Kids birthday parties can sometimes end with belly aches, nausea and sugar lows that are not much fun for anyone involved. Try to avoid sending home the neighborhood children with these symptoms by following our healthy party tips!
Don’t bring all of the food out at once
Lollies and kids go hand in hand and they will always choose an unhealthy food option over a healthy one any day. When you throw a party, put out a range of nutritious food platters that are healthy and filling and once you think the children are sufficiently full, you can offer the lollies and treats.
Smart drink choices
Water is the healthiest drink choice for everybody but when attending a party, the kids want something a little more tasty. Instead of juice, soft drink and cordial which are full of sugar, make them some slushies and smoothies using real fruit. You could even decorate the cups with a pineapple wedge or a strawberry for an extra special touch.
What to serve
It takes very little effort to provide tasty food that is both healthy and filling. A platter of sandwiches with a variety of fillings such as chicken and mayonnaise, egg and lettuce and ham and cheese are likely to satisfy everyones tastebuds. If you were thinking of doing hot food, mini pizzas with ham, cheese and pineapple are sure to please. Fruit sticks are a fun way to serve fruit. Thread watermelon, rockmelon, kiwi fruit and pineapple onto popsicle sticks. Add a marshmallow to each one as a surprise treat. For a final healthy treat idea, jelly cups with real fruit not only looks delicious but I’m sure your guests will think they taste great too.
Going natural
Where you can, go natural! Even though naturally flavoured lollies and chips still have a high sugar and fat content, you will be eliminating artificial colouring and flavouring which a lot of children have allergic reactions to and it can also affect their behaviour. The great thing about choosing these products is that they are usually free of preservatives too.
Swap the lolly bag for a treat bag
Instead of giving the kids lollies to take home, swap them for special treats. Bubbles, balloons, pencils, rubbers, stickers, toy cars, costume jewellery and temporary tattoos all make great treat bag ideas.
Have an sporty party
The choices for active parties these days are endless. You can have gymnastics parties, soccer parties, ten pin bowling parties and the any of your favourite sports team as theme. So even if the kids have had some sugary food during the party, they will well and truly burn it off before they go home.
At your next kid’s birthday party, try a few of the above ideas and see what a difference it makes. The only other important thing to remember is to send your party invitations out in time for the birthday bash.
Guest written by Mike Cutcliffe
Mike prides himself as a ‘super dad’ being a stay-at-home father of 3 boys while running his home-based IT business. He has recently held a 10th birthday party for his son and got everyone to dress as their favourite sports stars.
Hey Mike, what do you do about the gifts that your son gets? Is there any way to manage this? Last birthday my son was given gifts that I’d rather he didn’t have. I ended up confiscating them from him and felt terrible for the next week! How can we prevent totally inappropriate gifts. Just wondering what your advice is.
Hi Melina,
Interesting question and one that many off us I’m sure have not experienced yet? If a parent does not trust the parents who are coming to buy appropriate gifts then I believe the best course of action to take is to note it on the invitations right from the start that could say” Please if purchasing gifts make them age appropriate and “non violence” at all times. That should reduce the risk? Hope that helps.