Easter basket picks

Anyone else working on Easter baskets? It feels odd to look ahead to Easter when we’re still at the beginning of Lent, but the alternative is… buying things the night before? Can’t do it :)

We chatted last year about Easter baskets – whether celebrating with them takes away from the religious significance of the day – and I loved reading your thoughts. For now, we’ve landed here: Jesus is the best gift we could ever be given. He is love. The day of his resurrection should be the best day of the year. These are hard concepts to illustrate to a three-year-old, but tangible excitement can help – so a basket, given with love from her parents to celebrate the happiest day, is where we’ve landed, along with lots of discussion leading up to the day! (We just added this book to our collection.)

A few budget tips:
1) Save crinkle paper from boxes that arrive throughout the year to line your baskets instead of buying it new.
2) Include items you’d be refreshing for the spring/summer season anyway – pajamas, a bathing suit, sandals, sidewalk chalk. Maximize the impact of money you’re already spending!
3) Though the ideas I’m linking here are all new, use them as inspiration to buy secondhand, if you can. I often pick up toys or clothing at a favorite church consignment sale, including the little wooden bus I included in June’s basket from last year, above.
4) Don’t be afraid to include toys they already own! I love to tuck in June’s two stuffed bunnies, and she thinks it’s so fun to see them hanging out in her basket! :)
5) Presentation is key. Take a minute to arrange things nicely, tie a big bow on top, choose things in their favorite color. It doesn’t take much money to delight a toddler.

Here are a few items that caught my eye in recent searches…

Most of the items are linked in the carousels below, but here are the ones that are not:

Cuddle + Kind knit dolls | Tipper truck | Mermaid snorkel | Write the Word for Kids | Rainbow Land Play Mat (expensive and really too big for a basket but SO COOL!) | Bunny ears teether | Maileg mouse in a box | Wooden slingshot | This is the Gospel by She Reads Truth | Moxford shoes | Critter towel

Cute pajamas:

Bathing suits and beach fun (can you tell we almost always opt for rash guards?!):

Outdoor exploration:

Books:

Clothes and shoes:

Toys and games:

So what will we be including in our baskets? Here’s what I’m thinking so far:

June: A new bath towel (she’s still using the one we got her as an infant and it is a liiiiitle small), a rash guard, strawberry jams, 4 bath bombs (I got this pack of 12 last year and put 4 in her stocking, then saved the rest!), Saltwaters, her two stuffed bunnies, sidewalk chalk, and a devotional for preschoolers.

Shep: Saltwaters… aaaaand that’s it. I might roll up a hand-me-down bathing suit we have waiting in the wings and put in a stuffed animal just for fun, but obviously he will not know or care :)

I’d love to hear about any Easter traditions your family has! Pillsbury cinnamon rolls are in our plans for that morning, too :)