I am not buying my five year old chocolate this Easter

As always, I will buy a large number of chocolate Easter eggs for my eldest son, nephews, and nieces this year, but I won’t buy any for my five-year-old. My son is very unique, he does not like chocolate and in fact, you can’t even eat it near him because he balks at the smell of it.

So with chocolate eggs off the menu for my little one, what is a good alternative? And it is a question others may ask, as he can not be the only one who doesn’t like chocolate and there are some who can’t eat chocolate for dietary reasons. So as a mum to cocoa-shunning kid, here is my list of decent alternatives for the end of your “egg hunt” this Easter Sunday.

Firstly, just like Christmas, there should never be any pressure for you to buy your children anything and every family has different traditions when it comes to the holidays.

Sweets

The obvious alternative to chocolate eggs is sweets, which is something my son does enjoy. Every year Swizzles, the makers of Love Hearts and Drumsticks, brings out some Easter-themed sweets. 

We enjoy their HARIBO Eggs Galore Jelly & Foam Sweets, currently £1 for a 160g bag at Iceland and we can’t wait to try their new Swizzels Squashies Drumchick (orange and pineapple flavour foam chicks) 120g Pack, now £1 on Amazon.

New clothes

Getting a new ‘Sunday best’ outfit has always been a tradition for me and my family. Looking smart on Easter Sunday was a must, and it is a practice seen across the UK.

The new clothes supposedly symbolise new life, as in the resurrection of Jesus or the new life brought by spring. 

This year I have been eyeing up the Next Easter range, with this Blue/Pink Stripe Bunny 100% Cotton Short Sleeve T-Shirt from £7 in sizes three months to seven years being on my list.

There is also this super cute Beige Bunny Baby Sweatshirt and Joggers Set for 0-2 year olds for £12. And the most adorable Bunny Pink Long Sleeve Jersey Dress starting at £10 available in ages three months to seven years.

Marks & Spencer also has a lovely variety of cotton and knitted fabrics in pastel shades with bunnies and carrots on them for little ones this year. 

Asda is another favourite of ours and they have this very cute Peach Bunny Pocket Button Cardigan starting at £9 and available in sizes 1-8 years.

Crafts

It is not really a holiday with kids without some crafts, is it? My son loves crafting, everything from the classic glueing and sticking to watercolours and colouring.

Places like Home Bargains, B&M and The Works are all great starting points for some simple crafts you can do with the kids, but of you are looking for a gift to give instead of chocolate, this is what I have been looking at.

And if you are on TikTok, you will know how big colouring, in particular, has become, not just for kids but for adults too with the rise of cute colouring books with little bear and rabbit characters going to the markets, a coffee shop or chilling in the bath with a face mask. 

Now Bobbie Goods is the pinnacle of these cute colouring books, but they are a little expensive (£18) and from America so you have to pay shipping, but another brand Coco Wyo, has a wide number of great colouring books available, my son already has ‘Cozy Friends’ and for £6.49 he might just get ‘Cozy Cuties’ this Easter.

And the only pens people are using with these books are alcohol markers, the brand of choice is Ohuhu, but these can run a little expensive, the brush tip markers are £39.99 for 48 colours from Amazon. There are cheaper available such as the pack of 40 Hangfan markers for £12.91.

Alcohol markers tend to bleed through the page, but leave a streak-free finish, which is why people love them. If you want ones that don’t bleed, the Ohuhu 60 Colours Markers Water-Based, Paper-friendly (No Peeling) Colouring Pens are a great choice and are on offer for £22.95, down from £30.95.

We have these, and the colour range is excellent. You can use them on watercolour paper with water for a watercolour effect.

Boardgames 

But there is no need to go this big at Easter; sometimes a nice meal together and a family board game is perfect, which, if you have younger children, it can feel hard to include them in family games.

Orchard Toys has some well thought out games with robust pieces and nearly all have an educational element. Shopping List is a classic and well-loved in our house, it is currently £6 on Amazon. 

They also have a series of Peter Rabbit-themed games perfect for Easter, The Peter Rabbit Veg Patch Lotto game is £12  or another Easter themed game, Hot Cross Bunnies Snap and Pairs is £4.