Easter Basket Ideas That Won’t Rot the Kids' Teeth

Easter is just a week and a half away and...OK, OK...I know I'm beginning to sound like an anti-sweets mom after my Valentine's Day ("Alternative to Sweets") post and now this Easter one. But I'm just offering alternatives to the same ole basket full of candy that you give and get everywhere you turn on holidays like Easter.

It’s true that filling an Easter basket with chocolate and candy are an easy way to commemorate the holiday but there are other ways to have a great Easter basket that your kids will love! Check out DotComWomen for a few ideas.

This was a picture of my son's Easter basket last year. He loved the "Little Bunny: Finger Puppet" book, the blue Crocs and his Superman pjs. You can also see a little bit of chocolate peeking out. He did get some M&Ms and a small chocolate bunny, but I think he liked the non-chocolate items best!

The alternative baskets are also a great idea for babies (who can't eat real food yet) and children who have food allergies. Have fun being creative!

A Sweet Alternative to Sweets

If your child goes to daycare or preschool, they will inevitably consume more than their fair share of sweets on Valentine's Day and come home with even more sweets packed in goody bags from all their friends. You might be guilty of contributing to this over-indulgence too by baking cookies, heart-shaped muffins or giving those boxes of sweethearts candy.

How about giving Valentine's Day happies that are not edible on Valentine's Day, but will be a great parent/child project on a future day.

One idea is to give a heart-shaped cookie cutter with a cookie recipe attached for each child. Here are some cookie cutters:

• Heart Comfort Grip Cutter by Wilton for $2.99.


• Set of 6 Graduated Heart Cookie Cutters for $11.99 on Amazon.com. That's about $2 each if you give one to each child.


• Heart-Shape Cookie Cutter and Recipe Favors 12 ct. for $20.99 from Target. I think this is a wedding favor, but it would be great for Valetine's Day treats too. It even comes with a sugar cookie recipe already attached.

The silicone heart pans are a little more expensive, but would be a great teacher gift. Check out this one for $7.49 on Amazon.com.

Lots of these are available online or at Target and Wal-Mart, but check out craft stores too - Michaels, Joann's, Hobby Lobby. Shop soon so you don't have to scramble at the last minute or stress if they run out before you get there.

Here are some recipe options to attach to the cookie cutters: Super Easy Sugar Cookies from Easy Kids Cookie Recipe or choose your own cookie on Cookies for Kids from BetterRecipes.com.