Once the seasons start to change and spring is in the air, it’s time for those who celebrate to get ready for the Easter Bunny to arrive. One of the best parts of this holiday is getting those Easter baskets and plastic eggs ready for egg hunt time. Whether the egg hunt is in the backyard, park, or at school, little kids love participating in the fun activity. Parents, however, could do without the sugar rush that comes with all those chocolaty treats.
The good news is that Easter egg fillers for toddlers don’t always have to be chocolate and candy. There are a lot of fun alternatives to those sweet treats that make great surprises for your kids. Here are 10 treats for your toddler’s Easter eggs that aren’t candy.
What to put in Easter eggs for toddlers
There’s nothing more exciting for toddlers than finding those colorful Easter eggs packed with hidden surprises. Candy is typically the go-to option when filling the eggs, but do toddlers really need more of a sugar rush with all the Easter goodies on hand? With a little creativity and scotch tape when needed, there are cute Easter egg filler ideas that don’t involve candy.
When choosing alternative Easter egg fillers for toddlers, remember to take size into account. You want something that will fit inside the egg but not be a choking hazard for the kiddos. If you’re having trouble closing the egg, it’s OK to add a bit of tape for reinforcement. You don’t want to come outside the next morning for the big egg hunt to find the squirrels have beaten you to it.
Building blocks
Take a bag of age-appropriate building blocks, like Lego Duplo bricks, and put the smaller-sized bricks inside plastic Easter eggs. When the hunt is over, kids can open their eggs and build something with their collection of blocks.
Mini rubber duckies
Toddlers love to play with rubber duckies in and out of the water, and you can get mini rubber duckies in bulk for a budget-friendly price. Stuff Easter eggs with individual mini rubber duckies and kids can have fun long after Easter is over. Use them in the bathtub or baby pool.
Squirter toys
Like the mini rubber duckies, bathtub squirter toys are fun Easter egg fillers. The bathtub toys are typically sold in sets and are small enough to fit inside a plastic egg. Split up the set, placing one inside each egg, or have a mixture of mini rubber duckies and bathtub squirter toys for your Easter egg fillers.
Play-Doh
Mini jars of the toddler staple Play-Doh are an egg filler kids will enjoy rolling and molding. A Play-Doh party bag is perfect for stuffing at least a dozen plastic eggs. Making your own homemade Play-Doh batch is also an option. All you need is flour, salt, water, cream of tartar, and vegetable or coconut oil. Add food coloring for different colors. Put into small Ziploc bags and place inside the eggs.
Bubbles
Bubbles are another toddler must-have, and thankfully there are mini bubble containers available to fit nicely inside plastic eggs.
Figurines
Figurines come in all different sizes, including ones that are small enough to slip inside of the larger plastic Easter eggs. Bags of figurines like barnyard or zoo animals are definitely a toddler favorite. Kiddos can play with figurines, animals, or otherwise, in the bathtub, playroom, or backyard.
Coins
Money is a popular Easter egg filler. You do need to be watchful of toddlers with small objects because they are still at an age where many things find their way into their mouths. If you want an Easter egg filler that goes the distance, slip a piggy bank into your toddler’s basket and use coins and a few dollar bills as an egg filler. When the hunt is over, help your child put his or her newfound change into their piggy bank from the Easter Bunny.
Snacks
If you do want to put a few treats into the Easter eggs as fillers, pack some of the plastic eggs with small packs of animal crackers, Cheerios, raisins, yogurt melts, goldfish, or pretzels. Any of these are healthier options than the traditional candy filler.
Toy cars
For fun egg fillers with wheels, pack Easter eggs with small Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars. Toddlers will get a lot of mileage out of the cars on the kitchen or playroom floor.
Puzzle pieces
For something different, take pieces from a new age-appropriate puzzle and place one inside each Easter egg. When the hunt is over, open the eggs, gather the pieces, and put the puzzle together. Make sure to save the box, so you have something to store the puzzle.
A few other tips for a successful hunt
Hosting a successful Easter egg hunt for toddlers requires a bit of preparation and planning. Ensure you have a secure, enclosed area like a backyard or a small park to prevent little ones from wandering too far. Use large, brightly colored plastic eggs that are easy to spot and open. Keep things simple by placing eggs at eye level or in open spaces so toddlers don’t get frustrated. It may be a good idea to share the eggs after the hunt is over, especially if one child collected the majority of the eggs.
Another option is to color code the eggs by child, so each toddler has to look for eggs in the color assigned to them. This may help prevent one child from scooping up all the eggs and make the hunt a bit more of a challenge. A few designated helpers can also guide the little ones, ensuring everyone has a fun and fair experience!
Easter egg hunts are so much fun for kids of all ages, but toddlers really get a kick out of running around with their baskets, looking for eggs. Adding egg fillers prolongs the egg-hunt fun, but don’t feel as though the filler has to be candy. There are quite a few creative Easter egg fillers that don’t involve chocolate or sugar, and kids will have just as much fun, if not more, playing with the little treasures they find inside.
