Tips for hosting party for toddlers in a local park

[wishIwasonholiday10]

We want to do a simple party for our toddlers 2nd birthday at a local park. It will be for the parents too as all know each other. Any tips on what sort of food would work well for the adults and the children at this sort of party? I work full time so don't have much time to prepare stuff. Would you bring extra outdoor toys or just let the children run around and go on the playground while the parents take turns supervising and chatting? Would you bother with additional decorations or balloons?

How many toddlers are you talking? Because with a big group, you're going to have a control issue.

definitely a few balloons and lots of picnic blankets. If it's super hot, do you have an awning you can take along?

Food - obviously the traditional option of cold sausage rolls, sandwich etc are easy option. And I'd buy in rather than make myself. However, in my experience, the sandwiches don't get eaten and asking the kids to actually eat properly is almost pointless so I think I'd go with more nibbles - crisps, dips, crudites, lots of cut up fruit etc for the kids and a few sandwiches possibly. Then perhaps some pork pies, quickes etc for the parents.

Thanks for the advice! It's just a small group, 6 toddlers and their parents plus a few family friends. We have a few picnic blankets but no awning. The weather has been so crap recently it's hard to imagine it being hot but the park does have quite a few trees so we could pick a shady spot if it is hot.

A friend did exactly this one. If I recall:

The brought a few extra toys, some balls and a couple of other bits. They brought picnic blankets, they encouraged us to bring camp chairs. They also brought some sun cream to share just incase!

For food they did individual cardboard boxes for the kids with a little sandwich, crisps, yoghurt and biscuit in. They brought extra sandwiches in case any were wanted. They didn't provide adult food.

Decor-wise I think they only had a helium balloon on a string.

Lots of blankets to sit on, a couple of balls, windmills and bubbles each. Normal picnic food so little sandwiches cut into quarters, tub of mini sausages rolls, quavers, cocktail sausages in a tub, cubes of cheese or baby bels, satsumas, tube yogurts, pieces of melon all cut up in tubs.

Buy a bubble machine and bring a litre of bubble liquid. Nobody loses their shit more than a bunch of 2 year olds with bubbles