What’s in your Easter Basket?

All kids can enjoy an Easter Basket full of goodies or even an Easter Egg Hunt. Now, for kids living dairy-free, their Easter Baskets may not be full of traditional chocolates, but that’s okay! There are plenty of alternatives that are just as good if not better! 

How Our Family Adapted

Traditionally, the Easter Bunny hides the Easter Eggs. In our house, the Easter Bunny hid plastic eggs filled with coins.  There are two reasons for this: First our daughter was/is allergic to dairy, egg, and peanut. She couldn’t even touch a hard boiled egg for fear of an allergic reaction to touch.  Second, we would put coins in the eggs so she could then go to the store and pick out a toy of her choosing.  Something she really wanted.

When it came to the Easter basket, I had so many options. Why not create a theme basket? This is a great idea whether or not you are dealing with food allergies or just want to cut down on the amount of sugar. Below I have listed a number of theme ideas.  Feel free to get creative and design your own basket. After all, themes tend to evolve over the years.

One other thought I have for you….When the Easter Bunny did put candy or treats in the basket, he would leave the wrappers under the easter grass. That way our daughter could read the ingredients and know she would be safe eating the treats.  We have always taught her that if she didn’t know what was in the candy/treat or have the ingredients for us to read, she couldn’t eat it. I will never forget the smile on her face and the big, bright eyes when she found the packaging under the easter grass.  “Mom, Mom, look what the Easter Bunny left for me! Now we know I can eat the candy!”

When visiting her Grandma and it came time to color the real eggs as easter eggs, I had bought our daughter little plastic gloves so she could help dye them.  It was a great compromise.

Cookie decorating is always fun. Lots of pastel-colored frostings and sprinkles. Buy some easter and/or spring cookie cutters and you are ready to start baking. Need a dairy-free cookie recipe? Try our Frosted Vanilla Sugar Cookie recipe or our Valentine’s Day Cookies recipe.

Just enjoy, have fun and get creative!

Theme Basket Ideas

The theme basket ideas may need to  be age-specific so do not include small items in baskets for younger children in order to avoid the risk of choking.

    • Barbie Basket
    • Mini Cooking Utensil Basket, measuring spoons, mini whisks, little plastic bowls
    • Baking Basket with frostings, sprinkles, cookie cutters, little spatulas
    • Book Basket with books, bookmarks, a new library card
    • Stuffed Animal Basket
    • Arts and Crafts Basket with markers, colored pencils, glitter glue, paper
    • Coloring Basket with a frame for the finished design, crayons, paper
    • Sticker Basket
    • Matchbox Cars Basket
    • Gardening Basket with gloves, little garden tools, planters and seeds
    • Movie Passes Basket with Popcorn
    • Nail Polish Basket with nail stickers
    • Games Basket with playing cards and other mini hand-held games
    • Puzzle Basket
    • Beach Toys Basket
    • Sand Toys Basket
    • Hair Accessories Basket
    • Baseball Trading Cards Basket
    • Fishing Accessory Basket
    • Gift Certificate Basket – Age appropriate gift cards
    • Painting/Watercolor Basket, paints, brushes, watercolor paper
    • Outdoor Games like Chalk, a new ball, bat and ball, hula-hoop
    • Swimming Basket – goggles, diving rings, beach ball, suntan oil, towel, swim suit
    • Stamping basket with stamps, card stock, envelopes and ink pads
    • Bathtub Basket with bath toys, bath towel or robe, new slippers
    • Pet Basket – Would be fun to have a special basket for your pet

Hopefully, I’ve helped you start thinking about all the possibilities. It is always fun to do something new and change things up. Kids of any age will love it!

Holiday Chocolate Alternative

Still thinking about the traditional Easter chocolates?  Fortunately,  there are so many more alternatives available today than there were back then when my daughter was young. She had always dreamed of someday having a valentine’s day heart full of truffles, m&m candies, and an easter bunny chocolate. No Whey! Foods have made her dream a reality. There carry 100% milk free, peanut free, tree nut free, gluten-free, egg free, soy free, and sesame free chocolate candy! Shop the No Whey! Easter Collection for mini chocolate eggs, a  milkless chocolate bunny, lollipop chocolates, and even a deep chocolate brownie egg.

 

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