Parenting Toddlers

Does your toddler turn into a Wild Thing when he eats sugar?

Another holiday = more candy. Oh boy. This means Peanut gets a basketful of sugar. I don’t worry much about her. She eats a few pieces and moves on. If she wants candy for breakfast, I say no and she has Cheerios. If she wants a snack, she may be able to have a piece throughout the day. If she wants more, I say no and she has an apple. Me, on the other hand. Oh boy. There cannot be candy in the house or I will eat it. It’s sad but true. I am a sugaraholic of opportunity. If it’s there, I will eat it. I found an article at Associated Content that read: “Toddlers do not need to be eating any candy, during the holidays, or at any other times.” That seems a bit over the top. I think a piece now and again is fine so they don’t think they’re missing anything. My mom always made us eat wheat germ on our oat cereal and not have sugary drinks or candy. So we’d find the sugar bowl (meant for coffee, of course) and put it in water and sneak under the table to drink it. In my case, an extreme line on candy didn’t work well, so with Peanut, I’m teaching moderation (to both of us).

Whether you want to avoid a sugar crazy toddler or avoid packing on a few pounds yourself, there are some great alternatives to Easter candy that you can use to make a great - and healthier - basket. There are food items and nonfood items to make for a great holiday.

Bubbles. This is a great springy treat. Peanut loves bubbles. When we go outside and blow them, there is bound to be a horde of kids that materializes to chase them and pop them. I love them too. And the best part is that bubbles are still cheap. Grab a bottle or two for a buck and there you go. A great activity for kids to do on Easter.

Coloring stuff. This can be a coloring book, but I’ve found that coloring books are on the pricey side. I may be extremely cheap, but if I’m going to pay $5 for a book, I want it to be a great one that lasts not a flimsy coloring book. So you can get ones on sale or buy a cheap pad of paper and a pack of crayons or markers. Add some stickers, and you’re done. I’m very frugal and I always think generic or discount items are the best. They encourage imagination just as much as name brand things but for a ton less. And everyone loves to color. Again, it’s a great thing for kids to do, especially if you are having an Easter party and need a few kid-friendly activities. You can also find great printable Easter crafts and coloring pages online, and especially at my favorite site, FamilyFun.com.

Healthy choices. Pretzels, Goldfish, or a fun trail mix is a great alternative to candy. If you want to limit rather than eliminate candy, you can add some chocolate or peanut butter chips to the trail mix. Also, Peanut loves dried fruit chips, such as banana chips. Put some in a baggie or a cute container and there you go. Sweet but healthier.

An activity or game. On holidays, kids want something that they can use immediately. Grab a kite, sidewalk chalk, balls, or a card game from the store. I always associate kites with Easter and spring - and you can find inexpensive ones at discount/dollar stores.

Kids love the plastic eggs, and instead of filling them with jelly beans or chocolate, try:

*Stickers
*Stick-on tattoos
*Money
*Little animals or play figures. There are these little dogs that Peanut loves. They are fifty cents at those little machines in front of stores. Pop one or two in an egg. Or cheaper than that, buy a bag of little insects, dinosaurs, or whatever from the store. Put them in eggs and have a fun hunt.
*Legos. I thought this was a good idea. Buy a set of Legos, put them in eggs, and then have an egg hunt. Peanut’s not really into Legos, and I think she’d get bored and be unmotivated. She’s more likely to hunt for animals. But if you have a Legos or blocks fan, try it. You can do this with little toy cars or pretty much anything.
*Books. Always good.

Filling the basket with fun things doesn’t have to be expensive or sugary. I know theologically that Easter is the most important holiday, but we don’t spend much on it. I choose not to make it a big present holiday - I’m trying to get away from that with Christmas too, but one step at a time.