Kids party 2-4pm: can I just serve cake & jelly?

[daisylawn]

I am arranging a 4 year olds birthday party and the timing is from 2-4pm. Since this doesn't really coincide with a meal time, I am not sure what will be expected in terms of food.

Should I lay on a big spread including savory items, or is a cake and jelly interval a better idea?

Advice sought from the Mumsnet party veterans!

Message withdrawn

I would expect foos If my dsses were invited - Sorry! Like party bags - a necessary evil

And will everyone think I am a bad mother if I serve lots of sweet things and no savouries?

I guess I would expect there to be food but would really rather there was just jelly and cake as it really messes up children's meals otherwise. I would think it was great just to have that and so, I suspect, would ds (straight to pudding!!). Go for it.

I went to a party with my little one the other day and the mum made chips and fish fingers with bowls of keptchup - very popular.

At my DD 1st I made sandwiches (jam & cream cheese and a marmite & cream cheese one as well), chicken & lemon sole gougons, hola hoops and quavers, cocktail sausages and then bought these little mini choolate doughnuts. Carton of toothkids ribena. I also had farleys rusk things for all the teenie tinies there. Massive birthday cake and a disney ballon each to take home with a small party bag. After loads of running around and fun and games kids'll want to eat and their mums will be grateful they just have to bath and put them to bed when they get in!
have fun and good luck!

I did nuggets and chips for my ds's 4 the last year.

Thomcat can I come to yours next year?

As it is not over a meal time I would just go for the snack approach. How about offering a selection of savoury nibbles - crisps, twiglets and cheesy biscuits etc followed by jelly and cake. IME kids rarely eat stuff like sandwiches anyway but at ds party they did enjoy pineapple/cheese on sticks (little sticks in shape of swords) and little sausages too.

Er... jam & cream cheese sandwiches? Jam and cream cheese together???

I've always gone for party boxes with 2 small sandwiches, cocktail sausages, raisins, crisps, cocolate biscuit and a carton of drink. Makes it easy to serve and eat. Obviously they all eat the crisps and choccy biscuit first though...

after doing jelly a couple of times, I second the concern that noone will eat it! don't know why that is. Also pretty messy.
I'd do a few sandwiches as well - easy ones like cream cheese, or honey. children are often pretty hungry at parties, and I know I assume that my children have eaten sandwiches etc at parties and don't really feed them properly when they get home (when they are generally too overtired and excited to sit down and eat a meal anyway)

Ha haa - SoupD - I'll have you know they were very popular - not a jam & cream cheese left! Lottie still likes them, and c.cheese & marmite. don't get me wrong - you'd never get me putting one anywhere near my mouth but the kids loved 'em. BTW - the cream cheese was also dairy free!!!!!!! Yuck!!

jam and cream cheese isn't bad actually. bit like a strawberry topped cheesecake!

but I won't touch peanut butter and marmite which a friend of mine makes for her two, bleaughghghghgh!!

I've done cream cheese & marmite before (not for me needless to say!) but jam and cream ceese.... I still can't get my head (or stomach) round that one!

Jam and roasted dragon

Hm - I think 2-4 may not be the best time to arrange catering round! Some of them will have had early lunch and some late, and of the ones that have had it early their mums may be assuming they won't need any tea...

I think you should cater as if they'll all be really hungry, BUT make food that you and your family like, so that if loads is left over you can happily have it for your tea!

4-year-olds can eat like horses - sandwiches, sausages and crispy/snacky things would be good, also possibly slices of apple/grapes/carrot sticks/celery/cherry tomatoes, plus some choc fingers/wafers etc, but instead of jelly, what about ice-cream cones - with sauce or sprinkles or both?

Hope you all enjoy yourselves anyway !

The meal time thing is tricky as some people do have a meal around that time - the nursery that my kids go to has an afternoon tea at 3.30 and most of the kids that go are now in that habit - ie food at 3.30 ish, so you may find that some kids are hungry and others not.

Was at a party yesterday and ALL the jelly got eaten (OK so about one third was by my two, but other children did eat it HONESTLY!!!!). But I wouldn't make too much, as they're always too excited to eat anyway. Like the fish fingers and chips idea, I might use that next year....

Small cakes always seem to be popular - butterfly cakes always seem to be eaten first......