Easter Basket Ideas: Gift Guide and Egg-Fillers

Easter is in March this year so that doesn't give the Easter Bunny much time to plan, does it? Every year I search for new and exciting ideas for gifts and baskets. I also have some simple ideas for filling Easter eggs (non-candy egg fillers, too). All of my suggestions are displayed in easy-to-follow photos with labels and handy links. Read on to see for yourself!

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I may earn a (very small) commission from qualifying purchases. You can read more about this on my Disclosure page. However, I also urge you to check in on your local businesses. If you can find any of these items in your local shops, please help to support them if you can.

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This post is designed for easy reading. All photos are clearly labeled so you can easily scroll to find what you are looking for. Be sure to check out my Easter and toy gift guides from previous years here.

Easter Basket Gift Guide

This year I decided to do something a little different with my Easter Gift Guide. Instead of making baskets and labeling each item, I thought I'd just list the items with photos instead. I think it's simpler and then you can imagine each item in a basket or egg hunt, any way you want. If you prefer my other type of guide, feel free to let me know in the comments!

I always put a great deal of thought into my gift guides. I consider what I would want to purchase as a parent, and which items I think kids will really love. I also want my guides to be easy to read and use. Each photo features numbered items for easy identification. Below each photo is a link to each numbered item. Pretty simple, right? And at the bottom of the post, you'll find tips and ideas for filling eggs, too.

So now, on to the guide! Let's get hoppin'!

Ideas for a Brainy Basket

1. Bunny Brunch from Hand2Mind: Players work together to follow the pattern and feed the bunnies before the mouse eats their food. 2-4 players, ages 3 and up.

2. Starlux Games Word Treasures: With six pirate-themed kids games, three types of scavenger hunts, matching games, sorting games and kids puzzles, this hands-on game will keep kids busy and having a blast. Also great for homeschooling or avoiding the summer slide! For 1-4 players, ages 4-10.

3. Magnatiles Stardust 15 piece set: great for hands-on, creative fun!This glitzy magnetic building set features tiles full of suspended glitter, and mirrors that catch the light for that extra shine. Ages 3 and up

4. Slam Words for 2 or more players, ages 8 and up: shake the dice in the cup, then slam the cup down to get your 3 letters. Think of a word that contains the letters, then pass it to the next player who must think of a new word. Fun and fast word game and a great size for Easter baskets.

Ideas for a Creative Basket

1. Playfoam Easter Eggs 4-Pack by Educational Insights: ages 3 and up. Hide the eggs for an egg hunt or use them in your gift baskets. Each egg is filled with pastel colored Playfoam, with a hidden mystery character inside each egg!

2. My Fairy Garden Hedgehog Haven: comes with seeds and soil for planting your very own garden, can be connected to other My Fairy Garden sets, too. Also includes an adorable fairy and mini hedgehogs for added pretend play. Ages 5 and up.

3. Kinetic Sand Soft Serve Station: Kids can scoop, swirl and decorate their own soft serve-inspired creations with 3 colors of Kinetic Sand, 2 ice cream cones, a scoop with sweet treat molds and a tool for toppings. Ages 5 and up. If you don't need a whole station check out Kinetic Sand 20 pack of eggs, which are perfect for hiding or placing in baskets.

4. Make it Mini Lifestyle Series: Miniverse is the only mini collectible that you can make, set and display. Each ball comes with realistic mini items and accessories to make your own mini replicas of your favorite lifestyle and home decor pieces. From plants, to aquariums, to candles, each package is a surprise so you won't know which mini you have until you unbox it. Ages 8 and up.

Ideas for a Fun Basket

1. Sanrio Easter plush from Five Below: various styles available. Squishmallows or regular plush, too!

2. Pickle Everything Card Game: a fast-paced and funny card game where players race to outwit each other by answering clues, but with a pickle-themed twist. 3-5 players, ages 10 and up.

3. Pillow Slides: these comfy slides are perfect for summer and come in a variety of colors. Soft and squishy yet firm enough for every day wear! Use code JERSEYMOMMA for 10% your purchase on the Pillow Slides site, too!

4. Decora Girlz: these fun and colorful dolls are available as a 5" blind box or as 11" fashion girlz. They also have a sticker play set that would look cute in any Easter basket. Available at FAO Schwarz or Walmart and Amazon beginning 3/15.

Ideas for a Tough Basket

1. Jurassic World Captivz Blind Eggs, various styles, ages 4 and up. Perfect for baskets or egg hunting!

2. Safari LTD Toob of Dinosaurs put this whole tube in an easter basket or use each dino as a treat inside eggs! Other Toob styles are also available (insects, animals and more)

3. Plus Plus Puzzle by Number: Every brick easily connects to the next. Create colorful flat mosaics or work in 3-D to make more intricate builds. Mix and match any Plus-Plus set to bring more ideas to life. Ages 5 and up (various styles available).

4. Super Mario Bros. Jungle Kingdom Raceway Set : 4 character inspired Hot Wheels cars featuring favorite characters from the movie. 1:64 scale can be placed in a basket or separated to hide in eggs! Ages 3 and up.

More Cute Ideas

The Sandoichis are the cutest plush sandwich collectibles. Think of it as a mash-up between your favorite sando and your favorite cute animal (Patti the PB and Jellycorn, Peggy the Panini, Penny the Pengwich, Charlie the Chicken Sando - you get the idea!). They're super soft and squishy, and they look great in an Easter basket! The clip-on blind bag size can fit in larger plastic eggs, too. Series 1 is out now and Series 2 is coming soon. Look for them in Five Below, Claire's, ItSugar, Party City, Amazon, and more. They also have their own animated short on YouTube!

If you want to think outside the box (or outside the basket?), I love the little Sanrio bowls and mugs available from BioWorld. The My Melody Ramen bowl comes with its own chopsticks (there's also a Kuromi version), and the Hello Kitty with heart shaped handle mug is a cute option to fill with foil eggs or treats.

Egg Filler Ideas

It's a challenge to think of new ideas for plastic eggs, especially if you're trying to avoid candy. Here are a few ideas and tips to help fill those colorful eggs.

*Quick tip: buy bigger eggs. You might think that sounds ridiculous, but these days they sell eggs in all sizes and shapes and you can reuse them year after year. It's much easier to fill the eggs when they are a bigger size. Those little eggs don't fit much! You can be much more creative with larger eggs.

*There are so many blind bags and small 'mini' toys on the market (all of the 5 Surprise Mini brands from Zuru are very popular). You can actually open these up and use the mini toys as egg-fillers including Disney Doorables, Squishables, Calico Critters blind bags, Littlest Pet Shop, LEGO minifigures, Super Impulse Worlds Smallest, and Captivz just to name a few.

*Another new trend is to purchase Easter egg exchange tokens. They're usually made of wood and have different experiences or freebies printed on them. You can buy them on Amazon here or even create your own.