Easter takes on a whole new meaning when you’ve got a baby in the picture. Everything slows down just enough to notice the way light streams through the window on Sunday morning. There’s something gentle about it all. Maybe it’s the soft pastels, or the smell of fresh-baked rolls, or maybe it’s just that sleepy little head resting against your chest during the early hours of spring. No matter how you celebrate, starting Easter traditions with your baby turns the day into something you’ll want to carry with you, year after year. And it doesn’t have to be elaborate to feel magical—it just needs to come from the heart.
The Magic Starts Small
Traditions don’t have to be big to be meaningful. In fact, the smallest things are often the most remembered. Babies may not understand what Easter is about yet, but they do understand comfort. They know how it feels to be held, sung to, and wrapped in soft things. You can start with something as simple as reading a board book about bunnies while your baby plays with a crinkly toy. Or dressing them up in soft cotton pastels while you snap a few photos near a window lit with morning sun. The details may seem tiny now, but these are the things that settle into memory like seeds, waiting to grow.
You might not feel up to hosting a big brunch or decorating sugar cookies this year—and that’s okay. Focus on the kind of Easter you want your baby to grow up remembering. The quiet kind. The loving kind. The one with pancakes shaped like little chicks and a home that smells like fresh laundry and tulips. The one where someone always sings while folding napkins. The one with laughter that bounces off the walls before the coffee’s even brewed.
The Easter Morning Walk
One of the sweetest ways to begin Easter morning is with a walk. Not rushed. Not for exercise. Just to breathe a little and let your baby take in the soft colors of spring. Whether you live in the city or out in the suburbs, nature has a funny way of showing up this time of year—even if it’s just a patch of crocuses poking through the sidewalk. Wrap your baby up in a cozy blanket, tuck them in the stroller or carrier, and go slow. Let them see the sky. Let them watch the birds move. It’s easy to forget how new everything is for them.
And if your little one has started to toddle, you might let them try out those tiny new steps outside. It’s a perfect time to pull out their baby first walking shoes. Something about watching those wobbly steps on soft grass under a blue sky makes your heart ache in the best kind of way. You’ll never forget it—and neither will they, even if they don’t remember it with words. It becomes part of their inner library of joy.
The Basket They’ll Grow Into
Easter baskets don’t need to be packed with sugar and plastic to be meaningful. You can start small and still make it beautiful. Think of it as a time capsule your baby gets to open year after year. Maybe this year, it will hold a soft stuffed bunny, a teething ring, a cloth book, and a pair of pastel socks. Wrap it all in soft tissue paper, add a simple bow, and set it somewhere they’ll find it when they wake up.
Later on, you can build on the tradition. Add in a book you read to them every year, or a small wooden toy that becomes part of your seasonal decor. You can even write them a little note each Easter, tuck it inside, and save them all in a box to give when they’re grown. It’s not about the gift itself—it’s about the feeling of being thought of, year after year.
You could even include a family photo from that morning, print it out, and add it to a little Easter album. Over time, it becomes a visual diary of the day. You’ll be amazed how much can change between each spring.
The Sweetness of the Table
Even if your baby is too young for chocolate, the Easter table still brings everyone together. And honestly, babies love being part of it. Highchairs pulled up to the edge. Curious little fingers reaching for spoons. The hum of voices. The clink of glasses. It’s sensory magic for them. You might make something special just for them, like mashed sweet potatoes with cinnamon or a soft fruit purée served in a tiny bowl. Even better if they can join in with hands and spoon and make a delightful mess of it.
Some families set a place just for the baby with a little felt bunny or personalized napkin. It might seem over-the-top, but in the middle of it all, you’ll see the spark in their eyes when they realize this moment is for them, too. And when you think back later, you’ll remember the tiny smile on their face while everyone cheered them on for taking a bite.
This is also where chocolate shapes traditions—quite literally. Whether you grew up with hollow chocolate bunnies, foil-wrapped eggs, or marshmallow treats, it’s often not about the treat itself but how it was presented. Maybe you grew up watching your mom pull chocolate chicks out of a wicker basket filled with shredded green paper, and now you’re recreating it for your baby—minus the sugar, at least for now. It’s the memory that lingers. The symbols might be edible, but what they really feed is tradition.
A Tradition of Storytelling
Babies love voices. They love rhythm, repetition, and the way language moves. Even if they don’t understand the story, they feel it. Reading a book on Easter morning—or any time that day—can be a powerful tradition to begin. You might choose something about springtime, baby animals, or kindness. Or maybe you read a few lines from a poem or hymn that has always meant something to your family.
You can also tell your baby stories from your own childhood Easters. They may not grasp the details, but your voice will wrap around them like a blanket. Talk about the year it rained, and everyone hunted eggs inside. Talk about your grandma’s lemon cake. Talk about the time you found the golden egg behind the old tree. These are the roots you plant without even realizing it.
If you’re religious, this is also a quiet and lovely way to introduce your baby to your faith. You don’t have to make it a big moment. Just hold them close and speak the words you want them to carry with them. Let it feel safe, warm, and steady.
One Simple Keepsake
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the idea of starting traditions. You don’t need to create a Pinterest-perfect holiday. In fact, some of the strongest traditions are the ones that grow naturally. But if you’re looking for a sweet way to mark the occasion, consider making just one keepsake each year.
You could press their handprint into a piece of air-dry clay or make a footprint bunny out of paint and cardstock. You could write them a letter on Easter morning or start a scrapbook with one page for each year. These are the kinds of things that feel small when you do them, but carry weight over time. Years later, you’ll pull them out and remember exactly how tiny those hands were, and how new everything felt.
The keepsake doesn’t have to be fancy. It just needs to hold a memory. Even something as simple as the outfit they wore or a flower pressed between the pages of your journal can carry meaning. What matters most is the care behind it.
Hold On to the Feeling
There’s no right way to do Easter with a baby. Some years you’ll bake. Some years you’ll order takeout and be glad for it. Some years you’ll forget to hide the basket until the last minute. It doesn’t matter. What stays with your baby—and with you—is the feeling you build together.
That warm, sleepy Easter morning. That tiny basket in their lap. That first step on soft grass in their first walking shoes. The laughter around the table. The story you whispered before nap time. These are the pieces that build a tradition. Not because they’re planned, but because they’re lived.
And as your baby grows, you’ll both carry those early moments with you—quiet, joyful, and full of love. That’s the kind of Easter that lasts.
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