Help with party food for 4 year olds party

[fourbears]

It's DDs party on Saturday. I've got 17 children coming between the ages of one and six but they will be mostly three going on four.

I'd like a traditional party tea. I'm thinking sandwiches, sausage rolls, cocktail sausages, pizza squares, carrot sticks, grapes, choc chip cookies, home-made small cakes, party rings, ready-salted crisps and birthday cake in the party bag.

Have I left anything obvious out? How many slices of sandwiches would you do per child? Which fillings? I was going to do ham and cheese, but would jam and marmite be a good idea too? (obviously not all together )

Thanks!

Jelly and ice cream! Don't forget that.

Yes to a jam sandwich option. I'd do 2 quarter-triangle sandwiches per child.

Thanks! Jam it is then!

I would advise to cut your sandwiches small, cut each round of sandwiches into 8 mini triangles. They always grab 3 regardless of the size and then only eat 1, that way you waste less. If you haven't already brought them, if you can find the mini biscuits on offer, then again they grab three or four regardless of size, so less waste.

Also buy or make a 'spare' cake, doesn't need decorating beyond icing. Cut it and wrap it the night before and put it in party bags. This saves you having to cut it up at the party as it takes 10-15 mins to cut and wrap that amount of cake. Can freeze the 'real' cake in slices for picnics/school lunch bags.

Ds is turning 4 and having been to a number of parties recently the things I took from it were to keep it simple.They never seem to eat much anyway. Sandwiches, crisps, pizza, buns, chocolate fingers All they wanted was the sweet stuff anyway and the parents were forcing them to eat the sandwiches first like it's some sort of balanced meal.

Thanks for the tips, bunnies! Yes I will cut really small sandwiches. As albert says, they will really want the sweet stuff anyway! I'm going to put it all out, savoury and sweet and let them choose.