How to Create an Easter Basket for a Child With Food Allergies

If your child has a food allergy, it's important to stock her Easter basket with foods she enjoys, but that are also safe for her to eat. Follow these steps to create a fun Easter basket filled with both edible and non-edible treats that will allow her to celebrate the holiday along with everyone else in your family.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Create a bright and exciting Easter basket filled with your child's favorite toys and games, instead of the sweet and calorie-packed traditional baskets whose foods are off limits for her. Cater to your child's interests and design a themed Easter basket of art supplies, building blocks or a selection of books.

2. Add gluten-free candy to your child's Easter basket if she has celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

3. Make gelatin eggs in jelly bean-shaped molds to place in your child's Easter basket instead of decorated eggs, if your child has a dairy allergy. You can also make gelatin in a pan, and then use a bunny cookie cutter to cut out shapes to add some fun to her basket.

4. Buy colorful, plastic Easter eggs and fill them with coins. Hide some around the house, in place of dairy eggs, and hold a contest to see which of your children can find the most.

5. Replace popular milk chocolate rabbits or chocolate-covered candy eggs with jelly beans or gummy bears, if your child has a food allergy that makes her unable to consume dairy products or nuts.

6. Purchase a selection of sugar-free Easter candy found in most grocery stores to add to your child's basket if she has diabetes and cannot have foods with a high sugar content.

Tips & Warnings

• Purchase inexpensive Easter stickers and non-toxic paints, and have your children decorate plastic or wooden eggs instead of dairy eggs, if they are allergic to them.
• Thoroughly research any candy you place in your child's Easter basket to ensure it does not contain any of the foods or proteins to which she is allergic.

Resources

• Find gluten-free candy
• Buy peanut-free, egg-free and dairy-free candy