Easter is fast approaching (it’s early this year!). Now is about the time that all the Easter-celebrating moms realize that they need to get their kids’ Easter baskets together. When I was growing up, that wouldn’t have necessarily been an extremely stressful realization. Our moms would just need to run to the drugstore and grab some Easter-y candy. Think jellybeans, Robins Eggs, Cadbury crème eggs. Divvy up the massive mound of candy among the kids (maybe keep some for mom), throw it into each kid’s basket with a handful of that annoying Easter grass, and Easter baskets were ready.
There is no reason why you can’t take this same approach to Easter baskets for your kids today, but many moms feel the need to take it a step (or 12) further. Easter has become Christmas in the Spring for many families, fueled by pressure moms feel from social media depictions of perfectly curated Easter baskets spilling over with the latest and greatest toys. The immense mom-guilt that comes when you even think about the simple Easter baskets of our youth is often too much to take. So you go to Amazon and buy all the things that the influencers say are must-haves in this year’s Easter baskets.
I'm here to tell you it doesn't have to be this way
There is a happy medium in the world of Easter baskets. You don’t have to settle for handfuls of egg-shaped candy, but you also don’t have to go completely overboard. You can build an Easter basket that minimizes candy, isn’t filled with junk, and doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg to put together.
To achieve this happy medium of Easter baskets, pick a practical theme and fill your kids’ Easter baskets with items that fit this theme. Most of these items should be things you would buy anyway that won’t end up broken and binned. They should be things your kids will actually use, alongside a few consumables because they’re fun.
You can go with any theme you’d like, but my preferred theme is Fun in the Sun. Easter comes in early Spring, a time when most of us have been indoors and bundled up for months. Kids grow like weeds, so most of them need new warm weather things on a yearly basis. What better opportunity to get a fresh set of Spring and Summer essentials than the Easter basket?
I pick 8 things to fill my kids’ Easter baskets. All of these items are things that will be used or consumed throughout the warm weather months and will bring joy to my kids on Easter morning. A true happy medium Easter basket.
How to Build an Easter Basket
1. Swimsuit
Unless you live somewhere that enjoys year-round warmth, your kid will likely need a new swimsuit when the pools open and the need for a swimsuit comes back around at the end of May. Why not take this opportunity to fill that particular gap in his or her summer wardrobe? It kills two birds with one stone really. You have a gift for your kid’s Easter basket and you’re ahead of the curve on one aspect of parenting your kid. If you’re anything like me, you need that win.
For both my boy and my girl, I like high-coverage 2-piece swimwear. My son gets swim trunks and a long-sleeved rash guard and my daughter gets a swimsuit that consists of briefs and a long sleeve rash guard. I have found that these combos provide the most sun protection (while minimizing sunscreen application – my least favorite parenting task) and allow for easy bathroom or diaper change access. Lots of cute options exist!
2. Towel
You can never have too many beach/pool towels. Ok, you probably can have too many, but I have found that beach towels have many uses and it’s good to have a few extras around. For example, I keep a few in the car in case of accidents, spills, or extremely dirty shoes. My 4-year-old son likes his beach towels so much, he insists that he use them to dry off after routine showers at home, no matter the season. So go ahead and add another beach towel to your collection by rolling it up and sticking it in your kid’s Easter basket.
You can find so many cute beach towel options in lots of different formats. I like the giant beach towels you can find at places like Sam’s Club or Costco for multi-purpose towels, if you have a membership to one of these exclusive clubs. If you want to make your kid’s Easter basket beach towel a bit more special than the $10 special at Sam’s Club, you can’t go wrong with a personalized hooded kid’s beach towel from Pottery Barn Kids. My son has a super cute alligator one and I have my eye on a flamingo one for my daughter (she’s obsessed with flamingos).
3. Sunglasses
As the sun comes out, your kid will need some new sunglasses. If your kids are anything like my kids, the sunglasses they used last summer are long gone. If they aren’t lost or broken, they probably don’t fit your kid’s face anymore. I like to buy a multipack on Amazon so I have some extras stashed away when the first pair that was in the Easter basket breaks or grew legs and walked away.
4. Hat
A hat should also be on your Easter basket checklist. I like to keep hats everywhere for my kids. We keep one for each in our mudroom, at our back door, in my car, and in the pool bag. I usually buy traditional ball caps, but wide-brimmed hats can come in handy when you know you’ll be spending a lot of time outside or if you have a tiny baby who can’t yet use sunscreen. I’m also pretty pleased with the ball caps that have a flap that extends to cover the neck. These hats give the look of a regular ball cap with a bit of extra sun protection, which is never a bad thing.
5. Sandals
To complete the pool or beach outfit, you should add a pair of sandals in your kid’s Easter basket. If your kids are on the young-side (pre-school and younger), I highly recommend sandals with straps around the back of the heel. I usually head to Target for my kids’ sandals. They usually have lots of cute options with backstraps!
6. Sunscreen
Any fun in the sun-themed Easter basket must include sunscreen. Pick your favorite brand and form. If you have a kid with eczema like I do, I highly recommend Blue Lizard’s mineral sunscreen. It’s the only brand of sunscreen that doesn’t cause a flare-up in my kids’ eczema, so I’ll pay the premium price for it.
7. Outdoor toy
Although I focus my kids’ Easter basket fillers with practical items, I do like to include one toy for pure joy. I don’t pick a big-ticket item, just something small for the kids to play with outside. The options are endless. Some things to consider:
Bubbles
Balls
Sidewalk chalk
Sports equipment
Refillable water balloons
Sand toys
8. Snacks/candy
Growing up with an Easter basket full of candy delights, I can’t not add some fun snack or treat in my kids’ Easter baskets. I usually add a bag of Easter-themed Goldfish and some fun, classic Easter candy to each kid’s basket. My go-to is typically Reese’s eggs or the small Cadbury crème eggs. I keep the Starburst jellybeans and the Cadbury mini eggs all for myself.
Have fun filling your kids’ Easter baskets over the next few weeks!