Nathan and I have a bad habit of getting too excited and going a little overboard for any holiday involving gifts. It's only gotten worse now that we have kids and this year I'm determined to keep our Easter baskets simple and minimal.
My kids are still pretty little and really don't need a crazy amount of candy and as for toys, they have so many at this point and I really don't want to add a bunch more to the already overwhelming collection.
If you'd like to go the less-is-more route too, I've put together a few strategies I'm using this year and small items I think will work well in a simple Easter Basket for smaller children. If you see something you'd like to include in your Easter celebration, just tap to shop!
Baskets
I thrifted these two adorable, but tiny baskets earlier this year with Easter in mind. Back then I thought they would be great for collecting Easter eggs, but now I'm using them as the main Easter Bunny baskets. They'll force me to only give what I can fit in the basket and they won't look empty even though I'm filling less this year.
Here's a few cute, but small baskets if you want to use this tactic too.
Candy
I am including some candy, but keeping the amount and the messiness to a minimum. I'm also choosing candy that really shows the Easter theme to make the little bit they're getting special. These marshmallow sticks and hollow chocolate and marshmallow eggs are from Cracker Barrel and I'll be splitting the eggs between each basket.
Toys
I know I said I didn't want any more toys, but based on past holidays I know my kids are in a stage where they'll be a little disappointed if there isn't something to play with or do. I opted to go with one toy each related to their interests and not Easter themed so they can enjoy it past the holiday and spring season. They both really like the show Bluey and very much identify with the characters so I found a set of two plushes on Amazon. I can see them playing with these together as they watch the show and think they'll really enjoy them and get a lot of use out of them.
Activities
A great non-candy, non-toy idea to include in an Easter basket is fun activities. You can find a lot of little spring-themed activities for kids in the Target Dollar Spot or the Dollar Store. It can be a coloring book, wooden eggs to paint, sidewalk chalk, a nature scavenger hunt, anything your child might be interested in.
Miscellaneous Items
There's a few items I included in my baskets over the years that don't really fit in the other categories, but I think still make great Easter basket items. This year I slipped a cute book into Emmitt's basket and a little pair of sunglasses in Isla's. Some other little things like this could be a new spring outfit, bath items like crayons or slime, a packet of seeds and a small flower pot, the possibilities are endless so get creative with it!
I feel good about the baskets I've put together this year. I think they kids will be happy with their new things and I'm not overwhelmed by a bunch of unnecessary stuff. I hope you have a wonderful Easter celebration and a lot of fun creating memories with your family.