Candy Free Easter Baskets

Easter morning usually starts off with a bang for most parents. Kids get an Easter basket filled with candy. Ahhh, the joys of sugar rushes! For those of us who are trying to be a little more health conscious, this can be a struggle. Chocolate bunnies, marshmallow treats and jelly beans are hard to compete with. Celebrating Easter, treating your children and still remaining sugar and candy free is a challenge. Here are several ideas for Easter baskets that will free you from the candy woes this Easter.

Easter Basket Alternative #1

Arts & Crafts Basket - For your child who loves to be crafty or for a young child who enjoys coloring and painting, an arts and crafts basket is ideal. Take an empty basket and fill it with arts and crafts items. I suggest finger paints or paints and brushes, crayons, markers, a craft kit, maybe a kit to learn to knit for an older child. You can add a sketch pad or coloring books and maybe even a model kit for a boy. Use tissue paper to fill in the bottom or any gaps.

Easter Basket Alternative #2

Girly Girl Basket - For a little girl or a teen girl who loves to dress up, make up a girly girl basket! Bath supplies, hair ties, nail polish, makeup and jewelry make wonderful basket stuffers. For a young girl, a feather boa would make great filler! You could also add temporary tattoos or glitter stickers.

Easter Basket Alternative #3

Sports Basket - For the sports enthusiast, a sports basket is perfect. Whatever your child's favorite sport is, you can kind basket fillers to match. An actual football or soccer ball, sports cards, Nerf balls, sports drinks or water bottles, hair ties, sweat bands, jerseys and even power bars for snacks would all be great.

Easter Basket Alternative #4

Cars & Trucks Basket - For your little one who is addicted to toy cars and trucks, what could better than a basket of cars? Toy cars and trucks, toy keys, a car carrier and even a map rug would all be great for this basket. Car themed stickers, posters and model cars are also great additions.

Easter Basket Alternative #5

Favorite Character Basket - Whatever your child's favorite cartoon or movie character is - from Barbie, to SpongeBob to Elmo, you can make a theme basket to match. Fill an empty basket with such items as plush toys, stickers, DVDs, character themed cups and plates, character themed toothbrushes and bath items and even dress up clothes. You could even add a t-shirt with your child's favorite character on it, character themed fruit snacks, video games featuring their favorite character, towels or action figures. Your little one will fall in love.

For all of these baskets, after you have filled them, stuff any bare spots or holes with tissue paper or Easter grass, wrap them in cellophane and tie with a bow!