Easter Basket Ideas for Babies & Toddlers
I wasn’t a big “holiday” person before I had kids, but now? Now I get it. There’s just something that happens when you become a mom that makes every reason to decorate and celebrate exciting. Maybe it’s the look on their little faces, or maybe it’s the built-in theme that helps guide activities and fill hours in the day, who knows 🙃
Easter is still over a month away, but I like to start accumulating basket-fillers early so I’m not forced into doing one big drive-up order of whatever I can find at Target. It also takes some time to come up with ideas, since the typical eggs-filled-with-candy thing doesn’t really work when you have small kids. A two-year-old hopped up on Reeses eggs and jelly beans? No thanks.
I’m only just starting to shop for this year’s Easter treats, so I thought instead I’d share some basket-sized things my kids already have and love:
Toys
Both of my kids have Jellycat stuffed animals and cherish them; Edie gave Oscar a dog for Christmas and he won’t sleep without it.
Edie’s current favorite stuffed animal is a Maileg rhino (that was actually intended for Oscar, but in the onslaught of baby gifts I didn’t have the heart to tell her it wasn’t for her. He won’t miss it.)
We gave Edie a baby boy doll for Christmas and she LOVES it. She named him “Mack” and while that exact version isn’t available anymore, I recommend all the MiniKane baby dolls (she also has and loves this doll, and I got this little underwear set to clothe her until I can make more outfits).
Cars are always a big hit around here, and road tape makes it extra fun!
Small action figures are probably the most consistently played-with toy in our house — from the more recently-added Paw Patrol figures to the Puppy Pals toys Edie got for Christmas over a year ago. Whatever show your kid is into, there’s probably an action figure for it.
Oscar has these stacking rings and Edie loves to play with them just as much.
Both babies have loved the Baby Banana teether above all other teething toys.
Activities
Sensory play of some sort happens almost every day around here; we love play-doh, play foam, and especially kinetic sand (because I can vacuum up any mess that ends up on the ground 🙌🏻)
I got these dinosaur eggs as an activity to do with Edie in the months leading up to Oscar’s arrival, and she still talks about it and asks if we can do more. I ordered these slightly different ones over the weekend and I’ll probably stick a few in her basket!
We’re always working on a craft or two around here, so holidays are a great time to stock up on craft supplies. My favorites are popsicle sticks, wood beads, dot stickers, googly eyes, and of course, yarn.
Books
I want to encourage reading so I try to introduce new books often, and gift them at every holiday. I’ll try to keep this list short but we have so many favorites!
BOARDS BOOKS:
Poke-A-Dot: Who’s In The Ocean?
Never Touch a Spider (and all the “Never Touch A” books)
“BIG” BOOKS:
Edie Is Ever So Helpful (I MEAN 😍 how could I not?!)
Around The Farm sound book
The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of Feelings
Ada Twist, Scientist (plus all the other Questioneers books!)
Clothing + Accessories
These hair clips are adorable; I have the “nugget” one but I kind of want them all.
I just ordered Oscar another pair of Little Sleepies pajamas. They’re just so soft!
When I first saw Baprons I thought they were too pricey for “just a bib” — WRONG. I’m getting rid of all the other bibs we own and getting a couple more for when these are in the wash.
Misc. Items
Welly bandages are basically a currency here; I think we’ve had every design at one point.
Oz is my paci guy, and he’s an exclusive Bibs user (with handmade pacifier holder from HelloKorin on Etsy 😉)
I passed down my old rock collection to Edie and she treasures it, and often gets it out to catalog and count and arrange. Mine came from various field trip and vacation gift shops from my childhood, but you can get them from places like this Etsy shop!
If you’re hunting for Easter ideas, I hope this helped! I’ll share what I find for this year’s baskets soon! 🤍