Skip the Candy…. Easter Basket Ideas

Or Sweet Without Candy Treats ~  Easter Basket Alternative Ideas – Skip the Candy (or least some of it)

Easter is almost as popular as Christmas in many households and even gaining traction on Halloween, my personal favorite holiday, as many of you know.  Instead of filling up the kiddos’ baskets with sweets this year, why not try one (or more)  of these Easter basket ideas.

Any ideas, experience or photos? Please let us know and we will gladly give you credit.

These cute crayons are from Kitty Baby Love. Wouldn’t they be a fun surprise in an Easter Basket?

Tuck a Hexbug or two in and watch them chase the Easter Bunny around the house.

We asked our Facebook friends for suggestions and here are a few:

Ashley McDonald: I bought my son some origami kits because he LOVES origami. They cost me a dollar! He actually asked me not to get him candy because he already has a stash in his room that he isn’t eating. Lol!

Little Ladybugs Resale Boutique: My son loves fruit and veggies. We give home a fruit basket and seeds to plant to grow his own veggies he loves it and it gives us something to do as a family. We also do toys and games. (BTW her son is 3 years old)

Tanya Juergens: My kids usually get a traditional bucket for sandplay, filled with a kite, chalk, bubbles *crayola bubbles this year*, a $5 g/c to Subway, apples, “Cuties”, bananas, gardening gloves, a new watering can, flower and veggie seeds and a garden… starter set. They LOVE it, plus everything equals to hours of fun outside! This year though instead of the sand buckets, the are getting bike baskets and a helmet..on brand new bikes:o) The 2 older ones grew so much since last year that we thought it would be a cute idea!

Kassie Epperson Luster: We also do the seeds thing and things they can play with when we go to the beach and new swim suits, sunglasses, flip flops, cover ups everything to match. They are to excited about all the beach stuff to even think about the candy that’s missing.

With Earth Day on April 22, echo-dough is a perfect addition. You may need this, oops, knead this. This alternative play-doh option is an extra-super-duper nontoxic play-dough is packaged in compostable containers. This all-natural, non-toxic play dough contains no chemicals, artificial dyes, or metals. Super soft with vibrant colors from plant, fruit, and veggie extracts! Add a few drops of olive oil if the dough dries out, and it’s ready to play with again.
6 colors: pink, white, brown, blue, green and yellow.

Jillian Perrin: In my 3 years olds Easter bucket this year…flip flops, Easter socks, a lollypop of hairbands, stickers, fridge magnets, sidewalk chalk, Easter book, Easter egg paint kit, a few chocolate bunnies and bubbles.

Heather Lynne St. John: This year I went and got my 8 & 6 year a gift certificate to Justice. They love to shop plus other things they needed. We didn’t do a lot of candy this year.

Team Totally Suggestions:

1. Juice Boxes
2. Small Boxes of Rasins
3. Bubbles
4. Sidewalk Chalk
5. Silly Putty
6. Light Up Key Chains
7. Funky Shoelaces
8. Stickers
9. Temporary tattoos
10. Body Glitter
11. Video Game Memory Card
    
12. Card Games
13. Pedometer
14. Fantastic Socks
15. Small Notebook
16. Earphones
17. Nail Polish
18. Charms
19. Bookmarks
20. Inflatable Beach Ball
    
21. Sunglasses
22. Legos
23. Rubber Stamps
24. Kaleidoscope
25. Personalized Stationery

Amy Bryan: Ok this year I have felt w sweater cupcakes from Birdie Baby Boutique, bubbles, garden tools and seeds, felt eggs I made, stickers, solar system wall stickers, playdough, bug cages and nets, sidewalk chalk, finger paints and (sorry) cake pops from April’s Tasty Treats.

Amy Fedorchak: I make baskets with toys and stuffed animals. No candy in the baskets at all.

Toni Snow Parkhurst: We start Easter eve by dying eggs, new bunny pjs and a new Easter book and set out our basket. The Easter bunny fills it with bubbles, lip glosses, toy jewelry, stickers and other snack items like bunny crackers/goldfish, etc…

Betsy Seberson: This will be our first ‘official’ Easter with our son, he just turned 1! We will be camping, in the woods, so he’ll be filling his basket/bucket on a hunt for pine cones, sticks, rocks, leaves and possibly a few little goodies we’ll bring from home! Hope our tradition ‘sticks’! ~get it~z

Halloween Hiccup for Sleigh Loads of Toys

8A.M. Putting Halloween aside for a day and it’s Ho, ho, ho and it’s off to work we go. Not another Sunday Fun-day at Totally Kids for me, but a long day’s mission at the mart. Tweets from @santa__claus with his daily count down, leaving only 82 nights till Christmas Eve sent us to the Upper Midwest Gift Market in search of the seasons latest and greatest toys.

Starting the day out at a buyers breakfast and meeting Devon’s MIL Karen, reinforced the factoid that men often times marry women much like their mothers; spunk is certainly a shared trait with those women.

Molly and Me was the first stop where it was Tween Heaven, not for toys, or boys, for that matter, but to die for hippest decor to deck out any wanna be tween, tween or teen room.

What girl wouldn’t want this flashing disco ball with a music function? Plug in your iPod or MP3 player and rock out to your favorite tunes. The lights flash to the beat of the music. Then, when ready to unwind, it functions as a night light.

Science 2010. Possessing an uncanny sense of balance, the Hexbug Nano can even flip to its feet and zoom forward when turned on its back! When  coming into contact with an object in its path, the energetic insect will switch directions and scury away on a new path due to its persistant random behavior. What’s more, each HEXBUG Nano is assigned a unique serial number and point value system that owners can use to register their Nano online, earn points by answering quiz questions about great scientists in history, achieve levels in an online game that requires players to use scientific principles to build their own virtual Nano, and hunt for rare creatures with the highest point values. This we think is a great scientific find. What ages do you think would find this Hexbug Nano Starter Habitat a must have?

Any Pinkalicious fans on your list? Madam Alexander has created a soft cloth 18 inch Pinkalicous doll for 2010 that is pink, pink and did I say pink? We also found Goldilicious dressed in her iconic Medieval princess dress.

Sleigh loads of toys for good boys and girls will all be available at Totally Kids fun furniture & toys. The day ended with tired legs and aching feet, but mission accomplished. Now with  Santa’s count down tweets we are ready to help with everyone’s list.

Remember,  that there are little elves aka personal shoppers waiting to assist helping you find just what you are looking for. Plus as always there is FREE gift wrapping on most toys.