Bagels can be gnawed by all.

Pizza Bites on a stick are really nice.

Assorted finger sandwiches?

thanks! Keep the ideas coming! Mississippi in January is around 60 degrees- we still miss New England. I get verklempt every time I see LL Bean toddler boots.

fruit skewers (though could be dangerous for the kiddos) so maybe just grapes.
make sure to bring sufficient sip cups.
COFFEE and Tylenol.

I honestly wouldn't worry too much about keeping the food kid-friendly. I promise you they'll be too busy to sit and eat, unless it's cake. Bagels, muffins, and fruit for them will be fine, I would think. A bagel topping bar for the adults would be nice--lox, whitefish, onion, capers, tomato, different flavors of cream cheese, etc. If you plan on having peanut butter for the kids, make sure there are no allergies beforehand.

Jello in orange peel "cups". They're yummy, fun, and if an errant peel is left behind, there's nothing to feel guilty about :)

what about mini quesadillas triangles with what ever fillings you like? make ahead and wrap in tin foil and they'll stay warm enough- thats my 2 yr olds favorite food! you could even make breakfast quesadillas with eggs/sausage/ham/veggies/cheese if you want a more breakfast feel than lunch

cupcakes or brownies or fruit would be a good treat

I think the bagel idea is the way to go especially since you can have toppings that appeal to the adult palate! I'd also go with a fruit salad or some fruit chunks to munch on--I'm still wary of grapes with kids at such a young age unless they're cut in half (which is a pain!) and if it's at a park I certainly can't see many two year olds sitting down to eat :) Hope you have a great party!

I just did the same thing for my two year old. We did the following:
• paper bags (half)full of popcorn (nice for birds & squirrels)
• tiny dixie cups of cheddar bunnies
• a big basket of clementine oranges (HUGE hit)
• store bought kolaches (basically little savory hand pies)

definitely do cupcakes for the birthday cake.  i had a local grocer do a kind of cupcake mosaic for my daughter's last bday and it was such a hit. plus no cutting!

I just served room temp wedges of Spanish tortilla to a bunch of 4 year olds and they LOVED it. Eggs & potatoes make a good base for cake, too. It's pretty hardy to transport and you don't have sauce or anything to smear or fall off. I made the tortillas the night before and I think the night in the fridge made them even less likely to fall apart than fresh ones.

I don't know if those of you saying "oh just serve cake" have kids, but the crazy tear factor is much better if the cake FOLLOWS some kind of real food. Small children cake = joy leading to sudden tantrums. Milk in boxes (with the little straws) was this year's step up from juice boxes. It got very LOUD at the party, but it didn't utterly break down into sobbing. With 2 year olds I think you've got to figure on the sobbing regardless.

Jeez... where do you live? It's 20 degrees outside here. I can't even get "birthday party in a park" around my brain right now!

I'd pack everything into indiviudal chinese takeout boxes for them - lots of fun just opening them! I love the idea of bringing "extra" snacks for the birds, etc. I'm also thinking of some type of french toast stick for a brunch-y item. Or maybe an oatmeal bar or muffin. My 2yo loves blueberry muffins.

tortilla pinwheels -

Filling:
Cream Cheese
Chopped black olives
Chopped Green Chilies
Garlic Salt
Pepper

Mix all the above together. Smear a healthly layer of filling on one side of a flour tortilla. Roll the tortilla like a burrito, but tightly. Slice into 1/2" rounds (like a cinnamon roll) and chill for 30 minutes. Filling could be a combo of almost anything...endless combos.

This all depends on if you plan on bringing prepared food or can cook-out at the park. But if you can use a little grill, the first thing I thought of was French Toast sticks. If you have a little grill and a skillet, you can whip them up quickly. Premake some plastic containers of maple syrup or fruit compote for dipping and you're good to go. Good luck, sounds like loads of fun and enjoy the weather!

i like the idea of using chinese take-out containers.....

i think most, if not all, kids like chicken fingers. you can put those in the take-out containers and have squeeze bottles of ketchup, or some other condiment. the clementines are also great. you could even serve doughnuts instead of cupcakes, but only get one kind. glaze seems to please most people.