^^^ Me again. Maybe nix the mimosas after all. Sunday morning 3 year old party. Give them coffee.

NP. I really like the idea of a ton of dollar size pancakes, then a stack of 3 McDonald's size (about 6" diameter) with some whipped cream, sprinkles and a candle on top. (No other sprinkles because so messy.) (I wish you could just but a bunch of frozen silver dollar in bulk and bake them.

I also liked the idea of augmenting with a bunch of mini-muffins so you don't have to make so many pancakes. And it looks like more things.

Definitely limit toppings. I would do sliced bananas, chocolate chips, whipped cream and some pecan pieces.

I'm on the fence about trying to swing for bacon or sausage when it's a kid's party.

But some mixed fruit would be nice.

Also, definitely small paper cups for beverages so people don't over-pour and lose track of where they put their glass, so pour a new one.

TL;DR
Stack of pancakes for cake
Lots of silver dollar pancakes
Mini muffins
Limited toppings
Small cups for beverages
OJ
Coffee
Mimosas (many parents won't care what you serve if you give them a mimosa. But still small cups!)

Any decorations from a dollar type store. Tons of things for cheap. Give the birthday girl a feather boa to wear. And no hats, etc.

I’ve seen a big stack of doughnuts presented instead of a cake at a party. Might work if you want to buy them early.

Anonymous wrote:The adults aren’t expecting to eat pancakes at the party. They are just bringing their 3-year olds, so serve the little tikes silver-dollar pancakes and have coffee and muffins out for the parents to eat while standing behind/near their toddler.

+1. You can send out a note to parents in advance. Most parents never ate anything at parties, and we would up with too much extras, be it pizza, drinks, chicken, etc. Focus on what you need for the kids.

Bacon or sausage or Canadian bacon

The adults aren’t expecting to eat pancakes at the party. They are just bringing their 3-year olds, so serve the little tikes silver-dollar pancakes and have coffee and muffins out for the parents to eat while standing behind/near their toddler.

Anonymous wrote:If you lost your job, you most definitely should not be putting something more expensive like bacon out.

If you want to put some protein out, get a couple dozen eggs and make a big pan of scrambled eggs to go with the pancakes. Much cheaper than bacon. I would also add muffins or donuts that you can put out. If you can get donut holes, those are good. If you can't, get donuts and cut them in quarters. Many of the younger kids will only need a bite or two and the older kids and adults can eat several of them if they want more.

Or boiled eggs, then you don't need to keep them warm.

Are you making dinner plate sized pancakes or like, the small silver-dollar sized ones? Nobody likes lemon curd.

Give DD a bigger or more pancakes than everyone else, stick a candle in it adn have everyone sing - then no cake needed.

I would not worry about feeding the adults.

Focus on pancakes and items for the kids and just have some munchies for the adults.

This is such a sweet idea!

If you lost your job, you most definitely should not be putting something more expensive like bacon out.

If you want to put some protein out, get a couple dozen eggs and make a big pan of scrambled eggs to go with the pancakes. Much cheaper than bacon. I would also add muffins or donuts that you can put out. If you can get donut holes, those are good. If you can't, get donuts and cut them in quarters. Many of the younger kids will only need a bite or two and the older kids and adults can eat several of them if they want more.

Nix the mimosas in lieu of bacon.

Anonymous wrote:I’m so sorry about your job!

If my budget was tight, I would cut back and not be embarrassed about it.

I would go to Aldi and get a bunch of mini muffins and other cheap pastries to put out. Serve the pancakes with whipped cream and one type of fruit (blueberries), chocolate syrup, and sprinkles. That’s it. That’s plenty! It’s a kids party!

Water, milk, OJ —offer small cups so people don’t pour a ton and then ditch it.

Me again! I would make smaller not big pancakes and I would have bananas too—those are pretty cheap.

I’m so sorry about your job!

If my budget was tight, I would cut back and not be embarrassed about it.

I would go to Aldi and get a bunch of mini muffins and other cheap pastries to put out. Serve the pancakes with whipped cream and one type of fruit (blueberries), chocolate syrup, and sprinkles. That’s it. That’s plenty! It’s a kids party!

Water, milk, OJ —offer small cups so people don’t pour a ton and then ditch it.

I did a party like this and I also offered cereal. Cut down some of the pancake toppings.

Are any family members coming? A party this large usually involves family. Are you sharing your news? Can you ask your parents, a sibling or cousin to bring donuts or bagels and coffee in lieu of a gift for your kid? I'd a family member asked me especially given the circumstances I would think nothing of it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Forget the lemon curd and serve sprinkles! This is for a 3 yr old!

Plus 100

-1 Given that 2/3rds of the invites are adults it sounds like this is a gathering for friends and family, not just Preschoolers so it’s good to have some adult- pleasing options as well.