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Jackie Reeve is a writer covering all things bedding. She has also reported on towels, rugs, and chicken coops (with help from her 20 backyard pets). Plush Toy Panda
Easter is just around the corner, and retailers are offering up loads of cheap chocolate, plastic grass, and junky toys—all angling for a spot in your kid’s Easter basket.
Most of these gifts seem destined for a quick trip to a landfill. If you want to cut the crap but still have a magical holiday, we’ve rounded up some special children’s books, durable toys, engaging activities, and delicious candy—as well as some high-quality, reusable baskets and bags to present everything in.
If you’re planning to decorate real eggs for the festivities, read our guide to the best Easter egg-dyeing kits. Hoppy hunting!
After the Easter bunny has come and gone, kids can reuse this set’s bricks to build a seal and a cockatoo.
These Lego tulips, which are quick and easy to build, can double as Easter decor in years to come.
May be out of stock
Lego’s three-in-one sets are some of our favorite Lego sets for kids, and the adorable Lego Creator 3-in-1 White Rabbit kit is custom made for anchoring a fun-filled Easter basket. Three-in-one sets let a kid build three different creations—in this case, a bunny, a seal, or a cockatoo—from the same batch of Lego bricks. (Of course, you have to convince them to deconstruct their first masterpiece before they can start again.) This set has 258 pieces and is rated for kids ages 8 and up, though Lego lovers who are a couple of years younger might also enjoy tackling it, with a little adult help. If the bunny and its brethren sell out, Deep Sea Creatures and Mighty Dinosaurs are two other three-in-one sets with wide appeal.
Botanical Lego sets also make for festive springtime builds. Some of our favorites include the Lego Tulips trio, which can combine with other cut-flower sets—including the roses and sunflowers we recommend—to make custom bouquets. The daffodils set is festive and eye-catching. Its blooms are more cartoonish compared with those of other Lego botanical sets, however, and Lego fans with more experience may find this simple set less engaging.
Each tasty chocolate egg contains a white chocolate chick.
Kids are sure to be amused when they crack open one of these milk chocolate eggs from See’s Candies and find a white chocolate chick inside. Keeping with the theme, the half-dozen eggs come in a plastic egg carton, just like at the grocery store (you can also tuck the eggs into separate gift baskets, since each one is individually wrapped in foil). During the winter holidays, this company’s seasonal treats are among our favorite stocking stuffers for kids. For Easter, See’s also offers sweet, gooey marshmallow eggs and a variety of gift boxes and tins packaged in pastel hues.
These plastic eggs make a silly chirping sound when you place them in their carton.
When my daughter was a toddler, she was obsessed with a version of Tomy Toomies Hide & Squeak Eggs (ours didn’t squeak). When she was between the ages of 1 and 3, we bought a lot of Tomy toys because they’re colorful and indestructible. And they remain in great shape, for when you’re ready to donate them or pass them on to the next kid. The eggs, recommended for children 6 months and older, ranked among our daughter’s favorites, and I love any toy that comes with its own storage case for kids this age—it’s so much easier to keep track of all the pieces!
This soft bunny’s floral-printed ears and feet are perfect for welcoming spring.
This fuzzy, huggable lamb can withstand years of love.
An Easter basket isn’t complete without a stuffed animal perched inside. Jellycat, the maker of outrageously soft and endearing stuffies, is a staff favorite. And the company’s iconic Bashful Bunny is an ideal centerpiece for an Easter basket. This plush friend comes in almost two-dozen colors and seven sizes, from a small to an almost-4-foot-tall version. You can opt for a bunny in a classic color or in an Easter-appropriate pale pastel. Or, for the more-advanced Jellycat aficionado, consider the rarer Blossom Tulip Bunny, whose ears are lined with a floral cotton print. Even babies can get in on the action, with a Bashful Bunny Grabber Rattle or a Soother Blanket.
My daughter also fell in love with her Pottery Barn Kids Lamb Critter Plush, which is just as appropriate for spring. We’ve had several “Lambies,” in two sizes, and for a while they went everywhere she went. I can confirm that they hold up to a lot of infant/toddler/preschooler love. And years later, they maintain a prominent position on her shelves—she still reaches for them now and then in her rotation of bedtime friends.
This soft hand puppet can hop between imaginative play and cuddly hugs.
Folkmanis’s little finger puppets can nestle sweetly among other goodies in an Easter basket.
Folkmanis makes a wide array of puppets, but the cuddly Rabbit Gray Bunny hand puppet has been particularly beloved by a couple of Wirecutter kids. This bunny is exceptionally soft, with velvety ears and sweet little paws. And it’s sized just right for a small hand, to help it hop around the house (all but the littlest kids should be able to slot one finger into each foot). Plus, it looks awful cute peeking out of an Easter basket.
A few Wirecutter families are partial to the company’s smaller finger puppets. Although they’re great for imaginative play, the puppets also have enough stuffing to double as standard stuffed animals for travel or for tiny hands. Easter-themed options include the 4-inch Mini Chick, as well as the Mini Duckling and Mini Rabbit.
This weighted, microwavable, chill-able stuffed rabbit can provide relaxing hugs all year round.
Warmies weighted stuffed animals are a favorite among several Wirecutter kids and adults. Wirecutter’s Sebastian Compagnucci says the only creature that competed with this bunny for his 4-year-old's attention was a turtle from the same company. At 2 pounds, these stuffed animals might do best watching the egg hunt rather than riding along in the Easter basket, but their heft provides a comforting snuggle. (If a 2-pound, 13-inch stuffy sounds a bit big, the company’s ½-pound, 9-inch Junior line might appeal.) For extra soothing power, you can warm them up in the microwave or cool them in the freezer ( to use as an ice-pack). Although we were initially wary of scented stuffed animals (all Warmies have lavender in their stuffing), we found their scent surprisingly pleasant, subtle, and long-lasting.
These 2-inch animal figures are beautifully detailed and wonderful for imaginary play.
This bunny’s variegated coat, perky ears, and attentive eyes give it a lifelike feel.
A favorite in our guide to the best gifts for 2-year-olds, Schleich’s molded plastic figures are a nice change of pace amid the Easter onslaught of pastel bunnies. With their hand-painted details and varied postures, these toys are remarkably naturalistic and expressive: The Farm World 6-Piece Baby Farm Animal Set features a curious pup raising its paw, an inquisitive donkey tilting its head, and an adorable calf wobbling slightly off-kilter. Wirecutter’s Signe Brewster plans to give her unicorn-obsessed kid a mythical creature this year, since animals from the German company’s Farm World line were a success last year.
Some classic Easter options include the caramel-color Farm World Rabbit, as well as gray lop-eared bunnies and a lamb. And if your discerning kid cares about the distinctions between Texas longhorn and Swiss Simmental calves, Schleich has got you covered.
Lift the paper flap to discover the punch line in this illustrated, Easter-themed joke book.
Although this book is slim enough to fit nicely in an Easter basket, its jokes are plentiful and clever enough to provide hours of entertainment.
There are only so many egg-cellent puns about bunnies and chocolate out there. Laugh-Out-Loud Easter Jokes is a richly illustrated book that keeps things lively with additional spring-time jokes about vegetables, buckets, and insects. Wirecutter editor Marilyn Ong appreciates that the illustrations are bright and colorful, and that the pictures “punctuate the jokes, making them even cuter and funnier.” She notes that younger kids and pre-readers might get the most enjoyment out of this paperback, which has fewer jokes than others in author Rob Elliott’s Laugh-Out-Loud series.
For a larger compendium of jokes, Marilyn recommends the longer (non-Easter themed) Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids, a favorite in several Wirecutter households. In our guide to the best party favors for kids, she writes that the book’s pun-heavy jokes “are innocent and often quite clever,” and that they “will definitely give most Dad jokes a run for their money.” She’s most impressed with how much fun her kids have had analyzing the jokes’ humor (“or lack thereof, if the punchline falls flat”) and coming up with their own wisecracks.
The 21 fill-in-the-blank stories in this book add an Easter twist to Mad Libs’ time-tested, laugh-inducing word games.
There’s just something about Mad Libs, the classic fill-in-the-blank word game, that draws kids in. Even if the participants start out rolling their eyes, in mere minutes they’re reduced to absolute giggle fits. That’s what happened when my daughter and I tested the Easter Eggstravaganza Mad Libs book. She groaned when I asked her to help me try them out, but after two rounds she asked to fill out a third one. And she laughed so hard while reading the finished story back to me that she actually fell off her chair. The stories don’t have a religious tilt; they’re just silly, with titles like “History of the Jelly Bean,” “Rabbits Run Amok,” and “Easter Bunny and Santa Claus: BFFs Pt. 1 and Pt. 2.” The official recommended age range for Mad Libs is 4 to 8, but it’s helpful if participants know the different parts of speech (noun, adjective) to help fill in the puzzles. Older kids would probably enjoy these, too, if they’re playing with a big family group.
This wearable toy makes kids feel like they’re carrying around a hidden treasure.
Designed and produced by a doll maker in Sonoma County, California, Fairyshadow’s handmade toys are a favorite of Waldorf teachers and parents. Although the bunny necklaces have sold out in the lead-up to Easter, some of the other felt necklaces are still available, including mice, caterpillars, and apple dolls. Editor Rachel Hurn’s 5-year-old wears this necklace decoratively around her neck, or she pops the critter out and tucks it in a coat pocket—a hidden trinket to accompany her to and from school. The necklaces are made with a cotton-blend velour and filled with locally produced wool; to add a touch of personalization, several can be ordered in light-, medium-, and dark-skin options.
These seasonal versions of our favorite bath bombs produce dramatic fizz, vibrant colors, and pleasant scents.
When Wirecutter did testing for a guide to the best bath bombs, Lush’s offerings came out as the clear winners, thanks to their fizziness, appealing fragrances, and overall sense of luxury. The whimsical Follow the White Rabbit bath bomb—made with lemon, bergamot, and buchu oils and scented like candy—is an unexpected treat for kids of all ages this Easter. The more opulent Golden Egg bath bomb, which contains bergamot and orange oils and smells like honey toffee, is a shimmery indulgence for teens who might be too cool for a basket full of candy but still like treats.
These clip-style barrettes are festive and elegant, and they stay in place better than any others we’ve tried.
LuluLuvs is a Brooklyn-based company, and Lulu, its founder, makes all of the classic, Liberty London–inspired hair bows, clips, headbands, and scrunchies herself. (We also recommend her whimsical hair accessories in our Valentine’s Day gift guide.) These bar clips come in several floral patterns that are just right for spring. They add a touch of elegance to a kid’s holiday outfit yet they are still refreshingly practical (the fabric-lined hair clips contain a non-slip gripper, so they stay put better than any other ones we’ve tried).
These high-quality temporary tattoos are easy to apply, and their vibrant colors last longer than others we’ve tried.
When you’re looking to round out your Easter basket assortment with a little something extra, Tattly’s temporary tattoos fit the bill: They’re unexpected, festive, and fun. We’ve recommended them in our guides to the best stocking stuffers for kids and Valentine’s Day gifts for kids. And we’ve been consistently impressed by their bright colors, staying power (they last at least two to four days), and artistic, whimsical designs. For Easter, we especially like author and illustrator Richard Scarry’s I Am a Bunny Tattoo Sheet and Toadstool Bunny Tattoo two-pack, featuring scenes and characters from his beloved I Am a Bunny picture book. Other spring-inspired styles include Butterfly Frenzy by artist Carolyn Gavin and Floral Lion by Helen Dardik.
Solving this 60-piece puzzle is a satisfying way to unwind from egg hunts and sugar rushes.
Chocolate eggs last for only so long. For an out-of-the-box (or rather, basket) Easter treat with staying power, we recommend a puzzle that the family can enjoy together time and again. I’ve been consistently impressed with Ravensburger puzzles for their durability and range of designs. They hold up to multiple rounds of assembling and disassembling, unlike some other puzzles we tested for this guide, which bent and tore at the edges when separated. The designs go in and out of stock, and some of the popular ones sell out quickly (I scouted the Happy Sheep Yarn Shop puzzle on eBay for myself at one point because it was so hard to find). The New Neighbors 60-piece puzzle, recommended for ages 4 and up, is readily available; my family has owned it for two years, and it has held up.
In this detailed floor puzzle, bunnies plant flowers, share a tea party with a squirrel, and read a book with a bird.
May be out of stock
This floor puzzle is a nice way to unwind from a day of sugar-y excitement, yet it also packs a lot of action into its 25 pieces. The crisply cut, uniquely shaped pieces are as delightful as the frolicking woodland creatures they depict. As is true of other Mudpuppy puzzles we enjoy, this puzzle’s colors are bright, its pieces are sturdy, and the illustrations are full of conversation-starting details. Wirecutter staff engineer Justin Tucker says “what sets this puzzle apart” for his 2- and 4-year-old daughters “is the shaped pieces.” Both kids delighted in situating the puzzle’s six novelty pieces—each cut in the shape of a bunny, the sun, and other critters—in the larger scene.
Be sure to remind recipients not to try to nibble on these real dollar coins, which tout innovations and discoveries from different US states.
May be out of stock
People often give out chocolate coins at Easter, but swapping them for a few real gold pieces adds a little holiday magic to the basket. Senior staff writer Nancy Redd says she picks up one-dollar gold coins from the bank for her kids. I called a couple of my local banks, and they confirmed that they generally have some circulating gold coins available. But they also suggested grabbing them early, because lots of like-minded folks clean them out for Easter. If your bank runs out, or if you want a mint-condition coin, you can buy proofs straight from the United States Mint in collector’s packaging (for about $10 more than their $1 value as legal tender). I bought my daughter this New Jersey coin a couple of years ago—it’s where we’re from originally, and it was one of the first coins released in the United States Mint’s American Innovation state and territory series. You can also buy larger sets of gold coins from the Native American $1 Coins collection and quarters from the American Women Quarters collection.
After unearthing chocolate eggs, kids can chisel away these clay ones to discover plastic dinosaurs within.
If you’re willing to stretch the Easter egg theme by about 245 million years, MindWare’s Dig It Up! Dinosaur Eggs introduce some paleontology into the pastel holiday. The excavation set includes 12 individually wrapped clay eggs and 12 chisel tools—great for doling out between multiple Easter baskets, or even including in an egg hunt. Kids can soak the clay eggs in water for a few minutes before chiseling away the softened clay to reveal a plastic dinosaur. An accompanying booklet explains more about each dinosaur, but, as Kelly Glass writes in our guide to the best gifts for 5-year-olds, “the digging is where it’s at.”
This cotton jump rope is lightweight, easy to adjust, and great for beginner jumpers. Its pastel hues and wooden handles look great in an Easter basket, too.
Skip into springtime—literally—with a colorful jump rope. One of our favorite jump ropes for kids, the 8.2-foot, adjustable Homello Cotton Jump Rope can provide a fun excuse to go outside and enjoy the warmer weather and longer hours of daylight. Our kid testers liked that this rope—made with bright woven cotton and wooden handles—was lightweight and that it didn’t hurt if it accidentally smacked a body part. Some kid testers, who were more experienced jumpers, preferred the zippier rotation of the heavier, 9-foot Ohyaiayn Soft Beaded Jump Rope; this one may sting a bit more if it grazes your shins. Both jump ropes are sold in packs of two.
This jumbo set includes 48 different colors of easy-to-grip, washable sidewalk chalk.
Depending on where you live, Easter often ushers in the perfect weather to start making art outside with colored chalk. My family always has Crayola Washable Sidewalk Chalk lying around the house somewhere; the pieces are big and square for small hands, they’re pointed like pencils for more precise drawing, and the colors look great. And when your kids make a giant mess on the driveway, it all washes away with a hose or a rainstorm.
This kit comes with six paint colors, 45 rhinestones, and a pot of glitter for creating freehand masterpieces—or some of the 47 designs outlined in an accompanying booklet.
My daughter and I loved trying out the Klutz Glitter Face Painting kit together. I have extra-sensitive skin, which is easily irritated, and I let her test the paint on my (clean, makeup-free) face. Happily, I didn’t have any reaction to the formulas, and my daughter was able to use me as a canvas—drawing freestyle as well as following the well-illustrated instructions in the included booklet for creating ornate designs, complete with sticky rhinestone embellishments. Be warned that this kit does come with a pot of glitter, which could get messy. And the longer you leave the paint on, the harder it is to get off. After 10 minutes, the paint rinses clean with just water, but after several hours, it takes two or three washes to get rid of all traces.
This bottle of bubbles (which includes a wand) makes big, bright, and enchanting orbs.
I’ve never met a kid who doesn’t love bubbles, and Gazillion Premium Bubble Solution offers a full liter of liquid and a seven-hole wand for a lot of bubble fun. In Wirecutter’s stocking stuffers guide, supervising editor Ingrid Skjong points out that this solution doesn’t stain most clothes. And it produces stable spheres, so kids can watch them float for longer. It fits best in a larger Easter basket.
This picture book follows the single “good egg” in an otherwise rowdy, hilariously misbehaving dozen.
When a child’s block tower topples over, a gentle rabbit friend listens as they process their disappointment.
If you want to avoid giving too much sugar or too many toys, there’s no reason the Easter Bunny can’t bring books. When I was an elementary school librarian, my youngest students loved funny picture books with a seasonal connection like The Good Egg by Jory John and Pete Oswald. A more quiet but sweet picture book, The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld features a rabbit demonstrating the power of friendship and empathy.
This classic collection features the lovable (if sometimes insufferable) Toad and his best friend, the level-headed, even-keeled Frog.
As this pastoral chapter book follows a band of kids on summertime adventures, it achieves a rare blend of tender charm and engrossing fun.
Gentle, timeless books make special gifts. The friendship between the irascible Toad and the implacable Frog has endeared the pair to generations of early readers. Recommended for ages 4 to 8, the Frog and Toad Storybook Favorites collection contains all four of Arnold Lobel’s original, expressively illustrated Frog and Toad stories.
For middle readers, updates writer Sarah Gannett recommends The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, the first in Jeanne Birdsall’s five-book series (which is also available as a boxed set). This Alcott-like novel is “somehow both gently idyllic and impossible to put down,” Sarah says, “and both middle schoolers I’ve given it to have reread it several times.” Its pastel cover with silhouettes of bunnies and romping children also complements Easter goodies.
When I was a librarian, other crowd-pleasing titles included breezy chapter books, like The Princess in Black and the Mermaid Princess (among first-, second-, and third-graders), and character-rich series, such as Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Wings of Fire (among my older students, fourth- and fifth-graders). For middle- and high-schooler students, a gift card to the local bookstore is a safe bet as well.
These soft, well-made pajamas come in sweet Easter patterns. The short-sleeved sets are perfect for warmer spring and summer nights.
Hanna Andersson’s pajamas rank among our favorite pajamas for kids. Some of the company’s Short John Pajama Sets have adorable prints and are ideal for bringing out the night before while everyone is getting ready for the Easter Bunny’s visit (as well as for keeping in rotation year-round). If you want matching PJs for the entire family, the Hanna Andersson Easter Bunny collection is a particular treat.
Meanwhile, the Petite Plume Kid’s Twill Pajama Set in Easter Gardens, available in sizes 6–12 months to 14 years, offers an elevated take on a classic button-down pajama set. Made from ultra-smooth brushed cotton and accented with piping, they’ll have your kids looking as if they’ve stepped from the pages of Winnie the Pooh or The Velveteen Rabbit. The Easter Gardens print is also available in other styles, including a nightgown, a romper, a short set, and this sweet bunny-ear sleep mask. (We’ve found that Petite Plume’s pajamas run a bit small, so you might want to order a size up.)
This is a classic for a reason: Little hands love snapping, smushing, and bouncing this stretchy goo.
Fairy Wing Manufacturers When I asked Wirecutter staffers for Easter basket ideas, senior staff writer Rachel Cericola said, “Silly Putty. Never gets old!” The supersize Crayola XL Silly Putty weighs almost a quarter-pound and looks impressive in an Easter basket, and the reviews on Amazon are overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Supervising editor Marilyn Ong also recommends Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty. It’s a silicone-based goo similar to Silly Putty, but it comes in many more colors and interesting formulations such as the glitter-filled