My children both go to a really fantastic pediatric dentist in the area, and the dentists/techs call cavities "sugar bugs." My children are 6-years old and 9-years old, and yes, they've both had cavities / almost cavities. I know, I'm such a horrible mom . To be honest, sometimes they are inevitable! Young kids don't like to brush their teeth properly, sometimes you're too tired to help them brush their teeth, and let's face it...KIDS LIKE SWEETS. Shoot, I LIKE SWEETS.
Having said all of that, I've personally started purchasing less of those junk food items and more of the healthy treats they like (to be discussed in a future article). So, I've prepared a list of a lot of non-sweet treats that you can fill your child(ren)'s basket with this year. Hopefully this will help to re-direct your child from the other sweet treats they'll undoubtedly receive, and save them from getting "sugar bugs"! If you have any other ideas, feel free to share with us!
- Bubbles
- Chalk
- Stuffed Animals (we call them "stuffies")
- Slinky
- Summer Sandals (think Target, Walmart, Dollar Stores)
- Easter Outfit (also think Target, Walmart, Marshalls, etc)
- Sunglasses
- Crayons/Markers
- Bug Catcher Nets
- Beach Towel
- Mini Flashlights
- Kids Puzzles
- Headbands
- Hair Accessories
- Jump Rope
- Kites
- Wooden Airplanes
- A few dollars folded in a fun Origami way
- Kinetic Sand
- Silly Straws
- Barbies/Dolls/Action Figures
- Beach/Sand Toys
- Cute Socks
- Fridge Magnets
- Pretzels
- Baseball Gloves/Mitts
- Pajamas
- Bath Bombs (for your tween/teens!)
- Water Bottles (doesn't every child need these at school anyways?)
- Card Games (my kids love Minecraft Uno!)
- Silly Putty
- Slime
- Glow Sticks
- Nail Polish
- Hatchimals
- Small Lego Kits
- Applesauce Pouches (my kids love Go Go Squeez!)
- Welches Fruit Snacks
- Finger Paint
- Stress Balls
- Play-Doh (or the off-brand doughs at Dollar Tree!)
- Umbrella
- Mini Plant Kit
- Bouncy Balls
- Fidget Toys like the notorious Pop-Its
- A Journal/Diary
- New Toothbrush/paste set
- Sports Balls (football, soccer ball, tennis balls, etc)
- Books
- Key Chains
- Sticker Books
- Activity Books
- Hot Wheels Cars
- Magician Kits
- Rain Boots
- Colorful Gel Pens
- STEM kits (we love the National Geographic science experiment kits!)
- DIY kits
- Crossword / Wordfind Books
- Seed Packets to plant together
- DVDs (Do people still buy DVDs? Or do most people stream movies now-a-days?)
- Hand Sanitizer
- Bracelet Making Kits
- Slippers for the house
- Flash Cards
- Good ol' board games (Chutes and Ladders, Connect Four, Sorry, Guess Who?)
- Framed Art / Personal Pictures
- Jenga
- Water Guns / Nerf Guns (hubby recently just purchased a BATTERY-POWERED Nerf Gun...I don't recommend it )
- Hula Hoops
- Frisbees
- Gift Cards
- Knitting / Crochet Starter Kit
- Baseball Caps
- Rock Painting Kits
- Lotion
- Candles
- Popcorn
- Reward Coupons (i.e. Good for One Hour of Screen Time, Free Book of your Choice, Stay Up 30 Minutes Late, Ice Cream, Meal Choice, etc)
- A Cheap character watch (i.e. Spiderman, My Little Pony, Barbie, etc)
I hope this list helps give you some ideas for last-minute shopping! You could honestly just do a 20 minute Dollar Tree run and have a basket/bag full of goodies! Enjoy!
