Looking for recommendations on treats to put in Easter baskets as well as toys that your kids love right now. Mine are almost 3 (f) nd 8 months old (m). And what do you put in the plastic eggs? I had the hardest time last year finding things that would fit unless it was some sort of food item.
My parents used to give us a bathing suit in ours and I like that idea but then the rest was candy and I’d like to avoid that
@kee04 Ok, hear me out, but my parents put hard boiled, coloured eggs in Easter baskets and on the hunt. They had us colour the eggs the day before and then hid around the yard. When we got all of them we'd have a big, egg heavy breakfast together. Genuinely I didn't know some people used chocolate eggs until I was in my 20s
I think I'll be doing the same, at least while they're small and there's less awareness of what other families do.
For gifts, I'd go with some outdoor toys. Maybe some seeds and baby gardening tools so you can plant something together. It depends a bit on climate but some plants are basically foolproof and heavy croppers rosemary, mint, beans .... Will also fit into plastic eggs no problem. It's a great exercise to do with little kids.
@hubbahubba5 my parents (ok, my mom) did a hunt for me with clues that eventually led to the basket, and omg i loved it! but yeah last year my daughter was 2, and we just hid it in a very easy spot and had her look for the basket. i'm excited to start the scavenger hunt when she's older.
@kee04 We did many “practice “ Easter egg hunts at that age (great for sitting while they look ) and I would put Cheerios and freeze dried strawberries in ours. We didn’t do chocolate cuz of pure dog.
@kee04 I have a two year old, and I’m making a simple basket with things he can use to play outside: bubbles, chalk, and some simple gardening tools. If he were older I’d include a cyanotype/Sunprint kit, binoculars, leaf and flower press, etc.
@kee04 Crayons are a great option! We use Honeysticks beeswax crayons, they're short and chunky so they're great for little hands learning to grip and color and you could definitely fit them into eggs. We got them with a tabletop easel roll (Melissa & Doug brand, currently on sale for $16 on Amazon) for Christmas for our now 15 month old and she's loving them, so it's something your 8 month old could grow into and your 3 year old would probably enjoy now.
I also got little wooden egg shakers and Megablocks (which won't fit in the basket but they'll just go on the side) for toys, and plan to always use Easter baskets for new Spring/Summer necessities like a bathing suit, sun hat, sunglasses, and sandals.
@kee04 Last year, I did the granola bars my daughter likes and some Annie’s cheddar bunnies (on theme lol). This year, shes also 3; she’s getting a new bathrobe and a coloring book, and I’ll do something similar with the eggs: food she’ll eat anyway but really likes.
@kee04 My kids are just a little older than yours. For hiding eggs the last few years, I put cheerios in them and then a single jelly bean in like 3 of them so the hunt was basically just extended snack time and my toddler loved it.
For Easter baskets, we generally do a new book, a small toy, and some favorite snacks (freeze dried fruit, fruit bars, granola bars). I’m also doing a fun character toothbrush and some hair bows. Chocolate bunnies are a fun nostalgic thing for me so I also got my older kid one of the tiny Lindt ones that’s like an inch tall.
@kee04 In eggs I usually do pennies, loose jelly beans, goldfish, smaller candies, stickers/tattoos. I got inspiration from Busy Toddler and put things in the Easter Basket I would normally buy them anyway for spring/summer, like a new swim suit, sunglasses, chalk, goggles, etc. One year I got a bird book at the thrift store and a pair of kids binoculars and they are VERY popular. We do one big basket for the whole family rather than smaller individual baskets. That limits the candy to the eggs and maybe one or two pieces per person (I love a cadbury egg) in the big basket.
As for basket - short bread cookies, water colors, a couple Easter crafts from the dollar store, bunny ear headband, a “mystery toy” in a jumbo egg (haven’t picked this toy yet lol), and maybe a bunny plush?
@kee04 Target has mini Easter toys for the eggs, I got those and for the rest I’m putting money like 25 cents and bubble wand necklaces from target ( they are small enough) . In the past I’ve put stickers, sloppy bands, Easter erasers.
@kee04 I like to put fun/tropical in my daughter’s — starfruit, dragon fruit, fancy mangoes. I also did a kaleidoscope and seed packets (wildflower mix). For eggs you could pick some pretty marbles, ribbon,, barrettes, charms.
) and I would put Cheerios and freeze dried strawberries in ours. We didn’t do chocolate cuz of pure dog.