If you went to a backyard party for a one year old

[Drama Llama]

that was just moms and babies about the same age

Would you be OK with just home made kinda healthy nuggets, baked sweet potato fries, some fresh veggies and fruits, and mini cupcakes?  Or would you expect some kind of more adult food?  

[Jean in Newcastle]

I would have no problem with that at a party. (I would have to bring my own food because I am gluten free but I wouldn’t expect anyone to provide anything different for me.). 

[Arcadia]

If it was just moms and babies, I would be happy with any bite size finger food that I could quickly shove into my mouth. My teens at that age would be happy with eating fries and mini cupcakes while seated in their double stroller.

[Drama Llama]

4 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

If it was just moms and babies, I would be happy with any bite size finger food that I could quickly shove into my mouth. My teens at that age would be happy with eating fries and mini cupcakes while seated in their double stroller.

Yeah, that is what I am thinking.  That people will want to eat one handed, or share a plate with their baby, so finger food is good.

We could do some nice dips or sauces, that they could put on.  

[Carol in Cal.]

When DD turned one, she and another girl born two days earlier were the first to have a birthday since our mom/baby group started.  The mom of the other girl and I decided to have a small party but we really didn’t want to start the competitive galas thing, so our motto was ‘Set a LOW standard’ and we called the party ‘Celebration of motherhood.’  

It was at my house, and we put lots of blankets and quilts out on the lawn, some in the shade and some not.  The timing did not straddle a meal.  We had a slip and slide for the older kids.  We served fresh fruit smoothies (homemade), sandwiches cut in easy to hold strips, goldfish crackers, and veggies with dip.  Maybe chips.  Anyway, it was a lovely day in early July, and the mothers all just relaxed, it was great—hours of great conversation outside.  We gave the kids super simple goodie bags, and I think we said ‘No presents’ as the premise.  So we accomplished our goal of having a lovely time while setting a low bar for others.  

[mathnerd]

I threw a party when my son was that age and most moms went for the strawberries and a date/seeds/coconut roll I had made. I had gotten a couple of large gourmet pizzas just in case for the adults, but only few people ate them.

[Clarita]

I'd be OK with either. I've been to parties with both or either type of food. 

[marbel]

I'd like that even if there were not babies present. Mini-foods are awesome. 

[Kassia]

17 minutes ago, marbel said:

I'd like that even if there were not babies present. Mini-foods are awesome. 

Agree!

[Soror]

Sounds fine to me.

[mommyoffive]

Any kind of food is great.

[Elizabeth86]

I would have no.problem. I hate the ones that are just cake and ice cream, but my family just always has food for any occasion.

[Bambam]

Sounds much better than the 1 yr old parties I've been too. Usually it's been Little Caesar's pizza (double cut) if there is a meal, but generally just cake and ice cream. Usually though the invitee group for these have been the playgroup moms/kids - not relatives. 

But we aren't big foodies. People here chose easy. Birthday party meals - Little Caesar's pizza (or Papa Johns or whatever) or hot dogs or PB&J sandwiches. Nothing that requires utensils (except one party had a seaweed salad - I remember that one!). 

[lmrich]

What time is the party?

 

[Amethyst]

8 minutes ago, lmrich said:

What time is the party?

 

Yes This would make a difference in my answer too. 
I’m not sure why dads wouldn’t be invited, so I’m guessing this is a very casual daytime playgroup type of thing. 

Edited July 4, 2022 by Amethyst

[KungFuPanda]

Did you volunteer to throw a party for your SIL and her friends? I mean, I’m still gonna crash it, but I’m curious. 

[Drama Llama]

16 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

Did you volunteer to throw a party for your SIL and her friends? I mean, I’m still gonna crash it, but I’m curious. 

Volunteer?  Maybe?  Sort of?

My first birthday gift to the baby includes some food, including food for the party.  I'm not going to the party, or planning the rest, just making some nuggets and fries.  

 

[Drama Llama]

22 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

Yes This would make a difference in my answer too. 
I’m not sure why dads wouldn’t be invited, so I’m guessing this is a very casual daytime playgroup type of thing. 

It's the late morning, and lunch on a weekday.  The guests are other moms and babies that she knows from a music class.  I don't think dads are formally excluded, but it's a weekday morning class, which I think attracts a lot of stay at home moms.  Her other kids will be at camp, but maybe people will bring siblings.

My kids' first birthday parties were family parties, and so we had a lot more adults, and older kids.  Which meant different food in part because I could hand my kid to someone else and sit down and eat with two hands.  

[Drama Llama]

8 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said:

When DD turned one, she and another girl born two days earlier were the first to have a birthday since our mom/baby group started.  The mom of the other girl and I decided to have a small party but we really didn’t want to start the competitive galas thing, so our motto was ‘Set a LOW standard’ and we called the party ‘Celebration of motherhood.’  

It was at my house, and we put lots of blankets and quilts out on the lawn, some in the shade and some not.  The timing did not straddle a meal.  We had a slip and slide for the older kids.  We served fresh fruit smoothies (homemade), sandwiches cut in easy to hold strips, goldfish crackers, and veggies with dip.  Maybe chips.  Anyway, it was a lovely day in early July, and the mothers all just relaxed, it was great—hours of great conversation outside.  We gave the kids super simple goodie bags, and I think we said ‘No presents’ as the premise.  So we accomplished our goal of having a lovely time while setting a low bar for others.  

I'm not planning it, but that sounds really lovely.  Smoothies sounds like a good addition.

[Carol in Cal.]

1 hour ago, Baseballandhockey said:

I'm not planning it, but that sounds really lovely.  Smoothies sounds like a good addition.

One nice thing about that age is that all you have to do to keep the kids from messing up the food is put it up on a table.  We had one of those plastic folding 6 foot tables from Costco set up on the driveway where it was very stable, and I don’t think we even put a tablecloth on it.  Spills were, hence, NBD.  

 

[Drama Llama]

OK, I am thinking of adding watermelon smoothies with lime and ginger.  Or I could do watermelon gazpacho and puree it well enough to drink it from cups, or straw cups for toddlers. (Or is that a weird thing that only my family does?  Probably, right?  Other people only eat soup with a spoon?) 

What homemade sauces do people like with nuggets and fries?  I am currently thinking chicken nuggets, spinach/cheese nuggets, and sweet potato fries.

And what dip for fresh veggies?  

[katilac]

If I were having the party, I would consider that a bit too limited, I always prefer to have more choices, I would have either another main food choice or another substantial side at a minimum. I'm in the deep south, though, and everyone has lots of food for everything. All parties have substantial meals, lol.

A party for a one-year-old would also be much more likely to be family and close family friends, not a bunch of other moms with same-age babies, though, so you kind of have to go by local norms for these things.

I wouldn't have fries, bc I don't see how they're going to be hot for very long. 

You say you're not planning the event, though, so I wouldn't worry about it. If that's the food she asked for, that's the food I would make, and I wouldn't give it another thought. 

[marbel]

43 minutes ago, Baseballandhockey said:

OK, I am thinking of adding watermelon smoothies with lime and ginger.  Or I could do watermelon gazpacho and puree it well enough to drink it from cups, or straw cups for toddlers. (Or is that a weird thing that only my family does?  Probably, right?  Other people only eat soup with a spoon?) 

What homemade sauces do people like with nuggets and fries?  I am currently thinking chicken nuggets, spinach/cheese nuggets, and sweet potato fries.

And what dip for fresh veggies?  

People drink soup from cups and even shot glasses, not weird at all. 

Just an example:   https://www.thekitchn.com/local-shots-at-15734

Edited July 4, 2022 by marbel

[Drama Llama]

27 minutes ago, marbel said:

People drink soup from cups and even shot glasses, not weird at all. 

Just an example:   https://www.thekitchn.com/local-shots-at-15734

Would you prefer watermelon smoothies or watermelon gazpacho in your cup?  Or neither?  Or something entirely different?

52 minutes ago, katilac said:

If I were having the party, I would consider that a bit too limited, I always prefer to have more choices, I would have either another main food choice or another substantial side at a minimum. I'm in the deep south, though, and everyone has lots of food for everything. All parties have substantial meals, lol.

A party for a one-year-old would also be much more likely to be family and close family friends, not a bunch of other moms with same-age babies, though, so you kind of have to go by local norms for these things.

We'll do that too.  Of the 6 grandchildren under 18, 4 of them have July birthdays so we'll have a big family party for everyone with lots of food.  But we need to wait for his sister and cousin to come home from sleep away camp for that.  

It's easier to do something with a lot of food when you have a higher adult: baby ratio though.

52 minutes ago, katilac said:

I wouldn't have fries, bc I don't see how they're going to be hot for very long. 

They just need to be hot long enough to eat.  I'm not sure why they'd get cold faster outside in the heat, than they would in the AC?  

52 minutes ago, katilac said:

You say you're not planning the event, though, so I wouldn't worry about it. If that's the food she asked for, that's the food I would make, and I wouldn't give it another thought. 

 

[bolt.]

I like the finger food idea, and it's good to keep everything baby-friendly... but I would have a bit more. Nothing fancy, just a different option. Probably finger sandwiches in addition to the nuggets-and-fries offering.

[Drama Llama]

8 minutes ago, bolt. said:

I like the finger food idea, and it's good to keep everything baby-friendly... but I would have a bit more. Nothing fancy, just a different option. Probably finger sandwiches in addition to the nuggets-and-fries offering.

What kind of sandwiches? Like what would you put in them?

[bolt.]

4 minutes ago, Baseballandhockey said:

What kind of sandwiches? Like what would you put in them?

Probably something 'normal' for your area. For us that would be lunch meat, sliced cheese, and lettuce with mayo.

[alisoncooks]

I think the original idea, plus watermelon smoothies, sounds fabulous. But then again, I don’t generally care about what’s expected or whatever. I mean, it sounds like a chill hangout with some mom friends and babies. They’re coming to visit and celebrate baby, not be fed to a certain standard.  

[SKL]

I would be fine with that and I'd be fine with any other arrangement.  The only thing that wouldn't be OK would be not having anything that young kids could eat / drink.  (Unless you specified that in advance.)

[marbel]

I would probably not care for watermelon smoothie or gazpacho myself. But I think it would be nice to offer one or the other, if you want and if it's convenient for you. 

Honestly, since this sounds like a small group of moms and kids, I think your original plan is fine as it is. I always find it fun to keep adding stuff to the menu, but for this occasion is sounds like simpler might be best. 

I'd save the extra fun ideas for the real party your family will have later in the month!

 

[katilac]

3 hours ago, Baseballandhockey said:

 They just need to be hot long enough to eat.  I'm not sure why they'd get cold faster outside in the heat, than they would in the AC?  

This might be a regional difference. Around here, there is no set time to eat at this kind of party or most gatherings. The food is out when you get there, and stays out for the duration, so I don't see things like fries. The only thing that's brought out or served at a specific time is a celebratory cake. 

My kids and I were completely caught by surprise when we went to a party in a midwestern state and they abruptly picked up the food at a certain point, lol. My husband forgot to warn us. 

[Drama Llama]

4 hours ago, katilac said:

This might be a regional difference. Around here, there is no set time to eat at this kind of party or most gatherings. The food is out when you get there, and stays out for the duration, so I don't see things like fries. The only thing that's brought out or served at a specific time is a celebratory cake. 

My kids and I were completely caught by surprise when we went to a party in a midwestern state and they abruptly picked up the food at a certain point, lol. My husband forgot to warn us. 

So where I live, I feel like there are two different schema for kid birthday parties. 

One is the "family party" where you invite whole families.  Like your aunt and uncle and cousins.  Or your neighbors and their whole family.  And you hang out and have a meal that's targeted at everyone.  And it's easy, from my perspective, to do things like grill, and eat food that requires two hands because the adult: baby ratio is high so you can just pass your baby to Grandpa or a teenage cousin.  That's what my kids had.

The other is the "kid party" which, before covid, was usually done at a place.  Like the bounce place, or the ice skating rink, or Gymboree.  And only kids are invited, although if the kids are under about 7 they each bring one parent who acts as their indentured servant, and helps them on and off the equipment, etc . . . The other parent stays home with any other kids.  And the party lasts like 90 minutes with time for an activity, and then everyone sits down and the kids are served things like cheap pizza or Chik Fil A nuggets. and cupcakes and then there are goody bags and they go home.  And the moms are offered pizza and decline because they don't eat carbs, or they pretend they don't eat carbs in public. That model, scaled down to babies, and moved to the backyard because of covid, seems to be the model here.  

So, it's just babies and moms and maybe someone will have a young sibling that doesn't have another place to be.  Also, the food needs to be simple to reheat and serve because my SIL and BIL (who works from home, and will lend a hand with the party) are not going to have help and they tend to cook very simply.  

[Drama Llama]

As far as the menu, we talked to day and tried some things out, and right now we are at:
 

Chicken nuggets (home made, healthy)

Spanokopitakia (little triangles of spanokopita) 

Fava (Greek dip that's similar to hummus) with asparagus, carrots, cucumbers, and peppers

Berries

Watermelon

Cupcakes

Ice Tea

Lemonade

Water

Whole milk

How does that sound?  

[itsheresomewhere]

Honestly, I would buy the nuggets frozen.  You are doing a lot and there are some tasty not that bad for you nuggets available.   But I don’t go to a party to eat healthy. Parties have always been my special days to just eat and enjoy without thinking is this healthy.  
 

Just ketchup, ranch and bbq sauce is what most here would want with nuggets.  

[Drama Llama]

57 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

Honestly, I would buy the nuggets frozen.  You are doing a lot and there are some tasty not that bad for you nuggets available.   But I don’t go to a party to eat healthy. Parties have always been my special days to just eat and enjoy without thinking is this healthy.  
 

Just ketchup, ranch and bbq sauce is what most here would want with nuggets.  

I already made the nuggets.  I gave the baby a whole bunch of frozen nuggets for one of his birthday presents.  (Yes, that's weird, no I don't think he appreciates them but I think his parents find it helpful to have fast healthyish food to feed him and his siblings). 

I think some moms would be hesitant to feed their kids commercial nuggets at that age due to sodium.

Edited July 5, 2022 by Baseballandhockey

[itsheresomewhere]

31 minutes ago, Baseballandhockey said:

I already made the nuggets.  I gave the baby a whole bunch of frozen nuggets for one of his birthday presents.  (Yes, that's weird, no I don't think he appreciates them but I think his parents find it helpful to have fast healthyish food to feed him and his siblings). 

I think some moms would be hesitant to feed their kids commercial nuggets at that age due to sodium.

Most of the moms I am friends with wouldn’t care at a party.  Even us crunchy ones. Those who would probably are the ones who say something even about the organic cut up watermelon, dye free sprinkles and we wouldn’t invite them.  Lol

[Drama Llama]

7 hours ago, itsheresomewhere said:

Most of the moms I am friends with wouldn’t care at a party.  Even us crunchy ones. Those who would probably are the ones who say something even about the organic cut up watermelon, dye free sprinkles and we wouldn’t invite them.  Lol

I am not picking the guest list.  

[Soror]

I think you are going above and beyond. 

If I'm at a party that is scheduled for a typical eating time I'd expect some food. No way I'd expect some extensive menu of just food I like and to necessarily have enough to be full. You have lots of options, surely the attendees will like something, if not they can eat before or after. 

I know I'm always thrilled to attend a party with some healthyish options, especially so when I had littles. You can't please everyone, online or irl. If I get free food at a party that is a win.

[Clarita]

17 hours ago, Baseballandhockey said:

As far as the menu, we talked to day and tried some things out, and right now we are at:
 

Chicken nuggets (home made, healthy)

Spanokopitakia (little triangles of spanokopita) 

Fava (Greek dip that's similar to hummus) with asparagus, carrots, cucumbers, and peppers

Berries

Watermelon

Cupcakes

Ice Tea

Lemonade

Water

Whole milk

How does that sound?  

I'd be thrilled with this menu.

[Elizabeth86]

17 hours ago, Baseballandhockey said:

I already made the nuggets.  I gave the baby a whole bunch of frozen nuggets for one of his birthday presents.  (Yes, that's weird, no I don't think he appreciates them but I think his parents find it helpful to have fast healthyish food to feed him and his siblings). 

I think some moms would be hesitant to feed their kids commercial nuggets at that age due to sodium.

I need someone like you in my life. Brilliant gift! Wanna share the recipe?

[Drama Llama]

5 hours ago, Elizabeth86 said:

I need someone like you in my life. Brilliant gift! Wanna share the recipe?

I made a few types.  Chicken nuggets, fish nuggets, tofu nuggets, and spinach-cheese nuggets.  So they can have variety.  

I do the chicken nuggets like chik fil a.  Little cubes of breastmeat marinated in pickle juice (I get no salt added pickles, give the pickles to my GFIL and use the juice) and milk.  I made these without the powdered sugar that makes it taste like CFA, but they were still yummy.