If you celebrate it, Easter is a fun holiday that you probably look back fondly on. Finding Easter eggs, the anticipation and wondering what would be in each egg… so much fun! One of the best parts about being a kid, right?

But, as parents, we don’t always want more plastic trinkets around for our kids to break and lose. We might not want to buy candy for our little ones. So, what can we put in those Easter eggs and Easter baskets?

Easter Eggs

1. • Cereal works great! Use Cheerios for babies who are sitting up and in that first learning how to eat stage.

• • Lucky Charms (or another colorful cereal) are a fun filler for little ones. Have them open the eggs into a bowl so they can enjoy their special snacks whenever. Yes, these have lots of sugar, but at least there are some whole grains too, and, when used as a treat a few times a year, is it really all that bad?

• • Puzzle pieces (put a few in each egg).

• • Play dough

• • Hair ties/accessories

• • Stickers

• • Jewels, beads, and other embellishments or craft items

• • Small stamps

• • Legos

• Miniature trains
• Miniature bubbles (great for taking to the park or traveling with!)
• Shopkins, Legos, and other “character” type sets… open up and put a piece in each egg.
• Pom Poms, jewels and other small craft supplies

Easter Basket ideas

1. • Board games

• • Outdoor summer stuff (bubbles, bug catching kits, sidewalk chalk, etc.)

• • Sports stuff or lawn games

• • Swimsuit and sunscreen

• • Lawn sprinkler or water toys

• • Somewhat healthy (or not!) snacks that your little ones don’t normally eat.

• • Craft kits or other activities for your kids to do

• Coupons for fun activities (like trips to a local play place, their choice of breakfast, etc.)

Have multiple kids or multiple ages doing the same egg hunt?

1. • Assign colors to each child.

• • Let the younger kids go first (they’ll find the easier eggs, leaving the harder ones for older or more experienced kids).

• • Teach older kids how to give clues to younger ones to help them find eggs if needed.

• • Use different parts of the yard or house for different kids or different ages. For example, if a child is over age __, they can’t pick up any of the eggs on the ground/floor.

• Write initials on each egg, so kids can only choose eggs that have their first initial on it. Hint: this works really well as your kids get older! They might even begin offering hints to each other in exchange for info on where their eggs are hidden.

For even more Easter ideas, head over to One Sharp Mama for 19 Non-Candy Easter Basket Ideas for Toddlers!

What are your favorite things to use in Easter eggs or Easter baskets?

Don’t forget that little ones often like to find eggs, so spread out the fun and hide empty eggs (or let them stuff eggs with their toys)!

Check out this post for 15 Things to do with Easter Eggs Besides Finding Them for more fun Easter ideas.