Easter Baskets for Food Allergic Kids

Now that April is here, many Mama’s are getting their decorations up and plans made for Easter. That’s not so easy for a food allergy Mama. After all, most of what I remember as traditional Easter “stuff” from my childhood revolves around food.

Sugar eggs. Peanut butter eggs. Chocolate bunny rabbits. Jelly beans. Peeps. Hard-boiled and dyed eggs. The Easter dinner.

Many food allergy Mama’s are left trying to find ways to create an Easter basket for their kiddos that doesn’t focus on – or even involve – food, and sometimes we could use a little inspiration.

Last year I shared our Easter basket for Jed, and I decided to go ahead and do the same this year. Only this year, I’m doing it far enough ahead of the big day to give everyone time to use any of the ideas I’ve come up with!

Here’s what I’ve gathered for the kids Easter baskets this year:

Both kids are getting mini-Magna Doodlers. They love to play with these, and they’ve all but destroyed the big one Jed got for his birthday last year. So they each get a mini one in their basket.

They’re boys. These have wheels and “go”. ‘Nuff said. They each get two.

Zac is finally getting better about putting things in his mouth, so I decided to be brave and get Jed some safe-ish crayons to color with. These are supposed to be free of the known triggers for Zac, so I figure we’ll take a chance at supervised coloring for Jed.

Neither of my kids is a stuffed animal lover, by any means, but at the store Zac grabbed this bunny and hugged and hugged on it. So he’s getting an Easter bunny. Seeing him hug the bunny was so cute, I had to do it! (For me, you see. I live for moments of cute.)

Jed saw this at the store and went nuts at the idea of being able to paint an egg! I figure this will be a good “Zac’s naptime” project to do together some day.

We had to have something to put all this in for Jed, and the bucket does two things: first, he loves “Cars” and Lightning McQueen, second, he now has a bucket to play with outside. Win-win.

Zac doesn’t get a special basket. He’s really too little to care about Easter baskets, yet, anyway. So I just grabbed a basket I had sitting in the spare room to hold his goodies. And this is probably just about as decorated as they’re going to get, too. I don’t think either boy will really be into bows and cellophane.

The plastic eggs (that I didn’t want to use last year) will be filled with homemade gummy candies and homemade chocolates for Jed. (If you need to be dairy and/or fructose free, you really need to check out those recipes – you could have a safe treat for your kiddo on Easter!)

We’ll give Zac a real hard-boiled egg Easter morning, but it won’t be dyed. We can’t risk the vinegar soaking through the shell into the egg.

Oh, and the thing I’m most looking forward to? Well, I splurged a little. THIS will be coming in the mail any day now:

I can’t use the chocolates that it comes with, but the MOLD is worth every penny! I can make Jed real chocolate Easter Bunnies every year now! A good 6″ tall bunny, instead of the little baby, mini bunnies I had to make last year.

I’m SO looking forward to the look on his face when he’s presented with a chocolate Easter bunny half the size of his head!

Honestly, even without the bunny, I think the boys will enjoy their Easter baskets this year.

So check out last year’s basket ideas, and hopefully you’ll get some inspiration for (mostly) non-food Easter baskets (if you need it)! 

Oh, and I think I owe someone $20.

That plastic drinking cup in last years basket that I was sure would be busted by the end of the day? It’s still in 100% perfect condition.

I have no idea how that happened. He usually breaks everything!

Share with us: what awesome things are you planning on putting in your kiddos Easter baskets?