San Diego Moms: Easter Gift Guide For Children And Pets

By Hoa Quach, Times of San Diego

March 12, 2023

Easter is just a few weeks away, which means many parents may feel the pressure of what to put in their children’s baskets this year. If you’re like me, you prefer to give an item that your kids will play with for more than a day! My team of kid testers tried out an assortment of new products and here were their picks.

Super Kid: What’s more fun than playing superhero? Grab a personalized cape from InchBug for your child for less than $20! The cape is made with a sturdy, soft fabric and vibrant colors. Available in Shark print and Mermaid.

Learn with Berenstain Bears: A favorite children’s book series comes to live with card games. SolidRoots has the Berenstain Bears’ Extremely Messy Room Challenge Card Game where children learn how to clean their rooms while having fun and the Manners Mania Card game where you can teach basic etiquette.

Calling All Feminists: Teach your children, especially the little girls in your lives, about all the great SHEroes who have changed our lives for the better with Mudpuppy’s Little Feminist Playing Cards. The playing cards feature world-changing leaders including Hillary Clinton, Rosa Parks, Gloria Steinem and Sally Ride. If your feminist is into arts and crafts, check out an assortment of fun and educational activities from Kids Crafts.

Chase the Drone: Sky Viper has unveiled fun, flying drones for all ages. The Force Hover Sphere Drone has smart sensors that detect hands and surroundings, while the Dash Nano Drone features on-touch stunts! My kid testers had fun chasing these for hours.

Compact Dress-Up: Here’s a great gift for on-the-go, especially for the families who must travel on Easter! Mudpuppy’s cute Woodland Ballet Magnetic Dress-Up Tin allows kids to dress a bunny in an assortment of clothes and accessories. Best of all, store everything back in the tin when you’re done playing.

Bathtime Play: Bath Bombs are a hit for all ages, even littles who love seeing the bombs evaporate into the water. Tubby Todd has released an Easter Bath Bomb Set, which comes in egg and bunny form.

For the Crafty: Do your kids love crafts and the beloved books of Eric Carle? Check out the Very Hungry Caterpillar Story Puppets where you can build characters to life. It is just one of many Hungry Caterpillar-themed craft kids you can find on Amazon!

Disc Launcher Fun: Get outside with the Zoom-O Turbo Disc Launcher where players can launch disc up to 100 feet in the air! A fun activity to enjoy under the Easter sun.

Bunny Popper: It doesn’t get funnier than a Chocolate Bunny Popper by Hog Wild Toys. This Chocolate-bunny can shoot rainbow-colored balls up to 20 feet! Your tiniest family members will get a kick out of this.

For the Handy: Teach your children how to use tools with an assortment of toys from Red Toolbox. A fun Easter toy is the Candy Maze Kit where kids will learn how to build their own candy maze then enjoy the fruit of their labor by putting jelly beans in them.

Hatchimals: Spin Master has unveiled new Hatchimals for Easter this year, including the Hatchimals CollEGGtibles Family Spring Basket and the Hatchimals CollEGGtibles Sibling Luv Pack. Kids will love adding to their Hatchimal collection with this fun and engaging toy.

For the Gardener: Does your kiddo love to garden? Check out the Curious Gardener kit, which includes a trowel, shovel, hand rake, garden shears, watering can, kneeling pad, nursery pots, garden markers, a pair of garden gloves, a garden hat, garden apron, and more!

Interactive STEM Play: Introduce your child to fun and tasty STEM play with I’m the Chef. The company offers an assortment of themed boxes with all the ingredients needed. Kids can make volcano cakes, dinosaur terrariums and, of course, an Easter bundt for the holiday. With the Easter kit, kids will learn how to work with fondant, make chocolate icing, and design bunny cakes. You can also buy a subscription to save a few dollars!

Simplified Egg Decorating: Making egg decorating stress-free with this Shark Tank EggMazing Easter Egg Decorator. Simply put the egg in the decorator and design it as it spins. No more dye or messes around here! Whew!

For the Artists: Introduce your artist to mindful art with the Buddha Board where you can water paint with a bamboo brush. The board also comes in mini form that is perfect for any Easter travel.

Stuffed Animals

I think I can speak for most parents when I say stuffed animals belong in its own category of toys! Stuffed animals are a hit for many ages, especially around Easter time.

The Softest of the Soft: Miniso is known for their soft, high-quality stuffed animals. For Easter, check out this adorable rabbit plush with a flowery dress that can be removed for other apparel. Or this silky smooth rabbit pillow.

Pusheens: Pusheens are all the rage among children of all ages (and, admittedly adults!). This darling chocolate Easter bunny is perfect for any basket. Plus, the surface is washable!

Hugging Stuffy: Here’s a fun twist on the typical stuffed animal: My Fuzzy Friends. This cute, wearable interactive pet has extra-long arms and legs that grab onto your arm for lots of hugs, and its head moves to nuzzle just like a real baby animal. For Easter, there is Poppy the Snuggling Bunny.

Sweet Scents: Is your little one a fan of all great scents? Scentco unveiled Smanimals Plushes that are ultra soft with amazing scents. For Easter, try this adorable Chick.

Craze Pillow Bed: Have a tween? They’ll appreciate a cozy pillow bed to lounge in for reading, studying or playing video games! All you need is to take your extra pillows at home and use them as additional seating by stuffing them inside the covers. It’s easy to store when it’s not in use too.

Apparel and Accessories

The Coolest Shades: Prepare your babes for the warm Spring sun with Babiators, a line of safe, stylish and durable kids’ sunglasses and accessories. The idea for Babiators formed when a military wife saw kids squinting in the sun while their pilot moms and dads stood protected and stylish in their aviator sunglasses.

Earth-Friendly Gear: Quincy Mae just launched its Spring collection. The brand is known for its soft, organic and sustainable clothing. This Spring, you can expect a lot of fresh florals, a few retro designs and more.

For the Fashionistas: Have a little trendsetter? Check out KittyNTug for fashionable trends for the little ones. From oversized, cozy sweaters to chic dresses, you’ll love the selection for your little ones.

Baby Soft: Want to introduce your child to bamboo clothing? Check out Kyte Baby, which uses bamboo to create hypoallergenic clothing! The clothes are not only sustainable, but highly adorable.

Dreamy Threads: For its first-ever licensed collection, Dreamland Baby teamed up with Peter Rabbit to offer their innovative weighted swaddles, sleep sacks, pajamas and more with classic Peter Rabbit imagery. Babies are sure to have sweet dreams with this collection.

Healthy Treats

Fun Bites: Overwhelmed with all the candy this Easter? Try Tidbits Fun Bites Meringue Cookies for a healthy sweet treat. These cookies are sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, cholesterol free and contain no high fructose corn syrup! They come in a variety of delicious flavors including strawberry, chocolate, mint, vanilla and more.

For the Fur Babies

Fiber Basket: Give your fur baby a top-of-the-line (but affordable) and adorable bed with Dharma Dog and Kharma Cat. These fun baskets are made up of 100% natural fiber and come in all shapes, colors and designs. The natural lanolin oil will also keep their paws and fur healthy. Complete the Easter gift with some fun egg-shaped toys!

Durable Toys: Need a toy for the fur baby that won’t break after 10 minutes? SodaPup is here to deliver. This Easter, check out the bunny-shaped chew toy — designed for even the most aggressive chewers.

Matching Apparel: Want to match your pup? Check out San Diego-based lifestyle clothing company Fetch the Sun for comfortable, matching gear for you and your four-legged baby.

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San Diego Moms is published every Saturday. Have a story idea? Email hoaq@timesofsandiego.com and follow her on Instagram at @hoawritessd.

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