For those of you who don’t want to load your little one up with sugar this Easter, we’ve put together a list with 30 of our favorite no candy Easter basket ideas for toddlers. We’ve also linked to most of these items on Amazon where you can order them with free Prime shipping if you don’t have time to get to a store. But you should be able to find most of them at your local Dollar Store or Walmart as well.
NO CANDY EASTER BASKET IDEAS FOR TODDLERS : ARTS AND CRAFTS
Creative play is so important for toddlers, so art supplies are fantastic Easter basket ideas for toddlers. Of course crayons and coloring books are a great option, but there’s a whole world of creative gifts out there that your little ones will love.
30. Water Wow books
We are HUGE fans of the Melissa and Doug Water Wow Books. All you need is water, so even if you lose the little brush, you can give your toddler a little cup of water with an eyedropper. But we love using these in the car, with the included brush, because they don’t make a mess, and our kids feel like they are painting magical masterpieces.
29. Color Wonder Markers
Color Wonder Markers are also great for preventing messes. They only color on the special color wonder paper, not on your carpet, walls, or dog.
28. Play-doh
Play-doh can get messy (or go in the mouth) but it’s so much fun to play with! Supervised play-doh time is one of our favorite activities with our kids. You can get the full sized ones, or the little preschool sized cups, and some simple tools or cookie cutters.
27. Pom Poms, Pipe Cleaners, Popsicle Sticks
In our family, these are called “project supplies”. When the kids are feeling creative, or just want something to do, they get to make a project. They choose a few items from the project bin, and put them together however they like. It’s always fun seeing what they come up with!
26. Tape
Tape is one of the best and craziest toddler toys known to man! They may just pull the whole roll out, or wrap themselves in it, or use it to create things with paper. Both of our kids were able to figure out by age two how to safely tear the tape on the serrated edge, and can easily entertain themselves for 10 whole minutes with it. That’s like an hour in toddler years!
NO CANDY EASTER BASKET IDEAS FOR TODDLERS : OUTDOOR FUN
Outdoor play is an important part of toddlerhood. Here’s some of our favorite items to gift our kids in anticipation of outdoor weather.
25. Sidewalk Chalk
Sidewalk chalk is our go-to item for outdoor fun. It’s not just for sidewalks! We write on their play structure, flower pots, the shed, the garbage can, even the dog! Make sure to set up guidelines of where chalk doesn’t go (not on the car!). Fortunately it washes right off really easily if it ends up somewhere it shouldn’t.
24. Bubbles
Bubbles are another fun one. For toddlers we really like a battery powered bubble blower that they can operate themselves. They get a lot of bubbles and don’t get frustrated with spills and trying to blow them perfectly.
23. Toy Digging Tools
Whether you are a gardener or not, a little shovel and rake are great for digging in a back corner of the yard, at the local park, or helping with yard work. Our kids also love having their own gardening gloves.
22. Seeds
Watching a seed go from a little tiny nothing to a plant is absolutely magical. Depending on whether you have a yard or not, you can get seeds for flowers that attract butterflies, vegetable garden seeds, or little easy herbs to grow in a pot.
21. Balls
We have a variety of balls outside. A little foam football, some spiky rubber balls, a mini soccer ball, and of course some tennis balls for the dog. The kids love throwing and kicking them all!
NO CANDY EASTER BASKET IDEAS FOR TODDLERS : TOYS AND BOOKS
Reading and playing are the work of children. Here’s some Easter basket sized ideas for your hard working toddler.
20. Dolls and Action Figures
Little dolls are great for girls or boys. Go with what your child likes best. For instance, our two year old daughter Larkin loves her little Batman action figure as much as her Princess Sofia doll!
19. Books
Books are always at the top of our present list. You can do little board books, or paperback books if your kiddo won’t tear them to shreds. We love getting the kids a book about the meaning of Easter each year.
18. Sensory Toys
Toddlers are obsessed with all things sensory. You can find a variety of sensory toys by searching for sensory toys or fidget toys. But there are also a lot of common items that work as sensory toys. Our kids’ absolute favorite is a little sewing tape measure that retracts at the push of a button.
17. Trucks, Trains, and Cars
Little vehicles are great for both boys and girls. You can also do airplanes!
16. Glowsticks
Glowstick necklaces or bracelets are SO much fun for toddlers. Just make sure they don’t chew on them. If your toddler is super oral, this might not be the treat for them.
15. Slinky
Hours of fun! What more needs to be said?
14. Tub Toys
Bath time is one of the highlights of our day. The kids love playing together, and we have a variety of bath toys from foam letters and numbers, to boats, to floating animals and water wheels or pipes.
NO CANDY EASTER BASKET IDEAS FOR TODDLERS : ACCESSORIES
Toddlers love dress up! Here’s some of our favorite accessories to deck your toddler out in.
13. Tattoos and Stickers
Temporary tattoos and stickers are cheap and easy to find in your child’s favorite character, or any general subject.
12. Hair Stuff
This one is more for the girls, though our 4 year old son has been asking for ponytails lately so he can look like Poppy from Trolls!
11. Jewelry
Again, this is more of a girl category, but watches are a great option for the boys. Boys also love mardi gras beads!
10. Costumes
Little toddler sized masks are a fun treat, whether they are superheroes, animals, or silly characters. You can also do items for playing their favorite characters like a tiara, train engineer cap, or Maui’s fish hook!
9. Sunglasses
Our kids are a bit obsessed with sunglasses! You can get little unbreakable toddler proof sunglasses, or just get cheap dollar store ones in an adult size and they will have just as much fun with them.
8. Socks
Since socks are always disappearing, we take any excuse to get more.
MORE NO CANDY EASTER BASKET IDEAS FOR TODDLERS
Need more ideas?
7. Notes from Family
This is an easy way to start teaching your child the value of written communication. Little notes from mom and dad, grandparents, and older siblings are a great way to show some love, and can become a keepsake item for your child in future years.
6. Easter Eggs with Treats and Toys
Toddlers love rattling Easter eggs. There’s such delight in their eyes as the realize something is hiding inside. You can do healthy treats like raisins, cereal, nuts, and natural fruit gummies, or little toys, rings, coins, and action figures. Just make sure whatever you choose is appropriate for your toddlers needs. We don’t do real money as our kids still put things in their mouths, but larger fake coins are just as fun for them.
5. Wipes or Tissues
Are your kids obsessed with wipes like mine? My daughter especially is always wanting to wipe herself or the things around here. A little pack of cute tissues, or a mini pack of wipes can be a great treat.
4. Chapstick
We finally gave in and bought our kids their own chapsticks. We still control their use (we have a 5 seconds of chapstick rule), but now we don’t have them climbing on bathroom counters to steal (and eat!) our chapsticks.
3. Toothbrush
It’s never too early to teach good dental hygiene! We love these electric toothbrushes. Even though they seem huge, the brush head itself is quite small, and it helps kids be used to buzzing in their mouths so the dentist is no big deal. We got one for each of our kids when they turned two.
2. Fun Band-Aids
Whether your toddler gets an owie, or just wants to pretend they have one, Band-Aids are like stickers on steroids. They are super fun, and you have to OPEN THEM! Cheap and oh so exciting.
1. Swim Stuff
Part of the excitement about Easter (at least here in the rainy cold Pacific Northwest), is that warm weather is on its way. Some swim goggles, floaties, or a swim suit, can be a great way to get your child looking forward to time at the local pool, lake, or beach. You can get more ideas in our post on the best swim gear for toddlers and babies.
WHAT ARE YOUR NO CANDY EASTER BASKET IDEAS FOR TODDLERS?
We know you must have some more ideas that we haven’t thought of. Please share them in the comments below, or on our Facebook Page!
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