$25 Visa Gift Card Giveaway: Non-Candy Easter Basket Favorites for Every Age!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

Every year we pass out Easter Baskets to the kiddos around here, and oh how they love it so. It is a tradition! The one thing we have tweaked about this tradition though, is we no longer fill the baskets and Easter Eggs up with a lot of sugary junk and empty calorie treats like we used to do. I wasn't sure how well that would go over, considering the older kids, my son included, all remember the days of getting lots of chocolate and jelly beans. The fact is though, we fill the basket up with such cool items, that the kids cannot resist being thrilled with what they get and find. Of course, we take good care to make each holiday memorable, and though this portion of Easter is only part of the way we celebrate, we make sure it's still a lot of fun for the children in the family. One way to do that is with the Easter Basket. We make sure to select those that we know the kids are going to love. Personalized Gifts has a selection that is always a big hit and an instant way to make things special right from the get go!

I mean, look at the face on this plush, soft basket!! It's adorable...just as cute as it can be. The quality of these is nice too, with excellent stitching and a nice solid feel to the overall, entire basket. The name you choose is embroidered in real thread and is also top-notch in terms of both looks and materials used. You can get a personalized basket in the shape of a bunny (in blue or pink), a chick, or a lamb, and they are very reasonably priced, and sure to become a beloved memory for your child who can use them year after or year for festive activities such as finding eggs, or holding holiday goodies.

GiftsForYouNow is a family business based in the western Chicago suburbs, providing thoughtful personalized gifts for all occasions to terrific gift-givers year round. Opened in 1999, GiftsForYouNow is a mid-sized business with the goal of helping you add your personal touch to terrific personalized gifts for all occasions. 

Welch's Fruit Snacks are top on the list for every age (even the adults), when it comes to good, quality treats. These fruit snacks are always tasty, rich and full of fruit flavor. The first ingredient is fruit, and they are fat-free, gluten free and have no preservatives.

If you buy the seasonal Easter variety, they come in cute shapes such as Easter Eggs, Spring Flowers and Bunnies. They are CUTE and the absolute perfect addition to add to an Easter Basket. Be generous, the kids (and adults) love 'em!

One of my most favorite Easter Items is the Easter Story Egg. It is a book that starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday, sharing the history and love of Easter with young readers. It comes with 7 nesting eggs made of wood and painted with scenes that correspond with the book, including a palm frond, The Last Supper, a heart and more. The smallest gray egg at the end represents the stone that rested in front of the tomb. When they open it on Easter Sunday, they will find it empty, representing the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This adorable set is sold at Star From Afar (you may remember their Christmas set from my Holiday Gift Guide). I love this company and how they help us keep the true meaning of religious holidays at the forefront.

Smooshy Mushy are the perfect gift to get for both boys and girls. The Creamy Dreamy editions are adorable. We have cupcakes and gumball machines. Inside are scented Smooshy Mushy friends, a smooshy accessory, a smaller container and a little keychain (for both the tinier character and container) and they are the perfect size to tuck into any Easter Basket. 

I've been a fan of this brand since it came out (who doesn't love to smooosh these little guys and watch them come back to form), and somehow it just keeps getting cuter and cuter. You can find these in major retail stores.

These were perfect for celebrating International Women's Day and they are perfect to tuck into any little or big girl's Eater Basket as well! Scented pastel gel pens (say what?!?!) that come in different colors, mini journals and delightfully scented stickers that all tout Girl Power (GRL PWR) are sure to please. What a way to make your little (or big girl) feel extra special on a day that is already set to be great!

Photo Courtesy of OOLY

I love that they are the perfect colors for Easter, but they are a gift you can tuck in the basket that your girls can use year-round. The positive messages on all of these items really rock too.

Photo Courtesy of Calico Critters

Calico Critters lend themselves perfectly for Easter with their adorable little bunny friends and super cute accessories. These smaller-sized treats are perfect for baskets, and the little surprise packages can even come tucked in a large see-through (or golden egg, if you have one big egg surprise hidden each year like we do).

Calico Critters is taking Easter to new heights, and they'd like you to come along for the ride. The Easter Bunny has some sweet treats from the globally popular Calico Critters collection - the cherished series of beautiful and richly detailed animal figures that live in "The Village" and value “Nature, Family and Love.”

This year, Calico Critters Nursery Series expands with the new Baby Ferris Wheel and more baby critters just in time for some spring fun!

My granddaughter is a huge fan of Calico Critters, and who can blame her? They're sturdy, adorable and provide so many ways to pretend! We have loved this company for a long time, and I think these particular items are perfect for an Easter Basket!

I have been a huge fan of Magformers since I first heard about them a couple of years ago. The new 60 pc. Animal Jumble set is perfect for Easter, not only because there is a bunny (and there is a cute bunny) but also because it is a great way to boost creativity. I love these magnets because they always stick, there is never a time when they do not, because that is how they were designed. I also like that even though that is true, they are not too strong to become a hazard!

Magformers new 60 piece Animal Jumble set is the perfect introductory set for imaginative creators. Children will enjoy using Magformers pieces to neatly stack or they can use the clip on faces to make different jungle animals. Young creators can also use the geometric pieces to build the different animals. Each geometric shape contains magnets that never reject, so you’ll always hear the Magformers click. When playtime is over, use the magnetic power to simply stack and store.

Little girls will also love these Glitter Wands (and I'm guessing little boys will too!). 

Photo Courtesy of SwimWays

These are from SwimWays, and the glitter wands are fun to toss in and let fall to the bottom of the pool, while little ones practice their diving skills to go to the bottom and get them. You can find them at Target and Amazon, for ages 5+ and they are reasonably priced at just under $10 for all 3 (Flounder, Ariel and Sebastian).

For the little artists in your family, these paint-your-own sets are the perfect size to fit into an Easter Basket. You can get a daisy, cactus or elephant planter and they are available at A.C. Moore, Amazon and Family Dollar (Daisy). You can get a stepping stone or a planter to paint, and these kits are a perfect way for the little ones to relax after a day of hunting for Easter Eggs. They allow the specialness of the day to keep on going long after the adventure has waned down, and they are something the kids and parents will appreciate seeing for years to come.These are made by Creative Roots where you can find a whole array of products that tout the love of nature for the littles.

This make your own Bubble Pop SlimyGloop set, for ages 6+ is bound to be a hit with boys and girls. It includes everything you need to make your own goop that is fun to squish, squeeze, poke and twist. The water beads expand over time, creating a bumpy texgture that is satisfying for kids to touch. Because they are mixing and making it on their own (or with supervision), it is the perfect toy in so many ways for practicing age-appropriate skills in Science and Simple Math, and it strengthens fine motor skills too. You can find these kits for $5 at Dollar General, Five Below and Michaels.

If you know Green Toys, you know they are made so wonderfully smooth and safe for kids. If you'd like to present a present they will love for Easter, why not this little Elmo Wagon where they can store their goods? 

Photo Courtesy of Green Toys

After Easter, your child will be able to use this over and over again. Every kid loves a pull-along toy, especially if they can load it up with goodies. This might be a good way to get the kids outside and helping with the yard work too... just saying (hehehe).

The littler crowd and toddlers will love getting a Scout's Learning Lights Remote Deluxe toy (for ages 6+ months) from Leap Frog or  a PAW Patrol Marshall Learning Watch (ages 3-6 years)! 

The Remote is awesome, and goes way above and beyond what you might expect to find in this little toy!! It has 17 buttons and 100 phrases, sounds and music. It also includes a switch for Spanish where you will hear common phrases, listen and dance to three different music styles and an option to hear rain, snow and wind sound effects on the 'weather channel.' It is one unique and very cool way that Leap Frog has updated a role-play toy. 

The watch is interactive and includes four games you can play to recognize patterns, identify animal tracks and pick the right tool for any job with PAW Patrol. Hear Ryder call the pups into action, cool sound effects and popular phrases from the show. These watches all function well too, with a traditional clock, timer, stop watch and alarm. You can find both in retail stores every where!

And for infants we have Bordeux's Rash Kicking Kit which has the awesome Butt Paste (original and extra strength) included that parents have come to know and love, as well as the applicator (butt brush) to put it on, if you want to get fancy. It's a super cute item to add to an infant Easter Basket that parents will appreciate and love. This product works so well that I'm still touting it years after my son has outgrown it (and I buy it for the newest addition of our family, our sweet little granddaughter).

And while we are talking about infants, let's talk about made of...the brand that is just perfect for newborn babies on up. We have a body lotion and a Body Shampoo/Body Wash combo for my granddaughter, and I know her mom will be comfortable using them. My daughter is very conscious of what she uses on her daughter, and made of always has an ultra transparency policy that ensures you can be content while using their products (MADE OF®  is the first and only brand to commit the whole brand to NSF organic standard and the first and only brand to share where the ingredient comes from, actual test results and where the the product is manufactured in the US).

They also have a diaper subscription, a perfect gift for moms and moms-to-be! For millions of parents who need real evidence to back up “natural” and “organic” claims MADE OF®, an organic-first personal care brand offering organic baby skin care and diapering products recently launched a new Diaper Subscription program. This subscription program offers a monthly delivery of diapers, baby wipes and other organic baby care products. Parents across the United States can try MADE OF® with a risk-free trial, enjoy free shipping and have a lifetime satisfaction guarantee. MADE OF® diapers are a simple diaper, which means there are no additives from print, colors, dyes, or fragrances. Co-founder Igor Bekker, says the plain-white construction is safer for babies, “Because unneeded chemicals that come from color or print lay on a baby’s skin for 24 hours a day for two to three years.”

One reader suggested bath toys for an Easter Basket gift idea (in the comments of this post) and I thought that was such a good idea (so good I added another product to this post!). Wild Republic has very affordable, very unique rubber ducks that are mold safe (they have no hole). They are cute as can be and perfect to tuck into any little one's Easter Basket. I'm thinking the unicorn and pirate are my favorites, but there are quite a few to choose from, all completely different from one another. I'm also thinking Easter Basket gift ideas you can use year-round are always the best kinds of gifts to give.

THERE IS A GIVEAWAY!

In honor of the month that hosts Easter and all of the reasonably-priced, high quality items you can get above to delight children on the holiday, I am hosting a giveaway for a $25 Visa Gift Card, so you can stock up on some of these for your home. US entrants only. Good luck to all who enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway