baby easter basket

A baby is too young to grasp the concept of the Easter bunny - much less the larger meaning of the holiday - but he'll love plunging his hands into a basket you've filled just for him.

1: Choose a basket that's large enough and attractive enough to grace the baby's room long after Easter, whether to corral his toys or hold supplies on his changing table.

2: Line the basket with a soft baby blanket or quilt instead of artificial grass.

3: Think tactile when you shop for contents. Look for soft, cuddly stuffed bunnies, chicks, lambs or eggs.

4: Include a toy or two the baby can safely chew on; a baby needs all the oral gratification he can get when he's growing a crop of new teeth. Choose hard rubber toys with no sharp edges and no small parts that could come off in the baby's mouth.

5: Tuck in a couple of books: one with thick, colorful pages the baby can turn himself (soon if not now); and one for his parents to read aloud at bedtime.

6: Remember that grownups enjoy visits from the Easter bunny, too. Make a gift certificate for the baby's parents, redeemable for a night of baby-sitting services, either your own or those of a hired sitter, and nestle it into the basket among the toys and books.