To serve a baby led weaning buffet at my daughters party?

[PignutSalamander]

Dd is turning 1, I am planning to do a buffet based on the very hungry caterpillar. The plan as stands is to set it all up on a trestle table and when it's time to serve it put the legs down and let them at it.
Consideration has obviously been given to making it safe and easy for kids to feed themselves and the first few people I mentioned it to said they thought it was a great idea
I mentioned it to a mum who will be bringing her dd and she said " err! What about germs? How will we stop them taking a bite and dropping it, then another baby eating it?"
I basically feel that they will be spending the whole party sharing toys, touching each other etc and that germs are just going to be shared.
Obviously I will ensure that hands are washed before they eat and have also checked for allergys and warned mums not to put them in there best clothes. Also seperate snacks for adults
So what's the consensus mn? Aibu?

[hopeful92]

Maryz That is no doubt be exactly what it is like. With some choking babies thrown in the mix. And cracked open heads where they have slipped on food...

[MollyMurphy]

Calling it a BLW buffet is just cringe-worthy - more for showing the other mothers how hip and trendy you are. Besides, there will likely be parents present who still prefer certain food stuffs be cut a particular way (ie that grapes be cut length-wise) and that will not be open to giving their child giant pieces of certain thing etc. they should be free to feed their child as they are comfortable doing so. I agree that it will be a huge mess and very quickly gross for your guests.

[TandB]

I am confused. Why is this a BLW buffet? They are one, therefore presumably just eating, rather than weaning by any method?

Both mine fed themselves (I hate saying BLW - it makes me feel a bit twatty) and I'm not adverse to a bit of mess, but I have to say, if I got an invite to a party where the babies were going to be left to it in this way, I would probably not go. DS2 has just turned one and is walking, so he would stand on the food and fall over in it and then try to leg it while covered in food and grabbing at people's clothes and sticking his grubby hands on the walls. And then I'd be trying to clean him enough to get him in the car. It doesn't sound at all fun.

Just have a buffet on normal tables - all the adults can ooh and ah and then choose food for the babies who won't even notice the fancy layout.

[TrucksAndDinosaurs]

BLW does not mean putting a child or children onto a buffet table and letting them crawl through the food.

Which is what you are suggesting.

It is a completely stupid idea.
Babies hardly eat any food at parties anyway.

You might as well get a big feeding trough and fill it with slops and dunk the children in. Even piglets do not eat like this. And certainly not wearing party dresses.

Self indulgent twattery.

[PureQuintessence]

With the lowered table it is going to be babies crawling, standing, sitting in the food.

It is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of. Nothing to do with "BLW", but all to do with "WTF".

[CotherMuckingFunt]

LOVE this idea! I can't believe I didn't think of it. You will never have to throw a party for your child again after this twattastic effort. No school gate politeness.... Nothing. You will forever be known as Carnage Mum and avoided at all costs. Perfection.

[manormuppet]

The more I read this thread .....this is a wind up......surely

[Floggingmolly]

BLW. Weaning is the term used for starting your baby on solid food...
When did you start the process with your dd, op? Practically all babies are well and truly "weaned" at the age of one; the other parents will think you're either patronising or bonkers, or both.

[DoctorAnge]

Very strange. I love the VHC Theme don't get me wrong but lowering the table and letting the babies at the food is bonkers. What on earth possessed you to think of this?

[Casserole]

This is the best thread I've read on here in AAAAAAAAAAAGES. Has cheered me right up, thanks OP.

It's nothing to do with BLW though, is it, let's be honest. Cos they're not weaning. They're just eating. And they're eating food that other babies have stood it / spat out.

Please will you come back after the event and tell us how it went? Obviously you will tell us it was an unqualified success, with all attending children not only fully competent at self feeding after it but also leaving the party able to write their favourite root vegetable in fountain pen and play a quick round of caterpillar themed chess.

In reality I bet you anything you like 95% of the Mums will be sat round the edge balancing a bowl and a toddler on their laps. You could make that easier for them by just providing a normal buffet. But I fully accept that would get in the way of your right-on-ness. So go you. You win, we are all lesser mortals.

If anyone else on here is a guest...... we need picture please :D

[pigletmania]

Noble that buffet looks great you really don't want to eat it

[Miggsie]

Well, seeing the latest statistic is that each household wastes £400 of food a year it looks like the OP could do her entire wastage in a single day on this one.

I now know after 9 years, that on a birthday, kids hardly eat anything - I've made less and less during the years and I certainly wouldn't bother for a 1 year old. Most likely is several kids will melt down due to sensory overload and several parents may well leave early, as frankly, watching children roll around in food is repulsive.

I'd also advise getting all dog owning parents to bring their dogs - as they will clean the floor nicely at the end.

[cashmere]

Think it would be a lovely buffet for the adults to pick at actually. Different cheeses, pickles, coldmeats, a fruit platter, cake. I'd add bread and do it for parents and children on a buffet table.

Then just a few toys, bubbles and music for the babies.

[DonderandBlitzen]

How does BLW work if more than one child is helping themselves? If one baby grabs the swiss roll caterpillar and wanders off with it, then the other children don't get any?

[DonderandBlitzen]

Ooops. Didn't realise there were 14 pages of this. I just read the first page and thought that was it. Conversation has probably moved on by now.

[hopeful92]

Believe it or not DonderandBlitzen, the conversation is pretty much at the same stage it was 14 pages ago.

And there was absolutely no point in OP posting this, as they didn't actually care if they are being unreasonable, they just wanted to show everyone how right on they are with their "new" ideas... Yawn...

[noblegiraffe]

My DS when he was 2 went to a 5 year old friend's birthday party and didn't get the buffet etiquette of taking bits of everything. He whisked a bowl of pombears off the table and sat with them on his lap stuffing his face happily until they had to be forcibly removed. I suppose if it had been a BLW buffet I could have left him to it.

[ReshapeWhileDashingThroTheSnow]

Why not just hire a bunch of Ikea Antilop highchairs and plonk the little loves into them?

FFS, you can't force BLW onto other people's babies. Some of the invitees simply won't be eating your offerings because they can't yet deal with those sorts of foods. You'll end up looking wnaky, pretentious, condescending and ever so slightly megalomanical, and probably make a few parents feel 'guilty' because they're not into BLW, into the bargain. Nice.

But the point you've completely overlooked is that at that sort of age, most parents will be taking their own food for their babies, be it jars, homemade purees, or finger foods. I suspect most of your spread will go untouched.

[Floralnomad]

I think by page 5 we had ascertained that the food is for the babies to 'smoosh' not actually eat!

[EverybodysSnowyEyed]

it does seem very 'let them eat cake'. there are people starving in the world but your pfb gets to roll around in food for their birthday?

Also, please make sure grapes are cut up!!!

[BeanJuice]

Poor OP

[Greensleeves]

The prissing about food wastage is ridiculous. All babies "waste" food by exploring, gumming, lobbing and generally dicking around with it. They are learning unfamiliar textures and tastes. A baby "smooshing" a bowl of food is less wasteful than an overweight adult (eg me) eating it. We all eat far too much anyway. If you want to hand-wring about waste, direct your ire towards factory farming and supermarket giants.

I agree with the advice given about raising the table and providing plates/bowls.

[TrucksAndDinosaurs]

Apart from the food wastage this is a bad idea because:
You will annoy the parents who are coming to congratulate you and see you and would probably rather not have to take a hysterical food encrusted filthy weeping baby back in the car seat and hose down. Baby birthday parties are bad enough as it is.

You will also be doing your DC a disservice as in later years you might want to have play dates with these parents and their DC and will forever be known as the loon who had the mad party in the hall with the babies crawling in the buffet on the floor and hence best avoided.

[BobbiFleckmann]

forgive me for having a mind in the gutter, but this sounds exactly the sort of thing that those man-babies who wear adult nappies and treat themselves to an afternoon in a playpen with a pro would LOVE