Holiday’s usually give me a little anxiety. The sugar consumption that goes along with the holiday’s make me nervous. If you are able to host your own Easter Egg hunt and can have control over the things inside, here is a great list of non-candy ideas to get you going.
stickers
nuts (be careful of allergies though, if other kids will be there)
temporary tatoos
yogurt covered rasins
cheddar bunnies
baby carrots (Easter Bunny food!)
toys or hair bows, jewerly
money
seashells
character bandaids
Hot Wheel Cars
painted stones or cystals
marbles or bouncy balls
This site has some other cute ideas. Or you could go really wild and do something totally different that involves no treats at all. This looks SO fun!
For Penelope’s Easter Basket. I always go with toys or non food things. This year, she is getting some new pool toys, a beach towel, a swimsuit and some art supplies. Every year I give her a swimsuit and towel, it’s one of our Easter traditions. My best friend’s mother did that for her growing up and I loved the idea. For us in Florida, Easter is the beginning of pool season. Sorry, don’t hate me. :)
I liked this mom’s ideas too, she put some garden seeds, a fruit leather, a new toothbrush and toothpaste.
I think rounding out both the eggs and the basket with some good quality candy and chocolate is a good idea too. I think a little sweets on holiday’s is fine. I don’t want to totally deprive Penelope of sweet things. So I am going to add some of candy from from companies that use real sugar, no food dyes and are fair trade, like this one:
Or on Facebook!
Love these ideas, Stephanie! Kaitlin and I were just talking about doing our own Easter egg hunt. Partly b/c of the candy and partly because our church’s Easter egg hunt is during Lent, haha.
Love the ideas for filling eggs! I try to limit the sugar I give my son on holidays, because our family sure doesn’t!!! My son will be getting a Thomas the Train Easter train and coloring book, and now probably some eggs filled with the ideas you mentioned above! Thanks!
Not going to lie..I’d cry if I found baby carrots in my Easter basket!
Brooke
http://www.MarvelousLoveBlog.com
LOL.
These are great ideas! My mom always gave us the best Easter baskets with a good balance between toys and treats. I am so excited to get to do this for my son now. Being that he will only be a year old and that he is addicted to blueberries right now, I don’t think a candy-less basket will be a big deal to him.
Totally! Put in a pint of blueberries! He will be thrilled.
We love the yumearth “wallypops” as my son calls them ; ) It’s our go to trick when he needs to get his hair cut! He will for sure be getting some to keep on reserve in his easter basket…
Penelope loves those too.
Thanks for the ideas, I have brought plastic eggs that split apart and i’ll be putting small toys in them so the boys can still have an “egg hunt”. I have 2 sons, one who is turning 2 on Easter Saturday and the other is turning 4 on Easter Sunday. I am so nervous about juggling a good fun birthday and easter weekend for them but also managing their intake of sugar and junk. I think I have things well planned from my end and am just hoping friends and family don’t spoil them too much.
yikes, that is a lot going on in a short amount of time! remember to breath and it will all be fine.
We always got swimsuits in our Easter basket too! A tradition I intend to keep with my family. Last year I put miniature bubbles in some of the plastic eggs. I also like to add coloring books & sidewalk chalk to the basket.
I wonder if anyone else does too?! Bubbles, coloring books and sidewalk chalk are all great ideas.
The seeds are a fabulous idea!! My son is really into gardening this year and has been talking about what he wants to plant for weeks. It didn’t even occur to me to put seed packets and maybe some other gardening items (he asked me this morning for his own trowel) in his Easter basket. THANK YOU!
And we’ll be celebrating his 4th birthday on Easter Saturday and I’m inspired by your other readers’ comments to do an egg hunt as part of his birthday party! Woot!
So awesome that your son is into gardening, love it!! Tell him I said Happy Birthday and Happy Gardening. Have a great birthday and Easter.
Love the dried fruit and yogurt covered raisin idea, would never have thought of that! Last year after Easter, I went clearance shopping at Walmart and picked up a bunch of toys specially made to stuff in plastic Easter eggs, some of the items included spinning tops, rings, stretchy bunnies, mini kaleidoscopes, bracelets, mini yo-yos, mini maze rings, etc. There were usually about 6 or so per pack so it’s great for making up eggs for my nephew and niece as well as my daughter! The dollar store is also a great place to find mini toys too.