How to Color Easter Eggs with a Toddler

Nothing is more exciting than doing something for the first time with your kiddo. All the build up...all the expectation... All the planning... It's one of the things that parents live for...

Until it goes the 100% opposite of how you pictured it... At that point you can either laugh about it and create some priceless memories, or you can let it frustrate you and ruin the experience.

To be honest, I've done both of those things. Although I try my best, sometimes my hopes and expectations get the best of me, and I often feel like I "ruin" the moment by being frustrated by it.

With that in mind, I decided to try out Easter eggs with my toddler... I promised myself I'd have realistic expectations, and based on my social media photos, you'd think it played out perfectly..

(^^Insert cheesy staged social media photo here^^)

Let's all take a moment to laugh at this...

Overall, I would say it was a success, but there was no shortage of chaos...

Here are my tips!

1. Don't

DON'T DO IT. I REPEAT, DON'T DO IT. If you know that your stress, anxiety, and expectation can't be overcome, don't bother. It's just more trouble than it's worth if you know you can't make the best of chaotic experiences. Don't take it too seriously, and you're sure to have a blast!

2. Pick a simple egg dying kit

Let's be real, our kids aren't Picasso. Don't go for a top of the line, all the bells and whistles, egg coloring kit. Get a cheap and simple box of dye and call it a day. That way, when your kid goes psycho (it's highly likely) and destroys all the eggs and dumps all the dye, there's no harm, no foul. We can't all be Pinterest Moms. As hard as I try to be, I know when to accept failure, and when to recognize that I'm out of my element. You can't go wrong if you start simple.

3. Be prepared for the mess

This seems like a given, but never make the mistake of underestimating the creativity of a toddler hell bent on demolition. My child tried to eat the eggs (shell included), crack the eggs, dump the dye, drink the dye, put the dye on my face, put the dye on her face, and feed our dog an egg. All that chaos literally occurred in the span of like 15 minutes, if that. If you go into it expecting anarchy, you're well on your way to foiling your kiddo's evil plan.

4. Be prepared for your kiddo's reaction

I don't know about yours, but my kiddo is impossible to read. I never know what I'm going to get from my toddler. Maybe I'll get my sweet little princess, maybe I'll get the demon spawn of Satan. I literally never know. So going into coloring eggs, I prepared myself for it to go either way. Love it or hate it, I was determined to make the best of it. I just so happened to get lucky that my kiddo loved it! Seeing the eggs turn colors made her so happy!

5. Don't have high expectations

At the end of the day, the best way to survive any situation with a toddler is to set realistic expectations. Don't expect your kiddo to sit perfectly and patiently as the egg sits in the dye. Unless your child is an alien from outer space, that is HIGHLY unlikely... Expect chaos, appreciate chaos... You might not laugh about it in the moment, but more than likely you'll eventually look back and laugh.

After all, that's what Motherhood, and parenting in general, for that matter, is all about, right?