So you’ve decided to help the Easter Bunny out this year by choosing your child’s Easter Basket. Good for you! (It’s really the least you can do, considering he doesn’t get the same “milk and cookies” treatment that Santa Claus does.) As you shop around, whether it be in brick-and-mortar stores or online, there are several things to remember to make sure you choose the best Easter basket for your child.

1. What does your child like?
   Chances are, a boy isn’t going to appreciate an Easter Basket that’s pink and frilly; and it’s a good bet that a girl’s first choice won’t be a basket with a hunting theme. Keep in mind each child’s individual tastes when choosing (or decorating) a special Easter basket just for them.
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2. What will get the most use in your home?
   When I was a child, my siblings and I always got new Easter baskets each year–mainly, because they were the sort of baskets that weren’t built sturdily enough to last more than a couple of weeks! They were made out of a lightweight, poorly constructed balsa wood-type fiber–brightly colored, but with an extremely short lifespan. So now that I’m in charge of helping the Easter Bunny choose my child’s basket, I look for something that will last–because it’s sad for a child to see their Easter basket thrown away. (And I personally don’t like buying things that are made to be disposable–except for sanitary or other reasons.
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   For an Easter basket to stick around in my house, it’s got to do something other than collect dust on top of the refrigerator: it’s got to be useful. And because I don’t have a particularly “prissy” house–the sort of house with lacy baskets in every room–I try to come up with Easter basket ideas that are more than mere baskets. Anything that can act as a container will do . . . as long as it’s useful, cute (come on, it’s Easter!), and my child will like it. Plant pots, storage bins, ice buckets, sand pails, small wagons, child-sized wheelbarrows, a doll’s cradle, a special display box flipped onto it’s back–the possibilities are practically endless.
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3. What will your child use the most?
   It’s easy to get carried away with #2 and get so focused on what would be useful for your household that you forget what you child will think is cool and awesome–don’t do this! Remember, it is their Easter basket, and they should love it. Your child getting use from his or her Easter basket after the holiday is over is more important than the basket’s usefulness to the household–but it’s even better if it can be useful to both.
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4. Will the Easter basket you’ve chosen last a good, long time?
   Is the “basket” you chose sturdy? Will it stand up to it’s intended use after the holiday? Is it washable/cleanable? All good things to consider.
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5. What sort of basket will your child remember as being cool and awesome?
   This kind of goes along with #3. Remember that creating a happy memory for your child will be rewarding for you both in years to come–and this kind of memory is priceless. Nothing beats hearing your child exclaim “Wow!” when they see a basket on Easter morning that they know was created just for them–because it’s just the sort of thing that they love.
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   One example: one year the Easter Bunny used a large blue metal ice bucket from Target as my son’s Easter basket–and customized it with reusable Naruto cling decals. My son was amazed–and more than a little happy, because he’s got a basket unlike any other out there. Even now, three years later, the Naruto decals are still on that ice bucket, which my son uses to organize the toys he keeps in his bedroom.
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6. Is the basket you’ve chosen environmentally friendly?
   After considering the other items listed here, give a thought to what will happen to your Easter basket when it’s fulfilled it’s usefulness to you. Metal can generally be recycled, and natural fibers such as wood, grass, sand, and glass can break down faster in the environment. Given a choice, I  always choose a “basket” made of natural products.
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7. What sort of Easter basket can be recycled among other members of your family?
   An alternative to throwing out a basket that outlived it’s usefulness to your immediate family–yourself, your children, and your significant other (if you have one)–is to recycle the item through members of your extended family. If your entire extended family gets into the game, you can have trading parties where everyone comes away with cool stuff that’s “new to them”. Recycling in this manner helps keep usable items out of the landfills–as does donating items to Goodwill or to your local charitable thrift store.
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8. Easter Basket Safety!
   Remember to consider the safety of the Easter basket you choose: it’s vital that the basket be age-appropriate for your child. Young children need baskets without small, removable parts that they could place in their mouths and choke on. And breakable / delicate baskets would not be appropriate for any “child” not nearing adulthood. (The adults in my family also get Easter baskets. . . . I guess the Easter Bunny just likes us! ;))
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   One final thought on Easter Basket safety: when you choose to use items as Easter baskets that weren’t originally intended for that purpose, the paint, colorants, and other chemicals used in their production may not be food-safe. So you won’t want Easter candy or other treats to come into direct contact with the basket. In my home, I always wash the basket, when possible, with warm soapy water, then rinse and dry it thoroughly before allowing the Easter Bunny to assemble the goodies inside. Even then, I don’t allow opened candies or treats–like loose jelly beans, Cheeps, etc.–to be placed directly into the basket without some sort of food-safe container to hold them.

I’ve had a good relationship with the Easter Bunny for many years. And in our many conversations, I know he appreciates all the thought and time I’ve devote to choosing just the right Easter basket for my son each year. I enjoy doing it, too: because I know how childhood Easter memories can last a lifetime–and I want those memories for my family to be the awesome-est possible!

So be a good Easter Bunny helper this year–by choosing the perfect Easter basket for your child. The ideas in this article are just a starting point–if you can think of more, please let us know by leaving a comment!

This year, Easter falls on April 24 (2011). Will you be ready?