Healthy, Eco-Friendly Easter Basket Treats

I want my child to be the healthiest, most compassionate, most eco-friendly kid in town. The problem? I also want her to be happy, I think that holidays are an important part of a happy childhood. I don't want to be that helicopter-mother who snatches Halloween candy or refuses to let the Easter bunny bring treats, so, this Easter, I'm making sure my daughter has a plethora of earth-friendly and healthy options in her Easter basket. Here are a few of the things that the Easter bunny will be bringing this year.

Annie's Homegrown Snacks

Annie's Homegrown is one of my favorite companies selling earth-friendly and healthy foods for kids-- and their rabbit-themed products are perfect for Easter. Between Bunny Gummies, Bunny Grahams, and Cheddar bunnies, these delicious, healthy, organic snacks are a great addition to a child's green Easter basket. Since the gummy fruit snacks are expensive, they are a rare treat that I'm sure my daughter will appreciate.

EnviroKidz Snack Bars

These chocolatey rice bars are gluten-free and appropriate for kids with food allergies-- and they're also impressively healthy, with large amounts of iron and fiber. The company donates a portion of their profits to wildlife conservation each year, so I'm happy to support them and their cause. Lemur Bars, which have peanut butter and chocolate, are my daughter's favorite, but your child's preferences may be different.

Play-Doh Spring Eggs

Did you know that Play-Doh is totally nontoxic and made from renewable starch? Play-Doh and similar products are great solutions for kids who want a toy or two in their baskets. The company's "spring eggs" are safe, nontoxic, and tread fairly lightly on the Earth. Be sure to reuse the plastic containers that the Play-Doh comes in to minimize your the Easter basket's impact.

Sidewalk Chalk Eggs

Another great, earth-friendly, healthy toy, sidewalk chalk eggs are fun to play with, nontoxic, and not too bad for the environment. Chalk is regarded as an essentially inexhaustable resource, meaning that we aren't likely to run out of it even if we use it to its fullest capacity. Easter-themed sidewalk chalk is an excellent toy for an artistic little one who loves outdoor play.

Used Books 
Gently used books-- which are often identical to brand-new books-- can be a fun way to spruce up your child's Easter basket this year. My daughter loves rabbit-themed educational books like "White Rabbit's Color Book" and others in the series. Religious parents might choose to incorporate Christian-themed books into an Easter basket. Buying used helps to keep our landfills smaller and prevent the unnecessary re-print of unsustainable books.

Wildlife Adoptions

A wildlife adoption is one of the best candy-free, healthy, and earth-friendly options you can choose for your child's Easter basket. To date, my daughter has adopted about a dozen wild animals and takes much pride in her symbolic contribution to the natural world. Imagine how thrilled your child will be to find out that the Easter bunny adopted her an arctic fox or a clouded leopard. It's a gift that brings joy to your child and a better life for the creatures who share our planet.

An Easter basket doesn't have to be a catastrophe for your child's health or for your impact on the planet. By choosing healthy, green options, you can honor the arrival of springtime without it coming at a cost to the integrity or viability of our Earth.