to provide unhealthy party food at my daughter's party

[ReallyTired]

dd had her birthday party. I gave each child a small bag of animal biscuits, pack of crisps, raisens, a babybel. I also put out plates of strawberries, cucumber, grapes, sausages and sausage rolls. Unsurprisingly the children ate all the sweet unhealthy stuff, the strawberries were popular, but very few children wanted the grapes or cucumber or raisens.

One of the parents was pissed off that her daughter ate loads of chocolate and crisps and didn't touch the fruit. I feel its unrealistic to not have unhealthy foods at a children's party. I am not prepared to force feed a child fruit at a birthday party.

Ofgs it was a party. Unless the kid was diabetic and you were armed with tubing and a funnel I don't see a problem. Just give a healthy tea later.

All food even crap can be enjoyed in a healthy diet.

Yanbu.

20 years ago all party food was unhealthy junk, people are lucky now that there is fruit and veg avalible!

Yanbu at all, it's not your fault her dd is like every other child and wanted to eat the biscuits and chocolate, is that mum always so anal, her poor dd. parties are for eating junk, that's the fun of it, it's an occasional treat, my goodness some people!

Some parents need to relax.

Don't they remember the excitement of going to a party and eating biscuits, cakes and crips for lunch? I feel sorry for some children today who must miss out on treats and sweets.
We know how fondly we remember children's food and parties because of all the threads on Mumsnet where we constantly discuss the excitement of eating Rainbow Drops, Angel Delight and Orangeade ( plus lots of other stuff that we won't let our children have).

Food should be something to enjoy and treats are fine if they are kept as treats

If she carries on like that her DD will be one who spends her dinner money on sweets on the way to school.

My DNs stuff themselves stupid when they come to my house because we have chocolate and desserts. I'll never forget the older one eating three bowls of Coco Pops because she was here in the school holidays when my DCs are allowed them and they were such forbidden fruit she couldn't control herself.

I don't think restricting treats I a kid's diet is a necessary component of kids binging at parties - from what I could see quite a few of the kids who had standard sugary diets were pretty good at binging on crap too!

I don't think restricting treats I a kid's diet is a necessary component of kids binging at parties

True. My DD2 would happily chomp gradually through a whole Easter egg absent mindedly if you didn't stop her but with my DNs it's different. There's a desperation to it that makes me feel uncomfortable.

Party food is meant to include normally restricted items. And luminous icing.

As a sop to other parents, you put out bowls of things like carrot batons. They will be ignored by the children and you take them home to make into soup.

YWBExtreeeemlyU for not providing butterfly cakes, party rings and jammy dodgers. And I didn't hear you mention the Bird's trifle once. I'm feeling very uneasy about your finger buffet making competence. I'm going to need a bit more convincing before I come to your next party.

Well, that is one less mouth to feed next year!