Spring is upon us and Easter is just around the corner. This time of year brings flowers blooming, temperatures rising and the Easter Bunny arriving. The Easter Bunny is the bearer of all things colorful and sugar-filled. How can any parent avoid the dental drawbacks of a typical Easter basket?
We have compiled a few tips to help you create a healthier basket this year that is sure to please without the worry of dental woes that follow candy, chocolate and sugar sticks.
Though many children fuss over vegetables at the dinner table, this is the best holiday to sneak a few nutrient-packed carrot sticks into his or her treats. Place some carrot sticks in a cute bag with a bow alongside a container of sour cream or ranch for a bit of calcium, and the basket is already much healthier than last year’s. After all, bunnies loves carrots, so once little ones know they are special gifts from the big bunny himself, they will be excited to eat them too.
Fruit is another nutrient-packed snack that can add vitamins to your basket. Add an apple or two alongside a single-serving container of peanut butter or a packet of almond butter for fun dipping, and you’ve got a teeth-healthy treat that kids will love.
If you have some time to make homemade snacks to add to the other goodies, homemade fruit snacks are a great replacement for jellybeans, taffy and store-bought fruit snacks that are filled with sugar and artificial flavors. With only four ingredients and a few minutes of your time, you can create soft, tasty snacks that are easier on your child’s teeth, lacking the high sugar content of store-bought alternatives and filled with the vitamins of your chosen fruit.
When managing the sugar-craze that hits around this holiday, inexpensive, non-edible treats are also a great addition to those grass-filled baskets. Sidewalk chalk, for example, is an affordable treat to welcome spring – especially with all of the available shapes and colors, including eggs! Lip balm, in its many flavors, and colorful little containers of bubbles are also fun, inexpensive alternatives to sugary, unhealthy treats.
The most important thing to remember when creating a basket of goodies to be presented on Easter morning is that children love tasty, fun and colorful snacks – regardless of what they are made of. Providing healthy alternatives to the classic Easter basket allows them to enjoy their treats while providing you peace of mind.
