Children’s party food with no fruit?

[Yessiryessir3bagsfull]

AIBU not to include fruit in party food for 1-4 year olds? There will be sandwiches, crisps, cocktail sausages, chicken bites. Carrot and cucumber sticks, popcorn, party rings and chocolate fingers. Will fruit be missed - it’s so expensive for 20-25 kids.
thanks 🙂

If you're really worried about it then do cucumber and carrot sticks, much cheaper.

But I certainly wouldn't think anything of not seeing fruit at a party.

Had 6 kids for dinner between almost 1 and 3.5 and they went through 1.5 cucumbers and most of a watermelon before dinner!

It's s party.

I've never done fruit and at any of my dd's parties. Don't waste your money

Sounds like a great spread. No fruit required.

Children that age love fruit. It's usually the fruit that gets eaten and the vegetables that get left. I'd give them cut up apple and strawberries, or possibly a melon.

PFB right?
I don’t think “non-stop” consumption of bananas and citrus fruit is very healthy.

Also, mental health is important too, and having an uptight Mum is not great for that.

It's a party, I think you're being way over the top.

Tbh the type of menu described by OP is not one I recognise. Sausage rolls / nuggets sounds quite retro to me.

I think it depends:

first child - home made hummus and veg sticks plus fruit are a must

subsequent children - jam sandwiches, chocolate fingers, crisps and little cakes

Why are you allowing him to have so much sugar in his diet?

Watermelon is a favourite at parties round here - all the kids seem to love it. At the last party we went to, the watermelon and veggie sticks got devoured but the nuggets and sausage rolls largely got ignored (maybe we just have weird children though... I've never seen DC eat a chicken nugget, actually). Why not do some watermelon sticks or chunks, and a jug of smoothie alongside - you could just get whatever fruit is in the clearance bit of the supermarket the evening before and smush it up together?

@HotCrossBunplease what's PFB?

When I say uptight I'm really saying relative to other people's permissiveness with healthy food. Not that I am overall stressed or anxious.

I'm also uptight about his behaviour - he's not allowed to hit other kids for example. Again, I don't think that makes me a stressed or anxious person.

So I think the word uptight needs to be taken in context here as not indicative of anxiety or a mental health disorder.
We're all pretty relaxed.
But he still cant eat cake.

A continuous stream of fruit in his diet is really good for him too.

@llamajohn "why are you allowing him to have so much sugar in his diet?"

Because it's really really good for him when it's fruit.

The salads are the best thing about bbqs for me!

I never do grapes as you need to chop them lengthways for young kids and that's a lot of chopping.

Agreed a real treat. So much so that I went and got the Ottelenghi book!

But surely your child will start to wonder why they can't have what the other children at parties can? Aren't you just making junk food and sugar more exciting, like a "forbidden fruit"?

The problem with denying him cake and sweets and chocolate, is he will go absolutely fucking mad for it when he gets a chance.

I've known "no chocolate" families, their kids are fucking feral when it comes to sweet stuff.

You have to listen up, it's not a choice between a diet consisting only turkey dinosaurs, haribo and mars bars. Or one of just fruit, veg and whole grains.

You can have a happy medium you know. My DD4.7 eats cakes AND beetroot, she loves celery, pickles, peppers, carrots AND loves sweets, cake and candy floss. She's absolutely fine!

Same. DS isn’t even 2 yet and knows party = chocolate fingers.

Nope.
Sorry. Too much sugar is too much sugar. His teeth will not be grateful if he's having too much fruit sugars.

You say he eats loads of satsumas and banana, and "continuous stream if fruit".

How much fruit is he having a day?

I’d say because the extreme the other way can be harmful too.

Part of the enjoyment of parties is to share food socially with friends and eventually, he’s going to realise that he’s different and want to eat the same food as his friends. There’s also when he starts school and a birthday child gives haribo etc to everyone.

Nobody thinks it's "uptight" to not allow kids to hit each other ...

All perfectly normal, food for the under 4s