Don't get me wrong, I love candy. I really do.
I'm definitely more of a quality over quantity girl though, I'm not a big fan of cheap holiday candy (I hesitate to mention any brands by name for fear that I'll offend someone, but I'm sure you all know what sub-par candy I'm talking about) and tend to buy the good stuff for me and mine (See's, Ghirardelli's).
So, this year there will definitely be some chocolaty goodness in our Easter baskets, and there will be Jelly Belly's in some of the eggs for our hunt this year, but sometimes enough is enough. Maybe you want to cut down on your kid's sugar intake, or maybe your child is dealing with a ton of food allergies and you just want them to have an enjoyable Easter egg hunt with fun goodies like everyone else. Whatever your reason might be, if you're looking for some other choices for your egg hunt this year, look no further; I've got several ideas in a range of both cost and age. In no particular order, here are 10 Easter egg alternatives to candy:
1. Legos: Got a kid who is obsessed with these tiny little plastic rectangles of pain (anyone who had ever stepped on one barefoot after your child leaves them out knows what I'm talking about)? This about how excited they would be to open an egg and see a new little Lego man or a few new pieces.
2. Nail polish: I have one older sister, and two younger sisters who are much younger than me, so I was still hunting for eggs well into my teenage years. I'm not going to lie, I loved it, but I think I would have been even more excited if I had opened an egg and found some new nail polish; or maybe a new ChapStick... with girls' cosmetics the possibles are endless. I think this one really covers a wide range of ages too. :)
3. Loose change: Here is one that we did get growing up and I loved it. I even did this for my son last year because I blanked on buying candy. Even at 3 years old he loved finding the "monies" and putting it in his piggy bank.
4. Temporary tattoos: I've been able to find these in the dollar section at Target or in beauty supply stores. Or, if you have a Silhouette machine you can even make your own with their tattoo paper! I ordered some a little while ago but haven't had a chance to try it out yet...
5. Stickers: Much like the temporary tattoos, they're cheap, come in a multitude of themes, and easily fit in an egg. Need I say more?
6. Hair bands/clips: This is another great one for girls that covers a wide range of ages. You can buy a big multi-pack and divide it between several eggs.
7. Gift cards: This one is probably the most expensive and might be a little tricky to carry out, because you have to find eggs big enough, and gift cards small enough. I know that Target sells the gift card "coins" that will fit in larger-than-normal sized eggs. I've bought a pack of these before and put $5 on each one, then put them in eggs as basket fillers, but if you're doing an egg hunt with a "special" or "golden" egg, where the finder of that get an extra prize, then this might be a good filler for that special egg.
8. Puzzle pieces: Puzzle pieces are just the right size to be able to fit a few into an egg, so why not buy one puzzle and then divide it among many eggs? If you have multiple kids, you could color code the eggs so you know which one goes with which puzzle. Or just make it a fun post-egg hunt activity, to separate out and assemble all the puzzles. Dollar Tree has some great puzzles for kids with Disney characters and superheros on them.
9. Trail mix: So, these last two are going to be food, just not the traditional candy. :) Some yummy trail mix in the eggs would still be a tasty, but slightly better, treat option.
10. Fruit snacks: What kid doesn't like fruit snacks? And there are so many different flavors and characters now, you can definitely find some that your kids will be excited about!
Linked to: Craft-O-Maniac, Organized 31, Lamberts LatelyLabels: gifts, holidays
