Guest Post Article - Pool Party Treats

Hello Readers!  I am super excited to have a guest post from my new friend Kristen! 

Top 5 Kiddie Treats to Serve During Pool Parties

A swimming pool at home, plus a five year-old daughter who simply loves to swim, instantly means plenty of pool parties for my family. We already celebrated her most recent birthday with a Lilo and Stich themed pool party, and it was a lot of fun. Admittedly, it also meant a lot of preparation beforehand (decorations, pool safety, party food and favors, invitations, etc.), but the kids’ enjoyment more than made up for it.

My daughter Isabel has already expressed the desire to celebrate her succeeding birthdays with themed pool parties, and I thought it’s a great idea to make the most of the pool we bought along with our house in Fremont. We sat down and came up with a list of themes and motifs she wants to have for her next parties, and with it, we also thought of all the details that would go with each. Food is a big part of it, as kids can get quite famished after being in the water for some time. Here is a list of the 5 best pool party treats for children which my daughter helped me make, and which will fit most parents’ budgets.

• Ice pops in different flavors, colors, and shapes

These are perfect for summer days when kids are likely to get easily dehydrated from being exposed to the sun. Isabel loves making her own ice pops using her plastic mold and some popsicle sticks, and she’s used practically all types of flavors from juice powders and even fresh fruit blends. Serving them up during a pool party not only adds colorful and fun treats for kids, but also keeps them properly hydrated and refreshed. I plan on buying plastic molds in different shapes so kids can enjoy their ice pops even more.

• An ice cream cake to go with the current party theme

Every birthday party should have a cake, and it’s only fitting that a swimming pool birthday party would have an ice cream cake for the kids. Refreshing and delicious ice cream cakes come in different custom made shapes and decorations. Isabel has been eyeing an undersea themed one with mermaids, corals, fishes, and other marine details frosted in tones of blue and sea green, though I’m quite sure she’ll change her mind once she sees something that catches her current fancy.

• Seashell and fish-shaped cookies and sandwiches

I am not a cookie-baking mom by any long shot, but I can make fish and shell shaped sandwiches with my cookie and sandwich cutters. Isabel, John, and I did a trial run with tuna fish and peanut butter and jelly, and discovered that the bread is better when lightly toasted to keep the shape. My husband recommended colorful bread for the fish shapes, and even demonstrated some previously hidden artistic prowess by cutting pieces into what he claims are seaweeds and corals (I had to keep myself from laughing and telling him they looked like leftover bread crusts to me). I plan to practice with starfish-shaped cookies next using brownies and pancake mixes.

• Juice boxes, fruit kebabs, and candy in plastic buckets

This particular idea was suggested by my husband after we bought several colorful plastic buckets for Isabel’s Lilo and Stich pool party last year. At the time, we planned a barbecue for both the adults and kids, with hotdogs and hamburgers for all, beer and soda for the parents and guardians, and juice boxes for the kids. We thought of placing treats with each kiddie guest’s name labeled per bucket, containing a juice box, fresh fruit and marshmallow kebabs, and lifesaver candy to represent safety devices, as well as fish- and coral-shaped confectionery. The buckets can also act as party loot bags with treats and toys the kids can take home with them.

• Cotton candy and popcorn from carts

As a child, I remember attending some kiddie parties with a carnival theme that had a clown, magician, lots of balloons, and popcorn and cotton candy vending machines, and remember being enchanted by it all. I want Isabel to experience the same thing albeit with a swimming pool party twist, and John and I thought of hiring some Fremont-based cotton candy spinners and popcorn vendors for one of her birthdays.

These are just some of the pool party treats we plan on incorporating for our daughter’s birthday swimming parties, though I’m pretty sure we’ll come up with more as she grows older and her preferences change. One thing is for sure, though; we want to keep the treats as memorable and fun for the kids as possible.

This guest blog post was written by proud WAHM (work at home mom) Kristen Swope, who does freelance writing about everything from swimming pools to home lighting. She devotes most of her quality time to taking care of her five-year-old daughter Isabel, and being a loving companion to husband John. She lives in Fremont, California in a house with a kidney-shaped swimming pool.