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A New Pair of Headphones
Creative Aurvana Ace 2
A Chocolate Bouquet
Bokksu Chocolate Bouquet
An Analog Planning System
UG Monk Analog Starter Kit
A Changing Robe for Everything
Dryrobe Advance Long Sleeve
SPEAKING AS A mom myself, I know that the best gift you can give your mother is you. If you can swing it, you should make it point of seeing her on Mother’s Day. If you think you’d like to bring her a gift, now is the time to start thinking about it, because Mother’s Day is approaching on May 12, 2024. Scrambling for ideas? We’ve got gift recommendations below.
Your mom may be the person who loves you the most in the world, but she probably has a lot of other things going on, like traveling for work, working out, or hanging out with friends. I consulted other WIRED parents for their favorite picks. These are our best Mother’s Day gift ideas to help moms work from home, annotate their books, or dip into the world of gaming in their downtime. While you’re at it, check out our many other buying guides, like the Best Gift Ideas for New Parents, Best Kid Podcasts, or the Best Kid Tablets.
Updated May 2024: We added new picks, including the James Randolph Cache, the Free Fly Breeze skort, and more.
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Photograph: Creative
A New Pair of Headphones
Creative Aurvana Ace 2
If you’re reading WIRED, you are probably nerdy. And it is very possible that you, like me, are this way because your nerdy mom watched Star Trek and The X-Files with you as a kid. (Thanks, Mom!) If that’s the case, then you are going to thrill and delight her with the first pair of earbuds that have solid-state drivers (9/10, WIRED Recommends). They look insanely cool and don’t cost $500. They have ground-breaking tech, and she gets to spend all morning listening to you explain it all to her.
Creative’s xMems drivers use piezoelectric effect, rather than the dynamic pistons that earbuds normally use (though they do have a pair of dynamic drivers that act as subwoofers, too). That lets them reproduce a much wider range of frequencies much faster, which means more clarity and depth, and shockingly awesome bass. Cowboy Carter will sound so much better. Moms love Beyoncé. (Play “Protector” on Mother’s Day and see if she doesn’t cry!) If these are a little out of your budget, JLab makes the cutest, tiniest earbuds in the most fun, bright colors that your mom can also pop on your keychain to listen to a podcast while she’s waiting in line at the pharmacy.
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Photograph: Adrienne So
A Chocolate Bouquet
Bokksu Chocolate Bouquet
Bokksu is a company that focuses solely on bringing Japanese goodies back to hungry people in the United States. The company makes one of our favorite snack boxes, so of course we had to try these adorable chocolate bouquets from Bokksu. Reviewer Nena Farrell notes that they are sweet without being too sweet. The 10-pack comes with three flavors—vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry— each with chocolate flower, a matcha-chocolate leaf, and a cone to hold it all together. It looks a bit like a flower ice cream cone, miniaturized.
If your mom is also weirdly fascinated by the pineberry trend but not too stoked on the idea of biting into an albino fruit, Bokksu also makes a White Strawberry ($32) box with 12 freeze-dried strawberries that have white chocolate infused inside. It’s so good! More fruity sweet than chocolatey sweet, if that’s more her speed.
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Photograph: Ugmonk
An Analog Planning System
UG Monk Analog Starter Kit
If your mom is anything like me, her life is delicately arranged between her work and personal Google Calendars that each have several kid calendars, 10 different messaging apps, the Notes app, and her paper planner. (And then, of course, a journal to remind herself that she did get stuff done, even though it feels like she didn’t do anything, so why is she exhausted?)
That’s why I was immediately drawn to reviewer Scott Gilbertson’s Ugmonk Analog Starter Kit (9/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s a beautifully crafted wooden index card holder, with color-coded, preprinted index cards. Every morning, she can sit serenely at a beautiful, ceremonial object and plot out her day in a meditative, analog fashion. This will help her focus her attention and let her get things done, rather than sitting down at her computer, immediately getting bombarded by hundreds of emails and Slack messages, then shorting out and shopping for black tights for her daughter’s Irish dance class for an hour. What was I saying? Oh yes, this is for your mom, not me.
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Photograph: Dryrobe
A Changing Robe for Everything
Dryrobe Advance Long Sleeve
The biggest misconception about changing robes is that you only need them when you’re going into, or out of, cold water. A giant, warm, fleecy robe that fits over whatever you’re wearing (or not wearing), has a weatherproof exterior, and has deep internal and external zip pockets? And a big hood? Sign me up! In addition to outdoor adventures, I also wear one around the house while I’m working, when walking the dog, and when I’m playing video games on the couch at night.
Dryrobe was founded by British surfer Gideon Bright and offers a variety of robes in a bunch of bright colors and sizes, for both adults and kids. The synthetic lambswool interior feels the heaviest and the most premium of the robes we tested. The only downside of presenting your mom with one of these is that you will then have to buy one for everyone else in your family.
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Photograph: Adrienne So
The Best Work Bag
Tom Bihn Nomad Tote
We have yet to add this to our guide to the Best Laptop Totes, but I can’t wait any longer. I have tried several tote bags to get me away from my trusty backpacks, and this is the first one that I’ve started to reach for automatically. It’s made by Tom Bihn, which sews and designs all its bags in Seattle, so all the components are top of the line—for example, the bomber coil zippers (rather than toothed zippers) don’t tear at my knuckles when I rummage through the pockets, and the nylon is bluesign-certified, which guarantees the safe use of textiles at the manufacturer as well as the removal of known hazardous chemicals.
The handles are slim but reinforced, long enough for me to comfortably tuck the bag under my shoulder but not thin enough to cut into my skin. It has a bit of structure so I can organize the interior, and at 17 inches wide it’s big enough for a 13-inch laptop, a little carryall pouch for my lip balms and hand sanitizer, a few water bottles, and you know, all the different random mom necessities, like a Kindle and a half-empty bag of tortilla chips. There’s also a luggage pass-through so you can put it on top of your carry-on.
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A Beautiful Pen
Baronfig Squire Rollerball Pen
I am cheating a little bit here when I say that every year, my husband and kids get me a new Baronfig pen for Mother’s Day. (I am predictably easy to please.) I am a pen addict who loves going to stationery stores, but so far I have yet to find a pen that I like more than this one. It comes in a variety of beautiful colors, and sometimes there are special editions. It feels pleasingly heavy in the hand. The ink rolls smoothly and doesn’t bleed through the pages of my Hobonichi Techo, and it’s small and smooth enough to fit in the pen pockets of my Tom Bihn bag. It’s refillable and the the cap threads smoothly to exchange cartridges. My first one is five years old now and still going strong. My colleague Parker Hall loves a Lamy pen.
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Photograph: Nintendo
More Joy-Cons
Nintendo Joy-Cons
Every mom I know owns a Nintendo Switch. It’s cute, affordable, and the best platform for playing all her cozy games. Now that my kids are older, I have no greater joy in the world than being able to sit down after dinner and play a half-hour of Mario Party or Super Mario Wonder with my kids. If your mom is similar, she probably needs more Joy-Cons because y’all keep breaking hers. I especially like getting sets in different colors. (No one can touch the pastel purple one. That’s Mommy’s.) For more co-op Switch ideas, check out our guide to the Best Nintendo Switch Games.
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Photograph: Amazon
A Fascinating, Challenging Book
Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World
I have made this mistake before, but do not buy your mom a book about motherhood. If you’re old enough to read this, your mom is also old enough to be an expert at mothering (you) and you should probably get her a book on something else she likes, like photography or fishing.
On our list of the best tech books for gifting, the one that all my friends recommend is Naomi Klein’s take on how she dropped into an alternate universe when she started getting mistaken online for her namesake, Naomi Wolf. To be clear: Naomi Klein is a climate journalist, and Naomi Wolf used to be a feminist but is now a Covid truther. Especially in an election year, it is timely and important to read about social media and the spread of misinformation online.
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Photograph: Cliffset
A Travel Utensil Set
Cliffset Silverware Starter Pack
Probably the most mom-like thing that I do is save all the napkins, tiny packets of soy sauce, and plastic-wrapped utensil packages from every random takeout order and pack them in my lunch or purse when I pack myself a lunch. Two years after reading reviewer Scott Gilbertson’s rave on the Cliffset portable dining set, I finally bought myself one. Wow, it is really an upgrade. (Also, I finally ran out of hoarded ones.)
Yes, I could’ve taken one of the camping sporks out of our kit, but that virtually guarantees that it won’t be in the bin the next time we pack our car for a trip. Cliffset’s utensils come in a zippered holder so that my fork doesn’t come in contact with anything else that might be in my bag. It also includes a cleaning system, which consists of a small spray bottle of cleaning solution; a scraping tool; and a wipe so you can clean right after you eat and pack it away again. It’s so efficient and I’m not terrified to open the case and discover that I’ve left yogurt rotting in there for two weeks. Thank you, Cliffset.
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Photograph: Simon Hill
A Small Outdoor Camera
TP-Link Tapo C425 (Battery)
Does your mom get a little bit nervous about not being able to see that little strip of side yard? TP-Link’s outdoor security camera is surprisingly affordable and comes with an option to be bundled with a solar panel. It has a magnetic base that makes it easier to take off and recharge. The app is solid and there’s a built-in spotlight to scare away anyone or anything who might be lurking by the garbage bin. We have a few other, and some much nicer-looking, options in our guide to the Best Outdoor Security Cameras.
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Photograph: Apple
A Tiny Tablet
Apple iPad Mini (2021, 6th Gen)
Your working mom probably already has a desktop and a laptop; what she doesn’t have is a delightfully smol iPad Mini (8/10, WIRED Recommends) to rewatch all of the Lord of the Rings movies while washing dishes or traveling for work. The updated slate packs Apple’s latest processor, a Touch ID button on the edge, a bigger display, and an upgraded camera complete with Center Stage—which helps keep Mom in the frame during FaceTime calls. With support for the second-generation Apple Pencil and Smart Folio case (both sold separately), Mom can replace her notepad, ebook reader, and TV with this petite and portable tablet.
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Photograph: Twelve South
A Floating iPad Stand
Twelve South HoverBar Duo 2.0
OK, now you’ve gotten her an iPad Mini. But you don’t want to add trouble to her life as she figures out where and how to prop it up without craning her neck at weird angles.
Twelve South’s newest Duo has both a clamp and a stand. She can clamp the iPad to her nightstand to catch a few episodes of Wallander as she’s going to bed. But then she can remove the stand and place that in the kitchen when she’s cooking and slot the iPad into whichever holder she wants. Or attach them together! There’s even an included hex key to tighten it up if the hinges start feeling loose. For more, check out our Best iPad Accessories guide.
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Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
A Good Photo Printer
Fujifilm Instax Link Wide Printer
I love instant cameras and I have bought several for my family to use at different events (like Mother’s Day). But truthfully, it’s just easier to take pictures with my phone and print them out later on a smartphone camera printer much more often. I personally own the HP Sprocket ($72), but Gilbertson recommends the Instax Link Wide in our guide to the Best Instax Cameras. The images on the Link Wide are slightly bigger than the Sprocket. You can also do fun things in the app like add multiple images in a collage, add hearts or glitter, or even add a QR code so that someone with a phone can check out your social media. There are also 1,600 in-app stickers that you can paste on top of your images, which both moms and kids will love.
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Photograph: Hario
A Simple Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Mizudashi Cold Brew Maker
Summer is coming up, and nothing hits better in the hot heat than a tall, icy glass of homemade cold brew coffee. This is our favorite cold brew coffee maker because it’s easy to use and looks elegant and understated in the fridge. It also makes the perfect amount of coffee for one person (600 ml). Hario is a Japanese manufacturer known for its affordable, quality glassware, and that history really shows with this carafe.
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Photograph: REI
The Best Skort
Free Fly Breeze Skort
I have declared this summer the Summer of Skorts (SoS). The skort is the perfect garment for working on your lawn, playing with your kids, biking to the pool, or any other active summer pastime, while still adding a bit of flirty flare to your outfit. When consulted, the women of WIRED had many favorite skorts, which included the Girlfriend Collective Ultralight Skort ($62), the Pact Pocket skort ($38), and the humble Target skort ($15). However, my favorite right now is this Free Fly version. It’s made from UPF 50+ fabric and the liner is made from 68 percent bamboo viscose, which makes it incredibly soft and light. It fits true to size and the 15-inch length is a bit longer than some of our other picks if the mother in your life needs a little more coverage.
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Photograph: Arc’teryx
The Best Waist Pack
Arc’teryx Mantis 2
If your mom is on TikTok, she’s probably already heard of the viral Lululemon Everywhere bag or the Uniqlo mini shoulder bag—comfortable, relatively affordable bags she can sling around her shoulder or cinch around her waist. They’re big enough for a wallet, phone, and a couple of lip balms, plus durable enough to take anywhere.
Those bags are fine and all, but after years, I’m still using the Arc’teryx Mantis 2. It’s made from 100 percent recycled nylon, with a slim profile I can tuck under my arm, and a padded slot on the back for your cell phone (you can see me wearing it here). It’s big enough to fit my Kindle and even a small water bottle without feeling bulky, and it packs down small enough to fit in a carry-on when I’m traveling. It also comes in a wide variety of fun colorways. For more picks, check out our Best Recycled Bags guide.
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Photograph: Nimble
An Eco-Friendly Portable Charger
Nimble Champ
Whenever my mom visits, she immediately rustles through my electronics cabinet to steal cords and power banks she forgot to bring. This is a great passive-aggressive gift if she doesn’t already have her own. When he was testing for our Best Portable Chargers guide, WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson noted that the more environmentally friendly Nimble charger has enough power to keep a phone topped up a few times.
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Photograph: Amazon
A Delightful Beverage
Thomson & Scott Noughty
There are a lot of reasons why Mom might not be drinking. Maybe she’s a mom-to-be; maybe she’s sober; or maybe she’s an embarrassing lightweight like I am, and doesn’t want a hangover in two hours (brunch cocktails exist to ruin my day). No matter the reason, Thompson & Scott Noughty’s nonalcoholic wines are some of the best to gift her for worry-free bubbles. It’s a dealcoholized wine, meaning it’s made from grapes like your usual wines, and then the alcohol is removed after. Noughty’s wines are still fantastic without adding a ton of sugar, which many dealcoholized wines do to replace the alcohol. I fell in love with the sparkling rosé and chardonnay while pregnant, and the rogue is the closest thing you’ll find to “real” nonalcoholic red wine. I’m still always excited to have a bottle even though I’ve long since given birth. —Nena Farrell
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A Little Container
James Brand Randolph Cache
The James Brand makes all sorts of tiny, beautiful, useful things that your mom will find handy to have around. Right now, my favorite item is the titanium Randolph cache, which fits right on your keychain. The threading on the screw-top cap is smooth and there’s a gasket to seal it and make it water-resistant. Yes, it fits the item that you think it would fit, but it also works for just a little bit of Lactaid, ibuprofen or antihistamines—anything that it would be really uncomfortable or inconvenient for your mom to go without. Just one cautionary note: Tiny reusable earplugs fit, but the regular disposable foam ones don’t.
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Photograph: Oura
A Discreet, Attractive Fitness Tracker
Oura Ring Horizon
Even though the Oura ring has been out since 2015, this is the first year it seems to have gone viral. I attribute this to the fact that in comparison to the premium plans that other fitness trackers have rolled out recently, a $6/month membership no longer seems absurd. You can also pick the finish and it leaves your wrist free for another timepiece of your choice.
The Oura covers all the bases, including your daily activity goal with calorie burn goals, daytime stress, sleep, and a daily readiness score that takes into account your resting heart rate, HRV balance, and body temperature. A recent (small) study in Sleep Health also found that across six fitness trackers, it was the most accurate at tracking sleep. You’ll just have to first get your mom’s ring size sneakily (ask your dad, or send her the sizing kit).
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Photograph: Yeti
Tiny Stacking Cups
Yeti 6-oz Stackable Cups
Here at WIRED, we have a certain fondness for tiny cups. Water bottles aside, no one needs to chug 32 ounces of whiskey or hot chocolate. Yeti’s tiny stacking mugs come in a minute 4-ounce size, or a 6-ounce size with a handle. It’s perfect for sipping a tiny cortado in the morning, rinsing out, and finishing off with a little splash of whiskey at night. They come in a wide array of colors and have a ceramic lining so that the taste of whatever you’re drinking isn’t affected, and they’re dishwasher-safe. And if your mom is also a lightweight who can’t finish a 6-ounce pour in one go, the 6-ounce size is also compatible with the small MagSlider lid ($10).
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Photograph: Bont
Something For Her Hobby
Bont Glow Light Up Skate Wheels
Roald Dahl once wrote that every parent has a secret or two that would make their child gasp if they knew it. Unfortunately, my child already knows mine, which is that I love to roller skate after dark. Your mom probably also has a hobby that reminds her that she was a whole, complete person before she devoted her life to coring your strawberries. Get her something small, like these light-up skate wheels, to show her that you’ve been paying attention.
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Photograph: Belkin
Use Your Phone as a Webcam
Belkin iPhone Mount With MagSafe for MacBooks
Are you tired of peering at your mom through a grainy laptop camera? Now macOS Ventura and iOS 16 have a feature called Continuity Camera that lets you use your phone’s excellent cameras as a webcam. It supports everything from FaceTime to Zoom, and you can use it pretty easily with this one tiny device that magnetically sticks to the back of the iPhone. When it’s time for her to call for your weekly (or daily!) check-in, she can just pop it on the top of her MacBook. It can also be used as a phone grip or a kickstand.
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Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
A Viral Curling Iron
Beachwaver B1 Rotating Curling Iron
Yes, you can get your mother the limited edition pink Dyson Airwrap ($599), which is more doable if you have siblings to pool resources. Or you could try the Beachwaver B1 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), which went viral last year for how it easily lets you create both waves and perfect little ringlets. Reviewer Brenda Stolyar did find that it had a bit of a learning curve. But once she nailed it, all she had to do was clamp her hair, press a button, and then let it go to release a beautiful perfect curl. It eliminated all the guesswork, even if it will mean that your mom has no excuse to stay on TikTok watching tutorials anymore. If your mom has thicker or longer hair, it also comes in a version with a bigger barrel.
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Photograph: Aura Frames
A Digital Photo Frame
Aura Digital Frames
Instead of having mom keep all her favorite photos on her phone, gift her an Aura digital photo frame to display them. They’re expensive, but they have high-quality screens that look more like authentic frames than computer screens. They’re also easy to set up with a straightforward app. Reviewer Medea Giordano says her favorite model is the 10-inch Carver, which blends in well with her interior decor.
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Photograph: JackRabbit
A Tiny, Convenient Ebike
JackRabbit Bike
All around the world, there’s one common finding: Women make more transportation journeys per day than men, mostly for care or domestic purposes. If your mom, or a mom that you know, is constantly stacking her trips outside the home—for example, dropping kids off at gymnastics class and using that hour to make a quick run to the grocery store—she will probably appreciate the Jackrabbit Microbike, which saved my bupkis constantly while I was testing it. The battery isn’t particularly long-lived, and it’s not that comfortable to ride, but it’s perfect for throwing in the trunk of your car while running errands. And your mom will be a lot less likely to spill out in the middle of traffic than if you got her a Onewheel.
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Photograph: Po Campo
The Best Bike Bag
Po Campo Backpack Pannier
Electric biking is my main form of transportation around my neighborhood, but alas, I am a spouse and a parent and I now have to cart a bunch of stuff around with me everywhere I go. Po Campo is a women-owned company that makes bike bags that are both very functional and fun to look at—a rarity in the bike bag world, which veers towards the Extremely Functional end of the aesthetic spectrum.
The Bedford fits two kid bike helmets and a biggish lock. It has an integrated rain cover (very much appreciated in the Pacific Northwest!), a laptop pocket, and water bottle pockets. The magnetic clips and stretchy hook make it easy to quickly clip it on or get it off my bike rack, and the backpack straps make it easy for me to throw on and walk to the playground or library. I’m testing a version in the reflective Visi-Hemp, but it comes in a few brightly-colored patterns that are even more visible. I also like the head nods I get from other women when they see I have a Po Campo. I recently got the bright, colorful grocery pannier ($75) and can report that it’s just as useful.
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Photograph: Chatbooks
Monthly Photo Books
Chatbooks Instagram Series
Now that we all carry a camera with us everywhere, no one knows what to do with the thousands of photos taking up space in the cloud. Mom can obsessively organize them. Or she can easily put them in a picture book and automatically send ’em to grandparents. Chatbooks is a service that connects to a camera roll, Instagram, or Facebook account. When you get up to 60 pictures, the service will let you know that a book is ready. You can edit your book before it gets printed and sent out. For more photo printing services, we have a guide.
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Photograph: Simon Hill
A Board Game
The Isle of Cats
Every Christmas, my mother-in-law made the family sit down for a game of Trivial Pursuit. I didn’t like this at the time (she did not feel the need to update her game from the 1976 version, which is before I was born) but now I appreciate the tradition. I also like having an activity besides sitting around bickering. Isle of Cats is beautifully designed and ideal for cat lover moms. You have to rescue cats by luring them onto your boat with fish and fitting them on, Tetris-style. Although reviewer Simon Hill notes that the rules are a little complicated at first, it starts to make sense after a few rounds and it’s intended for ages 8 and up. For more suggestions, check out Hill’s roundup of the Best Family Board Games.
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Photograph: Mats Silvan/Getty Images
Dinner Together
A Restaurant Gift Card
As we said before, you know what your mom really wants? Learning about you, the precious love of her life whom she has watched grow from a kindergartener shouting about how he can’t tie his shoes to a fully-grown human who reads novels and has their very own checking account (unthinkable! unbelievable!). She wants to know everything about you (well, not everything), and that means spending some quality time together.
I can’t recommend a specific restaurant, but if there’s a place near where you or your mom live, where you’re comfortable sitting on a patio, eating some pizza or drinking some seltzer, she’d really appreciate it. Or if going out to eat isn’t your thing, try exploring a new park or just taking a walk together. Trust me. It’s the best.
