54 Best Easter Basket Ideas For Kids, From Plush Bunnies To Beach Toys (2024)

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A Touch-And-Feel Baby Book

Editor’s Pick

I love these soft, touch and feel Jellycat baby books. They come in all sorts of animal themes, from unicorns to monkeys, but the bunny, duck and lamb versions make ideal Easter basket ideas for babies and toddlers. Cory Baldwin, executive director of commerce and content strategy at Forbes Vetted, is also a fan of these gifts for her young daughters who aren’t ready for candy. “The books are bright and engaging for little ones and were a favorite from pretty much as soon as she could focus her eyes on a page,” she says.

The Softest Bunny For Them To Cuddle

Jellycat’s plush animals are truly some of the softest. This sweet Bashful Bunny with his long ears looks ready to snuggle with his new BFF all day. Pair this 12-inch rabbit with one of the corresponding Jellycat books for the perfect Easter basket idea for toddlers and little kids.

The Hoop That Anyone Can Catch

The foam Beamo sails through the air and is easy (and less scary) for even young children to catch, because it’s soft and lightweight. It’s also easier to snag it from any angle with the hole in the middle. Stuff this kid-friendly flying disc into the back of your active child’s basket and be ready to play at your next park excursion. This is a go-to kids birthday party gift in my family, but it also tucks into a basket easily for spring adventures.

A Fluffy Less Sticky Slime In Spring Pastels

Butter slime is the new ‘It’ slime for kids. It’s soft and fluffy and often scented. It’s also much more welcome in my home than the glue-infused concoctions from a couple of years ago, because it’s less likely to stain the table or meld to the carpet. Pick a pretty hue and yummy scented Butter Slime for their basket, including a sprinkles themed one, a unicorn-topped slime or this pretty mint chocolate pot.

A Perfect Easter Set From Lego

This sweet Lego bunny and her carrot are the perfect addition to any kid’s Easter basket. She’s just over 5 inches tall and takes about 250 pieces to put together. Kids can keep her on display or work her into games. This set can also be built into two other characters: a co*ckatoo parrot or a seal. Each animal has posable parts, so the rabbit’s head, legs, ears and mouth can move.

Affordable Sandals In Spring Break Hues

A cute pair of springtime sandals looks perfect in their baskets. These slip-on, washable slides come in a variety of hues, including a basic black or blue, but I love this marbled pastel tie-dye look. Reviewers rave about the comfortable fit. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that these Cat & Jack Target sandals are reminiscent of one of our favorite grown-up pairs that cost significantly more.

A Head Start On Their Sugar Rush

Stock their basket with this pretty package of Easter-themed candies from Dylan’s Candy Bar, and they’re sure to reward you with a smile. The spring-themed jar weighs 11 ounces and includes mini gummy butterflies, “robin’s egg” chocolate-covered marshmallows, sour rainbow fizzy belts and more.

Watercolor Crayons For The Younger Kids

DiDi Vaz, a Massachusetts mother to an 8-year-old, says she loves to stock her daughter’s basket with bunny-themed items and art supplies, such as “markers, colored pencils and a rabbit themed coloring book,” or “bunny slippers and bunny socks.” Washable crayons and markers are ideal for younger kids, and Ooly makes some of the most vibrant and creative art supplies. I love the way these watercolor gel crayons glide right over the page, allowing kids to get really animated in their projects.

Find Your Way Through 150 Easter Mazes

Keep the Easter fun going with this activity book offering 150 mazes and coloring fun. The mazes come in three levels of difficulty, so siblings of varying ages could enjoy this one together. I love that it provides a quiet activity for when it’s time to wind down.

Hatchimals That Come Easter-Ready

These Hatchimal mini collectibles come Easter-ready in their own pastel eggs and pretty pink carton. Tuck the whole thing into the decorative Easter grass in their basket or hide the eggs during your egg hunt for an extra special surprise for your little collector.

Slides To Get Them Ready For Pool Season

Available in toddler, little and big kid sizes, these classic Adidas slides fit right into their Easter baskets, getting them ready for pool and beach season. They’re available in nearly a dozen colors, so it’s easy to find your kid’s favorite. I love that they slide right on, so my kids also use these as their backyard slip-on summer shoes.

The Perfect Spring Suit

It’s easy to get excited about the coming season with this colorful bathing suit from Hanna Andersson. The brand is one of my go-to choices for kids’ suits as they hold up well, swim after swim, and block 97% of the sun’s harmful rays. They also come in many adorable prints and styles, including one-piece, two pieces and short- or long-sleeve rashguard options. They’re roomy, comfortable and fit well, too. This one is made from recycled nylon and polyester as well.

Get Baby Beach Ready, Too

He’ll be ready to hit the pool or beach in this adorable ocean-themed zip-up suit. The long sleeves and built-in UPF 50+ sun protection help protect baby’s delicate skin. The polyester and spandex blend provides a comfortable fit, though in my experience Tea runs a bit slimmer and snugger than Hanna Andersson and other children’s brands. I’ve found Tea swimsuits to be durable and of the best quality over the years, and they come in fun prints that really appeal to little ones.

A Ball Designed For Games That Go Late

Now that the days are getting a bit longer, kids might be tempted to stay out later. The Tangle Nightballs glow, making it easier to see that pass coming at you. They’re super durable and tough (my kids have the basketball version) and yet made from a BPA-free, latex-free rubber. This soccer ball inflates to official pro size for all those FIFA fans.

A Bunny Teether And Sensory Toy For Babies

This lovey offers plenty of handheld fun for a baby—and plenty of places to chew if they’re teething. Babies can nuzzle the bunny, explore the teething ring, ears or knot and scrunch the whole thing up to hear it make that crinkling noise they love so much. It’s made of a soft cotton.

A Peter Rabbit Onesie Ready For Spring Playdates

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They’ll be ready for that spring picnic or park playdate in this adorable Peter Rabbit bodysuit. The short sleeve onesie is extra soft thanks to the organic cotton and bamboo fabric blend, and it easily goes on and off with the snaps and stretchy fabric.

Chalk Your Stoop With Colorful Designs

I like to restock our household sidewalk chalk supply by putting a package or two of it into the kids’ Easter baskets each year. The colors make the whole basket pop, and it’s one of those items that gets put to use right away. Crayola makes some of the longest lasting and brightest sidewalk chalk that we’ve used over the years, and this particular pack has chalk “pucks” that are individually wrapped so they’re harder to break (and are more egg-like).

Every Basket Deserves A Set Of Shades

Babiators protect little ones’ eyes in style with its polarized, UVA/UVB blocking sunglasses. These heart-shaped shades look particularly cute in a spring basket. I like that they come in three age-based sizes—from 0 to 6 years old—so you can get the right fit for your child. They come with a pretty, soft case, too.

A Mini Me Gardening Set

USA-Made

This miniature gardening set is the perfect Easter basket idea for toddlers and preschoolers who always want to copy their grown-ups. Now they can follow you along as you plant, mulch and water the garden this spring. They also make great beach toys.

An Extra Snuggly Stuffie

Can there ever be enough plush bunnies in an Easter basket? We don’t think so! The Oh So Snuggly line from Gund is well, extra snuggly and cuddly. This pink, floppy 12.5-inch rabbit is sure to look cute in your tot’s basket, but it’s also available in duck, puppy, elephant, bear and hippo characters.

Dino Eggs Ready To Excavate

Whether you hide these dino eggs as part of your traditional Easter egg hunt or place the whole pack in their basket, I’ve found these excavation kits wildly entertaining for most kids ages 4 to around 8 years. Soak the egg, and then they can use the little tool to dig out the creature. This set comes with a guidebook to tell kids more about the dinosaurs they unearth, too. Just remember: This is a rather messy activity; I usually spread out newspaper or a drop-cloth to contain the mess.

Delicate Butterfly Clips

I love to stock my daughters’ Easter baskets with hair accessories and kid-friendly jewelry, along with their candy treats. These pretty pastel felt butterfly clips are ideal for adding a subtle bit of flair to her springtime outfits. The brand also makes adorable necklaces, purses, tattoos and other accessories for little ones.

A Carrot Nibbler For Baby's Basket

Baby deserves an Easter basket too, and this carrot teether is right on-theme with the holiday and season. The little handles make it easier for your little one to hold onto it while the BPA-free siliconeteething carrot includes various textures for her to explore and nibble on with sore gums.

Bombas Socks In Their Size

If you have wood floors like me, your kids are likely frequently losing their footing, careening into furniture and just generally slipping and sliding all over your house. These Bombas, which come in toddler and youth sizes, offer little grippers on the soles, making them ideal for kids in need of a little more traction. Everything else about them is made from that super-soft Supima cotton blend that the brand is known for in its adult socks. This set comes basket-ready in a gift box.

Baby Blocks To Stack And Learn From

A set of solid wood blocks finished with child-safe water-based paint looks pretty in a baby’s Easter basket. This 26-block set includes numbers and letters, as well as animals and other designs, such as hearts and the moon, all done in neutral, soft shades. Talk about the pictures as you stack to boost baby’s early literacy skills.

Perfect For Spring Wildlife Sightings

Sustainable

They’ll be ready for backyard birding with these solid wood toy binoculars from Tender Leaf Toys. They’re playful with their long eyelashes but also adjustable just like the adult versions. Bonus: Tender Leaf builds its toys from sustainable rubber wood and replants with every tree used.

The No-Fuss Toddler Sandal

I searched a long time to find a sandal that my toddlers could successfully keep on their feet and put on solo (and that wasn’t as bulky as a Croc)—and this tot version of the Nike Kawa slide worked well for my kids. The back strap keeps their foot in but doesn’t irritate them and there’s not a tricky buckle in sight.

Musical Eggs

These colorful Musical Eggs are right on-theme and ideal for a baby or toddler Easter basket. Simply shake the wooden eggs and you’ll be treated to five different sounds: rattling, jingling and more. It’s a set of five and each one is just under 5 inches tall, making them easy hold.

Popular Paint Markers For Big Kids

I don’t know why, but these Posca paint markers are all the rage in my upper elementary daughter’s school right now, and they’re just right for a tweens’ Easter basket. They’re particularly bright and work on fabric and other types of surfaces. (Keep in mind, these are not ideal for younger siblings who are still prone to scribbling on your walls and tables.)

A Story About Self-Love And Acceptance

We all have days where we wish we were someone else or we’re simply fed up with our surroundings, and this can especially be true for kids. This children’s book offers a valuable lesson about being happy with who you are with an appropriately fun storyline about a bunny who thinks other animals might have better or easier lives. It turns out he’d rather be a bunny than anyone else.

Restock Their Beach Toys

Sand toys are an easy bet for my beach-loving kids’ Easter baskets. I like this petite four-piece set from Hape. It has all the essentials and is small enough to nestle into a section of an Easter basket. You could also use it in the sandbox this spring or just the backyard.

They Might Pick Up A New Skill With This Gift

Let them get their pent-up winter energy out with a few twirls with this natural wood-handle jump rope. It’s sized for children but also adjustable to your child’s height. It’ll fold up nice and small to fit into a basket and gives them something new to learn this spring.

A Bath Bomb Surprise

USA-Made

OK, this is really an Easter basket gift for you. For some reason, the promise of a small surprise toy makes bath-resistant kids go bananas. At least mine do. These lightly scented, colorful bath bombs dissolve to reveal a tiny figure for them to play with while you suds them up. My kids literally fight over these, collecting as many as they can, which keeps them too busy to complain about my shampooing technique. (Not for under age 3.)

Fuzzy Slippers

Snuggle their feet into these toddler bunny slippers to keep their toes warm on chilly mornings. There’s a slight tread on the bottom to prevent falls and the ankle-hugging cuff keeps them snug on their feet. The rabbit toes seem fitting for Easter baskets, but you could also go for the bear, moose, dog or shark tot slippers from L.L. Bean instead.

A Toy-Making Craft Kit

Craft kits are ideal for rainy spring days spent indoors, and I love this particular one because it lets them create something they’ll actually want to play with afterward. My two older kids made these bouncy balls during one of the many pandemic shutdown days spent at home at ages 6 and 8, and they managed well enough without too much input from me. It comes with the molds and materials to make up to 43 balls, but I think we made closer to a dozen.

A Cute Topper For Their Stanley

If you’re filling the basket for your on-trend older kid, consider these straw toppers to keep her Stanley from spilling on the way to school or practice. Choose from among a number of themes, from flowers and clouds to holiday toppers. Each pack comes with eight toppers.

A Tube Of Mini Building Blocks

This Plus Plus tube of mini interlocking building blocks offers 70 pieces and the directions to build a unicorn, but parents can also choose from among dozens of other options, such as this T-Rex or this airplane. My kids always light up when offered a new Plus Plus tube challenge. (Just keep these mini bricks out of reach from babies and pets—I speak from experience on the latter.)

A Made For Kids Skincare Set Your Tween Is Coveting

If your tween is suddenly desperate for “skincare,” but of course, doesn’t really know what that means, you might gift her a beginner set from this teen-focused line. This anti-acne trio can help them get into a good routine with gentle products.

A Mini Beading Kit

This space-themed mini bead kit from Super Smalls lets them craft their own treat. It comes with three charms, including a gem-covered star and an alien in case that’s more to their taste. They can choose from an assortment of beads and shapes to add to their creations. The set includes a 26-inch and a 10-inch cord to design multiple pieces of jewelry. Choose from among several varying mini sets or go for a full-size Super Smalls bead, craft or play kit.

Size Up Their Crocs

If your kids live in Crocs’ Classic Clogs during the warmer months like mine do, Easter is the perfect time to size them up—or offer them a new style like the Cruiser Sandal or a fresh pack of Jibbitz to accessorize their shoes. Crocs really encourages kids to personalize their pair with Jibbitz but also with fun character-themed clogs and plenty of variety in colorways.

All Their Favorite Creatures In One Toob

If you have a creepy crawly fan, this narrow Insects Toob from Safari Ltd. might appeal more than all the cutesy Easter toys and accessories. I love these Toobs for preschoolers who are still deep into imaginary play. This one comes with 14 figurines, including a caterpillar, dragonfly, centipede, grasshopper and more insects, but you can also find Toobs of career people, dinosaurs and plenty of other creatures.

The Perfect Football Size For Kids

This softer and easier to grip Franklin Sports football is game-ready for grader-schoolers or anyone in the family who enjoys a casual game of catch or flag football with friends. It’s 10 x 6 inches, so smaller than regulation but not just for tots. At $5, it also makes a great Easter basket filler for kids.

A Pint-Size Doll

Popping an LOL Surprise orb into their basket offers non-candy unwrapping fun. This particular LOL Surprise set comes with eight items to unwrap, including this gymnastics doll and all her unique accessories, such as a hula hoop and a balance beam.

And A Fun Toothbrush To Remove All That Sugar

These lightweight, battery operated toothbrushes from Colgate come in a variety of cheerful kid-friendly characters that might just encourage them to take a little longer to brush all that Easter sugar away. They’re surprising gentle and quiet, which is why my children probably don’t mind them. Choose from Bluey, a unicorn, PJ Masks, Pokémon and other characters.

A Cheerful Hooded Towel For Bath Time Or Beach Days

With summertime approaching, get the tots ready for pool and beach time with this absorbent cotton towel that’s adorned with cute details like eyes and sun “rays.” Plus, it offers UPF 50+ protection, and you can add a monogram for free.

An Interactive Basket Full Of Fun Collectible Eggs

Your kids will be delighted to find that this playful spring basket, complete with a rainbow handle, is filled with self-hatching “eggs.” Once they remove the pacifiers and “feed” them with water, they’ll hatch to reveal collectible toy figures inside.

Finger Puppet Characters That Double As Toothbrushes

These finger puppets are so cute, you kiddos may not notice that they also clean teeth. Brushies’ character toothbrushes are made from 100% food-grade silicone and are BPA-free, and this particular pack comes with a matching storybook for more brushing fun. Choose from characters like Chomps the Dino and Willa the Whale.

Colorful Fidget Balls Perfect For Tiny Hands

In addition to regular Easter eggs, add these bright Pop balls to the mix. This pack comes with four multicolored sensory balls that you fill up with air so your tykes can fiddle and fidget to their hearts’ content.

A Mini Boba 'Drink' Full Of Jelly Beans

For the mini bubble tea fans out there, add this sweet boba keychain to their basket. The tiny collectible container is shaped like a boba cup (complete with straw) and is full of pastel-colored jelly beans in five different tapioca pearl and milk tea flavors.

Endlessly Entertaining Edible Bubbles

It’s no secret that blowing bubbles is a favorite outdoor activity come spring; make it even more fun with bubbles that are edible. Little ones will have a blast making (and tasting) bubbles in flavors like Glazed Cinnamon Roll, Juicy Watermelon Splash, Milk Chocolate Chip and Carnival Cotton Candy.

Colorful Foam Gliders Perfect For Indoor And Outdoor Play

This is no mere toy airplane. These colorful foam gliders are safe for both indoor and outdoor play and are designed for smooth flying—without being heavy enough to harm valuables. This mini plane is sized just right for little hands.

Glow-In-The-Dark Cubes For Less Fussy Bathtimes

Water babies won’t want to get out of the tub with these colorful little smiling cubes. Simply add them to a tub full of water, turn off the lights and voilà—they’ll start glowing and projecting colors onto the bathroom walls. Once the tub is drained, they’ll turn off automatically.

A Furry Headband To Dress Up As A Bunny

Is there anything more Easter than playing dress-up as a bunny? These furry headbands, which come in two colors, encourage pretend play. Plus, you can rest easy knowing they’re colored with environmentally safe dyes and are BPA- and lead-free.

An Easter Brunch Board Game For Early Learners

The mission of this Easter-themed board game—which is to complete the play pattern and feed the hungry bunnies—will trick the little players into improving their math skills. They’ll also practice turn-taking, patterning, sequencing and more.