Why do children's parties happen mid afternoon so your child ends up having a meal at about 4 pm?

[Fooey]

Can someone explain?

If you give them lunch they are not really hungry for the party food. If you don't give them lunch they are entering a coma with the donkey's tail in their hand by about 2.30.

What is the point of it? Why can't we have parties at a time when children would naturally be eating anyway?

its a party!

Yes I think the thread has encompassed the thing of it not being a meal. I thought it was, you see

dinner for us is 5ish now that dd is at school (nursery) full time....

I always say exactly the same thing franny, although my dd IS a hobbit and will eat loads (lol esp party food).

however we have a party coming up which is 4.30-6.30 on a sat and i am really impressed. probably luck of the drawer as to when they got the venue for but still....

We don't usually eat before 6 but I think that a party that ends at 7 is too late for my children. Also DD (2.9) has been invited to a party at soft play that spans lunch time but she can't really be left. So I will either have to eat my lunch really early/late or buy something there. So that is a disadvantage for me.

My DCs are always the last left at the party table so can usually suffice with a banana for supper.

Yes ds left to his own devices would steadily munch his way through the whole lot

however people start to look like this after the first 40 mins or so when all the other children are playing

also the party usually then ends

franny. Mine are exactly the same. At DS's party on Sunday there were two long tables for 8 children each. Left at one end of one table was DS, at the other end of the other table was DD. All the other 15 children had legged it.

My children will eat a hearty plateful or 3 of party food at any time it's presented. I never feed them after it, whatever time it was.

our toddler group used to have birthday parties at toddler group time - 9-11am. The toddlers all tucked in happily at about 10am to party tea.

fooey - I'm with you - if they're going to stuff their faces with crisps and biscuits then they might as well do it at a mealtime. I've always tried to have parties 4-6 or 12-2. but maybe all the parents have been tutting away wondering why on earth I'm having them at tea/lunch time...