Would you prefer individual lunch boxes or a buffet for toddlers?

[Embarrassedmumoftoddler]

Hi ladies

I’m hosting a 2nd birthday party soon and just wanted to get opinions on food….

The party is 10-12 so I was planning on doing individual lunch boxes for the little ones with a sandwich, toddler crisps, raisins - probably wasn’t going to bother with veg sticks as don’t they’ll get eaten but maybe some fruit. Obviously will take dietary requirements into account.

Anyway my thought process behind individual boxes was that it’s easier & quicker on the day for the parents to grab rather than a buffet. Also last year some of the Dads were really quite greedy and ate lots of the food I’d specifically put out for the children.

But I’m second guessing myself now and wondering if some of the mums might not like the food being pre-selected.

Was just wondering what you would prefer for your toddler ?

BTW for adults we will be doing pastries rather than a full lunch as i don’t know any adult who would eat lunch before 12.

Individual lunch boxes for sure, with poss some spare sandwiches in case of spilled water/dropped sandwich etc. And as you say something for adults to nibble to keep them away from the boxes! Some kids will eat, some won’t, as you say, give them something to get them through and let them do what they want to do.

Re veg sticks mine always did eat the cucumber, but that may just be them.

Lunch box type party food is great, we’ve been to a few parties with them, I would go with slightly over filling them: sandwich, sausage roll/cheese & onion roll, veggies/fruit, yoghurt/jelly, crisps, sweet treat…. Basically add whatever would be on offer for the buffet.

Re “the dads eating the party food” how odd, we’re 3 kids deep so we’ve been to a few kids parties, and I’ve never seen the parents eat/take food, only when told to do so by the host.

For toddlers I prefer a buffet. For 1 and 2 year olds different families may have different views on food, a buffet means they can select what they want for their child. Not all toddlers are great with sandwiches either, and some parents don’t like to feed them raisins. For that age I usually do things like a couple of sandwich options, cheese and crackers, cucumber sticks, lots of cut up fruit options (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, melon), toddler crisps, mini pizza slices.

Definitely lunchboxes, it's a party, if there's something they don't like they can remove it. Ask for sandwich preference in advance, then do pombears, orange, squeezy yoghurt/squeezy jelly, cheese, then raisins and a tiny sweet treat. You can do tiny bottles of water or fruit shoot. I used to put a large box of cookies from the supermarket bakery out for parents and do tea/coffee/soft drinks.

I think lunchboxes are easier but less enjoyable for some kids and you get a lot of waste as some kids will only eat the sandwich and not the crisps or don’t like the piece of fruit and so on. I prefer to do buffet style as it means everyone is happy and just picks what they want instead of having pre-selected stuff. I do as PP said, lots of different fruit (and not mixed into a fruit salad! Individual bowls of different types), some mini pizzas, sandwich options, cucumber, pepper and carrot sticks, cubed cheese, some ham/chicken, crisps. It’s always gone down really well and also means that adults can hoover up after (I’ve never had parents eat stuff before kids have finished with the food!).

Deffo lunch boxes! My kids are older and it was always buffets at parties. Kids would take handfuls of crisps, or multiple sandwiches, and just take one bite and the rest would go in the bin. The first time I saw lunch boxes being served instead I thought it was absolute genius. Yes there will be some waste, but I think it's actually less than at a buffet with that age.

Lunchboxes. Stops grubby fingers, easier to control any allergies and stops over eating and parents eating!

Lunchboxes at parties are always a bit miserable and a lot gets wasted. Much more fun for the kids to pick what they want.

We bought a load of happy meals one year the kids loved them

That's a great idea and much more hygienic as well. Watermelon is great for parties although youll need to flick the seeds out.

Mine always went for cucumber sticks first and knew they had to have at least 1 carrot stick.

I liked lunchboxes having tried both. But you could put something like a pizza out for adults and any kids that wanted them.

Have a buffet. A buffet for 2-year-olds should be hilarious.

To be honest most 2 year olds at a party will just eat some Wotsits and a handful of strawberries.
Do a buffet. That way if the kids aren't interested the adults can dig in.

These are some good ideas thank you.

And I know i was quite shocked too especially as we had a separate table for the adults food and there was plenty of it !! Unfortunately there was one dad in particular that acted as if he’d never seen a buffet before ! He also drank way more than his fair share of the beer we put out. I suppose there is always one.

As a side note, I’m hoping this might be the last party where both parents attend ?!? I didn’t really expect all the dads to come last year until they all rsvp’d to say the dads would be coming ! We don’t ever socialize with the dads aside from doing the antenatal class.

I prefer buffet but a lot of parents can't respect the food isn't for them so lunch boxes.

Lunch boxes are cute and also more hygienic

I can see why a lunchbox is easiest for you and less food overall prob, but that assumes every toddler eats everything and with a buffet there is leeway for one to only eat cucumber, one to only eat cheese etc 😂

And then there’s the party where my DS sat at the tea table in front of the large serving dish of cheese sandwiches long after all the other 2 year olds had gone to play - and solemnly took one cheese sandwich off the platter, took one bite, put the sandwich down on his plate, then reached to the platter for the next cheese sandwich, etc. I think he maybe got through about 20 little triangle sandwiches, all with just one bite taken out of them, before I spotted it and stopped him.

😂

If parents are there and can help their child choose, I'd go for that. I think you'll get a lot who won't eat something in the box. ie my DD would have want certain sandwich fillings and lots of veggie sticks, she'd hate the raisins and maybe wouldn't want the crisps. I know a lot of children that won't eat sandwiches, but may eat a sausage roll, but then others won't.

Make it clear it's for children only, and if anyone has more than a nibble of something, jokingly saying I only did children's food as it's for them.

I’d prefer a buffet as I think the lunchboxes are too much faff. Let them choose what they want to eat and yes, mine always loved the veg and the fruit. But I think lunchboxes are fine, just unnecessary expense and waste. Kids won’t care either way though.

Buffet for me so we can snatch a few bites! At age 2 they won't remember 👍