Birthday Party Question.....

If you expect the parents to stay with their children, then yes you should supply food. If their staying is optional then they are on their own.

Yes, I always supply food for the adults. Until the kids are old enough that the parents don't have to stay, it's a good idea to feed the adults. Make it simple, one or two pizzas and one type of pop or soda.
They'll appreciate it!
Have fun! :)

Here's the question I have--how many kids did you invite? Is it possible to buy XL pizza's? IF this isn't possible I would notify the parents of the kids invited that "lunch" will be provided for JUST THE KIDS.

That way everyone is on the same page. The parents of the invited guest can make arangements so they won't walk away starved KWIM?

I would want to know the facts if it was my child who was invited to the party.

Hope this helps out
N.

I have been to parties where food is provided for adults and parties where food is not. I have to say that I think it is customary for parents to assume that the party is for the kids and not to expect to be fed. I personally have always offered food to the adults but I don't believe this is necessary and can also be a huge cost savings. Because it can be an awkward situation, it is always best to supply some kind of information ahead of time like for instance--"pizza is provided for all party guests, Bowling Alley Snack Bar available to parents and siblings." This gives parents a heads up that they won't be eating there.

we paid for the adults once - and it ended up being almost like $500 - for a party of 10 kids....no way would we ever do that again....it's for the kids - not the adults....trust me...their $10 gift isn't worth opening up that can of worms...seriously - don't make the same mistake we did - we got our final bill and our mouths dropped!

maybe have pizza for them yes - but we paid for them to bowl and everything....

Hello,

We have always supplied for adults when kids were younger. Once they get into school they don't need as much supervision with parents staying so we started buying for the kids only.

M.

I agree with you, it is proper and polite to provide food and drinks not only for the kids but for the parents as well. The parents are probably hungry just like their kids, and not supplying them with anything is actually rude. I've been to and hosted birthday parties for 3 children for almost 7 years now, and we've never been to a party that didn't have something for the adults to nosh on while the kids are playing.

Hi, I believe it is perfectly fine to only supply the food for the kids. It is a childrens party and you are not under obligation to supply the parents with food.

If the adults are going to be staying there with the children, then ABSOLUTELY provide food and drinks for the grown ups!! You ever go somewhere where some people can go ahead and grub and play games and you can't? Its ok if just the kids bowl and play, but the grown ups gotta do something while they are there! It also helps the grown ups to keep bringing their kids to your parties! (they will remember having to sit there and stare or be bored or kind of being a part of the party!)

You should have food and drinks to offer the parents that stay at the party to watch over their children, especially at the younger ages. Would you leave your children alone in a public place with just a couple of adults to supervise? Some parents will get their own stuff at the snack bar, but you should be prepared and at least offer them something. As your girls get older and their friends parent's get to know you better fewer and fewer will hang out and it will become a non-issue. Tell your husband to relax and go with the flow...

We've had a party at the bowling alley and what we did was bring hot dogs in a crock pot. We also brought chips, drinks and cake and ice cream. It does feel weird when you don't supply food for the parents/siblings. We just recently had a party at Chuck E Cheese and we decided we'd only feed the kids since you can't bring any food in from the outside, and the pizza is so expensive. However, once we were there, we felt rude telling the adults they would have to buy their own if they wanted to eat so we ended up buying extra pizza. Good luck!

My experience with children that young was that they weren't really interested in eating much food anyway - there was always too much and I was practically begging adults to eat this good food that I paid for!

It might make your hubbers happy to do this: buy a couple of 2-liter bottles of pop (Pgh talk!) and have them for the adults. If they're really hungry, tell themm the truth; "I wasn't planning for adults to eat, but after the kids are done, you can help me with the leftovers!"

I congratulate you for your courtesy.

I would say yes. Most people who take their children to a birthday party expect to be supplied with some type of food. In my experience (with my nieces), most people don't eat much anyway. You may only need one or two more pizzas and a 2-liter or two. If you are getting individual drinks. Maybe another case. Not too much. It would be very rude to feed peoples kids, but not them. Hope this helps

I have always provided food for parents especially since they are staying with the kids.

Happy Birthday to your little one.
In my experience, at ages 5 and 3 a majority of the parents stay. Which is usually a good thing because it can get a little crazy. I personally would have pizza for the parents. It's a great way to meet the other parents and lets face it, pizza is usually really affordable.
It makes for a good friendships when the you know the parents too. I have always been surprised when parents don't want to get to know us before having their kids stay.

I say that if the parents are staying to help 'police' the children then it would be very nice of you to supply food for them. Especially if it's a 'children's' party..... but if they are just dropping of thier kids then don't worry about them....

S.,
That's a tough one, but not too tough.

Have you arranged for a few "helper" adults? Depending on the number of kids coming, one adult per alley should be sufficient, and one or two extra so you and/or your husband can roam to help keep the party in order.

So depending on the child/alley ratio the Bowling Alley uses would depend on how many chaperons you would need. Absolutely check with them first. You and your husband would also count towards that number.

From there, I would say just provide food for the children and the parents/adults with whom you've made arrangements with to help you chaperon the party. They don't even have to be parents of the children coming. They could be Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles or even just a family friend or two. Probably better that way as well. Outside of that, it's not necessary nor expected that a child's parent will stay at a child's party regardless of where it's being held ... a Bowling Alley, Chuck E. Cheese's or your own home.

SO no, you or anyone for that matter is NOT expected to feed the adults unless you have worded the invitation to include parents or even parents AND siblings.

Hope that helps. Have a GREAT time with your girls.

Blessings,
Rolinda
Wife, Mother, Friend

When i did a bowling party for my son,we bought enough pizza and drinks for everyone.I personally didn't feel right not feeding adults/extra children.
Now when i've done parties at my house we normally didn't have food just snacks so i didn't care.

J.

food for everyone is the appropriate thing to do.

I agree with what some of the women on here said. If its a drop of type party and parents stay just because they want to then they should buy there own food. They party is for the children anyway... Have a great time!!

Hi S.,

We have birthday parties for our kids every year at a public place. We do not supply food for the parents. Especially at bowling alleys because the cost is so great. However, there always seems to be extras and we offer it to the parents after the kids have received their portion. It has never been a big deal though and I don't think any of the parents have ever eaten any of what was offered. They return each year so I guess it is okay!

Good Luck.

We always make sure there is plenty of food for the parents as well. I think it is rude not to include parents as part of the list.