to think party food does not need to be healthy/ eaten savory before sweet

[MikeRotch]

what IS with the party food nazis/
let the kids NOT have veg for ONE meal fgs, let them eat three cupcakes and NO sandwiches

its a party

YANBU to think it doesn't matter if for one day they eat a load of crap, but I don't see the logic in the idea that it makes the party more fun if ONLY crap is provided.

DS1 would be disappointed to find no ham sandwiches and always goes for the dippy veggy things when they are provided. Especially where under 5s are concerned I don't think it's that great to see nothing half-decent at all on offer. However, I certainly wouldn't force it to be eaten, so far I haven't needed to but I realise this will probably change as mine get older.

Party rings are a must, but if it's my dc's party, I would have taken all the orange ones out and gorged on them .

Well I always did cherry tomatoes, strawberries, carrot and cucumber batons and grapes to accompany: the jam sandwiches, ham sandwiches, kraft cheese slice sandwiches, crisps, party rings, cocktail sausages and birthday cake. I took the fruit and veg home again at the end - sometimes the grapes and strawbs were gone but at least none of the parents complained. By the time they were about 8 I started taking cooked hot dogs and burgers in the insulated picnic basket and serving with buns and rolls and ketchup with crisps and cake - went down a storm and everyone started to copy. Nowadays we just go to a theme park and have a McDonalds or a Pizza when we're there.

And occasionally the DS and his mates take themselves off to Wagamama after sports practice.

i used to do teh food pretty pronto.

i dont think they are going for a gastronimic experience
same as a drinks party - will be high calorie, not stale bread and pond water

YANBU I took my dcs to a 'pirate' party, where there was the most amazing looking birthday cake I've ever seen in my life. It was in the shape of a pirate ship, complete with little icing pirates. Made by a cake-making professional.

Come cake time- song was sung, candles blown out and said ammazing cake was cut. Birthday boy's mother then preceded to scrape the icing off each slice, and every guest was presented with a really sad-looking bald piece of plain sponge.

As she was emptying the icing into the bin she must have seen my and said "well, all that sugar would have them bouncing off the walls - don't you think?"

The main thing about parties is that they should be fun. Name one fun thing you can do with a carrot!

Children will eat sandwiches if you make them interesting:
Mini sandwiches an inch square?
Brown bread one side, white on the other?
Cut into dinosaur shapes with biscuit cutter?
Holes cut out one layer to look like happy face biscuits?
Multi-layered 'Scooby Doo' ones?
etc

As children get older arranging parties gets a whole lot easier as you don't have a bunch of neurotic mothers hovering.

As they get older you find it is the ones with controlling mothers who stuff everything in sight because they don't get it generally whereas those who are allowed everything in moderation are able to eat party food in moderation.

In the words of Marie Antionette I say;

'Let them eat cake & icing (much icing) & orange crisps & pig's willy sausages & party rings & flourescent fizzy pop & chocolate spread & iced gems & their own body weight in swizzle's sweets & to the guillotine with all naysayers'.

Not entirely sure the last bit is historically correct, but still, I think the sentiment was there (well, apart from all the fact she probably never said it & if she did it didn't exactly go in her favour, but still.....).

Down with children's party miserabilists is what I think one can glean from her words.

Very true exoticfuits.

All the ones I know who were not allowed to eat chocolate postively gorge on the stuff now that they are 8ish.

Totally agree with MaryZ. Shall never forget the mother who delivered a four year old and announced - he's allergic to: tomatoes, strawberries, wheat, .. and a whole lot more .. and int he next breath gave me his epi pen with a flourish and off - gone - leaving me wondering what on earth to do with it if the worst happened.

They take great care that mummy doesn't know, but get a dreadful name for themselves!

This worries me - mine get far too much chocolate, crisps, cake etc in moderation at home and yet I am sure they would gorge themselves madly at a party.

For DS1 (5 in a week!) we are going to the softplay / climbing place and they are doing all the food. Chips, hot dogs, nuggets and fizz. I will remember to take a flame retardant jacket, there won't be a carrot in sight. And the only green thing will be decorations on the cake :)

DD is 2 tomorrow and mine would be disappointed if there wasn't dipping veg (they don't get that from me I tell you!) but we've got the usual cakes, sausage rolls and I'm still debating sweets - DD is a bit young but DS will be more than grateful.

One meal of sweets/crisps/cake is hardly going to do any harm.

I put out crudites at a party, the kids all love it!
Bowls of cherry toms, carrot sticks and cucumber batons alongside different types of sandwiches (on white bread!), sausage rolls, gougons and pizza.

I also serve up the cakes/biscuits at the same time so all the food is there at once and the kids can choose what they want.

In my experience the veg all goes! The ham sandwiches all go! And the party ring, fairycakes and iced gems get eaten but there is some left.

I got some looks from the mothers that stayed for serving up the sweet stuff at the same time, which I completely ignored!

I have too many memories of parties as a kid when you had to eat sandwiches before you were allowed cake. I hated ( and still do) butter or marg in sandwiches and no matter how many times my mum told people that I would eat all the sandwiches they liked if they made me a couple with no spread, no-one ever did, so I was not allowed any cakes at the "worthy" parties or got nagged all the time into forcing down 1 sandwich... ugh! So with my own I have let them have whatever in any order- but usually do plain mini rolls ( with or without butter), little bites of chicken or pizza squares or sausages. Leave out bowls of little toms and grapes and strawberries. Lots of crisps ( altho limited orange ones!) fairy cakes and bicciesv and always little jellies and ice cream in cones!

I am afraid that I am like that and at parties would have savoury first then sweet otherwise the kids get too hyper on all the sugar and at least a sandwich might fill them up a bit but i would serve other bits as well.

it's parties that hype kids up, not cake.

The ones who get hyped up are the ones who never get a varied diet at home.

If I went to a party and the buffet consisted of vegetable crudites, hummous, fruit and fruit juice or I was told by the host that I had to eat my sandwiches before I was allowed a mini pavlova, for example, I would think that was a shit party.

I am now adopting the word miserabilists. 'Tis fab.

No, it does not need to be healthy but if there are some raw veg in amongst all the other stuff most kids will take some, ime.

However, sweet before savoury or at the same time as savoury should be strictly VERBOTEN fgs. Yuck!

I don't expect you would appreciate someone hovering behind you telling you what you could choose either, Ismene!