In defense of cheap or “junky” Easter basket fillers, I loved getting that type of gift in my baskets growing up. Light-up pens, scented erasers, keychains, tiny notepads, rubber balls, etc. My sister and I were hyper-organized kids who appreciated all those little treats and used them up.
My children? They’ve barely met a plastic toy they haven’t broken within a month. Tiny things get lost underneath the sofa, in the car or washing machine. They’re not trying to be destructive, but they play hard and it shows with cheap toys. Then they’re sad when something is broken beyond repair and needs to be tossed. So I try not to buy things that will end up in the trashcan sooner rather than later.
Easter Basket Ideas That Aren’t Junk
These are Easter basket gift ideas we’ve used over the years, and that I received growing up, that have been appreciated and used time and time again.
- Summer gear. Here Easter happens just before the weather warms up. If any kid needs flip-flops, sunglasses, swim gear etc, I’ll pick a couple of smaller items to fill their basket.
- Sports gear. Again in anticipation of the warm weather, sports balls, rackets and the like are a great choice for Easter baskets!
- Needed clothes. I know, boring. But I love using holidays to invest in clothes that are a bit nicer/personalized to my kids’ styles than I would usually purchase (I have one child who loves purple clothing for example—which can be tricky to find in boys’ styles). We also use a lot of hand-me-downs, so new clothes can be exciting!
- Doll clothes or accessories. I have one doll-loving boy who always appreciates something new for his Dinkum Doll. The dolls are pricey, but the accessories are pleasantly inexpensive.
- Outdoor toys. Chalk, bubble wands, and bubble solution often need annual refills at our house!
- Gardening supplies. Trowels, gardening gloves, seed packets, or indoor seed starting supplies are fun, seasonal and useful items for all ages.
- High-quality chocolate. I’m not a fan of jelly beans and other candy, but good chocolate? That’s different. This year I bought See’s Candies dark chocolate bunnies for the older kids. In the past I’ve bought Lindt dark chocolate rabbits from Target. Both good!
- Healthy snacks. We don’t usually buy packaged snacks, so this is a treat for my kids. They like MadeGood bars, dried fruit chips (like apple rings or mango), or wholegrain cracker packs.
- Books. Springy books like Peter Rabbit (I love the cute modern board book collection) or books about nature or the origin of Easter. Or the next book in a series for older kids. You can never have too many books.
- Art supplies. Some of our tried-and-true favorites are play dough, kinetic sand, window markers and double-sided colored pencils. A high-quality drawing pad is a great gift too.
- WikkiStix. I included this in my crunchy toddler gift guide for the holidays too. They are seriously fun—for adults too—and a great mess-free activity to take on the go.
- Stickers. Give yourself the gift of a peaceful morning with a giant sheet or two of stickers. We picked up a delightful Christmas sticker book from a neighbor last winter and the entertainment is endless.
- A craft kit. Get them looking forward to building something for the warm weather, like a birdhouse or feeder.
- A small LEGO or Duplo kit. I love that these come in all sizes and price points.
- Squishmallows. Okay, I said no fillers—but my kids are absolutely *obsessed* with Squishmallows and an addition to the family is always appreciated! I don’t know why this particular type of stuffed animal is so appealing, but it is.
How Full to Fill A Basket?
We are minimalists with Easter baskets. A normal basket for me growing up was a chocolate bunny, some seed packets and new gardening gloves, and an Easter Beanie Baby–$20 tops and I never felt disappointed.
I try to keep my kids’ baskets roughly that size. 2 or 3 small items + a chocolate bunny for the older two (my youngest at 18 months old is still on a low/no-added sugar diet). I know I’ve felt badly when I see epic gift baskets on Instagram that are $100+ each of toys, clothes, and treats. And if that works for your family, then great!
I’m just here to remind you that if that isn’t in your budget, or isn’t the standard you want to set, that’s okay. If they don’t get a basket at all (let’s be real, I didn’t do a basket for my first when he was 8 months old during COVID…) they’ll be just fine 🙂 Our Easter is mostly about dressing up, celebrating the resurrection and brunching with my family–not the gifts or chocolate.
What are your favorite Easter basket ideas that aren’t junk? And if you have kids who love getting baskets filled with light-up pens, keychains and slime eggs–enjoy buying all the bits and bobs for them. I’m a little jealous 😛
xx Claire
