Easter is a significant time in the calendar, for many reasons. The first decent break for a getaway since Christmas; religious recognition is the focus for many. But in addition is the coming togetherness, cooking and sharing special foods, a break from work and routine and of course, busy-ness for some trying to get around to see everyone, all unfolds at Easter time!
No matter what your plans are, we have some tips to manage the easter food highs and lows that the inevitable sugar rush can bring from the often overloaded tradition of Easter eggs.
Planning for eggs in your home
I do not know about you, but we still have eggs in our house from last year! Although our traditions do tend to focus heavily on food and eating, we can try as best we can in planning ahead of time to lower the chances of being left with a household full of sweets and the overload of eggs. People can be so generous, especially when it comes to kids but we know that it's easy to give and forget about the aftermath!
Try to gently ask your guests and family to hold back on the eggs and mix up the generosity, to create new gift traditions that are tangible and more helpful. Things like Easter pajamas, books, warm socks for heading into winter, and soft toys that kids can keep and remember. Remember that others, including daycare, will also be likely to give eggs to your child at some point, so when it comes to you buying them yourself, be conservative and hold back.
Save your money for experiences
Eggs and easter treats are not cheap! You can find super cheap, but as we know about cheap foods, they are generally lower in quality and less ideal for our health. Also keep in mind, that the volume you give them now is the expectation you are setting from here on in! Be prepared to either keep it up and/or be spending more year on year.
So, think about saving some of that money by only getting a few small high-quality chocolates and spending the money on an experience that your child will enjoy like a day at the museum or a boat ride on the ferry.
The inevitable egg consumption
Kids are cunning and hilarious. They will ask for chocolate eggs for breakfast to test the waters. This is the one day I have no issue giving them the answer they would NOT expect on Easter Sunday – YES, (well after some toast!). My theory is that it is one day and we can still create a sense of appreciation, remember what the day symbolizes and make it less about food and balance the day with a focus on having fun with family and friends as much as possible.
Minimising the highs and lows
Our approach to minimize the highs and lows are:
- Don't permit eggs before easter Sunday, other than perhaps one or two that slip through from daycare/family, etc: it is one day, this way they know it is a special day
- and not to take eggs for granted
- Children should lead with a healthy breakfast as the day will likely go downhill after that, but mid-morning, once breakfast has settled, is ok to start with one
- Pace them, tell them in advance how many they are allowed to have and when (not all in one go), and no more than 1 hour before dinner and strictly no more after dinner
- For any larger eggs, give the option of pacing it over a week with a small piece after dinner for the week after – but once the week is up, no more, egg time is up, we do
- not want to create new unhealthy habits
- Hydrate all day with water
- Consider what else they may be eating during the day and try to ensure it is lower in fats and sugars, including fluids
- Ensure they are moving all day long, not sitting on devices or watching TV!
If you let them, kids have this ability to self-regulate and stop eating when they feel unwell. So, these methods over the day have meant that our kids have ended up calling it early on Easter egg consumption and rarely finish their stash. Even our sweet tooth eldest!
What other tips do you have to share for getting through Easter?
This article was written by Tanya Nagy, founder of Bite Nutrition.
Care for Kids is excited to invite Tanya to our panel of experts, sharing recipes, up-to-date information and her extensive knowledge around all things parenting, nutrition and keeping us creating beautiful food with minimal fuss!
For more information on Tanya and Bite Nutrition you can head to the website, and follow their Instagram and Facebook.
