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For the Reader Mom
Lamicall Gooseneck iPad Holder
For the Pool-Loving Mom
Mission Outdoor Cassi Beach Tote
For the TV-Loving Mom
Dad Brand Exec Producer Hat
For the Tired Mom
TP-Link Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini (TP15)
Moms are people, too. They love their kids but also have plenty of their own hobbies (cooking! running! gaming!), and they deserve gifts that honor them as people, not just as parents. Gifts for Mom shouldn’t be about giving her a vacuum or anything related to the stereotypical cleaning tasks of parenthood—a perfect gift for your mom will show you know how she likes to spend the rest of her hours in a day when she isn’t parenting.
This guide has the best gift ideas around for all kinds of moms and the activities they might love, whether it’s a holiday like Mother’s Day or Christmas, or you’re in a need of a fun birthday gift for your mom—or, God forbid, your mother-in-law. (Unless your mother-in-law is great! In which case, mazel tov!)
Looking for mom gear to help your favorite mama out? We have guides on everything from breast pumps and strollers to the best baby gear for that first year. Don’t forget to check out our guides for coffee lovers, working from home, and being constantly cold if you’re looking for something a little more specific.
Updated August 2024: We’ve added the Mission Outdoor Cassi Beach Tote, the 7AM Enfant Stroller Organizer, and the Calpak Terra 35L Tote to this guide.
Adrienne So and other members of the Gear team contributed to this guide.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
For the Reader Mom
Lamicall Gooseneck iPad Holder
Everyone in my family knows I’m a reader, but I already own a Kindle. Beyond a gift card (which still makes a great gift!) it’s hard to know what else to buy the digital reader, since they don’t need bookmarks or a new hardback. But I found the perfect gift: a Kindle holder.
Technically, it’s a tablet holder, but this handy gadget does a great job with a Kindle too. Now instead of straining my Mommy’s Wrist cysts, my Kindle floats over my head while I read and my hands and wrists get a break. Reading has become all the more relaxing–all I’m missing is a page turner and I won’t even have to move! Someone tell my husband I dropped a hint. I liked the clamp style that I could hook onto my bedframe or side tables, but if your mom has delicate furniture, you can go with the floor stand ($70) version.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
For the Pool-Loving Mom
Mission Outdoor Cassi Beach Tote
When I started hunting for a great pool or beach bag for the summer, the one that popped up consistently was the plastic Bogg Bag ($90). It looks like the Crocs of bags, and while I do love my Mega Crush Crocs, I couldn’t bring myself to buy the bag.
Instead, I found Mission Outdoor’s Cassi Beach Tote. It turns out the bag was actually inspired by the Bogg Bag, though you can’t tell when you look at the designs side by side. A Mission Gear employee bought the Bogg, got frustrated with it, and asked for Mission Gear to create a bag that had the upsides—super durable! waterproof! easy to clean!—but fix how bulky and heavy the Bogg is. The Cassi Beach Tote delivers on all of these. It has a pocket for my phone, a clip for my keys, a drink holder big enough for my largest tumbler, and the deep but slim-ish bag is a great size to throw in a couple towels, a couple dry bags of clothes and diapers, and the multiple sunscreens I always carry. I could easily throw a book and Kindle in here, too, which I’ll be doing as soon as my kid is old enough. The strap is thin but sturdy, and is long enough to comfortably throw over my shoulder and walk around with. It’s truly perfect for any mom’s pool day, whether or not the kids are in tow, and solid for beach day essentials too.
★ A compact towel: Mission Gear also makes Tuko Beach Towels ($69 for four), which come with a strap and instructions to wrap them up nice and small, making them super easy to fit in this beach bag or any pool bag you’re using.
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Photograph: Dad Brand Apparel
For the TV-Loving Mom
Dad Brand Exec Producer Hat
If the deep double chime of Law & Order is constantly playing in the halls of your mom’s home, she needs this hat. I bought it for my best friend a few years ago, and she’s still wearing it everywhere—I watched three people compliment it in one week (though one of them was me). Dad Brand also makes hats for our fellow Sopranos–, Succession-, and White Lotus-loving moms. A hat that simply states Your Mom will also work if she prefers straight facts over great TV.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
For the Tired Mom
TP-Link Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini (TP15)
If your mom looks exhausted—and maybe a little exasperated—at the prospect of hunting down all the light switches in her house at the end of each day, get her a couple smart plugs. She can plug in things like lamps and TVs to automatically switch them off at a certain time, or choose to switch them off (or on!) manually whenever she likes in the app. If you want to make her life extra convenient, make her a little smart home gift basket with a couple smart plugs, a smart speaker she can voice control, and a voucher that promises you’ll set it all up for her.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
For the Nerdy Mom
Crow & Crown D&D Character Journal
If your mom loves to roll dice and watch Critical Role, do I have the gift for her. One of my most precious and unique gifts I’ve gotten in recent years were these gorgeous gaming journals from Crow & Crown. They’re designed to replace your character sheet in Dungeons & Dragons, taking a frankly hideous piece of paper and turning it into a much easier to use (and much prettier to look at!) little journal for any role-player mom to track her character’s abilities and supplies. There’s also a dot journal ($9) if she prefers a more free-form space, and a Bag of Holding Tote ($20) that is just begging to be gifted.
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Photograph: Art of Tea
For the Tea-Loving Mom
Art of Tea Colored Glass Tea Cup
Does your mom have a teacup collection like my mother and I do? Or does she love clear, chic glassware? Art of Tea’s glass teacups are my new go-to for my daily cup of tea. They’re beautiful to look at and comfortable to hold, and they hold just the right amount of tea for a well-brewed cup. (And they’re dishwasher safe!) If you think she already has too many teacups, Art of Tea’s Iced Tea Bundle Kit ($37) lets her brew delicious iced tea in a container worth putting on the tea table.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
For the Stroller Era Mom
7AM Enfant Stroller Organizer
After testing dozens of strollers, I’m shocked to tell you that many of them do not come with cup holders. Or the ones that do can’t handle my big dumb cup. If you know a mom in her stroller era—aka her kid is anywhere from newborn to around 5 years old, so they fit into a stroller—get her this fantastic universal stroller organizer. I’ve used it on everything from travel strollers to the ever-popular Uppababy Vista V2, and it really is universal to strap on with the Velcro straps and start strolling. It’s big enough to fit two dumb cups, or in my case, usually one big dumb cup for mom and one kiddo water bottle. The purse-like straps also make it easy to carry around off the stroller, so the mom you gift it to (or yourself, I don’t judge) can bring it inside to load it up, and carry it out with it around her wrist so she’s semi hands-free getting out the door. My favorite fluffy checkered print version ($65) is a little more expensive than the others, but it’s worth it for the style statement. The other base colors are still great options too.
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Photograph: Birthdate Co.
For the Astrology Mom
Birthdate Candles
I love Birthdate Co.’s candles so much that I got one for each of my friends. Each one has a custom scent designed for that day of the year and includes various birth-date knowledge on the label, including astrology details, which makes for a great personalized gift. You can gift her her own birthday or her baby’s birthday (or both!) so she can commemorate two of the most important days of her life and geek out on the fun information the candle has for that day of the year.
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Photograph: Amazon
For the Hydrated Mom
Owala 40-Ounce Tumbler
If you’re worried about lead in your mom’s Stanley cup, replace it with one of our favorite reusable water bottles, the Owala Tumbler. It can do everything the popular Stanley can, without any lead in its manufacturing process. It’ll keep Mom’s water cold all day and fits into most cupholders and even some stroller organizers. You can drink with the straw or use the chug spout in the lid. Owala is constantly dropping fun, limited-edition colors, so keep an eye out for special colorways your mom will love. If she’d prefer a true reusable water bottle with no straw, Owala’s FreeSip ($38) is another fantastic, colorful option. You can even get kiddo a matching one ($23).
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Photograph: Amazon
JWPC Bulldog Bowl
I don’t have a dog, but these gorgeous dog bowls from our dog accessories guide make me want one. This elevated bowl is a good choice for dogs without a ton of neck, like a bulldog, but they’re also beautiful to look at and would be a great fit in my kitchen. I’m a cat mom (as well as a human mom), but I’m already wondering if my cat would like this as much as a dog would. I’d certainly rather look at this in my kitchen than the bowl we have right now.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
For the Gear-Toting Mom
Calpak Terra 35L Tote
Is your mom always looking for a better bag to fit all her gear in? Whether it’s enough stuff to get her and her toddler though a long day out of the house, or all her favorite outdoor gear (catch me with our rock climbing gear), the Calpak Terra 35L Tote can get the job done. It’s got it all: plenty of pockets on the inside and out, a flat bottom that’s big enough to fit a large snackle box, zippered top with clips so you can roll and secure it open, durable material that stands upright on its own, and it’s waterproof. I loved using this bag to bring everything I needed for a day at an amusement/water park with my 2-year-old, from a day’s worth of snacks and diapers to three people’s worth of towels and swim essentials. It’s a bag I’ll be using for almost anything that involves me and more than three pieces of gear leaving the house. Plus, the straps are nice and comfy.
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Photograph: Cyrill
For the No-Pockets Mom
Cyrill Classic Charm Mag Case
This phone case is both cute and useful if your mom tends to never have enough pockets (as is often an issue with women’s clothes). We love it for iPhone 14 owners like myself. The case comes with two strap lengths, crossbody and wristlet, that are easy to switch out. I’ve found the wristlet length to be perfect for quickly grabbing my phone when I’m off to chase my toddler down the hall or to keep my phone handy when I’m wearing a pocket-free outfit. You never know when day care might call, after all. Plus, it looks nice and gets plenty of compliments, and most folks assume it’s a regular wristlet when they see it dangling from my arm.
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Photograph: Chipolo
For the Scatterbrained Mom
Chipolo Card Spot
Is her wallet missing again? Or her keys? Get Mom a Chipolo Bluetooth tracker. Chipolo makes three different series, in two different form factors, that work with different operating systems. The One ($25) works with Chipolo’s app, the Point ($28) works with Google Find My, and the Spot works with Apple Find My. I get instant alerts when my phone notices I left it behind somewhere that isn’t my house. which is a little more versatile; the small, round tracker has a hole so you can clip it to your keys or even a backpack. Now she can find everything—as long as she can find her phone, of course.
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Photograph: Quince
For the Self-Care Mom
Quince Silk Mulberry Pillowcase
Self care means a lot of things. Skincare is a big category, but you shouldn’t casually buy someone moisturizer or lotions since you likely won’t buy the right item for their skin (and if I never see another Victoria’s Secret soap and lotion gift set, it will be too soon).
You can still gift her something with self care and skincare in mind, though. A silk pillowcase can help your mom care for her beautiful skin while she sleeps at night, since silk sheets have moisturizing benefits for skin and hair. The Quince pillowcases are my favorite after testing several since they’re high-quality and the best weight (read more on that in our sheets guide) that you can get for the price, and have a zipper enclosure to keep your pillow inside. Plus, they come in a ton of colors, so you can make sure to match Mom’s favorite sheet set.
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Photograph: Ryan Waniata
For the Overstimulated Mom
Anker Soundcore Space A40
Being a mom is noisy. Kids are loud, everyone wants your help, someone is always touching you, and there is always something sticky. If your mom needs to unplug and recharge, the Space A40 earbuds from Anker (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are a great noise-canceling set of earbuds to gift her that won’t break the budget. She’ll get all the features of a nicer set of earbuds and finally get a little peace and quiet. Or you could just get her a set of earplugs.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
For the Hyper-Organized Mom
Plum Paper A5 Planner
Paper planners are great, and Plum Paper’s has been fun for me to use as a mom because I can customize it and add a section for just my son to each day. I like writing in things like if I’m on pickup duty or when his appointments are, and it’s nice seeing it separated from the rest of my to-do’s and tasks. There’s also lots of baby-themed add-ons, from extra pages to stickers, along with other themed pages like cleaning lists, meal planning, shopping, and exercise tracking, so you can balance organizing family tasks along with personal interests.
To make it, choose the A5 Planner with the Vertical Priorities layout, and you’ll need to add on the $6 customization. There’s a lot you can customize there, but you might want to leave everything blank except writing in her kiddo’s name in one of the two daily sections. For my planner, I wrote my son’s name for one section and Top To-Do’s for the other, but I wish I had labeled it with meetings or appointments.
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Photograph: Papier
For the Chef Mom
Papier Recipe Journal
While I like that smart displays can show me online recipes, some of my favorite recipes are handed down by word of mouth or family members, or my husband and I have edited them for our own perfect version. If your mom has her own special recipes, get her a beautiful recipe book from Papier where she can write them all down. These recipe books are well-made and lovely to look at, and something she can treasure as a keepsake and use for years to come. I have one for my own recipes that I’m slowly filling in.
Or, if your mom has various sheets of paper that hold her recipes (cut-out magazine pages! Recipes my dead grandmother wrote down! Weird notecards!) and isn’t likely to rewrite her recipes, get her an organizer to keep them all in. I got this one ($22) for my parents and am so happy to see all their battered pieces of paper stored safely to use.
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Photograph: Amazon
For the Bath Bomb Mom
Aquala Bathtub Caddy
I love bubble baths to relax, but unlike my kid, I need more than just a field of bubbles or a colorful bath bomb to keep me entertained. The Aquala’s Bathtub Caddy is my favorite bath tray I’ve ever tried. I can balance a Kindle or book, glass of wine, and a candle on it. It’s easy to adjust to any bath size with the adjustable arms, and the wire arms make it both compact to store and easy to move in or out of the bath without worry of smacking myself in the face with a giant all-wood tray. It’s sleek enough to leave out as some casual home decor too. Just make sure Mom’s tub has at least a half-inch lip on both sides where the tray can balance.
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Photograph: Popflex Active
For the Cool Mom
Popflex Cloud Hoodie
You know those cool girls who wear a hoodie and it falls perfectly over a shoulder and manages to be fun and oversize without drowning them in fabric? I found the hoodie behind it: the Popflex Cloud Hoodie. It’s oversize, but the bottom of the hoodie still scrunches up to sit at my natural waist, keeping the oversize fit to my upper body instead of making me look like a walking marshmallow. The hood is massive—I feel like a Jedi when I wear it. It’s soft inside and has a nice weight to the fabric without being overheated and heavy, and it always falls off one shoulder to make me look way more calm and casual than I ever feel when trying to wrangle my child. The Cloud Hoodie comes in hybrid sizes (e.g., M/L instead of medium or large) and I chose the small/medium for my petite, medium-size upper body, and it fits great. It comes in a ton of colors too, so you can pick Mom’s favorite specific shade of cool-toned wheat, or dress her in bubblegum pink.
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Photograph: Joby
For the Photographer Mom
Joby GripTight Tripod Mount for MagSafe
When you have kids, you’re constantly taking pictures of great moments—but moms often don’t get to be in the picture, since they’re busy taking it. This is especially true if she’s a single parent or a stay-at-home mom with no one to take pictures while she and the kids hit the zoo or have a fun picnic. Maybe she’s just dying for photos with the kids and both parents that aren’t selfies. Joby’s handy little tripod is easy to pack in a bag. It can be contorted to stand level just about anywhere, and it uses MagSafe to easily slap a newer iPhone onto it. There are clamps for additional security or if you have a different kind of smartphone (or an iPhone older than the 12).
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Photograph: Calpak Travel
For the Travel Mom
Calpak Clear Cosmetics Cases
Calpak’s clear cosmetics cases have gone viral for a reason. The cases come in three sizes—small ($75), medium ($85), and large ($95)—and multiple color options for the top and edges around the clear plastic body of the cases. The small is great for a purse or a gym bag, if you needed to throw a little makeup and deodorant stick somewhere secure, or some travel-size bottles. The medium is big enough to use for everyday makeup and hair items as well as any trips your mom or mom friend might go on—I have five large hair clips, lots of makeup, and a full-size hair brush inside my medium case. The large is the size I’d buy for my own mother, because no case is ever big enough for her, whether she’s traveling or just organizing all her makeup in her bathroom drawers.
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Photograph: Prana
For the Yoga Mom
Prana Heavana Hot Spell Leggings
I’m just your average mom who loves her leggings. Prana makes some of my favorites, and the Heavana Hot Spell Leggings are my current go-to pair. The Hot Spell name is in honor of using it for hot workouts, like hot yoga. They’re super soft, and the waistband stays up and fitted without pinching my squishy post-baby middle, even after wearing the leggings for hours. I have the combo color of black with a beige stripe down the side of each leg, and the side stripe is more flattering than I expected. (Plus, the heather color goes nicely with the sand color of the Popflex hoodie. Guess what I’m wearing right now.) The only thing it’s missing? Side pockets.
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Photograph: UGG
For the Cold Mom
Ugg Tasman Slippers
If your mom is always cold, we have a lot of ideas of what to give her to keep her warm anywhere she goes. My must-have, even in sunny San Diego, is a good pair of cozy slippers. Since Uggs are back in style, grab her a pair of Uggs Tasman Slippers so she can keep her feet nice and warm. The inner lining is soft and fuzzy, and unlike some slippers, the back has higher coverage to protect the back of her heel, too. If you think she’ll still be cold, maybe grab her one of our favorite weighted blankets.
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Photograph: Bandit Running
For the Runner Mom
Bandit Long Sleeve
If your mom is a runner, she probably already knows about Bandit, the New York–based brand-slash-cult that makes high-end running apparel for people who like to run but don’t want to look like a try-hard pathetic tech dweeb in optimized neon performance apparel. Even though I am a try-hard pathetic tech dweeb, I caved and got a full Bandit kit this year. The sizes on the shorts and bra run a little small, but the long-sleeved shirt is a safer bet as it runs a little big. It’s made from silky, BPA-free micromesh that’s pretty breathable; I’ve used it in both in windy, drizzly, 50-degree weather to stay warm and in sunny, 60-degree runs to protect my arms from the sun. It also looks stylish enough that she’ll be able to stop by the local coffee shop on the way home. —Adrienne So
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Photograph: Nemo
For the Outdoorsy Mom
Nemo Equipment Helio Pressure Shower
When I think about a portable shower, I immediately lose myself in fantasy by thinking about how amazing it would be to go to the beach and rinse off my family, without sand migrating all over the car and everyone bitching about how itchy they are for the entire drive home. Several WIRED surfers already own Nemo’s version, which packs down to fit in the trunk, is easy to refill, stands on its own feet, and has an 11-liter capacity, which is enough for a 5- to 7-minute hands-free shower. It’s also black, so you can fill it and let it sit in the sun to warm up if you’re feeling very bougie, or you can rinse off dogs, paddleboards, or whatever else has gotten completely disgusting (everything. The answer is everything.) It also has a lifetime warranty. —Adrienne So
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
For the New Mom
Calpak Convertible Mini Diaper Backpack
Being a new mom means hunting for the perfect diaper bag. I tried several, ranging from hip packs to tote bags, and the Calpak’s Convertible Mini Diaper Bag is my favorite to wear and the one I recommend as a gift. It’s a nice size for my fellow petite moms who look like they’re a turtle in a standard backpack, or moms who don’t want to lose baby snacks and socks at the bottom of a massive bag. It’s big enough for 11-inch tablets and laptops and has a pass-through slot to slide it onto luggage. I’ve found myself grabbing this bag to use for almost every outing (even D&D sessions—three books and my massive bag of dice fit, no sweat) that requires something larger than a fanny pack.
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Photograph: Ember
For the Forgetful Mom
Ember 16oz Tumbler
If your mom never seems to drink her coffee before it’s cold, or always forgets that her canteen keeps her tea super hot and burns her lip, the answer is an Ember. The Ember Tumbler can keep 16 ounces of her favorite drink heated to the perfect temperature for about two hours without getting cold or burning her tongue for the day. It charges on a cute little saucer she can place in the kitchen or on her desk. I love taking the Tumbler for gym visits, morning walks, and commutes to enjoy a perfect mug of tea the entire time I’m out.
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Photograph: Aura Frames
For the Grandmom
Aura Walden 15-Inch Frame
If it feels like Grandma already has everything she needs, get her the Aura Walden digital photo frame. You can update the photos from afar with all the latest pictures of her favorite grandbabies, so she doesn’t have to lift a finger to enjoy them. Aura makes several digital photo frames, but I liked using the Walden because the 15-inch screen makes it easy to enjoy the photos from across a large room, or if your eyesight isn’t what it used to be. It’s also thinner than other digital photo frames, and comes with the option to wall mount it or place it on a tabletop. It’s also a thoughtful gift for a mom just as much as grandma, especially if that mom has a large central room she’ll be squinting across to see the frame.
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Photograph: Tivoli Audio
For the NPR Mom
Tivoli Audio Pal BT Radio
Growing up, I remember my mom playing NPR while she was in the kitchen or in the car driving me to school. My grandma did something similar, playing her local radio stations while she cooked. There’s lots of great radios to choose from, but what I love about Tivoli’s Pal BT radio (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is that Mom can either use it as a Bluetooth speaker for her latest playlist or just switch on the radio when she doesn’t want to overthink it. Plus, it’s fun and colorful! And portable, so she can move it around to wherever she is in the house to jam to her favorite radio station or talk hosts.
