To not even bother trying to provide any healthy options?

(35 Posts)
Agent64 Thu 08-Nov-12 22:17:18

DDs birthday party tomorrow. It's quite a small affair, just a bunch of friends coming round after school for food and games, age 12-13. Pizza, garlic bread, spring rolls and a heap of crap maize based snacks have been requested and will be provided, along with shock fizzy drinks and lurid OTT cupcake tower.

Cupcake tower will be homemade. Everything else has been bought in and will either go from freezer to oven or will be opened and poured into a bowl.

My question is this - is there any point at all in providing grapes/carrot sticks/cherry toms/anything remotely healthy or should I just give it up as a lost cause and send them all home hyper?

cardibach Thu 08-Nov-12 22:18:14

GIve it up as a lost cause. It's a party - nobody expects it to be healthy and virtuous!

squeakytoy Thu 08-Nov-12 22:18:34

grapes and carrot sticks for teenagers??? why would you even waste the money!

usualsuspect3 Thu 08-Nov-12 22:20:10

Don't waste your money on worthy party food.

RightUpMyRue Thu 08-Nov-12 22:20:38

It's a party and therefore all responsibility to provide healthy nutrition is removed.

Pizza is just a cooked cheese and tomato sandwich. Spring rolls have vegetables in them. Um, fizzy drinks have water in them. I'm struggling. A carrot stick won't help them not go home hyper. Enjoy! YANBU.

Beamur Thu 08-Nov-12 22:22:30

I'd go for some grapes - they may surprise you and eat them, and if not, you can eat them yourself.

Agent64 Thu 08-Nov-12 22:25:56

Okay maybe some token grapes then grin

blackeyedsusan Thu 08-Nov-12 22:51:08

I was going to suggest some cherry tomatoes. though would not do the carrot sticks etc unless requested by party girl. perhaps have fruit available but to one side?

it is a party and a one off junk fest is ok.

pizza has got tomatoe and veggies on anyway!

shesariver Thu 08-Nov-12 22:54:40

Cherry tomatoes and carrot sticks at a teenagers party? Hahaha!!!

Seriously no-ones going to eat any fruit at a party either.

RightUpMyRue Thu 08-Nov-12 23:09:36

Grapes and cherry tomatoes will probably get used as missiles by 12-13 year old boys.

I'd stick with crisps. At least they're dry and can be hoovered up easily.

thebody Thu 08-Nov-12 23:14:00

Sweetpea, don't bother re food, just check rucksacks for parents stolen booze.

My ds got totally pissed at 13 at a house party with lovely parents who were downstairs with the healthy snacks.

KatAndKit Thu 08-Nov-12 23:16:13

If it was summer I would say strawberries. so long as you had a massive chocolate fountain to entirely negate any health benefits from the fruit.

thebody Fri 09-Nov-12 00:00:26

Love mumsnet!!!

HELPMyPooIsStuck Fri 09-Nov-12 00:02:47

You need party rings, it's not a party without party rings, stick some chilli guacamole ( beans innit ?? ) down next to the crisps for a bit of healtherising.

WorraLiberty Fri 09-Nov-12 00:07:13


If they're only 12-13yrs, you should provide grapes that are cut in half.

In fact, if they have olives on their pizza that's a choking hazzard.

Oh and don't embarrass them by providing glasses for their smuggled in WKDs...that's like so embarrassing.

ImperialFireworksInMyKnickers Fri 09-Nov-12 00:09:16

Going to buck the trend here, I did birthday tea for ddtwins (13) a few months ago and the cherry tomatoes and grapes mysteriously vanished, and not into/under the sofa either. Also the carrot and cucumber sticks with the dips. In fact it all disappeared into them somewhere. Despite the one who has acrimoniously divorced parents and therefore cons both of them out of huge amounts of pocket money bringing shedloads of Haribos and other OneStop crap.

WorraLiberty Fri 09-Nov-12 00:12:53

Seriously though, who cares.

It's one meal out of a lifetime of meals

If it contains nothing healthy, no-one's going to die.

apostropheuse Fri 09-Nov-12 00:21:32

Please don't taint a perfectly good party by giving them healthy stuff!

There are plenty more days in the year to be sensible.

justbogoffnow Fri 09-Nov-12 00:24:39

I'd bung a few cherry tomatoes and grapes out, what's the harm grin?

ScrambledSmegs Fri 09-Nov-12 00:39:53

I would have agreed with everyone else on this thread re: pointlessness of healthy food a couple of weeks ago, however...

On Halloween we had two bowls - bagged sweets in one, satsumas in the others. Young teens cleaned us out of satsumas. Left the haribo. Weirdos. confused

rogersmellyonthetelly Fri 09-Nov-12 07:23:13

I am the veteran of many kids parties, I always provide a healthy option along with the sugar laden crap. At the end of the party, all the food is always gone, with the exception of the plate of fruit, carrot sticks and tomatoes. In fact the only time I have ever seen anyone touch the stuff was when a small boy took two carrot sticks, stuck them up his nose and ran around the room shouting "I'm an alien"
Teenagers even less likely to eat them IMO

Agent64 Fri 09-Nov-12 08:29:33

Yeah Scrambled but what did they do with the satsumas?

Tangerines are brilliant for playing catch and "cricket" with (veteran here).

Little hint.

Well I held a 4 yo birthday party at McDonald's grin

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