Easter Favorites
If you’re looking for fun and functional gifts to put in your little one’s Easter basket this year- this blog has got you COVERED! We have rounded up the cutest (and most cost-effective) toys and books for all ages! And some cute outfits, too. Take a look!
Peekaboo Crinkle Book: The cutest little book with bright colors, crinkle sensory components, and the perfect shape for little hands. If your little one is spending their first Easter as a newborn- this is a great little gift that can grow with them.
ezpz Mini Cup: This is a perfect sized cup for teaching open cup drinking! Little hands can hold it and it has a nice weight to the bottom. My favorite trick to teach parents is to fill it to the brim with a familiar PUREE that they have eaten on a spoon, and bring it to baby’s lips so they immediately get a taste of what is inside! And you don’t have to tilt it too much to give them some. Over time you can add some water to it so it’s not so thick and you work towards drinking plain water, but that skill takes time and isn’t expected to be done independently until 18 months. So starting at 6 months gives baby plenty of time to practice!
Whose Feet? Book: This cute cloth book helps identify animals in a fun way- by their feet! This is a great book to start reading around 3 months + and your toddler will still enjoy it!
Baby Einstein Musical Toy: Perfect for 3 months and older, this rattle plays the best classical beats and motivates baby to keep hitting that big button to hear more!
Carrot Teether: The most festive teether for the holiday! The handles are great and this one offers a bumpy texture at the carrot tip for baby to explore.
Munch Mit: This one is a neat teether. Some little one’s love having this on their hand like a glove and mouth it, or baby can also just hold it and mouth it, too (like both of my kids did!). It’s bumpy texture is beneficial for baby’s oral sensory system and I recommend using around 3-4 months.
Olababy Spoons: I LOVE these spoons- they are my favorite for 6-12 months. They have a nice flexible bowl of the spoon that makes scooping easy when baby starts to try and scoop, and they are a great length for self-feeding a pre-loaded spoon.
Nuby Teether: This is my favorite first teether for baby! It is easy to hold, doesn’t go back too far in the mouth, has subtle bristles that give some texture, and it comes with its own hygienic carrying case.
Melissa & Doug Crinkle Fish: This doubles as a book AND a toy! I love that it has little flaps to encourage reaching and grapping, a teether, a squeaker, AND a mirror. It’s a great toy for the car, tummy time, and while sitting on your lap!
Comotomo Teether: My all-time favorite teether! It is easy to hold and has finger-like stubs that are great for baby to chomp on, without them going too far back to constantly gag! I recommend introducing this one around 4-5 months of age and continue to offer in play as baby nears 1.
Melissa & Doug Sensory Soft Taco: The cutest taco with teething pieces, crinkle pieces and different textures for baby to explore. This is great to encourage sensory play!
ezpz Mini Bowl: This suction bowl is kind of like a plate and a bowl at the same time. I love that the sides of the bowl are low, which helps baby with scooping and seeing their food. I’ve had mine for two years and it’s held up great!
Num Num Spill-Proof Straw Cup: A great on-the-go option for littles learning how to drink! It has a short straw and no valve, so the flow of the water is not impacted. Handles help baby stabilize. It’s all around a great cup!
Olababy Spoon & Fork: This set is great for a child approaching 12 months of age. Using a fork is not expected until spoon use becomes independent, and most start using a fork around 15 months. The harder silicone fork in this package is great since little ones won’t hurt their teeth biting down on it!
Melissa & Doug Pull-Back Cars: These were a huge hit with Paul and continue to be. Pull them back and watch them go - a great motivator for littles learning to crawl. I love these because they grow with your little one!
Caterpillar Xylophone: A colorful musical toy for baby 6 months and older! Model words like “bang, boom, tap.” As your little one grows into toddlerhood they will continue to play, too!
Melissa & Doug Stacking Blocks: I love these blocks! You can practice stacking or nesting them. Model words like “up, down, on top, crash, push, boom!”
Ark Y Chew: This is a tough teether, but great for building jaw strength! The shorter ends are great for biting on both sides, and they all have different textured ends. I recommend offering around 9 months as chewing skills continue to build for harder foods.
Olababy Cup: My all time favorite cup! I love that it’s made from silicone, has a straw stopper so baby can’t pull the straw out, has a weighted bottom so it’s harder to knock over, is a great size for little hands, and doubles as an open cup. My FAVORITE part is that it teaches straw drinking! Plug the hole in the lid with your finger and gently squeeze the cup so liquid goes up the straw and into baby’s mouth. They quickly learn that if they suck on the straw, liquid will come up and BAM, they just learned how to drink from a straw.
Bapron Baby Bib: The cutest little bib! I love the high neck to protect the entire front of baby’s clothes and the prints are adorable! I love giving these as a gift and using when baby wears short sleeves, too!
Skip Hop Bath Buckets: These are simple and fun for bath time or the water table! There are holes on the bottoms of the buckets so water comes out faster in some and slower in others. You can also wash them in the top rack of the dishwasher when they need a good clean!
Spaceship Teether: A toy and teether all in one. The silicone strings have bumpy textures on the ends that provide some texture, and they are easy to hold and mouth! This is a great toy to keep hands busy in a restaurant or in the car, too!
Melissa & Doug Smoothie Maker: One of Paul’s all-time favorites is this toy smoothie maker. I bought this for him at 16 months and he’s still playing with it now. Endless pretend play!
Green Toys Rescue Boat: Green Toys is a favorite brand of mine. Great for a little transportation lover, and comes with a captain and pilot character to pretend play with! Plus made in USA!
Melissa & Doug Cutting Fruit: This is one of the best cutting sets as the velcro sticks but isn’t super tight and the pieces aren’t too small to be too cumbersome. Perfect for 18 months and older!
Lollaland Straw Cup: This cup is my favorite weighted straw because it does not have a valve. A valve is a piece of material in the straw itself that is a spill proof feature BUT it requires babies to suck extremely hard to get liquid out, since a lot of force is needed to get the valve open. This cup is not 100% spill proof when the top is down, but when the top is pulled over and the straw is pinched down instead, it is. The handles are also removable so it easily fits in the side pocket of a diaper bag for travel! This is one of my favorite cups for milk since it’s easiest to clean and there aren’t a lot of nooks and crannies.
Elk & Friends Utensils: Silicone and stainless steel, these utensils are great quality and come in so many fun color combinations.
Green Toys Tea Set: This has been one of Paul’s favorite toys. I love Green Toys because they’re so well made! A great set for pretend play!
Green Toys Pink Truck: Another Green Toys vehicle and such a cute color, too. Practice loading it up and dumping things out!
Melissa & Doug Animal Sounds Puzzle: Perfect to motivate your little one to imitate! Remove the puzzle piece and put it back to hear the sound! Also great to work on pinching (15 month milestone)!
Thermos Funtainer: These are my favorite for toddlers on-the-go! These are easy for toddlers to open- push the button, drink, and close the lid. And they fit in most car seat cup holders. No valve, so free flowing water all the way.
Weesprout Snack Containers: A great option to hold snacks & I love that it’s silicone! Easy to clean too as no little compartments that trap food.
Green Toys School Bus: Can be used indoors and outdoors, I love how sturdy Green Toys vehicles are!
Melissa & Doug Take-Along Shape Sorter: Paul has this and it was a favorite toy around 2 years old. This one offers great opportunities to talk about shapes and colors, and I love how portable it is! A great toy to travel with.
Festive Pop Its: If your little one needs to work on finger isolation (15 month milestone), these are a great idea! You can also put yogurt in them and freeze to make little yogurt melts!
Melissa & Doug Felt Pizza: This one is so much fun! Easily put toppings “on top” of the pizza. Label, engage in pretend play, follow directions, and more!
Melissa & Doug Bowling Friends: This is the cutest bowling set! Work on hand-eye coordination and roll the ball to knock down the pins. Great for working on turn-taking, too!
Melissa & Doug Tool Set: Little ones can pretend play while practicing hand-eye coordination and problem-solving with this set. Paul has and loves!
Munchkin Utensils: This stainless steel utensil set is perfect for little hands. They wash well, and are a great transition set when your little one is ready to move off of silicone utensils! I recommend using 18 months and older.
Elk & Friends Stainless Steel Cups: These cups are great for toddlers who already drink from a straw very well! Perfect for milk or smoothies, the straw is a little bigger in diameter, so bigger sips come out. Also very easy to clean and plastic free!
Egg Chalk: As the weather gets warmer, this is great take outside on a sunny day and create on the sidewalk/driveway. Festive and affordable, too!
Melissa & Doug Coffee Maker: I love this for acting out routines and taking turns. Paul loves to make my coffee in the morning!
Learning Resources Farmer’s Market: These are great for toddlers just getting interested in colors and double as pretend play food! Great quality- Paul plays with this all the time.
Fubbles No-Spill Bucket: I love Fubbles because they don’t spill if it tips over! This one is super fun because it has a couple different wands to use. If you have multiple kids, they can each use it at once!
Triangular Crayons: The triangular shape means they don’t roll off the table - and promotes writing-readiness.
Color/Shape Matching Eggs: Festive for the Easter season, these are great for color and shape recognition and fine motor skills.
Melissa & Doug Lacing Beads: Perfect for working on precision fine motor skills and for identifying and labeling colors!
Green Toys Car Carrier: Another one that Paul has and loves! Endless fun with taking the cars off and playing separately, or loading them up together!
Toddler Cutting Knives: Such a cute gift, and a functional one too! Include your little one in kitchen prep. Let them cut up fruit for a smoothie or parfait bowl, or let them slice some tomatoes for a sandwich! Little ones eat more and try more foods when they have exposure to them OUTSIDE of meals. So, food prep as much as you can!
Sticker Activity Book: We love this book! It’s in my “restaurant bag” and Paul is so entertained by it. We’ve gotten a ton of use out of it.
Ice Cream Set: A sweet set for pretend play- comes with so many ice cream add-ons to really make so many different combinations.
LCD Writing Tablet: Another great toy to take when you’re on-the-go. It can easily be packed in the diaper bag and entertain a toddler!
Bubble Machine: This thing cranks out bubbles!! So much fun to get for Spring and use all Summer long too!
Snack Spinner: This one is so much fun for travel and even for daily use! It’s a great way to offer choices for your toddler and take foods on the go. If your little one is in a food rut, try to spice it up with a snack spinner- a little change can really help!
Bath Crayons: These have totally changed up bath time for us! Our toddler is not a fan of water on his face and hair, so distraction can sometimes be the name of the game. Now he gets very excited for bath time and “coloring.” Just wipe off with a wet towel and the crayon goes away! Recommended for littles closer to 2 years of age and older.
Elk & Friends Stainless Steel Cups: These cups are great for toddlers who already drink from a straw very well! Perfect for milk or smoothies, the straw is a little bigger in diameter, so bigger sips come out. Also very easy to clean and plastic free!
Busy Board: These are great for combining fun and learning. Your little one can practice skills like buckling, zippering, etc. Something like this would be great to take out to dinner or church - busy hands for quiet time.
Klean Kanteen: My new favorite stainless steel and silicone cup for older toddlers! The cap twists to close making it spill proof and the design is easy to clean. It requires some good fine motor skills for littles to open and close by themselves so it’s best for about 2.5 years and older. It’s also 12 ounces so a good cup for toddlers and preschoolers who drink lots of water throughout the day! Sometimes the smaller bottles just aren’t enough.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Easter Egg Hunt: Anything Eric Carle is immediately a slam dunk! Love this version of the Hungry Caterpillar that you can bring back out year after year.
Peek-a-Flap Hop: Such a cute Easter flap book! The thick pages are easy to turn for baby.
Never Touch a Grumpy Bunny: This one makes Paul laugh every time! Love the touch-and-feel components of the book to keep littles motivated to see what is next.
The Runaway Bunny: Love this classic in a board book! You can start reading to baby and make an Easter tradition each year.
Llama Llama Easter Egg: If you collect the Llama Llama books (like we do) this one is necessary! Such a cute story surrounding Easter eggs.
How to Catch an Easter Bunny: This book is adorable with rhymes throughout and a fun short book to keep littles’ attention!
The Easter Egg is Missing!: This peek-through book is super cute with different eggs on each page, motivating littles to see what is next.
Hippity, Hoppity Little Bunny: The little finger puppet books are SO CUTE! I have several of these and they don’t disappoint. Plus under $5, so a great choice!
Happy Easter, Mouse!: If your little one is a If You Give A Mouse a Cookie fan, this is a must-have! See what Mouse gets into around Easter.
Spot’s Easter Surprise: Love Spot and all the flaps in the book! These books are short (5-6 pages) so they are perfect for baby and toddler attention spans.
The Velveteen Rabbit: Another classic in a board book! Reading this one before bed can be an Easter routine.
My First Easter: If you have a brand new baby this Easter, this is a great option as the pictures are high contrast and black and white!
Where Are Baby’s Easter Eggs?: Karen Katz never disappoints with her big flap books and dazzling items on the last page! Add this one to your seasonal collection!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Easter Colors: Another Eric Carle masterpiece. Love this one about colors- great for littles about 2 years and older!
Easter Bunny Flap Book: This is a great large flap book- easy to reach and pull down for babies and toddlers!
Are You There Little Bunny?: See if you can find the bunny peeking through the cutouts in this book- so cute!
That’s Not My Chick: This touch-and-feel book highlights descriptive words and your baby and toddler can look for the texture on each page!
The Easter Story: A board book telling the religious story of Easter.
Chicken Licken: Such a cute board book about the adventures of Chicken Licken! Can read this all year long, too!
Little Stickers - Easter: A great sticker book for toddlers for the Easter basket!
That’s Not My Bunny: This touch-and-feel book highlights descriptive words and your baby and toddler can look for the texture on each page!
Easter - Sounds Book: A sound on each page, your little one will want to keep reading to find the button and push! Each page also has some texture and cutouts to make reading more fun!
First Magic Painting - Easter Eggs: Perfect for about 3 and older, this painting book is a lot of creative fun!
Poppy & Sam and the Bunny: The story of Poppy and Sam and the bunny is short and sweet and interesting for littles! The bunny finger puppet makes each page exciting!
Fingerwiggly Easter Bunnies: Perfect for 9 months and older when finger isolation starts to emerge! Stick your fingers through the holes to act like bunny’s ears on each page!
Baby Bunny: This big flap book encourages your little one to engage with the book and pull down the flaps to see what is underneath!
Baby’s Very First Noisy Book - Garden: One of my favorite series of books is the Noisy Books! Perfect for birth and beyond, the sounds are easy to imitate and match each page!
Five Little Ducks: The cutest little board book that you can read as you sing along to the Five Little Ducks song!
Round & Round The Garden: My FAVORITE $5 book- this cute story prompts you to act out actions like tickling, wiggling and more!
Fairy Gardens Magic Painting Book: Great for about 3 and up, perfective creative book for littles who like to paint!
Fingertrail Playbook - Garden: I love this for babies about 6 months and older! Each page has cutouts, texture, and little trails that their fingers can follow as they move through the colorful book.
Little Coloring - Springtime: Another great coloring book for about 2 years and older!
Secrets of the Vegetable Garden: Grab your flashlight and shine it at this book to discover hidden pictures! So fun for toddlers and school-aged children!
Fold Out Colors: This is one of my favorite books for tummy time since it folds out nice and long and is super contrasting with color!
Garden: This fun book has lots of great imagery and contrasting colors to hold little’s attention!
Find the Duck: Search for the little duck on each page! This book will motivate your little one to turn the page and find the duck again.
Lift-and-Look Garden: A lift-the-flap book all about springtime! Look and see what or who is living in the garden under the flaps.
How Do Flowers Grow?: For older toddlers and school-aged children, this book answers all the questions about how flowers appear and grow!
Here is a round up of some fun and festive Easter Baskets (and some eggs, too!) I love to use Easter baskets that can then be used around the house, too (Numbers 1, 6, 7, 8, and 12 are great examples!)
Here’s a round-up of cute outfits for Easter and/or the spring season for your littles! Great reviews, different styles and colors, and at least 95% cotton on almost everything.
