Toddler Easter Baskets (Non-Traditional)

I’ve only been a mom for the past 3 years, but I’ve been making over-the-top, non-traditional, Easter baskets for about 7 years. I have always loved making Easter baskets. They are so much fun and I love the challenge of creating something special for children of all ages.

This is my third Easter as a mommy and now that the kids are finally both well into toddlerhood – I was majorly excited!

My kids are huge candy lovers (wonder where they got that from) but I didn’t want to solely focus on candy. I’m also not a big fan of buying little trinket toys that are only enjoyed for a few minutes, so I steered clear of those.

Unlike all you crafty little Martha Stewart’s out there… I can’t repurpose an Easter basket to look like anything other than an Easter basket, so I avoided getting a basket altogether. I totally get the whole Easter basket thing but seriously… they don’t necessarily need to get a basket, per se.  Trust me, your kids, nieces, nephews, grandkids, cousins, students, whoever – they will appreciate what’s inside of the basket way more than the actual basket. But, you will appreciate not having to spend $5-$15 on some fancy basket that really only has one time use.

My alternative? The most adorable cube storage bins. I found mine at Target on clearance for around $6 each. I actually bought everything you will see pictured at Target.

Here’s What I Bought:

Candy & Food

Easter themed candy is the best. I bought bunny PEZ dispensers, chocolate bunnies, carrot shaped Reese’s Pieces, Peeps, Bunny M&M’s, pastel Skittles, jelly beans, and Egg shaped chocolate. All the good stuff. 🙂

How adorable are these Bunny M&Ms? Eeek.

I didn’t want to include only candy so I also stuffed some fruit snacks into my fillable Easter eggs.  And these cereal bars make great fillers. I also suggest boxes of animal crackers, squeeze-able applesauce, mini boxes of raisins, and any other snacks your kiddies enjoy.

Let’s not forget the Goldfish. My kids love these little things and they are the perfect size for my baskets.

Non-Candy Options

Aside from the sippy cups, everything else pictured was between $1-$3. I had to buy double of everything, of course. But Target has a lot of great Easter goodies that aren’t little throw away toys. Those bubble guns at the top of the photo are AWESOME! We had some last year, but we left them at grandma’s house. Seriously, they are hours of entertainment. My little guy loves cars so I bought those mini racers for $1 each. The bunny ears where also $1 and those served double purpose…

I couldn’t decide between the plastic Slinky Jr. or the walking Slinky Jr. so I got both. Well, all four. 🙂 My kids are obsessed with glasses, so novelty egg ones will be fun.

How awesome are these crayons? They are exclusive to Target and they have a TON of varieties. I couldn’t help but pick a few up for my Little Bug.

I also bought one outfit per child. I made sure they were warm weather friendly because at some point the weather will get warm, right? …Right? Each outfit was about $8. Not bad. Target is always good when it comes to having inexpensive basics for kids.

These are the super cute cubes I bought. Luckily, I found mine on clearance but the original price was only about $10. They have tons of different character faces. My favorite part about them is that I can use them for toy storage after the kids have emptied their goodies.

See? They fit right in with the cube organizer we use for the kid’s toys.

But, they aren’t for toys yet! I bought the cheap basket grass for about $0.50/ea. And since I didn’t want to do a TON of candy in the basket I bought each kid a bag of 6 plastic eggs. They were $1 each.

If you’re wondering how I keep all of the goodies from sinking through the grass… it’s by using the eggs. I fill them up with M&Ms or Jelly Beans and then I shove them to the bottom of the grass. Then I can easily stack things on top of them. They make for a pretty solid base.

I also shove the outfits to the bottom of the cubes, because… let’s face it. The kids don’t care about the clothes. So, it’s not one of the first things they want to see and they make for a good base, as well.

Remember those little $1 bunny ear headbands from the beginning? They turn these little bins into Easter baskets, just like that. Along with the grass inside of the mouths. These little cubes scream Easter to me. And I guarantee my babies are going to go completely nuts over them!

My grand total for everything pictured was $100. I know, that might sound pricey to some… but I have two storage cubes, tons of extra candy for me :), and lots of fun toys and books. Oh, and a new outfit for each kid. $50 per basket seems pretty reasonable to me. But this was really just a guide… you can alter the contents to fit your budget.

I hope you enjoyed my Non-Traditional Toddler Easter Baskets. If you have any questions about pricing or products, let me know in the comments below! 🙂