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You Don't Have to Spend a Lot to Create an Epic Easter Basket

Pull off the perfect Easter egg hunt with these tried-and-true basket fillers.

Desiree DeNunzio Editor
Desiree DeNunzio is the gift guide editor for CNET's Commerce team. When she's not writing and editing, she's either hiking through the redwoods or curled up with a good book and a lazy dog.
Expertise Desiree has been a writer and editor for the past two decades, covering everything from top-selling Amazon deals to apparel, pets and home goods. Credentials
  • Desiree's previous work has appeared in various print and online publications including Search Engine Land, PCWorld, Wired magazine and PBS MediaShift.
Desiree DeNunzio
4 min read
$28 at Amazon
jellcat-bashful-bunny
Jellycat Bashful Bunny
A perfectly huggable stuffy
$35 at Amazon
steiff-duck
Steiff Duckling
A forever friend
$39 at Pottery Barn Kids
pottery barn bunny buckets
Long-Eared Bunny Easter treat bucket
A quality basket
$10 at Michaels
michaels basket
Willow basket
A traditional alternative
$20 at Best Buy
lego-white-rabbit.png
Lego Creator 3-in-1 White Rabbit set
For builders and creators
$24 at Amazon
flowers-in-watering-can-lego
Lego Flowers in Watering Can
Colorful and customizable
$30 at Amazon
chocolatepen
Chocolate pen
For the junior chef
$63 at Lush
lush-happy-egg-set
Lush Happy Egg gift set
Lather up
$25 at Amazon
butterfly garden
Insect Lore Butterfly Garden
For science and nature lovers
$33 at Amazon
calico-critters
Calico Critters Sweetpea Rabbit Family
For imaginative play
$58 at Amazon
furby-purple-toy-2023
Furby interactive plush toy
A new twist on a classic
$30 at Williams Sonoma
peter rabbit mache egg
Peter Rabbit Easter Mache Egg
An all-in-one egg
$12 at Amazon
sushi-go
Sushi Go
A card game for the whole family
$6 at Amazon
peter-rabbit
The Tale of Peter Rabbit: A Story Board Book
A timeless classic
$35 at Amazon
snuggle-bunny-book
My Snuggle Bunny personalized book
For baby's first Easter
$20 at Pottery Barn Kids
bunny ears
Bunny ears
The ultimate photo prop

Easter lands on March 31 this year, which means if you haven't loaded up on bags of jelly beans and chocolate-covered eggs, it's time to get cracking. One of my biggest pet peeves is an Easter basket filled with knick-knacks that no one really wants or needs. Easter baskets are a fun tradition, but it's also easy to get carried away and spend your money on a bunch of silly trinkets that wind up in the trash.    

If you're looking for some fun Easter basket fillers that won't be cast aside once the egg-hunt frenzy is over, we've compiled a list of some our tried-and-true favorites. Whether your kid is into crafting, playing games, reading, building, science or is an aspiring chef, these are some unique gift ideas to add to your family's Easter baskets.

Jellycat

Jellycat stuffies are beloved for their softness and high-quality design. This Bashful Bunny comes in a variety of sizes and colors, from beige to pink and cherry blossom. 

Steiff

Or you can skip the bunny and get a little more creative. This Steiff duck isn't quite as huggable, but it's a stuffy they'll treasure forever.

More Easter stuffies:

Pottery Barn Kids

Don't forget the most important part: You'll need to start with a quality basket. If you're looking for a beautiful basket that you can use year after year, these plush bunny buckets from Pottery Barn Kids can't be beat. They come in pink, white or taupe, and you can get your child's name engraved on a fuzzy ear for no extra charge.

Michaels

If you're looking for a more of a DIY option, this standard willow basket from Michaels is affordable, durable and reusable. It also comes in white.

More baskets and accessories:

Lego

Lego is awesome, no matter your age. Lego Creator 3-in-1 sets make particularly great gifts since they're ultraversatile and can be used again and again. This three-in-one bunny is perfect for Easter. Once kids (or adults!) are done building the white rabbit, they can try their hand at the cockatoo or the baby seal.

Lego

Another Lego Creator three-in-one, this colorful set isn't just a watering can. It can also be transformed into a rainboot or a pair of birds.

More for builders and creators:

If you've got a budding chef in your home, this nifty tool makes it easy and fun to decorate cakes, cookies and other treats. Kids can choose from various colors and draw all sorts of words and designs. It also comes with 40 molds to create hearts, stars, sea creatures and more. A warming tray keeps chocolate gooey as the battery-powered pen refills itself by sucking up the sweet stuff into the cartridge. 

More for junior chefs:

Lush

When it comes to bath gift sets, trendy brand Lush is tops. This set is packaged in a bright reusable tin and comes with Rock Star Rabbit soap, a Rainbow bubble bar, Conga shower jelly and a toffee-scented Golden Egg shower gel and bath bomb.

More bath-time fun:

Insect Lore

Spring is the perfect time to share this activity with your kids. They'll love watching the caterpillars grow, form chrysalides and transform into butterflies. Once the caterpillars become butterflies, you feed them for a couple of days and then release them into your garden. This kit comes with five baby caterpillars, a 12-inch-tall pop-up mesh habitat, sugar packets to make nectar, and a feeding dropper. (Be advised that if you order this kit through Amazon, you'll need to send in a coupon to order the caterpillars separately.)

More for science and nature lovers:

Calico Critters

Calico Critters aren't cheap, but they're worth it for the hours of imaginative play. This bunny set is perfect for Easter and is a great starter set for anyone who's new to the world of Calico Critters.

Amazon

Furby is back -- and better than ever. The newest version of the iconic toy answers to five different voice commands that activate dance moves and games, and it comes with more than 600 unique responses. It also can communicate with other Furbies and is just downright adorable. 

More basket-worthy toys:

Williams Sonoma

As usual, Williams Sonoma gets an A-plus for presentation. Its Peter Rabbit papier-mâché egg features a gorgeous illustration on the outside. Inside you'll find all sorts of delectable treats, including a chocolate bunny, sour jelly beans, marshmallow twists, sugar-sanded gummy eggs and foiled chocolate eggs. The best part is that the papier-mâché egg can be used again, year after year. Just fill it up with your own sweets next year.

More sweet treats:

Gamewright

Sushi Go is a delightful game, and it's surprisingly easy to learn. Each player is given a hand of cards. They then choose one card, and pass the rest to the player next to them. The goal is to earn as many points as possible by creating delectable sushi creations. It's a simple game, but it quickly gets everyone engaged, even if they're not a "game person."

More games:

Amazon

This board book is an abbreviated version of the original, but it's beautifully illustrated and a perfect introduction to Peter and his siblings, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail.

Pottery Barn

A perfect gift for a young child, this sweet book can be personalized with their name throughout. Pair it with one of the stuffies above for the ultimate gift.

More picture books:

Pottery Barn Kids

Don't forget the bunny ears! If you search for "bunny ears" on Amazon, chances are you'll find hundreds of varieties of wearable bunny ears. But the bunny ears from Pottery Barn Kids are far better than anything you'll find elsewhere. The ears are made of a soft faux fur, and they come in taupe, pink and white. Perfect for those adorable Easter pics.