Here comes Peter Cottontail…. 
Up from the grave He arose!

No matter which song you sing at Easter time (or both if you’re in my family), I bet there will most likely be an Easter basket laying out for your child(ren) on Easter morning. I know every year there was an Easter basket waiting for me and my siblings on the kitchen table. We went to bed at night with just some dyed eggs in the basket and woke up to a basket of goodies.

This will be Easter basket number five for Liam. To be quite honest, I don’t remember what all I have put in his baskets in the past. I’d have to take a look back in our family photo books to see. But, this year, as I walked through Walmart with Easter everywhere I decided to make an Easter basket with purpose.

I looked down the aisles and saw a lot of pre-made baskets all wrapped up in plastic. Chocolate bunnies. Jelly beans. Peeps. Candy eggs. Bubbles. Books. Crayons. Pencils. Play-Doh. Stuffed animals. Small plastic toys. And the list could go on and on.

If you’d seen me, I was probably pacing back and forth down the aisle. And just when I thought I’d seen all they had to offer, I noticed there were two more aisles of more stuff!

I started pacing again down both new aisles. What was I going to put in his basket this year? And, not only him, but I will have a baby not even seven days old! What do you get for a baby who can’t go three hours without eating?! If you ask my husband, you get them nothing. But this mother can not let her son’s first Easter go by with no Easter basket no matter how young!

So I thought. What could I put in the baskets that wouldn’t just go straight in the trash or be used for ten minutes and then tossed aside? Let’s be honest. The PJ Mask pencil kit or the Paw Patrol bouncy ball would excite Liam initially but would be forgotten about within a half hour.

So here are the MEANINGFUL items I came up with that won’t go straight to the trash. And I did NOT stay in the Easter aisles to get these!

Something Creative

I wanted to find something that would spark his creative side. I looked at crayons, paint, coloring books, Play-Doh, or anything that might tap into his artistic side. I also thought about finding a musical instrument or CD or something to get his musical juices flowing. Or even a puppet or stuffed animals to ignite his imagination. I settled on a Peter Cottontail water-color book. He is constantly wanting to paint and the last set of watercolors he had were mixed together pretty badly.

Something Educational

I know. I know. I’m a teacher and I believe that everything should teach a child something. I didn’t want to get him big math workbook although he would probably be very excited with it. I wanted to get something as simple as a matching game, a puzzle, card games or a book. Something fun that will keep him learning. I found several books on the true reason for Easter and purchased one. A perfect gift to remind him of the reason we celebrate Easter (not just a giant rabbit who delivers presents).

Something for Outside

Balls. Bubbles. Shovels. Buckets. Outside action figures. Water guns. Sidewalk chalk. I was looking for anything that he could take outside and enjoy the nice spring weather. Well, okay, that’s a lie. I don’t know if “nice” describes the weather around Easter here in Montana. Last Easter weekend it snowed heavily. And it’s currently snowing right now as I write this. But we did have some high 40s (yes, that is considered warm here) so the sunshine and warmth are just within reach! I decided on the bubble sticks because who doesn’t love bubble sticks?

Some Type of Clothing

Well, this might not be entirely exciting for him but it definitely was not a waste of money. I decided to get him a set of play clothes. A simple pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt. But I also thought about a dressy outfit, new shoes, socks/underwear, pajamas, a cool pair of sunglasses or a new hat. While this may not be the item that will have him screaming for joy, it was a practical purchase for me and I made sure to get the colors he likes.

Something He Likes

I wanted to get something that was character related as well. At four-years-old, just having a PJ Mask or Transformer character on a simple toy makes it way cooler. I found some this cool sidewalk paint that had the PJ Masks on it. In my mind, I scored twice. Something he likes AND he can do outside. Double points for my basket checklist!

Some Sweets

You CAN NOT have an Easter basket without some candy. However, I don’t believe in turning an Easter basket into Halloween Bag Part 2. Honestly, we’re still eating on Liam’s Halloween candy! I picked the one (well two) things I know he will actually eat: jelly beans and a pack of gum. I didn’t feel obligated to buy the chocolate bunny or Peeps. He probably would have eaten them but he just doesn’t need that much candy!

As for the baby, he will be getting a touch-and-feel book, a small stuffed bunny and a new outfit. Yes, he won’t care about the book until he’s older but I’ll put the outfit to good use and, well, the stuffed bunny was just cute.

So, Easter morning there will be two baskets downstairs waiting for two sweet boys to discover. And I feel good knowing that the Easter Bunny took the time to pick out items that they will enjoy. And then off to church we’ll go to remember the real reason for Easter. Well, Baby and I will stay home and reflect from the comfort of the couch.

What will go in your child’s Easter basket this year?
Do you have memories of what the Easter bunny brought you?
Leave a comment or subscribe to the blog and I’ll send you my free Easter Basket List with bonus ideas for your spouse!