Nutrition - The Modern Easter Basket

With increasing awareness of health issues, some parents are reducing the amount of sugar treats and instead adding non-edible gifts and toys as basket stuffers.

With that in mind, here are some WebMD expert tips to make your child’s Easter a little healthier, but just as fun-filled:

#1 Go for the chocolate or jelly beans but only include the items your basket recipient is truly going to enjoy. Don’t go overboard!

#2 Add fun fillers that encourage playing or sports. An Easter basket is a great opportunity to add toys and items that inspire physical activity.

#3 Inspire playfulness and child-like fun. Add a bubble-blower to the basket, some Easter arts and crafts, or some Play-Doh and get creative.

#4 Add something religious or spiritual. Easter isn't a religious holiday for everyone, but if it has a religious significance in your family make the most of this time.

#5 Add interesting, nutritional food items. Add some age appropriate food items to the basket like sugar-free chewing gum, sugar-free breath mints, flavored green tea, cans of nuts, fruit, etc...

Another great idea is to turn the annual Easter egg hunt into a scavenger hunt around the house where you write clues on paper and the chocolate bunny is the treasure at the end. This way they don’t bulk up on an endless supply of chocolate eggs!