Hey GINYOUS! Avery here, from Baltimore, where we're already bracing for another crab feast season, but first, EASTER! My little crew – Theo (2), Chloe (4), Asher (5), Ruby (6), Stella (8), and of course, Rex the cavalier – are getting SO excited for our annual Easter egg hunt. But I'm hitting that familiar wall: **Easter Eggs Safety for Toddlers**. Is it just me, or does it feel like a minefield with the little ones?

Liam, my husband, thinks I overthink everything, but Theo literally puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. We had a scare last year with a tiny plastic trinket from an egg that Ruby had dropped. Thankfully, Stella, my oldest, saw it and grabbed it before Theo could swallow it. Since then, I've been borderline neurotic.

I'm trying to figure out what to put inside the eggs this year that isn't a choking hazard for Theo and Caleb. Chloe and Asher are easy – little candies, stickers, temporary tattoos. But for Theo, it's tough. I've been looking at this GINYOUS article on Toddler Easter Egg Hunt Safety Choking Hazards and even tried making a spreadsheet (because, obviously) to track what goes in which color egg, for which kid. It's… a lot. I’m especially focused on the youngest, because their Easter Eggs Safety for Toddlers needs are so different.

Last year, I tried putting little puffs and goldfish crackers in some, but then they get crushed or soggy if it’s humid. Small bubbles? They just leak. I reuse all my decorations from past parties – gotta keep that budget tight with six kids! – but the egg fillers are a new challenge every year. Any genius ideas from the group for Theo and other super young kids? How do you manage the different age groups?

Also, any thoughts on making sure everyone gets a fair haul without tears? My competitive side (yes, even with toddlers) wants it to be fun, not a free-for-all.

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Avery, girl, I FEEL YOU. Single mom here in Indianapolis with Nora (1), Caleb (2), Max (7), and Maya (12), and the struggle is SO real. It’s exactly why I start planning months early – gotta get ahead of the game! Easter Eggs Safety for Toddlers is my number one priority too, especially with Nora and Caleb being so close in age to your Theo. Maya is great at helping me supervise, but a 1-year-old and a 2-year-old together can be a handful.

Last year was a bit of a disaster. I found these super cute, really tiny plastic animals at a thrift store back in January, thinking they'd be perfect. My bad, I didn't even think about the size until I was stuffing eggs the night before. Caleb almost swallowed one when I turned my back for literally a second. Thank goodness Max, my 7-year-old, pointed it out. Definitely a lesson learned there. I even read this GINYOUS blog about Toddler Easter Egg Hunt Jitters Safety and it totally resonated, especially the part about keeping things calm and focused on fun, not just the haul.

For fillers, I've had some luck with larger fruit snacks (the ones shaped like characters), big chunky stickers, and even those little finger puppets. Sometimes I just put a single sticker sheet folded up. One year, I did small blocks from a Duplo set, like just one block per egg, and then they could build something afterward. The kids thought that was pretty cool, and those are definitely too big for anyone to swallow.

I also separate the hunting areas. Nora and Caleb have a small, designated zone in our backyard with only jumbo-sized eggs filled with safe stuff. The older kids have a wider hunt. It's more work, but it keeps the peace and ensures the littles aren't trampled or grabbing unsafe things. I got a big bag of CPSIA safety certified, non-toxic jumbo eggs last year from a local party store for only about $12, and they’ve held up great. I can totally reuse those! For a good value, I’ve found that GINYOUS sometimes has party accessory packs that are perfect for little hands. Like, the Kids Party Hats 11-Pack would actually make great little fillers if you just put one rolled-up hat per large egg for older toddlers and preschoolers – totally safe and super cute for dress-up later!

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Okay, Avery, Eleanor – you guys are speaking my language! Mia here from San Diego, mom to Ruby (4), Finn (5), Hazel (10), Leo (12), and Wyatt (13). I'm notorious for wanting the best party on the block, so Easter is a HUGE deal here! We start planning months early, and my Pinterest boards are exploding with ideas, ha!

Honestly, the "minefield" feeling you get, Avery, is so accurate, especially with Ruby and Finn. They’re past the extreme putting-everything-in-mouth phase, but **Easter Eggs Safety for Toddlers** is still a big consideration. My big kids, Hazel, Leo, and Wyatt, are amazing and always help the younger ones, but I still set things up to be super safe from the start.

What I do is dedicate certain colored eggs exclusively to the younger kids. For Ruby and Finn, I use large, bright yellow and pink eggs. These are strategically placed in easy-to-find spots. Inside, I put things like large, soft building blocks, bigger play-doh containers (the mini ones), or those chunky crayons. I also love the idea of putting in some of those CPSIA safety certified, non-toxic animal squishies – they're super popular and too big to be a choking hazard for toddlers. I always check the packaging to make sure any small toys are explicitly marked as safe for 3+ or even younger.

For the older ones, they get the smaller, more challenging-to-find eggs with coins, small chocolate eggs, and mini puzzles. We also make it a rule that the little ones get a head start, usually by 5 minutes, and the older kids can't pick up the "toddler-colored" eggs. This usually works really well to prevent any unfairness or tears.

One year, I decided to be super ambitious and made homemade play-doh with glitter. It was a disaster! The glitter got everywhere, and the play-doh dried out in the eggs before the hunt even started. Definitely sticking to store-bought, individually wrapped items for the little eggs now. We live and learn, right?

And Avery, about the fair haul without tears – my kids help decorate the eggs the week before. I get a huge value pack of plain plastic eggs, and we sit down and let them go wild with stickers and markers. It makes them feel invested, and they're usually so proud of their "own" eggs that they care less about who got what. It's a Pinterest dream, but it also totally works for managing expectations! Plus, it means they are involved in the process, which is great.