Put on your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it and get ready to celebrate Easter 2013. This year I found some great goodies to fill your child’s Easter basket as well as help decorate and prepare to host Easter at your house.
First off, check out Lightinthebox.com for some beautiful options for your daughter's Easter dress. The company sent me a sample of its Ball Gown Jewel Ankle-length Organza Satin Flower Girl Dress #00168502 ($67.89). This beautiful confection is both elegant as well as girlie. My kid tester fell in love instantly and loves the satin organza. Her favorite thing to do is twirl around and around in front of the mirror. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s received numerous compliments on how beautiful her dress is. Parents may also want to think about re-using the Easter dress for First Communion or even doubling as a junior bridesmaid or flower girl dress. Yes, it’s that beautiful. The pricing for this beautiful custom dress is extremely reasonable and their quality is top notch. My only recommendation is to check your dress upon receiving to make sure there are no stains or faulty craftsmanship. STARS: ****
Getting reading for the Easter Bunny’s arrival? It’s time to spruce up your house and welcome spring. Here are some great suggestions for making this Easter especially festive. I’d suggest checking out Pottery Barn Kids which has some really adorable décor options. Two of my favorites are the company’s Happy Easter Garland ($22) and its Butterfly Tree Centerpiece ($59). The Happy Easter Garland features tasteful silver glitter letters and styrofoam eggs. The garland comes with end loops, which makes it easy to hang. Here’s a tip, consider using removable hangers like the ones from Command – that’s what I did. Also keep in mind the garland is a little long so make sure to measure your space. I hung ours over our kitchen bar and it looks fantastic and festive. I consider the Pottery Barn Kids Easter Garland a must-have this year. STARS: *****
Pottery Barn Kids’ Butterfly Tree Centerpiece is a great way to add some Easter cheer to your table-scape. I placed ours on our kitchen table and the girls love to peer across the tree at each other and comment on its cute butterfly detailing. STARS: ****
If you really want to make this Easter a memorable one, consider ordering an Easter Bunny costume from Costume Express. The site has several bunny costumes to select from. The company sent me its Professional Easter Bunny Adult Costume ($99.99). This costume is sure to be a hit and is a better quality and less expensive that costumes that you would typically rent. Store it and use it over and over again. I was really impressed with the quality of the costume. Its cute bunny head is not scary and very kid friendly. We plan on testing it on three Kindergarten classes at my daughter's school but did a test run with two kid testers prior and it was a HUGE success. The costume includes a jumpsuit, overhead mask, character hood, gloves, bowtie and vest. It's somewhat lightweight so your "bunny" won't sweat too much. Costume Express's Bunny costume is a great investment for this Easter and many Easters to come. STARS: *****
Easter typically means a lot of goodies for your little ones. This year I’m happy to feature two sugary craft confections. The first is from Cheryl’s Cookies. Cheryl’s Easter Cutout Cookie Decorating Kit ($39.99) comes with 24 un-frosted Easter egg shaped cookies that are great for a classroom activity. Lucky for me my kid tester has 21 kids in her class so the Decorating Kit was a great treat to be able to test out. I handed off the easy to carry box to my kid tester’s teacher and I'm sure it was a huge hit with the kids. The kit comes with one pound tub of chocolate frosting; one pound tub of vanilla frosting; and an easy to use container filled with different sprinkle options. This is a great gift idea for an Easter host or to purchase and bring in to your child’s class. STARS: *****
The Popcorn Factory’s Popcorn Egg Decorating Kit ($24.99) is a unique option this Easter. Featuring eight popcorn eggs the kit includes various candy and icing options including candy corns, Tootsie Rolls and Smarties. My kid testers got a huge kick out of decorating their Popcorn Eggs and enjoyed even more consuming them. This is a great twist on a typical “cookie cutter” food craft and was very popular with my kid testers. I plan on using the remaining popcorn eggs as a craft on Easter Sunday. STARS: *****
I always love when the Easter bunny leaves delicious chocolate treats in my basket. So I was more than happy to check out Vermont Nut Free Chocolates. These delicious chocolate treats come in both milk chocolate and dark chocolate versions. The company sent me an assortment of its chocolate lollipops and I was happy to hand them out to a few kid testers and the response was a simple and consistent, “Yum.” The chocolate pops come in assorted shapes and sizes and are wrapped in clear cellophane bags adorn with purple and yellow ribbon -- a great addition to your child’s Easter basket. STARS: *****
Treat Street has a cute little bunny dispenser ($4.49) that winds up and poops out jellybeans. Yes, you read that correctly. This cute little bunny will provide a few laughs for your kids all the while delivering delicious jellybeans. My kid testers thought their test bunnies were hysterical and even decided to not eat the jellybeans instead they saved them to use again and again and again. Available nationwide at gift and specialty retailers, Treat Street’s Funny Bunny comes in multiple colors and each bunny sports a cute and slightly embarrassed look. STARS: ****
Looking to cool off this Easter? Good Humor has a few options including its Reese’s Peanut Butter and Mounds Ice Cream Eggs. Available in six pack counts, these bars are dipped in a milk chocolate flavored coating. The Reese’s version has peanut butter swirl and the Mounds a coconut flavoring. The MSRP is between $4.39 and $4.49 and they are available at grocery stores nationwide. My kid testers loved the Reese’s but shied away from the coconut flavored Mounds. Shaped like eggs, these frozen treats are an easy way to serve an eggstra-ordinary dessert this Easter to your guests. STARS: ***1/2
Is the Easter Bunny a little busy this year? Let the Popcorn Factory take the guess work out of it for you with its Bunny Twin Totes ($19.99). The package comes with two round plastic baskets and includes enough treats to satisfy any sweet tooth including foil wrapped chocolate bunnies, bunny kisses and jellybeans. My two kid testers loved the baskets…might be better suited for younger kids as the small basket are the perfect size for preschool aged kids. STARS: ****
If you are tired of the Easter Bunny just leaving sweets for your child, check out some great options from Hasbro Toys that are perfect for your child’s Easter basket. Hasbro’s Play Doh Plus Variety Pack ($4.99) is a new compound that was developed to allow more ply-ability for those little hands. The consistency is much easier to work with than traditional Play Doh and my kid tester had a blast making hers into mini cookies for a tea party with her big sister. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com. STARS: ***1/2
Another great option from Hasbro is its FurReal Friends Snuggimals Walkin’ Ponies Assortment ($14.99). Made for kids ages four and up, this cute mini pony actually walks when you pet him/her on its back. A fence and ribbon clip accessories were included with my sample, Whisper Moon. Other ponies have different accessories and are available in different colors. An AA demo battery is included. My kid tester thought her pony was, “so cute" and she loved brushing her pony's mane. STARS: ***1/2
Looking for options for a little boy this Easter? Hasbro’s Beyblade Electro Spark Battler Top Assortment ($10.99) is the perfect size for an Easter basket. This Beyblade top is super cool because it lights up when battlers collide. My kid tester was impressed and had fun battling his Beyblades in his stadium. Each sold separately. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com. STARS: ****
Hasbro’s Chuck & Friends Die Cast Singles Assortment ($3.99) are sure to be a hit with your little man. Hasbro sent me its Flash Truck die cast version and my kid tester had fun pushing him along and weaving him through his makeshift terrain. Other options include Digger the Dozer Truck and Super Charged Chuck vehicle. Most Chuck & Friends can be locked into Twist Trax playsets. STARS: ***1/2
Other great gift options include V-tech’s Peek at Me Bunny ($14.99) which is designed for kids ages six to 36 months. Featuring two playful sensors for an interactive play experience, my kid tester had fun pushing the bunny’s “buttons” and listening to it talk to her. Peek at Me Bunny says phrases and plays short five minute songs when in night mode. I’d recommend this toy for kids on the younger end of its spectrum. STARS: ***1/2
Another great option is VTech’s Kidiminiz KidiBunny ($19.99). Sporting a LCD screen that your child can customize this cute electronic bunny’s face changes expressions and its paws and ears also move. My kid tester loved how the Kidiminiz would respond to her singing, clapping and jumping. She played with it for an hour after opening it. Make sure to feed your Kidiminiz its carrot. Even better this fun electronic bunny also serves as an alarm clock. A great addition to your kid’s Easter basket. Available in various colors, the Kidiminiz is marketed to kids ages four to seven. STARS: ****
Disclaimer: I and/or my toy testers were provided with product samples or loaner products but all opinions are solely mine and/or my toy testers.
Comments