Filling Easter baskets is hard work. I’m not sure how that bunny does it year after year with such gusto. I don’t like giving my kids a bunch of candy. Mostly because I have to deal with the aftermath of a sugar induced crash, but also because I hear chants for candy from both of them. Frankly, it drives me bonkers. Before you go feeling bad for them, you should know that their grandmothers usually make sure to fill that quota enough for the year.
Last year, Finn got an egg full of Skittles, some jelly beans, and a chocolate bunny. That ‘Fun Dip’ you see is actually a fruity blue chapstick. I made the mistake of Fun Dip once… never again.
And Tate? She got super yummy Ella’s Kitchen fruit pouches and snuck a jelly bean or two from her brother when I wasn’t looking.
The problem lies in the fact that it’s easy to get a bunch of candy and go to town. It’s hard coming up with fun things to fill the baskets that aren’t candy. My ‘go to’ items are some kind of outfit or pajamas, coloring books, movies, and whatever other junk I come across in the aisle of Target when I am shopping the night before Easter. How about we add insult to injury and add three dozen plastic eggs to fill as well?
Quarters and Goldfish Crackers for everyone!
Share some non-candy ideas with me please! I want some fun new ideas. What do your kids love? What were your favorites as a kid? Did your bunny hide your basket for you?
We always got outside stuff in our baskets - sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, bubbles, etc. The only candy we got was a chocolate bunny and the stuff in the plastic eggs all over the house, which all went into a communal bowl that, in hindsight, seemed to contain far less candy than was actually in the plastic eggs...
ReplyDeleteLike Jen above, we do outside stuff, since Easter (usually) means warm weather is coming....chalk, bubbles, etc. Last year we filled plastic eggs with (some) candy, like Reese's eggs, but we also put in quarters, bracelets, hair clips, socks....this year, we'll probably put some little cars and such in them for G. For actual baskets, I usually put in some new sippy cups (or similar for older kids), a small stuffed bunny, the outdoor stuff, coloring books, etc. And even though goldfish aren't the healthiest option (although better than candy) I want to make those "carrots" that I've seen floating around Pinterest - fill a plastic decorating bag (for frosting) with goldfish and tie off with a green ribbon. Also, this blogger has some great ideas:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.allthingsgd.com/2012/03/20-candy-free-easter-egg-fillers-for/
Good luck!
We would have candy but we would also have lots of gifts. Coloring books, crayons, bubbles, new small toys (not crap from the $1 spot, though, things we actually used). There would be new clothes and usually a few wrapped gifts or gifts under the baskets that weren't wrapped if there was something we were pining after. One year we got bikes. My parents liked holidays....haha.
ReplyDeleteKatie, Goldfish or the Annie's Bunnies are totally fine. Those carrots sound adorable and EASY since I have the bags already.
ReplyDeleteJill, Whaaaat? I want to live at your house. That sounds like second Christmas.
In my house, the Easter Bunny brings them their summer sneakers... a sure sign that summer is coming. I also try not to due very much candy. But like you, my mom takes care of that department. She used to work at Gertrude Hawk, so they had some fantastic candy that may or may not have been consumed by their mother. I usually try to do the outdoor stuff too and a book.
ReplyDeleteI cannot stand all the candy either. Halloween and Christmas are enough to last all year and I typically throw it out because I am a mean, horrible mom. I have a girlfriend who got her girls (they have 4) really cute shoes for Valentines Day. I think that's what I'm going to do for Easter since I know they will be used. And seriously, who doesn't love shoes?!
ReplyDeleteI've tried several types of "theme baskets" but the ones my kids still talk about were from the year when my daughter's basket was full of peep items (and not just the marshmallowy kind) - a peep basket, peep pens, peep chapstick, peep change purse, everything I could find that Target had in peep. And my son's basket was nerf gun themed - a small nerf gun, a bigger more deluxe nerf gun, extra "bullets," some other nerf related stuff, maybe it was a nerf football and basketball (once again from Target), and I think a water gun or two. I don't even know if there was any candy in the baskets that year...other than a chocolate bunny, of course. :)
ReplyDeleteUndies with fun "characters", a matching dinnerware set, placemat, swim suit, sun hat and flip flops, bubbles, drow your own plant set... I could go on and on! Thank you for YOUR great ideas! My little one has health issues which prevent him from having candy at all. We have to get very creative and your ideas have helped me a ton! :)
ReplyDeletethe Easter Bunny in our house refuses to get any candy or junk in my kids baskets. They will get enough of that from both of their grandmas. This year the kids got a new camelbak water bottle {just like mine, they love it for whatever reason}, new game to go with their Wii that Santa brought them, a monster truck, color book, and a couple other things. And the baby just got a couple little toys. I know that is probably more than enough but compared to some peeps i feel bad the Easter bunny didn't get them more. Easter is turning into freaking xmas with all the toy ads and sales. And daddy sneaks outside and hides the eggs we colored the day before, although it's getting harder and harder as they get older.
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