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!
This is a great list. We used to put Cheerios and stickers in my kids eggs when they were toddlers. They loved them. Now they are a bit older I have to get a bit more creative.
List of 15 Great Non-Candy Easter Egg Filler Ideas for Toddlers http://t.co/fZgAI9yNLD
List of 15 Great Non-Candy #Easter Egg Filler Ideas for #Toddlers #kids http://t.co/kJwAbJ1zU6 via @surfnsunshine
Thank you, Jeana! I have always enjoyed your blog. It was one of the first I looked at and subscribed to when I began to seriously coupon shop for my family. For my kids I have almost always relied on discount bin movies for their baskets. I also give gifts preparing for summer. Swimsuits, goggles, pool toys, outside toys, and tub toys have been some of the big hits. Happy Easter!
Thanks Sharon! Happy Easter to you too!
Good List! My DD is two and has never had any chocolate, or candy either. Agree, totally unecessary and when she thinks that yogurt melts are treats, I am happy with that.
We pretty much did the stuff that is on your list, stickers, puffs, melts, crackers, tiny toys, etc.