Crunchy moms all over let out a collective sigh around Easter. Between the cellophane wrapped atrocities at the grocery store and the red dye-filled candies in those baskets, it’s a recipe for can’t-win guilty consciences and overtired kids.
Easter baskets can be so much fun for kids though, and crunchy parents struggle with the desire to produce less waste and keep their kids out of the worst of the worst junk food, without them missing out on precious childhood memories.
Thankfully, the market has risen to the occasion gloriously, and there are countless options for crunchy parents who want to build a better basket for their kids this spring. From toys and activities to chocolate bunnies and jelly beans, this list has you covered — you’ll just need to manage the inevitable sugar crash.
Eco-Friendly Easter Baskets
The conventional Easter basket is, by and large, just plain unnecessary. With a whole world of upcycled and creative multi-use options available, you can skip those cheap splintery neon baskets in favor of something more practical and eco-friendly.
There are SO many ways to upcycle household materials into baskets, people have built entire businesses around it. From baskets woven from paper grocery bags to upcycled coffee cans, these baskets cost very little to make and put waste to a secondary use.
Thrift Store/Second Hand Baskets
Anytime you can buy something second hand instead of new, it’s always a step up in taking care of the planet. Thrift stores are notoriously overflowing with top quality baskets at great prices, so get in there before the good ones are all gone.
Multi-Purpose Containers
Multi-purpose containers beat the pants off of plain old boring baskets — try any one of these for a fun spin on the traditional basket, and build a theme around it while you’re at it!
- Metal pails
- Planters
- Reusable shopping bags
- Treasure chests
- Toy boxes and totes
- Backpacks (like this one from Apple Park)
Eco-Friendly Easter Basket Fillers
Skip the cellophane Easter grass this year — these tiny fibers don’t just stick to everything, they never break down, and are a direct product of petroleum. Here are a few more environmentally friendly options, some that serve more than one purpose!
This biodegradable Easter basket filler is a new take on the old standby we’ve grown to know and despise. Made from post-consumer content and 100% biodegradable, it’s quick, easy, and can even be recycled!
Fabric, Blankets, or Clothes
A great way to sneak another gift into an Easter basket, while also giving goodies a staging spot, you can use just about anything you want here. Opt for muslin blankets for babies, new rain jackets for adventurous toddlers, or even just a few silk scarves that you can throw in the dress up trunk.
Okay, now this idea is too cool. With this adorable kit, you and the kids can actually grow living Easter grass! Start this project about a week before Easter with a lined Easter basket, and you’ll have enough grass to stage the goodies in by Easter morning.
Yarn
If you’re a habitual knitter, there’s no need to grab any fillers — just dig into your stash of unused skeins and stuff them into the bottoms of the kids’ baskets.
Real Greenery
If you’re in a last-minute crunch, just grab some pruning shears and grab some greenery from the yard. Ferns, bush clippings, tree branches — anything you have on hand can make an interesting bedding for the goodies on top.
Toys
Crunchy moms cue the collective eye-roll for plastic toys they know will be in a landfill a week later. Skip the frustration this year and get a couple of higher-quality, environmentally conscious toys that they’re going to love ten times more than a Paw Patrol frisbee.
Little Flower Nesting Blocks from Bella Luna Toys
Perfect for babies and toddlers, these colorful wooden nesting blocks are a great spring toy, and naturally dyed with nontoxic colors and varnishes.
Wooden Colorful Sorting Eggs with Cups from Etsy
Another toddler favorite, this is a great color education toy that hits the Easter theme right on the nose. Painted with non-toxic, soy-based paint and sealed with Beeswax, this is a set that’ll last for years to come.
Right now, use code MAYA15 good for 15% off your entire order at www.MamaMayiShop.com!
Organic Little Plush Bunny from Apple Park
Because every kid needs a bunny on Easter. Apple Park makes a TON of adorable organic toys for babies and toddlers, including rattles and lovies, but these plush bunnies are too perfect for Easter!
Wooden Beehive Sorting Set by Plantoys
Plantoys is a company built on sustainable practices, and this beehive set is the perfect combination of education, fun, and teaching kids about the environment. With a set of tweezers included, it’s a great way to let littles work on their fine motors skills Easter morning.
Build-a-Bouquet Playset from Green Toys
Green Toys is a wonderful company that makes all of their toys from recycled plastics. They’re cute, durable, and even BPA-free! This bouquet building set is perfect for spring, but won’t make a mess in your living room.
Candy
Skip the artificial colors and corn syrup Easter morning — real candy has finally arrived, and it’s just as sweet. They’re still sugary, but made with better quality ingredients, so your kids can have their candy, and you can have as much sanity as chocolate bunnies for breakfast allows.
Fair Trade Organic Milk Chocolate Bunny
Surf Sweets Organic Jelly Beans
Activities
Whatever your personal beliefs, Easter is a wonderful time for educating children on the beautiful changes that spring brings. Here are a few activities to get them thinking about the world around them as things start to bloom:
Eco Eggs Coloring and Grass Growing Kit
Because it’s not Easter without coloring eggs. This kit includes the dyes AND the Easter grass!
Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth
A wonderful book to gift any time of the year, kick off your spring composting plans with this wonderfully educational book.
Those little plastic Easter eggs are hardly eco-friendly, but thankfully, there’s a plant-based, biodegradable alternative.
What are your kids doing for Easter this year? Share your favorite crunchy kid plans in the comments below!