For Whistler’s first Easter as a toddler (16 months old), I decided that it would be easier to do the Easter Egg Hunt with plastic eggs filled with goodies rather than decorating “real” eggs.
Maybe it’s just me, but I think most toddlers would get much more enjoyment out of shaking and rattling eggs and opening them up than having 20 days worth of hardboiled eggs for breakfast :)
At the time, we had been really good about not introducing candy to Whistler AT ALL. We wanted to provide a healthy but still fun Easter that was void of candy.
So I racked my brain about WHAT exactly to fill these plastic Easter eggs with – while completely AVOIDING candy and any choking hazards. This wasn’t easy!!
Here is my list – I hope you find it useful and PLEASE feel free to add any ideas of your own.
- Cheerios, Toddler Puffs, Pops or Fruit Loops (whatever your kiddo likes)
- Yogurt Melts (I like these)
- Finger Puppets! (I like these, these and these).
- Character Band-Aids (I like these)
- Stickers
- Playskool Weebles or Fisher-Price Little People (fits in larger plastic eggs)
- Animal Crackers
- Those magic compressed towels where you just add water (fits in larger plastic eggs)
- Inflatable Clear Jungle Zoo Animal Beach Balls
- Temporary tattoos
- Money (open under supervision, of course!)
- Toddler Socks (yes, those adorable super cute little toddler socks totally fit!)
- Pretzels
- Goldfish
- A coupon to get a book from the store :)
PSSTTT!!! Feel free to DECORATE your plastic eggs! Yes – no need to have ugly plain ones. Paint them, attach felt or colored pipe cleaners and make animals, etc. Marie over at Make and Takes has a tutorial for these super cute eggs!
I saw plastic eggs filled with temporary tattoos at the CVS store on Monument Rd. in Jacksonville, Fl. for $4.99. Thanks for the ideas!
One my toddlers always liked was balloons.
We would blow them up and they would play with them for hours!
Good list! We also put tickets for the kids in their eggs, and they can trade in their tickets for bigger prizes that do not fit into the eggs. That way we can get some of the great $1 store stuff and use it without worrying about the size.
I always put more toys than candy as my kids seem to ignore the basket after a day of gorging! So bouncy balls, silly bands, Go go crazy bones, jacks (each egg with it’s own- great filler), and stamps are just some ideas for different age groups….
great ideas! thanks for sharing! I was at a complete loss on what to put in my daughters eggs, and not anymore! :)
My child made four and january and he had his first bit of candy in March. That’s a lot of Halloween, Easter, etc. I have made it through and I feel so good about it. People look at me like I am nuts or there is something wrong with him. But really I just never stopped responding to his nutritional needs like I did when he was a baby. I give him what he needs and there is no need for candy. I have never let him feel deprived or have other kids eating candy in his face, etc. He gets the yogurt melts and puffs and fruit and is thrilled by them! Just this month I visited the local co-op and they have suckers made of organic juices, so he has had one or two of those since. Keep up the good work!