Easter season is upon us, and for parents of Type 1 kids, it can be a little trickier to fill Easter baskets every year. Our family is in the “he can eat anything he wants to, for the most part” camp here. However, even before Type 1, we tried to limit the amount of candy Luke eats. Candy just isn’t good for you, no matter if you have T1 or not.
After thirteen Easters, I’ve gotten pretty creative when filling Luke’s Easter baskets. Here are some non-candy ideas we have done over the years. (I apologize ahead of time that it’s heavy on boy ideas. There is not a whole lotta pink in this house.)
*Lego sets– We have done all sizes. One year we bought a medium-sized Lego set. We distributed all of the bricks in plastic eggs and numbered the eggs so we knew when they were all found. Then, set Luke on a scavenger hunt to find the eggs. Once he found all of the eggs, the next mystery was putting them all together!
*Art supplies– markers, crayons, paints, paper, sidewalk chalk, stickers… you name it, he’s gotten it in his Easter basket! This year, we will probably add to his Prismacolor marker set he started at Christmas.
*School supplies– new pencils, pens, notebooks, glue, scissors, markers, colored pencils. Now would be the perfect time to get some of the more fun school supplies like Smencils.
*Small toys– bubbles, Pokemon cards, egg-shaped bouncy balls (or regular ones), Slinky toys, stuffed animals, Hot Wheels & Matchbox cars. A lot of the time, you can find Easter-themed versions of these favorites.
*Blind boxes & packs– We have done Minecraft and Lego minifigs; they have so many different ones, though- Shopkins, Playmobil, Tsum Tsum, Funko, Pusheen Cat… there are so many options! (I’m half-tempted to buy myself Tsum Tsum and Funko!)
*Fun clothing– flip flops & beach towels to get them ready for summer, graphic tees to make a statement, hair accessories & fun socks for Easter. These would all be perfect additions to an Easter basket!
*Books– while picture books & chapter books are a win in my book, you could also add a kids atlas, doodle books, a Bible or journal as different options. There is even a Babysitters Club graphic novel about Stacey, a girl who has Type 1 Diabetes!
*Money– Put together all that loose change in your purse, pockets, car, and sofa and put it in a few plastic eggs!
*Sports– balls, goggles, jump rope, Chinese jump rope (who knew they still made those!?)… get your kids outside and moving!
*Food & Drink– water bottle or Tervis, crackers, peanut butter, beef jerky, Slim Jims, nuts, or their favorite beverage (Luke’s is Sparkling ICE drinks, which are carb-free!). We always add a little bit of candy, too. Usually white chocolate Reece’s Peanut Butter eggs.
*On the more expensive side– video games (Pokemon games are a favorite of Luke), a scooter, larger Lego sets, or maybe even a certificate for a weekend away.
*Activities– a voucher for a trip to the zoo, aquarium, park, a picnic lunch, date night with mom and/or dad, extra screen time… I found these premade (or fill in the blank) inserts for plastic eggs on Pinterest. Just print off, cut apart and stuff into plastic eggs! This will probably be our focus this year with a few of the other things thrown in.
There you have it! My (pretty extensive) list of non-candy Easter basket ideas. I hope this was helpful as you fill your child’s Easter baskets this year! If you have anything to add, please share your ideas in the comments… the more ideas, the better!
Happy Easter!
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