To take a birthday cake in to play group.

[Buckteethjeff]

Just that really, it's dd 1st birthday coming soon and we are going out on the day to somewhere she will enjoy. Just a few family and friends.

I was wondering if I took a cake in to the play group the next day, it could be shared at snack time between everybody. We normally have toast, milk, fruit.

I was wondering if the play leader was would think I would be taking the piss as in 'I'm trying to get a cheap party'

And

What if some of the children are not allowed to eat it?

Before I came on MN I would have just turned up with the cake but kinda wary now.

It's a stay and play session.

[kansasmum]

I'm a play group leader and have had mums bring in birthday cake and it's never an issue. Kids and parents/carers enjoy a treat and it probably only happens 2 or 3 times a year anyway!

I'm all for healthy eating- we do fruit for snack usually but one bit of cake once in a while isn't going to hurt!


Bring on the cake!

[Buckteethjeff]

cat have I been outed!?!

[whomadeyougod]

take the cake ,im sure it will get eaten by the mums anyway while they preach on that their little darlings do not eat rubbish and would rather have a carrot :)

[Buckteethjeff]

[CatThiefKeith]

No, not at all, but all my local Sure Start groups view anything other than celery/carrot sticks as dreadful parenting. No hot drinks or biscuits for the adults, and woe betide anyone whipping out a bag if Pom Bears.... Sinners!!!

Whereas the local toddler groups are full of mums and toddlers eating toast with jam, cake and biscuits, washed down with juice or tea/coffee.

Oddly enough, the latter type tend to be better attended!

[jacks365]

My sure start is the same as cats, you would be told to take the cake home again. Oddly enough ours isn't very well attended either

[mintyneb]

Bringing in alternative treats for children with allergies works when they are all very young but once they are old enough to know they are 'different' its not such a good idea.

Haribo all around or, depending on the allergies involved try and get a bought cake that's suitable.

I know from bitter experience.....

[MrsMook]

I remember taking DS1 to mother and toddler group and doing my best to keep him occupied and entertained while the other children were scoffing cake (milk, egg and soya allergies) and crawling everywhere collecting the cake crumbs being shed liberally by a random unsupervised child incase DS1 picked them up and tried them and made himself ill. His allergies have improved and can tolerate the dairy and egg of a cake, but most shop bought scake is contaminated with soya, so homemade is ok, and shop bought rarely so.

if it's a regular group then ask, and they should know if there's likely to be a problem with other children. If its a casual group then you can't tell who will come and what their needs are

[MrsMook]

DS needed a full set of teeth before he could chomp through a pack of haribo (insert most dairy free sweets). Jelly babies were one of the first sweets he could eat. I had to do a lot of smiling and nodding as people foisted inedible confectionery upon us, he was at the age be
fore he noticed and cared then

[PoppySeed2014]

People really give haribo to 1 year olds?! Why?

[PoppySeed2014]

Ingredients

Corn Syrup , Sugar , Gelatin , Dextrose , Citric Acid , Starch , Artificial and Natural Flavors , Fractioned Coconut Oil , Carnauba Wax , Beeswax Coating , Artificial Colors , FD&C Yellow No. 5 , Red No. 40 , Blue No. 1

Yum! Not to mention not suitable for Jewish/Muslim/vegetarian children.

[mintyneb]

Sorry, I'm not suggesting given 1 year olds Haribo, I meant that for when children are older.

At 1 no child is going to know that getting a plastic toy instead of a piece of cake makes them different, but once they get to school they do

[PoppySeed2014]

Sorry minty if I was a bit grumpy there. It's just I have been given haribo etc for my dc aged 1 and below. Just don't understand the mentality of giving rubbish to children who are far too young to know anything about the joys of haribo.

And I repeat - if my older dc have the occasional packet of haribo then that's fine. No problem. It's the pre-schoolers that I object to!

[poocatcherchampion]

blimey! I never realised shop bought was preferable to some. it's last resort here - too sweet and plastic-y.

its tough one though if you restrict cake.
we dont do biscuits sweets or chocolate crisps (dont ever think to buy) but cake a few times a week is fine.

[ILoveWooly]

I honestly wonder when people get on their high horse over cake.
The reason shop bought is 'preferable' to playgroups is for the simple reason of you can read the ingredients, know if it was made somewhere with nuts etc. Not because it is better or healthier or tastier.

You can't please everyone OP but you can allow them to make informed choices themselves.

[GreenLandsOfHome]

I would also always take a shop bought one in for the ingredients side.

Ds2 has a serious allergy to cherry. At a playgroup aged 2, he ended up in hospital because of a homemade cake. I asked her what jam it was...she said strawberry. I double checked and asked if she was sure because ds2 was allergic and she said yes, definitely strawberry, I hate cherry jam, never buy it etc.

Guess what jam it was?

My bad, I should have tasted first but didn't expect she'd be wrong she was so emphatic about it. I wouldn't let him have any homemade cake at school again though.

[ILoveWooly]

Exactly GreenLands.

[poocatcherchampion]

I was just going to say - yes but you can ask the person who baked it - "no there are no nuts, my husband is allegic too". but clearly I forget people can be idiots.