What should go on the children's menu at a wedding?

Simple, recognisable dishes: pasta with tomato sauce or ragù, breaded cutlet or meatballs, roast potatoes, cut fruit. The children's menu is usually served before the adults', so the little ones eat straight away and can get up from the table.

Up to what age does the children's menu apply?

There's no rule: each caterer sets its own age range and price. Ask in the quote, because a twelve-year-old often eats like an adult and might prefer the grown-up menu.

Do you need a children's table?

It isn't essential, but with many children it helps: they eat together, with an entertainer or a babysitter, and the parents dine in peace. With only a few small children, it's better to keep them near their parents.

Children's menu for weddings and parties in Rome: what to serve

Q: Which foods are a choking risk for children?

The Italian Ministry of Health's guidelines identify 0 to 4 years as the highest-risk age group and mention round foods such as grapes, cherries, mini mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes, and hard or cylindrical foods such as nuts, raw carrots and frankfurters. They need to be cut the right way, not necessarily removed.

In short

A children's menu works if it's simple, recognisable and served first.

Each caterer sets the age range and price of its children's menu: ask in the quote.

For the youngest, round and hard foods must be cut, as the Ministry of Health advises.

Allergies are collected with the RSVPs and passed to the caterer with the child's name.

At a wedding or a first communion there are few children, but they get noticed. If they're hungry, everyone knows. If they eat early and well, the adults' dinner runs smoothly. This guide is about the children's menu within an adult event; for a party designed entirely for them, there's the guide to catering for children's parties.

A wedding menu has five or six courses and lasts three hours. For a six-year-old it's too long and often too elaborate. A separate menu does three things:

gets the children eating straight away, before they get tired;
avoids plates left full, such as raw dishes or richly dressed pasta;
frees up the parents, who can dine calmly.

Many caterers offer it at a reduced price. The age range and price vary from caterer to caterer: there are no reliable public sources, so any figure would be approximate. Ask for it in writing.

What to serve, by age

The table is approximate: every child is different, and parents know them better than anyone.

Age	What they usually eat	Notes
Up to 3	Small pasta shapes, plain pasta, soft vegetables, fruit	They often bring their own meal: ask the parents
4-7	Pasta with tomato, meatballs, breaded cutlet, potatoes	Small portions, a single dish
8-11	As above, plus pizza, lasagne, supplì	They eat fast to get back to playing
12 and over	Almost like adults	They often prefer the grown-up menu

For a wedding or first communion lunch

Starter: bite-sized pizza, cooked ham, cut mozzarella
First course: pasta with tomato sauce or ragù, lasagne
Main course: breaded chicken strips or meatballs in tomato sauce, roast potatoes
Seasonal fruit, already cut
Dessert: the party cake, perhaps a slice without liqueur

To drink

Water, juices, a few fizzy drinks

One detail: supplì (fried rice balls) and croquettes are popular with almost all children, but they should be served warm, not piping hot, because the mozzarella centre stays hot for a long time.

To build the adults' menu alongside the children's, read the menu examples for private parties and the guide to the first communion and confirmation lunch.

Portions and timing

There are no official tables for children's portions at events. A practical, approximate rule: one generous plate is worth more than three small courses. Ask the caterer how it calculates quantities by age.

On timing, the most common choice is to serve the children first:

Moment	What happens
Start of dinner	The children get their plate while the adults start the starter
Mid-dinner	The children finish and get up to play
Cake	Everyone comes back for the candles or the cutting

If there's a long aperitivo, plan something suitable for the little ones too, such as mini pizzas and fruit, because by 8pm they'll already be hungry.

Between 12 and 14, many young people are offended to be given a cutlet and chips. Ask the parents, or the young people themselves, whether they prefer the adults' menu. A middle way is to serve them the adult courses without raw dishes and without very spicy food. Remember that under Law 125/2001 alcohol may not be served to anyone under 18: even the cake toast needs an alcohol-free alternative.

The children's table

With many children, a dedicated table helps. It works well if:

it's near the parents, but not in the waiters' path;
it has chairs of the right height or high chairs for the youngest, to ask the caterer or venue for;
there's an adult in charge: an entertainer, a babysitter, a relative;
it has sturdy tablecloths and unbreakable glasses.

With a few children under three, it's better to keep them next to their parents. For ideas on arranging the spaces, see the guide to table setting.

Safety: choking-risk foods

The Italian Ministry of Health's Guidelines for the prevention of food choking in children identify 0 to 4 years as the highest-risk age group. Among the foods to prepare carefully they mention round foods, such as grapes, cherries, mini mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes, and hard or cylindrical ones, such as nuts, raw carrots and frankfurters.

There's no need to remove them, just to prepare them the right way, for example by cutting them. Ask the caterer:

how it prepares fruit, mini mozzarella balls and frankfurters for the youngest;
to keep nuts and sugared almonds away from the children's table;
to make sure staff know there are children under four.

Sugared almonds (confetti), at weddings and communions, are a point to remember: they're small and hard. See the full document on the Ministry of Health's website.

Allergies and diets

Children's allergies are collected with the RSVPs. Pass the caterer the child's name, table and allergen, not just "an allergic child".

EU Regulation 1169/2011 requires information on the 14 allergens for unpackaged dishes too: ask for the allergen matrix of the children's menu as well. For a child with a severe allergy or coeliac disease, ask for a dish prepared separately, with their name on it, served first. You'll find all the details in the guide to special diets.

Questions to ask the caterer

Do you have a children's menu? Up to what age and at what price?
Is the children's menu served before the adults'?
How do you prepare choking-risk foods for the youngest?
Do you have high chairs or children's chairs, or does the venue provide them?
Does the children's menu have its own allergen matrix?
Can you prepare a separate dish for a child with an allergy or coeliac disease?
Do children under a certain age pay?
Is there something for the children during the aperitivo too?

To close

A simple children's menu, served early and prepared with care, makes the party more relaxed for everyone. Caterers who work at weddings and family celebrations are in the wedding catering and catering for private parties sections. Once you know how many children there will be and their ages, request a quote including the children's menu alongside the adults'.