we had the same thought - no pizza - so here's what we did - jelly s/w cut in fun shapes, fruit skewers, baby carrots, vegetable chips, mickey shaped cheese, cake

also i made skewers from stirrers instead of using the actual skewers since i was paranoid about the pointed tip. a lot of parents appreciated the healthy but fun choices. - incidentally for my son;s 3rd b'day...

You could make a PB&J bar. Line up a bunch of different nut butters and jellies, then have bowls of add-ins like banana slices, potato chips, raisins.

We did sandwich triangles for my son's fourth at the park. PB&J and egg salad (kept in the cooler), hummus and cut veggies (blanched) and big bowls of grapes and plums. Also pita chips and tortilla chips. Super easy!

I like all the suggestions above. I immediately thought of pasta of some kind. Then thought that my 2 1/2 year old loves pulled bbq chicken, made with chicken breast so there are no bones.

hi! annoying food allergy mom here chiming to say please take note of whether you'll be inviting anybody w/nut allergies before going with a bar of nutbutters. (my daughter has multiple allergies, so I wouldn't really expect a host or hostess to fully cater to her needs, but given the prevalence of severe nut allergies, you might want to take that one into consideration given that nutbutters are so easily transferred from foods to hands to mouths to play equipment, etc.)

okay, now I think I should offer up something more productive/positive, so I'll say: build your own soft taco bar? I like the fruit skewer and dip-able veggies idea, too. If you were thinking of ordering out anyway, you could always do sub sandwiches cut into smaller servings, too. If not 100% healthier, it might at least be a change of pace from pizza?

These look fun & tasty: http://weelicious.com/2010/01/21/mac-chicken-cheese-bites/. A friend served them at her daughter's party.

I also have a food intolerance (gluten); you can make these with GF pasta, no flour and no breadcrumbs. I don't expect people to cater to my diet but it means a WHOLE lot to me when they at least have one option for me. If I know pizza is being served, I eat before hand.

All good suggestions. Problem is almost anything would have to be at least kept a little cool in the summer heat. For 3yr olds I would do an assormant of meat and cheese cubes with veggies and fruit on the side. To keep this stuff cool put in foil trays and then set on top of a slightly larger foil tray filled with ice.

Well then I guess you should not serve anything with nuts, meat (what about the vegetarians?), gluten, dairy etc. etc. etc.

Obviously the host will know what she can and can't serve. If she doesn't then the mother of the child will let her know. This is just a list of suggestions..geesh. Maybe she should be safe and have everyone bring their own lunch.

Recently someone posted about a teddy bear themed party where sandwiches were in the shape of teddy bears. Those could be easily made ahead and transported in a cooler. A fruit and veggie tray would also be easy to hall along. If the park has BBQs you could make grilled cheese sandwiches. If your heart is set on pizza then get pizza delivered to where you are. You could always make wraps too.

KerriM, I agree with you that the hostess will know her guests, but our comments (re: food allergies and intolerances) I believe were said in the politest way possible, and I decided to include mine here not as much for the benefit of this particular hostess, but for others reading these comments who might be hosting (whether a playdate, a party, or a different event) and have innocently forgotten to think of such considerations. It was just meant as a friendly reminder. As both I and krystab221 noted, we do not expect everyone to cater to our needs. Nor do I think every event would even have guests with special dietary restrictions, so in many cases it would not be a concern. I was just doing my part to increase allergy awareness, that's all. I hope I did not offend or bother, but I think you may have overreacted.

Danielle here. These are great suggestions, thank you! I especially like the pb & j bar but just realized I do have an allergic (toddler) guest. Will have to check with the parent, but perhaps that could be modified to include other non-peanut options? Also didn't think of ice-filled trays to keep the colder things cold. We're having gazpacho for adults, so that method will come in handy. Thanks all.

@ KerriM: I completely see your point, but the fact of the matter is, peanuts are served to children with allergies all. the. time. Even by well-intentioned hosts who are aware of the nut allergy. And it’s not the same as other dietary restrictions or preferences, because of the severe consequences. My daughter is allergic to peanuts, cow milk, and strawberries – but peanuts are the only item I request not to be served. It’s the only one that will send her the ER.

We attended four toddler birthday parties in the last week. Here’s my suggestion based on the biggest hits: Hot dogs, corn on the cob, sweet potato fries, and fruit salad with grapes, bananas, and blueberries.

Hot dogs are pretty forgiving. You could also do chicken nuggets. Or the tofu nuggets if you wanted a meatless option.

We opted to serve dim sum and Thai snackages at our last party, and they were perfect for both adult and kid palates (yes, kids ate them up, believe it or not). We just kept the sauces in separate serving bowls.

I refuse to serve only kids' "food" for parties where half the guests are parents. ;-)

KerriM, I don't think it's fair to compare people with nut allegies to vegetarians or even people who are lactose intollerant. Vegetarians choose not to eat meat and if a lactose intolerant person eats some dairy, they will not die (I don't know about gluten issues, etc.) As far as I know, nut and shellfish allergies are the only ones that can be life-threatening. Of course, it is the responsibility of the parent of the nut-allergic child to keep them safe, but it can be dangerous for that child to even be near a "PB & J" bar. If the poster is inviting the preschool class, or other kids that she does not necessarily know, there could be one with this life-threatening allergy. If I were the parent throwing the party, I would not want to plan the entire menu around foods that were potentially dangerous to one of my guests, especially when that guest is a small child! If the host knows all her guests, and knows they do not have nut allergies, then peanut butter is a fine idea, but I think "annoying food allergy mom" provided a good reminder.

As for the poster's question, I think people usually do pizza because the kids rarely eat anything at a party and pizza has the benefit of being easy and most likely to actually be consumed. After years of throwing kids parties where the kids barely touched a thing, I now plan birthday parties at non-meal times and just provide snacks like cheese sticks and granola bars. Oh, and birthday cake of course!

Danielle again. Two things: adults will have their own "grown up" food, as much as I love a good pb&j. And the park doesn't have bbqs, so the other requirement is that it be no-cook solution that we can make at home and transport.

I think the food at party is more for the parents. I would do some kind of veggie tray, fresh fruit (especially fruit that can be grabbed, like strawberries or apple and orange slices) and dips--hummus, tapenade, etc. And some kind of crunchy carbohydrate to go with them--my preference is pita chips. This is the standard at almost all the toddler parties we attend with the hippie/crunchy parenting types (anything from the allergy mom to the raw vegan moms.) And then some kind of dessert treat/cake--anything from a bakery cake to homemade gluten-free cupcakes to a raw strawberry pie (that was actually delicious and what my daughter requests every year for her party.)

For my daughter's last party I bought some inexpensive bento boxes in bulk online. Then using inspiration from all the great bento blogs filled them with bunny shaped cheese sandwiches, rainbow goldfish, fruit salad, apple rabbit slices and carrot sticks. I kept them in a cooler until snack time. They were a huge hit and the kids got to take their bento boxes home as part of their goody bag.

posts like this make me glad I'm not a parent. You ridiculous people with your nut allergies and whiney business about dairy products..it's just ridiculous. If there will be nuts served then maybe your kid should be kept home in his/her bubble.
For the rest of the world, I think having some fun food like popcorn, cheese and veggies would be just fine, it's not like the kids will even notice the work you put into a PB&J bar anyway. Give them snacks and let them play!

Potato and ham salad with a mustard/vinegar dressing. Just stirr in a few frozen peas and that will keep it fresh until you are ready to serve. Could also be made with as a pasta salad.

Note to self: don't ever ask an internet forum for food advice for a kids' party.

mdanger - would you say that to my face? to keep my child home in her bubble? would you say it to the face of my three year old, you know, the one with the "ridiculous" nut allergy? Please re-read my initial comment (and clarifying follow-up if necessary) -- am I really being "ridiculous" as you say? I humbly disagree. I was trying to be helpful. I offered food suggestions and pointed out a consideration the hostess might've forgotten about. I wish we could all walk a mile in the other's shoes before lashing out with such hurtful words.

MeganPie -- I'm really sorry you feel that way, but I don't blame you! I didn't mean to open up this whole can of worms. At least Danielle seems to have gotten a lot of good suggestions amongst the banter here. (I hope.)

I like the bento box idea! If you dont have time to order boxes, or want to go with a different theme you could get dollar store lunch boxes, cute little craft baskets ("little picnic baskets"?) or just let your kid decorate some brown paper bags with markers and stickers. Make half sandwiches, baggies of goldfish or crackers and other fun lunch box stuff and just hand each kid a lunch bag at snack time. Heat and bugs are going to be a problem with a lunch at the park, and if your parks are like ours, other people wondering up to nosh on your buffet can sometimes be an issue as well. If this is for mostly little kids the parents or host will have to make everyones plate, help them find somewhere to sit, remake dropped plates! Just toss em all a lunch bag and get on with the party LOL

Sorry, but PB is a special problem because the allergy is so severe and may be airborne. Maybe an airborne dairy allergy exists but I've never come across it, and I've encountered precisely one person with a dairy contact allergy. Parents of allergic or celiac kids will usually ask what's in the food, so actual ingestion is less of a problem. PB allergies are so common with kids now that it's just not worth it to serve it. There are plenty of alternatives and it's easy to exclude. It's not like searching through the supermarket for that one @*! brand of bread that has no dairy in it.

I would also do veggies, fruit, and sandwiches, with something fun for dessert.

Chicken nuggets (served cold/whatever temp) are always a hit here (with both kids and adults). We live in Florida and get our nugget trays at Publix, but I'm sure you can find something similar in NYC. :)

Also, if you're concerned about peanut allergies, be sure to find out what they cook the nuggets in. I have found out from a close friend who's son has a severe peanut allergy that Chick-fil-A cooks their nuggets in peanut allergy (if I'm not mistaken on the place), so he can't even eat that. I'm sure if you talk to the mom ahead of time, she'd help you out with some ideas and/or just volunteer to have an alternative for her child.

Good luck!

Wow--I don't usually comment on this stuff, but even I'm offended. As an adult who isn't able to eat gluten, dairy or soy... must I stay at home in a bubble as well?? Whatever happened to tolerance? :/

To the original poster... I think the best way to handle the allergy issues is to acknowledge any potential problems, kindly ask the parents, and then move on with the solution mom/dad will likely HAPPILY offer you. It's always nice to know you (or your child) are cared about and being considered.

My first idea was a 'finger food' buffet. Meat and cheese cubes, fruits, veggies, Pirates Booty or chips... simple is hard to beat :)

my sons birthday is the end of July so we have a party in the park next to the wading pool. Each year we do it as pot luck, everyone brings a dish to share and we eat early so that the food isn't sitting in the heat then play after. We have a couple of friends with allergies so their moms bring a dish which is suitable for them there is also a vegan who knows how hard it is to cater for vegans here (Japan) so she brings her own lunch.

I supply the plates, forks, cups and drinks plus small thank you bags of goodies. I make a pinata (in the form of a ball so it gets kicked to pieces not hit) plus toys to play with in the pool. We ask the guests not to bring gifts but instead the birthday child's parents buy a book suitable for the birthday child and we put in a book plate with a message from the group.

Our birthdays tend to be the same group of kids so we keep this sort of format for all the parties.

Veggie Platters, tea sandwiches, limeade...

Depending on the time of day, bagels can work well. Cream cheese is okay for a while in all but the hottest weather, or you could try one of the cooling tricks mentioned above.
As for the several nasty comments about kids with food allergies or dietary restrictions: in some cases, it's genuinely a matter of life and death; in others, it's a matter of ethics. In any case, it is common courtesy to try not to feed your guests food that will make them ill or force them to do without, within reason. The original poster wanted suggestions for food that would appeal to her guests; part of "appeal" probably involves meeting their dietary restrictions, so it seems perfectly appropriate to raise polite, gentle reminders about these issues.

I love jenstella's idea about the bento boxes! They're a bit of extra work with the way she's describing to make the food cute the way those amazing bento box bloggers do. I'm sure the kids would go crazy for them and even eat the food so delighted by the presentation.

But if you are able to pull it off you would succeed in throwing your party at a park, getting kids to eat a meal at a party and brag about how you didn't serve pizza. I'll have to bookmark this idea for future parties for my kids.

I haven't read the previous comments, but I will say that my two children, aged three and five, absolutely love hummus and pita (and maybe a couple of veggies), fruit, cheese and crackers, and that sort of thing. For most of our parties, and those are friends throw, a table full of that sort of thing is considered a meal, especially for the kids.

ugggggghh--"those that OUR friends throw," not ARE.

Yuck.

mdanger, Ohdeedoh doesn't apply to you then, so why are you trolling? Rude!

I would use a cookie cutter to cut melon into star shapes (or hearts, or whatever) and serve fresh berries in cute cups.

Mini-bagels with spread or cookie-cuttered sandwiches would be a good option.

I know its silly but I think crazy straws and pretty cups mean more to little kids than the foods being "new" or necessarily terribly creative.

Is sparkling fruit juice an option? Its fun and bubbly but not soda. (Which I think some parents appreciate).

If regular sandwiches seem too plain, I would seriously consider wraps. Or subs/hoagies cut into three inch sections, you can get big long 2' or 4' hoagies pre-cut into nice little "chunks." But not every kid eats every meat, etc. etc. I don't know your audience. :)

Like I never ate ham or regular pork hotdogs as a kid (still don't in fact!) but that might just be me, in my bubble. :)

I did love me some turkey hoagies, though.

I have an anaphylactic (airborne) allergy to some grasses. Does this mean I request that all friends and family host their outdoor celebrations/events in places I can safely be in?? NO! I work out how I can fit into their plans. It's my allergy, I'm responsible for it. I don't expect anyone to prioritise my needs over their own event.
As soon as I read KerriM's suggestion I simultaneously thought "Great idea! So easily ADAPTABLE!" and "here we go...". It's just totally unnecessary to point out the obvious here, and the request was suggestions, not to be patronised.

The Bento box idea is fantastic!!

Don't overcomplicate--these are three-year olds. Elevate the pizza standard by making a few trays of homemade focaccia, which can be served at room temp. Just keep the toppings for one on the plain side with just cheese, salt, tomato, basil. You could even buy the dough and make trays of pizza with fun toppings like this: http://www.marthastewart.com/332466/onion-focaccia . I also saw a cute idea in a recent MS Living where you serve veggies and dip by using individual clear cups and put some dip in the bottom of each, then fill with a little bouquet of veggie sticks--each kid takes a cup and their veggies are pre-dipped. You can keep the cups on display over ice.

Other than a first birthday party, which was a huge deal with family and friends, in the early years we kept the number of guests to the age of the child. Our four-year-old had four guests, for instance. (cake and ice cream and treat bags) Also, keep the time to just an hour or 90 minutes. It's a little party, not a daycare.

Over-blown parties (which are really just a competition between parents, IMHO) usually end up with the little guest of honor overwhelmed and in tears.

Love the Bento box idea, I may just have to do that at our next party! :) Fruit, veggies and cheese inside, packed on ice and you are set! I bet those cool veggies and fruits will be refreshing on a hot day. Plus there's no need for plates!
At my son's last party, one of his friends was allergic to peanuts, milk and eggs. I just asked his mom what he could have. We had an outdoor party and made burgers and (kosher= dairy free) dogs on the grill. She gave me the name of a brand roll that her son could have, and I just got that for everyone. Easy peasy. I also saved the labels of every food item we had for the mom to check upon arrival just to be safe. Just ask the moms and they will give you solutions.
For the folks that are not tolerant of other people, I just have to say what goes around comes around. Be nice! If everyone could just be a little nicer to people they come across each day, this world would be an even more wonderful place to be.

Food served in cups seems easier for little hands to manage, so I like to do pasta salad in a cup: fun shaped pasta, olives, chopped veggies, maybe some cubed cheese or meat (ham, pepperoni) and a very light vinegar-based dressing (not creamy)or simply salt and pepper. It looks colorful and fun served in a clear cup. Add a crunchy breadstick and some fruit skewers and your'e done! Keep things well chilled 'til the party, you should be fine.

My son is too young for peanut butter or nut butters, but I have several friends who are allergic to peanuts or other nuts. If you really like the pb&j bar idea, why not use sunflower butter? It tastes very close to peanut butter and I've never met anyone allergic to sunflower seeds. It's comparable in price too.

I think any finger food will work. In my experience, any food is kid friendly if it's cut small and in cute shapes. I love the fruit kabob idea and my niece loved hummus at that age.

Great suggestions! I just had a party for my 3 year old and we did pizza because I couldn't think of anything else. Like another commenter said- most the kids didn't eat it- too busy on the bouncy house. I would do little sandwiches next time- or the kabob idea.

Also, while my child has no known allergies, as a fellow parent, and human, I would NEVER EVER want to serve food at a party that could injure another child. Even at my own inconvenience I would go out of my way to make sure each child feels safe and welcome. And because we have no known food allergies, reminders from parents who do are very helpful because it is easy for me to forget. Thank you.

Sincerely was not trolling. I love ohdeeoh because of the great decorating and party ideas I see all the time on this site, AT, and thekitchn. I also love that I can find cool stuff to do with my neices/nephews etc. (but thanks for the "you don't have a kid get off our site" comment). What I hate is when I see pretentious people volunteering that you must suit everyones' tastes in order to throw a successful party. Don't get me wrong, I know there are legitimately children with nut allergies but when it comes to pleasing everyone who doesn't eat gluten, is vegetarian, dairy free etc. You just have to let go and do your best.
I say this as someone who very frequently throws parties and is vegetarian. Parents can just be a LITTLE ridiculous, was my point.

mdanger - I appreciate your returning to explain yourself, and though someone else may have said something differently, please know that I would never say that you shouldn't be on ohdeedoh just b/c you don't have kids. I don't disagree with you that parents can be ridiculous, but I don't think *I* was being ridiculous in this instnce; I even specifically stated that I wouldn't expect a hostess to cater to all of my child's particular food needs. So I took some personal offense at the tone of your comment, which came across as rather harsh. If you didn't mean it that way, then that is a relief, but I guess I wish next time you might choose your words more carefully. The "stay home in a bubble" sentiment is one that food allergy sufferers seem to get thrown at them more than you might realize, and I find it to display a lack of compassion or understanding. To that end, again, I was originally just trying to raise awareness and spread understanding, but man, I sure didn't mean to cause a whole brouhaha! : )

To himmelb - I certainly never intended to be patronizing and am not sure how you came away with that impression, but if my suggestions came across that way to you or anyone else I'm sorry. I was trying to be helpful, not critical or condescending.

Danielle - good luck with your party, and I will back away from the keyboard now!

You should search for local food vendors to see what they offer. We just had our son's 1st b-day in the park, and it was a circus/carnival theme. We found a local hot dog vendor that came with his professional BIG cart, and served the guest beef, turkey, or tofu dogs which they could adorn with all the fixings. He also offered a meal deal, with chips, drink, and churro and made soft pretzels as well. Everyone raved about him for weeks, and the best thing is it was super reasonable in price. Good luck.

mrsvioletleigh, i would want that guy at my birthday party! that's fantastic! there have been a lot of good suggestions but in hot, humid july heat, i think the idea of having someone else deal with might be my favorite. add fruit and BAM. done.
i think the bagel idea was also really cool. but i'm saying this as one of those childless "trollers" so i guess i'm no expert!

We did a fruit tray, a veggie tray, pasta salad, hummus and pita chips, and cupcakes (of course) for my son's last birthday. Kids and adults loved it. We are thinking about doing a party at the playground this year and I'm not sure I want to bring all that food with me. This post has given me some good ideas.

BAUMGAK- I've got to say that, being new to all this and getting ready to throw a BIG toddler b-day party, I very much appreciate your post because that is something that would've never even entered my mind (my children can eat anything/everything and they do!). Now I'll be sure to include something in my invitations requesting that parents of kids with special allergies let me know ahead of time! Thanks again!