Indeed, every year, the Easter bunny with the cute cotton tail comes bearing lots of pastel-colored candies for our nation’s kids. Sure enough, our unsuspecting children consume these candies in big quantities. And that spells sugar shock and blood sugar bedlam.
So I suggest that we just ban the Easter bunny! Of course, I’m joking, but let’s tame this cute, candy-toting creature for the sake of our children’s moods, health and waistlines.
Because, let’s face it, eating a bunch of candies and soft drinks—what most kids do—could turn your mild-mannered kids into “Sugar Brats.” In other words, they could become moody, spaced out, confrontational, depressed, quarrelsome, hyperactive, rowdy, raging and tantrum throwing.
And that’s not all. Over time, that typical American child, who consumes a lot of candies, cookies, cakes, chips, soda and other fast-acting, refined culprit carbs could become obese or overweight—and develop blood sugar problems such as hypoglycemia, insulin resistance or even type 2 diabetes.
So this Easter—the second biggest candy-eating holiday, falling just behind Halloween—take positive action. Don’t ply your kids with sweets to please them. Don’t set in motion a sugar habit that could lead to hypoglycemia, insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. Just ditch the marshmallow treats. Dump the jelly beans. Say no to those chocolate bunnies.
Instead, give your kids Easter fun by having them hunt for small, fun, non-edible treats, many of which you can place inside colorful, plastic eggs. Here are 68 non-edible ideas, most of them low priced, to usher in Easter joy.
- Tiny Frisbees
- Small slinkee
- Small bottle of bubbles
- Movie pass
- Video rental coupon
- Bunny-themed finger puppets
- Jump rope
- Kazoos
- Whistles
- Play Doh™
- Silly puddy (or get some adorable, pastel-colored egg-shaped Easter puddy)
- Baseball cards
- Tiny, stuffed, squeaking chicks
- Small stuffed bunnies
- Action figures (Indians, cowboys or your kids’ favorite characters)
- Trading cards
- Pedometer
- Marbles
- Balloons
- Plastic rings
- Plastic bracelets
- Small notebooks
- Lip gloss
- Sample perfume
- Fun bookmarks
- Crayons
- Colored pencils
- Chalk
- Small tube of hand lotion
- Magic markers
- Colorful erasers
- Dice
- Squeeze balls or other balls
- Toy cars or planes
- Marbles
- Game of jacks
- A pack of cards
- Card games
- Hair scrunchies
- Hair clips
- Packet of flower or vegetable seeds
- Decorative shoelaces
- Small water pistols
- Temporary tattoos
- Yo-yo
- Foreign coins
- Stickers and Stencils
- Novelty key chains
- Fun-shaped magnets
- Paperback books
- Tiny gift books
- Small bike lights
- Friendship bracelets
- Fun coupons. This is your chance to show some imagination and create special “gifts” or coupons for a trip to the zoo, movies or mall; a morning of sleeping in; a day of not having to clean the room; or a weekend night in which your child can come home an hour later than usual.
- Mini Tape 4-pack (Scotch tape)
- Toothbrush with a cartoon character on top (This is your chance to spoof the way Easter is now celebrated with candies that could rot your teeth!)
- Small coloring book
- Plastic snakes and other creatures
- Collapsible cups
- Puzzle
- Bean bags
- Glow-in-the-dark insects, balls, earrings
- Bendable toys
- Bath bubbles (small packet)
- Plastic animals (dinosaurs, fish, etc.)
- Fans
- Play sunglasses
- Floating bath toys
If you still want to put a little food into your children’s Easter baskets, you can select healthy treats such as:
- Baby carrots (After all, bunnies like to nibble on them.)
- Small apples
- Almonds
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Soy nuts
- Raisins
- Colored hard-boiled eggs
Parents, even if you’re nervous about bumping those blood-sugar bouncing candies entirely from your kids’ Easter baskets, then at least begin to introduce some non-edible alternatives this year. Then, you could phase out candies and bring on healthier, non-edible treats next year or the year afterwards.
Think about it: Don’t you feel like a better parent—one who’s much more loving, caring and forward-thinking—by arranging for a fun Easter time for your kids that won’t trigger obesity and blood sugar problems such as hypoglycemia and type 2 diabetes?
I’m willing to bet that planning for Easter will be a lot more fun than usual.
Connie Bennett is a former sugar addict and author of SUGAR SHOCK! (Berkley Books), with Stephen Sinatra, M.D. Kicking sugar and refined carbs in 1998 banished her unpredictable “brain fog,” headaches and heart palpitations. Instead, she became more energetic, cheerful and focused. Connie is now a Sugar-Liberation Expert, who dishes the sour scoop about sweets and helps thousands to break free of their debilitating sugar habits. She is founder of the 21-Day, Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Diet™; a free, online, international KickSugar support group; and the popular www.SugarShockBlog.com. Connie is a certified holistic health counselor and an experienced journalist, who has contributed to eDiets.com, The Los Angeles Times, and many more media outlets