No Candy Easter “Baskets”
Ah! Sugar is everywhere. Absolutely everywhere I turn someone is trying to feed my child sugar. Okay, I get it. Sugar makes kids smile and everyone wants to make my children smile. And it’s a “special occasion” right? Well, every day seems to be a special occasion. There are holidays, birthdays, haircuts, kids church, trips to the supermarket (“Can your kid have a sucker?”… “Oh, no thank you. It’s almost time for lunch.”). You get the point. There is always a reason to eat some sugar. I wouldn’t mind so much if special occasions were just that… occasional. But these occasions really add up to almost every day occurrences. Not to mention my daughter can’t really handle processed sugar (she gets tummy aches).
I don’t want to be “that mom” that never allows my kiddos any treats. I feel like if I am too strict they will gorge themselves when I’m not around to tell them what to eat. I am trying to teach them to make healthy choices on their own. I can’t force them to be healthy. So I make a lot of delicious healthy snacks. And when candy filled holidays come around I try to indulge the children in healthier alternatives rather than the sugar feast that we so easily could participate in.
So this Easter I filled the kiddos “baskets” with all sorts of fun little toys. I put “baskets” in quotes because I found these fun wheelbarrows at Sam’s Club that I used to hold all their goodies. I did put in one treat. I bought fruit strips made with organic fruit that I picked up at Trader Joes.
Here are the kiddo’s Easter “baskets”!
I picked up most of the items from the dollar section at Target:
I also got:
- activity books (I picked up coloring/activity books with stickers at the Christian book store)
- toothbrushes (My daughter got a singing toothbrush that came with stickers to decorate with and my son got a Star Wars toothbrush to replace his old one.)
Some other fun ideas to fill an Easter basket:
- dried fruit
- bubbles
- silly scent crayons
- washable markers
- window markers (These were a huge hit, even with my teen)
- little trinkets from Christian Book store (cross necklace, cross eraser etc)
- Fun erasers
- Veggie Tale Easter DVDs
- outdoor toys (plastic bat and ball, squirt guns, kites etc…)
- dollar store stuffed animals (maybe a bunny or chick)
- The Jesus Story Book Bible Gift Edition
I collected items over the last month as I found them so I may have gone a little overboard with toys. But the kids loved their presents and didn’t miss the lack of candy.
UPDATE: It’s now 2018 as I write this and my kiddos are 7 and 9. This year I made a predominantly toy filled basket. My daughter loves crafty stuff so I bought some craft items. My son still loves slime so that was a no brainer. But I did give in and buy a small amount of candy this year. I bought a bag of jelly beans from Surf Sweets. I love that Surf Sweets don’t have artificial coloring, flavoring or corn syrup. They also don’t upset my daughter’s tummy (she has some major food intollerances that are slowly getting better). You can buy Surf Sweet Jelly Beans and other fun candies at Thrive Market . Get 40% off your first order by clicking here. I also found some dark chocolate eggs without soy or dairy at my local food co op. So that was a fun last minute find I couldn’t pass up.
Now back to my old post….
The day was filled with fun and relaxation. We all enjoyed a great church service, and our church had a fun balloon drop afterwards that my kids just loved. 
My beautiful family. I’m so blessed!
I hope you all had an amazing Easter and that this amazing spring weather is here to stay!
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