I live in a very blue area of Northern Virginia and absolutely no one is boycotting Chick-Fil-A, it shows up at every non-Sunday preschool birthday party. It's easy and kids love it. If I boycotted every company whose owners I disagree with, then I would have absolutely nowhere to shop. |
2 year olds will do better at a morning party, 3-5 sounds like a nightmare, some kids will just be getting up from nap around then. When my youngest turned 3, we had a morning playground party with brunch foods - we had lots of fruit, muffins, croissants, coffee for parents, and donuts instead of cake. It was a HUGE hit. |
Oh my god, don't have grapes at a toddler party, what a mess! You can have watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, mandarin slices, strawberries all cut into small pieces in little cups with mini forks or picks. You're welcome. |
| OP 3-5 doesn’t make it better. |
Thank you! This is what I say all the time. Your boycott worked 15 years ago, it's time to reward the company for changing their ways. Also, I'm in Fairfax and nobody is avoiding Chick-fil-A. The Mississippi PP must be a troll. |
Agree with this. Afternoon/evening parties are such a tough needle to thread at this age. Some kids are taking long naps and aren’t up till 4. Some are having a super early dinner at 5:30, while some are having a post-nap snack and a later dinner. Some are in bed at 6:30 and need to be home/winding down by 5:30 while some aren’t in bed until 8. But everyone with a 2 year old is up and active and looking for an activity from 10-noon. We do all our parties in that window for toddlers with great success. |
| OP, we had parties from 10-12 when they were little and 11-1 now that they’re older. That way, families with younger siblings or late nappers can attend. If you don’t want to serve a meal, 9:30-11:30 would work as well. The 2-4 time slot works well in older elementary, when parties are drop-off. |
| Oh, just realized I forgot to answer your original question. Sorry. I served veggies at my son’s 5th birthday party. All the kids ate them. The parents were thrilled. Make sure to have a variety and don’t let the dip touch the food, unless you’re positive that no kids have allergies. Dips contain a lot of common allergens, such as dairy, soy, and gluten. |
| For the parents, I would provide sushi rolls and sparkling waters. |
| Don’t have choking risks people. Running toddlers are unreliable. No toothpicks, no grapes (who has time to cut an entire bunch of grapes). Serve seedless watermelon and clementines and call it done. |
|
Your list of snack foods sounds good. I have found though that veggie trays are more aspirational than anything.
My kids always go for the "better" snacks, and the adults will only pick at them as well. |
Simple entertainment. Sing Happy Birthday, serve ice cream and cake. No stupid goody bags. Cost $$. Party over in an hour. |
| fruit, cheese, chick-fil-a. |
My kid loved cheese. Also the bold are nice items to have for the adults who have to hang out. |
Normal adults don’t expect to be fed (other than possibly cake) at a toddler party. |