandwiches is to not bring the other food out until they have eaten the savoury stuff.

"I'm surprised you're saying you're a #snob and don't like beige party food though when you're basically offering then crisps, chocolate fingers and a cupcake as their meal 🤣"

This ^

Give them some nuggets, mini pizzas, cocktail sausages etc.

You have to do a few sandwiches or what will the starving / pregnant parents eat

I think party box is a Happy Meal type thing with sandwich instead of burger.

When my oldest nephew was around 10 he had a Happy Meal each for him and his friends plus Cake

I think that's fine. The children will have already eaten lunch and will be getting dinner after they leave. They don't need an extra meal. I would just put on bowls of crisps, some chocolate finger and snack like things. More time for playing!

Really don’t like the beige party buffet offerings I’m afraid #snob

Sandwiches particularly ham and jam, crisps and chocolate biscuits are the backbone of the beige party buffet!

No cheese and pineapple hedgehog?

I am just back from a 4yo’s birthday party and sandwiches were demolished.

@MassiveSalad22
I mean yeah it does sound Measely
Making sandwiches is no great shakes is it really.
Just do the Pom bears and treat and drink but it does need padding out

Dairy lea dunkers/ lunchables
Cook some pizzas
Make some sandwiches
Mini sausages
Sausage rolls
Cubes of cheese
Veggie sticks maybe??

But yeah that would be preety pathetic on its own my kids would be starving

We went to a party 1-3 a while back and they did NO FOOD
The kids were all starving it was in a social club room so I went round to the bar and ordered chips, nuggets and beans for my 3 kids and brought it round it was horrendous

Open sliced fingers of Buttered bread with hundreds and thousands sprinkled on top, not too many, they're just sugar, but looks good.

My kids would love that but it depends how you've described it to parents. If you said snacks on the invite it is okay but if they come expecting birthday tea and don't plan tea at home afterwards they might be annoyed.

I gave up on sandwiches for kids parties as they weren’t getting eaten. I don’t think your food boxes have enough food though. We tried boxes one year but found it wasn’t enough for some kids and wasteful for others. Went back to plates of food on a buffet table. Cold pizza slices go down well and less effort than sandwiches.

Chocolate spread sandwiches drools how can you deprive 5 year olds of that? That is inhumane!

Hmm well I haven’t described anything to the parents as whenever I receive an invite for a party 2-4 I would give the kids meals as normal at lunch and tea time. Have asked some friends and they said skip the sandwiches 😄 but I think I might go pizza route.

And you’re right, I’m a hypocrite as sandwiches are beige food. But as this thread shows, I am trying to get away from even the sandwiches 😄 but am going to probably embrace both the sandwiches and the pizza.

Lunch box things are already here so I’m not changing that. Will have the party favour in and they can take away any food they don’t eat in them. And they’re themed 😉

Have spent £250 on the entertainer so hopefully people won’t think I’m a total cheapskate!