Easter is only a couple weeks away so it’s time to start shopping for Easter basket goodies! We always do an egg hunt on Easter Sunday with plastic eggs that are usually filled with candies so I tend to go light on the candy and heavier on the toys and activities for the actual basket. But here are some ideas on what to get for your kids this Easter!
1. An activity: I always like to include something for the kids to do. So art supplies, play-doh, sidewalk chalk, and anything like that will always be a hit.
Along the art supplies vein – Coloring books and crayons! You can get both for under a buck at Target or Walmart.
2. Bubbles! My two year old loves the big wand kind like these because they’re easy for her to hold on to.
3. A book. Bonus points if it’s an Easter themed book. This year I got my two year old this Peppa Pig one because she’s obsessed with that show. And to match, I got my kindergartner this one that is geared towards her age group and is a “Level 1” reading book she can read herself!
4. Something for the bath. It can be simple like a bottle of bubble bath, or you can get washable crayons they color on the tub with like these, or even color changing tablets that dye the water different colors. (My kids LOVE these!)
5. A toy: It can be a baby doll, a hot wheels car, toys for the pool, toys for the sandbox, a jump rope, you name it. My five year old is into LOL Surprise dolls, but they come with so much packaging, I want to junk-punch someone when helping her open them. Truly. But she likes the “blind bags” where you don’t know which actual character or toy you’re going to get. So this year, her and her little sister got these Baby Born Surprise Dolls.
6. A stuffed animal. Target, Walgreens, Walmart and even King Soopers has Easter themed plush animals by the thousands and for just a couple bucks. My kids love the Ty Beanie Boo stuffed animals and my five year old lovingly refers to them as “sparkly eyed friends” since all their eyes are glittery. So her and her sister got bunny sparkly eyed friends in their baskets this year.
7. Something to wear. Could be a new swimsuit for an upcoming vacation, a hat, Easter print socks, or even just a new headband or piece of costume jewelry.
8. Candy: I hate solid chocolate. I always have. Solid chocolate bunnies make me want to murder things. But they’re a staple of every Easter basket. And of course there’s always jelly beans, chocolate eggs, marshmallow Peeps, and festive Pez dispensers like these. Healthy diet tip: buy your kids only the shit you don’t like to eat yourself, and that way you aren’t tempted to help them eat their Easter treats. (Hence why my girls got solid chocolate, jelly beans, and Peeps….because barf!) This is also a good rule of thumb at Halloween! 😉 You can also go a healthier route like goldfish crackers, organic fruit snacks, fruit leathers, etc. if you want to cut down on the candy.
You don’t have to spend a fortune or get ALL THE THINGS. You can go to the dollar store or even just raid the “dollar spot” at Target to fill up on things like bubble wands, sticker books, chalk, etc. and have a fun, festive basket for $10! My money saving tip: buy the Easter baskets themselves the day after Easter when they’re on sale. That’s when I got both the buckets you see in the photos of my daughters’ baskets!
For Baby’s First Easter:
You don’t want to go all crazy buying crap they can’t eat and tiny toys they’ll inevitably shove down their gullets. So stick to a couple big things like a puzzle like this, or a board book like this, or a big plush animal. For our five year old’s first Easter, I literally only got her four things – a stuffed bunny, a board book, a puzzle, and some bubbles. You have to remember at this age, they’re not going to need a ton to keep them amused, so don’t knock your lights out.
You can also get creative on what you use as a basket. Use a large toy dump truck, or a new pair of colorful rain boots, or a small pool float so that the basket itself is also a present.
For older kids that still enjoy getting a basket even long after they know there is no Easter bunny, you can swap out the basket and use: a baseball hat, purse, tool box, or make up kit to hold their more grown up goodies in. Fill it with things like books, nail polish, make up, tools, scratch lottery tickets, you name it. Get creative and have a fucking ball!
