5 Fun Ideas for Baby’s First Easter Activities

Planning baby’s first Easter can feel like a lot when your little one is too young for egg hunts, chocolate, or sitting still for a photo with a giant rabbit in a costume. The good news is that Easter with a baby doesn’t need to look anything like Easter with older kids. You don’t need matching outfits, a huge basket of treats, or a perfectly staged photo (though if you get one, brilliant).

Most of the classic Easter activities can be scaled right down for tiny hands, short attention spans, and babies who are still exploring the world mostly by putting things in their mouths. Here are five ideas that actually work with a baby, plus a few safety notes worth keeping in mind along the way.

1. Decorate eggs, baby style

Egg decorating is one of those traditions worth keeping even when your baby can’t hold a dye cup steady yet. If your baby is older, sitting up well and past the stage of grabbing everything toward their mouth, let them help with big crayons, chunky egg-shaped stickers, or dabbing paint with a cotton ball while you hold the egg steady. It won’t be neat. That’s fine.

For younger babies who are still very much in the “everything goes in the mouth” phase, skip real eggs altogether and make simple Easter egg rattles instead. Fill empty plastic Easter eggs with dry rice, dried beans, or bells, then seal the seam shut properly with a strong glue or several wraps of packing tape so it can’t be pulled apart. This part matters: check the rattle before every use for cracks or a loose seam, and never give it to your baby unsupervised. Loose rice or a small bell is a genuine choking hazard if the egg comes open, so this is very much a “sit with baby while they play” activity rather than a leave-them-to-it one.

Once you’re happy the eggs are secure, pop a few on baby’s highchair tray while the rest of the family decorates real eggs at the table. It keeps them included without you needing to watch them every second.

2. Put together a basket that actually suits their age

Under one year old, most of the usual Easter basket fillers are off the table. Chocolate and sweets aren’t recommended for babies under 12 months, partly because of added sugar and partly because small chocolate eggs and sweets are a choking risk. Hard-boiled eggs can also be a choking hazard for babies who aren’t yet confidently managing finger foods, so if you do want your baby to try some, chop it into small, soft pieces and stay close while they eat, and check with your health visitor or GP if you’re unsure whether your baby is ready.

A basket that’s actually theirs might include a couple of board books, a soft comforter or first stuffed animal, a teething toy, finger puppets, a play silk, or a soft rattle. It doesn’t need to be full. Two or three well-chosen things baby can safely mouth and handle are worth more than a basket stuffed with plastic grass and small trinkets.

Also, be ready for baby to “help” you decorate it. Ribbons, tissue paper, and silk flowers are fair game for a curious baby, and don’t be surprised if everything you carefully arrange gets pulled straight back out again. That’s not the activity going wrong, that’s the activity working exactly as it should. Just keep an eye on anything small enough to fit in a fist and then a mouth, like ribbon curls or small silk petals.

3. Take Easter photos outdoors, on baby’s schedule

A trip to see the Easter Bunny at the shopping centre sounds lovely in theory, but plenty of babies take one look at a person in a giant rabbit suit and decide they’d rather not, thank you. If that’s your baby, don’t force it. You’ll get better photos, and a calmer baby, by keeping things simple and doing it yourself outside.

Spring flowers, a garden, or even a patch of daffodils at the local park make a lovely backdrop, and natural light is far more flattering than anything you’ll get indoors. The trick with baby photos is timing rather than props: aim for a window shortly after a nap and a feed, when your baby is alert but not yet tired or hungry again. Have the camera or phone ready before you start, because you’ll likely get one good burst of smiles before baby loses interest, tries to eat the props, or decides they’ve had enough. A few quick, natural shots usually beat a long, stressful posed session anyway.

4. Read Easter books together

While older siblings are off doing egg hunts and crafts, quiet reading time with your baby is a lovely way to mark the day. Board books are the way to go at this age, since they can handle a bit of chewing and page-mashing without falling apart. A few worth looking out for:

• That’s Not My Bunny by Fiona Watt (Usborne Touchy-Feely series), a simple, textured board book that’s genuinely made for baby hands and short attention spans.
• Max’s Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells, a gentle, funny egg hunt story that works well as your baby gets a bit older.
• The Story of the Easter Bunny by Katherine Tegen, a sweet, simple retelling that’s easy to shorten on the fly if baby’s patience runs out halfway through.
• Time for Easter! by Jan Carr, a rhyming board book that’s short enough to hold a baby’s attention start to finish.

Don’t worry about reading every word. With a young baby, pointing at pictures, naming what you see, and using a sing-song voice usually gets more engagement than the actual text.

5. Sing Easter songs and try a fingerplay or two

Babies love music, and they’re not judging your singing voice. What they respond to is the sound of you, the rhythm, and your facial expressions as you go. Songs with simple, repeated actions work especially well because babies start to anticipate what comes next, which is genuinely one of the more delightful things about this age.

If you want some kid-friendly options, The Holiday Zone has a good list of Easter songs, along with some fingerplays you can learn in a couple of minutes. This one’s an easy starting point:

Easter Bunny, Easter Bunny
(fingerplay)

Easter Bunny, Easter Bunny,
(Put hands on top of your head like rabbit ears.)

Small and white,
(Hold hands close together to show something tiny.)

Come and fill my Easter basket
(Pretend to fill the basket.)

Overnight.
(Pretend to sleep.)

Repeat it a few times over the day and don’t be surprised if your baby starts trying to copy the hand movements before they can say a single word of it.

Keep it simple

None of these need much planning, a big budget, or a Pinterest-worthy setup. Your baby won’t remember this Easter, but you will, so keep the camera nearby, go at your baby’s pace, and don’t stress if half the “activities” end with your baby eating a ribbon or losing interest after ninety seconds. That’s babies for you, and it’s honestly part of what makes their first Easter so much fun to look back on.

If you’re ever unsure whether a food, toy, or activity is right for your baby’s age or stage, it’s always worth a quick check with your health visitor, midwife, or GP.

Read our other articles on Easter and other holidays:

• Baby Easter Bonnet Ideas: An Adorable Easter Accessory
• 70 Candy-Free Ideas For Baby’s First Easter Basket
• 10 Mother’s Day Outfits for Baby We Love
• 8 Fun and Easy Baby Easter Craft Ideas