Easter gifts that are not Easter eggs!

Easter is fast approaching and with it, the never ending dilemna of parents. Easter eggs! Which one to buy, how many to buy and what to do with all that chocolate once Easter is over.

A MummyPages survey in 2016 showed that Irish children receive an average of 5 Easter eggs every year with a small percentage getting 10-15 Easter eggs. And parents are not happy about it with 91% of them rationing out the Easter chocolate and 51% of mums wishing to be consulted before family or friends gift an egg.

I’ve also spoken to my Instagram followers in a recent post and the majority that replied are not happy about the quantity of Easter Eggs their children receive and many have sought out alternative options to Easter Eggs.

Easter is another of those events that children celebrate by the over-consumption of cheap chocolate and sweets. Selection boxes at Christmas, jellies and eye balls and chocolate coins and all manners of other awful sweets at Halloween and then Easter eggs.

Many children think that Easter is in fact the Easter bunny’s birthday and have no idea of the real meaning of Easter (according to a very unscientific straw poll I did!). I despair when I see Tesco selling 3 Easter eggs for €5, making it very hard for parents and well-meaning friends and family to resist. But what benefit is this to our children in the long run? And don’t get me started on all that packaging ………… although I have noticed this year that the packaging on some (not all) eggs has improved - less plastic used!

Over the years, I have gently reduced the number of Easter eggs my kids receive so that grannies and aunties and friends now know not to buy them eggs. I’m not a complete bah humbug (or should that be a maah humbug for the time of year? Geddit?!) and my children will get a number of eggs still (3 or so).

If you’re visiting with friends and family this Easter why not bring the children an alternative to cheap, overpackaged chocolate. Here are my suggestions of alternative, reasonably priced gifts for Easter:

Easter Baking

You might have a little extra time with the kids at Easter to do some cooking and baking. www.stuff4cakes.ie has some cute Easter themed cookie cutting sets and you can use up some of the chocolate that the kids get in cakes and buns!

Easter Day out

My Instagram followers had some great ideas for alternatives to Easter Eggs including the suggestion of extended family members forgoing the Easter Eggs for each other and having a family day out instead. This could be something as simple as a day at the beach or you could go fancy with a day at a theme park like Emerald Park or the zoo.

Cooking with kids

You can’t go wrong with a safe knife and peeler set - the best-selling item on our website. Yes, it costs more than an Easter egg - but you can buy one set between a family of children to keep the costs down? Available here.

Toys :

Suzie at Toys and Games Ireland has some perfect little gifts in her online shop starting from 2.50. Try the Dinosaur slime eggs which are clear eggs containing slime and a dino skeleton or chick hatching eggs.

Or Sharon from Jiminy.ie has lovely sustainable Easter gift ideas in her online shop like these eco bath bombs.

Easter Books

Check out your local book shop for Easter-themed books such as “We’re going on an Egg Hunt” €9.99 from www.schoolbooks.ie. or the selection from Halfway Up the Stairs or online at Genius Juniors.

A book is a great gift and it’s not just for Easter – it can be read all year around, as let’s face it, kids have no idea what time of year it is!!

Crafts

You can get some lovely Easter craft sets and the Art and Hobby Shop are always a great source of inspiration. They have Easter stickers starting at €1.75, sand art decorations for €5.99 and lots more. Not only are crafts sugar-free, they also occupy the kids for hours (if you’re lucky) or minutes (if you’re not so lucky!). www.artnhobby.ie and www.schooldays.ie for great craft ideas.

Plants

Buy a little plant or a pot and some seeds and get the kids planting. Lettuce are easy and quick to grow. Look at the GIY starter pack for kids here. Starting from €19.99

Cash for Easter

Yes - it sounds a little crass perhaps but my mother gives my kids a €5 each at Easter instead of an Easter Egg - and they love it! I’ve also heard of other people using cash instead of Easter Eggs - it’s a brilliant last minute Easter gift for the kids. No packaging, no nasty chocolate - it’s a win:win!

So there you have it – some suggestions for gifts you can share this Easter with the kids in your life that won’t send them into a sugar spin! Have you anything else to add to the list?