to not feed parents at party?

[FusionChefGeoff]

Soft play for DS (4) so his first 'proper' party. Package for kids but not allowed to bring in food apart from cake. I feel a bit bad that parents will be there over lunchtime but I'm not providing any food / drinks. If I did, I guess I'd need to allow £8 pp which is an extra £100!!!!

Any way round this or is it ok not to feed the parents???

I completely understand why you wouldn't spend a lot on feeding the parents at soft play but it's a bug bear for me. I feel like the taxi service! Invite the parents and you ought to feed them.

At the soft play places near me parents usually get a bit of cake or a biscuit and a cup of tea. If I was staying I'd be hopeful of a brew, at least.

i feel like the taxi service Ni that's the teenage years. And you arnt even allowed out of the car to any party.

Op of course you don't feed parents at soft play parties. A slice of cake and picking at leftovers is the norm.

No adults want to eat in that environment anyway they are a place of torture you only need to attend when your kids are under 8 and you generally can't wait to escape them.

Thanks everyone - guess it's ok then. I will do the 'adults' cake and some biscuits idea though - and maybe some crisps / bowls of chips from the cafe - and offer to buy everyone a hot drink - does that sound ok?

I have been to far too many soft play parties with DD. I have never been fed, other than finishing up the kid's leftovers, but I often been bought a hot drink by the party parents which was appreciated.

*Iwill do the 'adults' cake and some biscuits idea though - and maybe some crisps / bowls of chips from the cafe - and offer to buy everyone a hot drink'

You can if you desperately want to but it's not the norm.

you do not usually get food for parents at parties. if you are lucky you get some biscuits and a hot drink but that is usually in the church hall type venues. parents are allowed to scoff the remains of their kids food or any leftovers.

I agree with most here - if you're doing it at home, then provide enough for everyone, but if it's at a venue, then parents don't usually expect or get fed.

Most soft-play places have a café, don't they? So your idea of providing a (hot) drink for everyone is lovely and more than many would think of.

Cake and coffee are good if you are expecting them all to stay - and if you are actively insisting they all stay then a coffee at least is necessary IMO. Agree you don't have to provide an actual party meal, and in a soft play there will be food they can buy if they want so you are not forcing parents to stand around hungry in order to supervise your child's party.

I never even want parents to stay, but I only do small parties and don't invite more than I can host with whatever help I have roped in, or on my own or with DH, depending on age of child and venue. At 3rd and 4th parties the odd parent would stay and I always offered them drinks and the same food as the kids - but at 3 and 4 parties were always small and at home, so it is not the same.

Cake and tea is fine. Soft play food is shite and expensive anyway.

I don't mind being a taxi service as long as the party is not somewhere ridiculously far away meaning I have to sit in a car park waiting for it to finish... but I would mind being expected to stay at a soft play party - I don't think it is hosted if the parents have to supervise their own children (and make arrangements for their other children to be looked after elsewhere or fork out for them to go to soft play even if they don't actually want to...), the birthday child's parent has just chucked some money about for entry and kid's food but isn't throwing a children's party if the guests have to bring their own babysitter IO... but I realise that this is an odd POV on MN and that kind of party is the norm for lots of people :o Luckily where I live small children still have little tea parties with 4 or 5 friends, and parents are never expected to stay unless they actually want to :o

It's not expected that you provide food for parents. And I've been to many soft play parties and bought my own drinks and, if I want one, a slice of cake, which is fine. I'm a grown up and can make the choice either not to eat and drink for two hours, or to eat leftovers pay for something. Plus there is very little supervising needed at a soft play party and I can chat to the other parents I know over a coffee - I don't feel hard done by.

Schwab maybe for older kids, yes, but these are 4yos and where I live it's the norm to stay at parties for that age group. Do you really resent it that much?

I used to have a few bottles of wine and nibbles on hand.

I have been to many a kids party and other than family affairs I would say none have catered for adults, soft play or not. Obviously it is allowable for adults to hoover up any left overs when the kids have finished but that's it. At a hall party you might hope for a coffee, but at a soft play I wouldn't really expect that to be provided and buy my own if required.

I did an extra couple of children portions and provided either tea or coffee when I did a soft play party.

Round here they wouldn't all stay for a soft play party ( especially not if they have older sibs). I think if they do offering a hot drink is a nice thing to do.

I have had, and been to, many soft play or similar venue parties, I have never fed the adults (although I have never asked them to stay) nor have I ever been fed (or been expected to stay)

Nope YANBU. Adults are perfectly of capable of managing their own feeding times or taking a snack. If it was in your own home maybe a cuppa and biscuits, otherwise no.

I did go to one party where there was an adult buffet table (with booze!!!)
and then a childs buffet. Not the norm though

You wouldn't even know how many parents would turn up or one parent a child or two. At soft play I would generally take sibling and sit away from party group to reinforce that party was nothing to do with sibling. It seems cupcakes where a good way of doing cake for everyone.

I have never been fed at soft play parties and have never fed anyone. There's a cafe, I am capable of buying my own food if I want to.

I went to one at the weekend and the parents were given platters of food for the grown ups. It was really generous and lovely of the hosts, but the food was soft play restaurant food and was a bit grim. Told the parents it was lovely and ate some regardless.

If you can afford it, it's a nice thing to do. If not I'd stick to a hot drink if anything. I always expect to feed myself at these things.

I wouldn't expect food but would be grateful for cake and tea if over lunch time.

Glad i am not the only one who scoffs ffs left overs.

*dds not ffs 😂

Another who has lost count how many soft play parties I've taken dd to and I've never seen food for adults or expected it.

I have grown up children and i can say quite definitively that in a soft play/external venue there is absolutely no need or expectation that you provide the adult with anything to eat or drink.They can provide for themselves - they are adults after all.

In the house you can put out cups and coffee/tea stuff and some biscuits by the kettle and ask guests to help themselves. You will be too busy looking after your guests to be providing drinks for adults.

The very best bit about kids parties is hoovering up the leftovers once they have finished.