5 Fun Finger Foods for a Kid’s Party

When it’s party time, kids don’t have time to sit calmly and eat a plate of food. You can serve them something nutritious, delicious, creative, and amusing. Use small bites that little hands can walk away with. Things that won’t stain carpet or clothing. Kids want their food mobile, quick, on the go…something to get them back to the party games and their friends.

Here are 5 fun finger foods for a kid’s party or family event.

1. Mac ‘n Cheese quesadillas – mix up a batch of good old Kraft Macaroni and Cheese dinner and layer it into tortillas. Fold over and bake in oven for ten minutes at 350 degrees. Cut into small triangles or wedges and serve to your guest brood. They’ll be begging for more of these.

2. Mini pizzas – get mini bagels from the store (or English muffins) and spoon jarred spaghetti sauce over the surface. Cover amply with shredded cheese and bake in the oven until the cheese is bubbling. Kids love pizza more than television, it seems, so they’ll be grabbing these throughout the party. Don’t both putting too much else on the pizzas as kids don’t always go for the vegetables or the pepperoni. Keep it simple.

3. Chicken nugget bites – kids adore chicken nuggets and will come back over and over for more. Serve with a side of ketchup (their universal sauce), barbecue sauce, or really mix things up and place a bowl of Ranch dressing. Have toothpicks available for dipping.

4. Sliders or mini hamburgers – these are great for any occasion to keep little hands full, but they’re especially good for parties because they’re filling and can get kids involved in dressing the bun. Grill up small patties and top with cheese and ketchup. Toss one pickle on top before closing up with the bun. Serve a bowl of hearty potato chips on the side and you’ll see smiles for miles.

5. Pigs in a blanket – a traditional favorite of kids is a mini hot dog inside a biscuit wrap. Purchase Lil’ Smokies sausages at the store as well as canned biscuit dough. Half each individual biscuit and roll a sausage into the center, completely wrapping the dough around it. Bake in the oven according to the directions on the biscuit packaging. They’ll be very hot after cooking, so make sure they cool properly before serving to your younger guests.

These recipes are great for a kid’s party, or even your next family reunion, a holiday party, or a baby shower.

5 Timeless Themes for Kids Parties

There’s an endless plethora of ideas for kid or baby shower parties these days like Hannah Montana, Cars, SpongeBob, or Shrek, but it’s the timeless party themes that last and bring the biggest smiles to kids’ faces. These ageless themes can be incorporated into the food, decorations, and games and will have your young guests laughing, playing, and having a great time.

Here are 5 timeless themes for kids parties.

1. Mickey Mouse – the penultimate in timeless characters is everyone’s pal, Mickey Mouse. Coupled with his friends Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald Duck, these Disney characters offer a multitude of party ideas. Mickey Mouse and Disney products are available in most large party stores and you should have no problem incorporating Mickey into your party plans.

2. Superman/Wonder Woman – kids love super heroes! They want to be them, emulate them, and hang out with them. If your party is for boys, a Superman is fail proof to have kids running around enjoying themselves as they attempt to leap tall buildings. The same with little girls, Wonder Woman is powerful, gorgeous, and she can deflect bullets with her bracelets. Who wouldn’t love that? The super hero theme is enduring with the constant resurrection of old comic book characters into new movies. Kids will love it.

3. Pirate Party – pirates themes are everlasting, and, thanks to the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, kids are well aware of the bounties of pleasure that can arise from dressing up with an eye patch, loose clothes, and a play sword. You can play this theme up by having the kids dress up in pirate garb: vests, jewels, bandanas, eye patches, a parrot on the shoulder, a hook. Build the theme into your food and through to the decorations and activities. Plan a treasure hunt, complete with map and watch the kids go crazy with all the fun.

4. Princess Party – every little girl dreams of being a pretty princess with flowing dresses, a sparkly crown, and a castle and prince of her very own. This is one fantasy that can easily come to life with a princess theme party. Spoil your guests with food, decorations, and games to pamper their royal selves for a day. Pass out tiaras, scepters, and costume jewelry. Have everyone dress as their favorite princess and have a princess fashion show. The possibilities are endless, so play it up and have fun.

5. Winnie the Pooh – hmmm…a little hunnie for the rumblee of the tumblee. Winnie the Pooh and friends is one of the most timeless cast of childhood characters from Tigger, Piglet, Roo, Kanga, Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl, Heffalump, Christopher Robin, and Pooh himself. Craft your own 100 Acres Wood to entertain your kid guests. Build the characters and theme into decorations, food, and games and it’ll have everyone bouncing like Tigger.




Criss White is a professional writer that enjoys winnie the pooh baby shower parties and also writes about other baby shower ideas. Criss loves Winnie the Pooh and other Disney characters.

Why Kids Love Winnie the Pooh

When looking for a fun, classic, timeless theme for your next kids party, consider Winnie the Pooh. Kids love Pooh Bear and the gang from 100 Acres Wood. Generation after generation has fallen in love with the golden bear with his insatiable craving for honey crafted by the pen of A. A. Milne.

It’s easy to see why kids love Winnie the Pooh…

- The characters are well-written, three dimensional, and identifiable. They’re all so loveable and huggable and have their own unique personalities.
- The world of 100 Acres Wood is completely non-threatening. Everyone lives in peace and harmony and are respectful of each other.
- The cast of characters are fun and happy and make you happy.
- Pooh and friends are such children themselves. Their naivety is charming and it adds depth to their friendships and camaraderie.
- There’s a collective innocence to the residents of 100 Acres Woods. Problems are easy to solve and nothing is too bad to overcome or deal with.
- Look at Winnie the Pooh, or Pooh Bear to his friends. His one goal in life is to fill his rumblee tumblee with as much honey as he can possibly consume. He’s loyal to the end and loves his friends.
- Eeyore is a popular and favorite character. The little donkey is often gloomy and down, but it’s mostly because he keeps losing his tail. He relies on his friends to keep him from getting lost and finding the right direction.
- Tigger is a bouncy, gleeful, over-caffeinated tiger-like creature who makes everyone laugh with his buoyant personality that literally bowls you over. The most wonderful thing about Tigger is he’s the only one, as the story clearly says. We all love Tigger’s energy and enthusiasm.
- Piglet may be a little guy, but he’s one of the bravest animals in 100 Acres Woods. He lives for adventures with his friend Pooh and we can’t get enough of them together. His childish love of balloons and blowing dandelions makes kids smile and gives adults a glimpse back at precious memories.
- While Rabbit thinks he’s the smartest of the bunch—and tells everyone—he’s just as loveable as the rest of the crew. He’s focused and organized and watches out for his friends. We could all use a Rabbit in our lives.
- Kanga and Roo represent the motherly care and love that children of all ages appreciate. Kanga’s warm personality makes kids want to crawl into the pouch with Roo.
- Christopher Robin is the universal kid. He’s smart, happy, and has an amazing imagination. Kids identify with his connection with his menagerie of stuffed with fluff friends.
- Owl’s the intellectual that fills in all the details of what’s going on and what might happen. He has the answer to every question and the cleverest way to get out of any situation. All kids want to be as smart as Owl.

The humor and innocence of Winnie the Pooh and his friends keeps kids coming generation after generation to the imagination of 100 Acres Wood. For kids, it’s something to relate to and for adults, it’s a lovely walk down childhood memory lane.





Criss White is a professional writer that enjoys winnie the pooh baby shower parties and also writes about other baby shower ideas. Criss loves Winnie the Pooh and other Disney characters.

5 Healthy Foods for Your Kids

It seems today that kids are in a rut with eating the same things over and over again. Growing kids can’t live on French fries, pizza, and hot dogs alone. The key to pleasing any kids’ palate is to make the meal fun for them and not to let them know when they’re eating right.

Here are five healthy foods for your kids.

Nuts and Seeds
For in between meal snacks, feed your kids a handful of nuts. Not only are they rich in several important vitamins, but nuts provide vast amounts of proteins and amino acids. The variety of legume nuts and tree nuts offers variety to any snack with almonds, pecans, peanuts, walnuts, macadamia nuts, cashews, and others. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds are a good source of unsaturated fatty acids which are essential in kids’ growth.

Fruits
Instead of treating kids to a piece of candy, cookies, or cake, assuage their sweet tooth with nature’s own sweet things. Kids will eat what you have available, so keep a bowl of fresh fruit in their reach or in the refrigerator. Apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries, watermelon are easy “finger-type” foods that will satisfy their craving. Also, fruits are high in potassium, vitamin C, and calcium which aids in their development.

Spaghetti
Kids love pasta and there’s nothing that will satisfy their hunger more than a plate of spaghetti. However, you can feed them a nutritious meal without them even knowing. Star with wheat or spinach pasta and use more natural sauces. Avoid the over-sugary stuff in the stores. Also, you can “sneak” vegetables into your kids’ spaghetti by finely chopping onions, mushrooms, olives, and/or peppers. Add large chunks of lean ground beef and your kids will be asking for seconds.

Chicken Fingers
Most every restaurant kid’s menu will offer chicken fingers and fries. What kid wouldn’t love this? At home, you can serve them the same full-flavor without the added fat. By baking breaded chicken, you greatly reduce the fat content of frying. You can also make your own chicken fingers by rolling raw chicken tenders from the store in plain yogurt and then covering in crushed corn flakes or panko bread crumbs. Coat with a cooking spray and bake for the same yummy taste as the fried version. Kick things up with a low fat ranch dressing or barbeque sauce for dipping and your kids won’t miss the grease at all.

Fun Vegetables
It’s almost an oxymoron, but vegetables can be made fun for kids. Instead of forcing the food on them as something they have to have, make it interesting. Teach them the origin of certain foods. Have them help plate what’s for dinner, matching foods by color. Serve smoothies that incorporate both fruits and vegetables in a less “threatening” way to their taste buds. Add vegetables to more traditional foods like carrot or zucchini muffins, or as said before, into spaghetti sauce. Another idea is to start a vegetable garden and get your kids involved. The more they work with and learn about vegetables, the less “scary” they’ll be on their plate. Introduce vegetables to them through a chopped platter of small bites of carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, and mushrooms, with healthy dip to accompany. And finally, reward your kids for trying new things. Remember, their palates aren’t as developed as an adult’s so make food nutrition fun and it will go a long way to your kids’ health.



Criss White writes about family, pregnancy, and baby topics. To check out some baby shower food ideas, visit Baby Shower Ideas.

Tricks to Get Children to Sit Still During Family Photos

One of the best ways to capture the memories of your family is to have a family photography session. People often like to have these photographs taken while their kids are young as a remembrance that the whole family can look back on after the children grow up. Photos are such a great way to capture the beauty of the moment and to remember the past.

There are also some who think that they have to let their kids pose for pictures so they can frame them, however, making a baby or kid sit for a picture can be quite a challenge for everyone. Word of warning though, picture taking sessions with kids can be stressful if you cannot get your children to sit still for the pictures. If you are planning on taking many pictures and having a lengthy photo shoot, keeping your kids from becoming restless can be even more challenging. Here are a few tips and tricks for keeping children and babies still while taking photographs.

The focal point has to be established so the child will have something to concentrate on. That is the one spot or object that the child will look to so they look good on the picture. However, making them hold that point is the challenge. Fortunately, it only takes seconds or less to click that shutter.

It is easier for older kids as they have a longer attention span. However, there are also some kids that may need to be bribed to hold still. One trick to get kids on their best behavior during these important photo shoots is to give them something to look forward to after the photography is complete, like an ice cream outing or some other fun activity that the kid will enjoy. Remember, the photographer can shoot the picture but a great picture has to be taken and there is no chance in doing that if the child does not sit still.

Babies are easier sometimes for they can just look to their mother and at their favorite toy. Then someone could also hold them still from underneath while the photographer snaps the picture of the baby. Make sure to schedule the photo shoot for a time of day when the baby is likely to be awake and well rested.

The mother could also dance in front of the child or make funny faces to bring the children into good spirits. Sometimes just setting a positive mood will help you get the results that you want. Others simply wave the baby bottle or the ice cream cone. If for a second or two the child reaches out and smiles for the treat, then go ahead and take the picture then.

Of course experienced family photographers have more tricks up their sleeves to make the photography session more entertaining for children and to get the results that you want. Before you know it, you will have photos that you can proudly display at the office, in your home, or even in baby picture frame favors for a party. The point is to take a great picture which is good enough to frame and show off to everyone.

Wedding Etiquette – Handling Children During Weddings

Having children in your wedding can be fun – it is nice to see their smiles, hear their laughter, or see them play. But just like any other thing, too much of it can be bad – especially for an adult-focused, romantic, and solemn event such as a wedding. While children are sometimes not invited to weddings, oftentimes it is not practical to exclude them. Some guests can’t help it – it’s either they want their children to be a part of this celebration or they just simply need to bring them along as they cannot leave them alone in the house if a babysitter isn’t available or if they are traveling to the event.

If you know that some guests will be bringing their child with them, weeks before the wedding, you can ask a close relative to be in charge of monitoring the children. Most parents will be able to watch over their own kids adequately, but sometimes kids will become bored and rowdy. In this case, it may be good to gather the kids together in another room to play.

As for layout, as you will probably be using wedding place cards, have the guests whom you are expecting to be bringing kids sit at one table. This way, when they see and want to meet the other kids, they need not run across the room to meet and play with them. Put the kid tables near the door or a wall and avoid putting it at the center of the reception hall. If there are fragile items in your wedding reception (for example, wedding favors that are made of glass or crystal), you may consider re-arranging them or keeping them in another room first to avoid people accidentally breaking them. Be sure to keep these out of reach of children.

If your budget will allow it, get a nanny and a small adjacent room to your reception and have the nanny attend to the kids. This way, your guests will have more time to enjoy the wedding as their attention will not be solely drawn to monitoring their kids. Bring some games and toys to keep them entertained.

If you are not expecting kids but some arrive anyway, you should have a backup plan and have at least a small area at your reception where the kids can play. It can be an adjacent room if you feel the kids will be running around or make loud noises.

Having children in your wedding can be manageable. It may not always be easy, but with a few preparations or by having an alternative plan in case some kids show up, you can still maintain the stress-free and worry-free environment that a wedding should have.

Have Fun with Your Toddler Outdoors

The toddler years are important in developing a child’s motor and social skills. This is then the time where you are needed to guide him and spend a lot of time with him for him to develop his confidence this early.

Spring is a great time to spend outdoors, and for you to be able this season with your toddler on the great outdoors will spell not just fun, but learning and quality bonding time together. Listed below are some activities that you can enjoy with your toddler.

You can visit a local zoo, and for a minimal fee, you can be able to show your little one and make him learn at the same time about the different animals. Stay away from the big zoos (almost safari like) where animals like lions and liger are free to run around. Opt for the small zoos as your child may be interested only in the colorful fishes and birds. Bigger and wild animals may be an off-limits zone as well because chances are he might be scared of them and may end up crying.

Planting saplings in the backyard can also spell fun for your child. As he plays with the soil or water, he knows he is helping mom at the same time. This is the opportunity where he can play with soil and not get yelled at for it. Since it is your backyard, you know which areas might be a little too dangerous for him (being near ants or beehives).

You can go near the beach and collect seashells. You can both collect them and decorate your little sand space with it. Get colorful ones with different shapes (be careful with jellies and sharp edges of the shells though) and create houses or sand castles with them. Make them into necklaces or small mementos that can be used for decorating the house, spring wedding favors, or beach themed gifts. These little keepsakes will remind you of the great time you two have had together.

No matter what outdoor activity you choose, remember that what is most important is that you both get to enjoy and maybe even capture them in photographs so when he gets older, you can always look back at the wonderful spring outdoor activities you have had. As any parent would know, there are only a few short years where your child gets to be amused and spend time with you. So make the most out of it and make his toddler years with you as special as it can be.