Friday Five: Non-candy Easter Baskets

When my bug was first born I was all about good nutrition. She was exclusively breast-fed for the first five months and then started on (mostly) organic purees. As her diet advanced I would bake bread for her, make homemade entrees like mac and cheese from scratch, and served a fruit and vegetable at every meal. She didn't drink juice until she was 2 and even then was only offered a few ounces a week. I was so proud of myself for following all the rules I preached each day at work. 

I can't pinpoint how and when it happened, but somehow the sweets started creeping into her life - some of it was my fault because I loved to bake and some of it was over-eager family wanting to shower her with treats. Before I knew it, my bug was addicted to sugar! If I didn't resort to hiding all the excess treats she was given she'd probably weigh twice as much. Without checking, I know there are a box of peeps, at least two chocolate lollipops, a bag of Hershey's kisses, more than three Pez dispensers, three large decorated sugar cookies from a cookie bouquet, a few dozen lollipops, and mini packets of holiday jelly beans in the treasure trove right now. I feel guilty to throw it away, but I can't let her eat it.

To avoid adding to the collection, I need to get creative this Easter and come up with non-candy treats for bug's basket (and fillers for the eggs for her Easter egg hunt!). Here are my top five non-candy basket and egg filler ideas!

Basket Gifts

1. Books are my favorite for every holiday! Easter books, books from a favorite series, or a completely new book are all great suggestions.
2. BPA-free water bottle. Spring is here and summer is coming, a stylish new water bottle with a promise of an outing in the great outdoors is a practical and fun idea.
3. Figurines to inspire make-believe play. Disney store online has tons of play sets. Bug just discovered My Little Pony and will be getting her favorite pony in her basket.
4. Swimming gear. A new swimsuit, sun hat, and/or sunscreen are an especially good idea if your family is traveling somewhere warm for Spring Break.
5. Something crafty/artsy. Go to your local Joann's/Michael's/Hobby Lobby and look around at the sets they offer to find something that suits your child's interests (paint sets, molding sets, model kits, jewelry making, etc).

Egg Fillers

1. Stamps. My bug loves to craft and I found multiple small Disney stamps in a dollar bin at Joann's crafts that will be perfect size for eggs. 
2. Money! My parents would put quarters and dollars in our eggs so we could buy ourselves a treat and I plan to carry on that tradition.
3. Stickers and tattoos. You can sometimes find sheets that perforate into small squares that would be perfect to fit into a plastic. Otherwise, you can buy any stickers you want and cut them up.
4. Bubbles. I don't know why, but kids LOVE bubbles.You know those tiny bottles of bubbles that people hand out at weddings ? They are the perfect size to fit in Easter eggs! You can find them at party stores and some dollar stores.
5. Small toys (like Squinkies) are popular right now and perfect size for kids over the age of 3.

I hope these ideas help someone else out there who is looking to decrease the Easter sugar overload.