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Moms give the best gifts, so it stands to reason that you should get the best gifts for Mom when you're shopping for her in any scenario. That includes Mother's Day, her birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah, or any other holiday in your family's life that includes gift-giving. The holiday season is right around the corner, and I've added a few gift ideas with that time of year in mind.
If you're worried you're going to give her a disappointing gift or something she already has, fear not: I've gathered the coolest things we recommend here at WIRED that just about any mom will love. From wellness gadgets that can improve her skin to the best tote bags I've tried, and even a device that puts her digital calendar in an IRL device, moms everywhere can get a ton out of these gifts. Many of these are items I've given to my mother, or other WIRED staffers have given to theirs. Or they might be at the top of my own wish list as a mother of a 4-year-old.
Updated October 2026: I've added new gifts to this guide, including Nora Fleming stoneware, jewelry from Gorjana and BaubleBar, Rumpl’s Gametime Puffy Blanket, The Zero Proof's Pampered Pregnancy Pack, and Mina Baie's Emmy Diaper Bag, and have ensured up-to-date links and prices.
Featured Gifts
Next-Level Skin (and Scalp) Care
The must-have gadget for women of almost any age is an LED mask. These masks promise to use red light to erase wrinkles, brighten your skin, and keep acne at bay. I haven't seen much change in my wrinkles in my year-plus of regularly using a red light mask, but I can confirm it makes my skin brighter and calms down acne and scars much faster when I'm regularly treating my skin. HigherDose is a favorite mask of mine because the three-strap design lets it hang on my head rather than squeeze it, making it one of the most comfortable masks I've worn.
My other favorite LED tool actually sits on my head and also comes from HigherDose. The brand's Red Light Hat treats your head with red light to rejuvenate your scalp and hair follicles for better hair growth, and as someone with a sensitive scalp and a hair-pulling problem, using this cap regularly genuinely improved my scalp and hair. It's the healthiest it's ever been, and my scalp is the least itchy, too. I love that this hat also has a battery pack, so I can comfortably wear it anywhere while I treat my head.
A Cool Tote
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Look, nothing says mom life like looking for the perfect bag. I'm in a massive tote phase of my life; I somehow need to either lug an armload of items for myself and my son (or just myself!) or I only need a tiny belt bag. There's no in between.
The Yardsale Day Bag has been my go-to for a variety of needs, from a stylish personal item for a flight to a gym bag to the aerial studio. It's got a waterproof bottom that makes me happy to bring it to the zoo's splash pad, and a magnetic middle separator you can flex to separate the middle of the bag into two medium sections to better divide all your items. Plus, there are a handful of side pockets inside, but none are large enough for my massive Owala water bottle. I have the 30L in Butter, but there's also a smaller 20L version if you're looking for something a little more compact.
If your mom wants something a little more stylish, the Alex Mill totes are always on my mind. They come in a variety of gorgeous colors and are made of coated canvas, so they can put up with daily adventures, and you can customize them with your mom's initials (or even just the word “mom”!) with Alex Mill's hand-painted letter service. It's a simpler tote with no other pockets, but you can use the top snaps to let out the sides or tuck them in, depending on how much space Mom needs on a given day. The weathered color and vibe of these bags also feel perfect for the fall season.
Her Google Calendar IRL
My latest favorite family planning gadget is a digital wall calendar. These handy devices take the Google Calendar I live by (and just about any other digital calendar, if your mom isn't a Google girl) and put it on a physical device I can quickly tap into without needing to grab my phone or bark at Alexa. The Skylight Calendar 2 is my favorite, because it not only includes to-do lists, meal planning, and a recipe book but also doubles as a digital photo frame. That means it displays cute photos of my family most of the time, and then, with a simple tap, it opens the calendar or whatever page I was last on to show me what's on my family's schedule. It does have a subscription fee, though, to get the digital photo frame feature and a few other options, like meal planning. But I think it's well worth it to get so many features in a single device. You can also gift her kiddo a Skylight Buddy ($140) so that she doesn't have to remind them to check the main calendar for their chores; it'll appear on their own device if they have a Buddy.
For the Hostess Mom
If Mom loves entertaining—or just being festive—but doesn’t want to have to store a million different dishes, Nora Fleming’s modular serving-tray system is for her. First, pick a base—there are trays, baking dishes, utensil crocks, and even salt and pepper shakers. Then, pick one of dozens of hand-painted “Minis,” or ceramic accents (sold separately). There are holiday themes, sports team themes, and even ones for specific events like mah-jongg or BBQs.
Each base has a hole into which you can attach the Mini with a little rubber stopper. I tested the cracker tray with a harvest-themed Mini, and you wouldn’t know the tray didn’t come with the accent already attached. At the end of next month, I plan to swap it out for a Christmas tree Mini, and so on. Best part is that if Mom likes this setup, you’ll be set on gifts for the foreseeable future, provided you can keep finding new Minis you think she’ll like. —Kat Merck
Personalized Jewelry
For years, the go-to gift for a woman in my family, mother or not, was shopping in the jewelry section of a department store. My mom even helped orchestrate this for the rest of the aunties and grandmas, but now, as a mom myself, I find myself interested in jewelry that tells a story about my family and children instead of just any old set. (Except extra earrings for my earring stack, a gift I'm thrilled to get, because there's never enough.)
I love these pieces from Gorjana and BaubleBar that you can customize. Gorjana has a ton of charms you can add to its necklaces or bracelets to reflect Mom’s kids’ initials, birthstones, or anything else; I paired a charm of my son’s first initial ($48) with the Wilshire Adjustable Necklace ($65). If she's more of a ring gal, BaubleBar's Toi et Moi ring ($78) lets you choose two birthstones to display. I chose my and my son's birthstones, but luckily his sibling-to-be will also have a red birthstone, so it'll remain a perfect reflection of my kids and me for years to come.
For the Sports Moms
This item was literally made for sports moms: a padded stadium cushion with a wearable blanket inside. My son plays on three sports teams, so I do a lot of sitting outside on bleachers and turf sidelines—and often at night, when it’s freezing. I’ve tried many things to keep warm, from heated jackets to HotHands, but nothing has worked as well as this water-resistant blanket, which unfurls to 50 x 70 inches and sports a clip at the front so you can wear it like a cape. It can also be used for picnics or as a spot for younger siblings to sit and read during tournaments. It’s also not hard to fold it back up and fit it inside the seat part (which is 1 inch thick without the blanket inside). It comes in six colors, so you can be sure to find one that matches your giftee’s kid’s team or school colors. —Kat Merck
If She’s Going Non-Alc
If a mom in your life is exploring her nonalcoholic drink options, The Zero Proof has some gift sets perfect to give so she can try out several things at once. I'm currently grounded from drinking any cocktails while I'm pregnant, but moms (and people in general) can have all kinds of reasons to want to explore unique, interesting drinks that are sans alcohol. I really liked this set for how many cool drinks it exposed me to, from bottles of nonalcoholic wine to knockoff cocktails. If you're looking to spend a little less, my favorites so far have been the Château del Ish Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Espumante ($20) and Lapo's Non-Alcoholic Melograno Mule ($20 for four).
For the Reader
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Look, I love a Kindle, but if you want to get the best e-reader for your buck (or maybe she just wants an e-reader that isn't a Kindle), the answer is actually a Kobo. My favorite is the Kobo Libra Colour. It's cheaper than the Kindle Colorsoft and can also double as a digital notebook if you add on the $70 stylus. I also prefer Kobo's annotating options: You can write right on the pages instead of in weird pop-up margins and boxes only on Kindle. Kobo also has a page-turner remote ($34), which I love to pair with a pillow stand holder so I can lean back and relax without holding up my e-reader while I read. I gave a similar pillow stand to my mom, and now I can spot her last reading spot easily because that pillow is resting there.
You could also gift her one of the new Kindles if she's a Kindle addict. Many of my friends are drooling over the new purple Ube color of the 12th-gen Kindle ($149), but my personal favorite is the Kindle Aluminum (I just wish it were cheaper!). There's also finally going to be a Kindle page-turn remote, the Kindle Click ($35).
A Beautiful Diaper Backpack
I love a backpack when I'm on the move with my 4-year-old, but one thing that annoys me is that things are hard to find inside, because packs are typically so deep. That's why I adore the Mina Baie Emmy Diaper Bag: It's a wide, shallow bag instead of a long one, making it easy to open and see most of what I store in it without digging around. I'm not toting diapers at the moment, but I've used it to pack a ton of snacks, toys, and spare clothing for my kid.
I'm intrigued to see how using it with two kids goes—I chose the Emmy Midi, which is the midsize bag, but if you're a pumping parent or need to carry a ton of bottles with formula, you might want to try the larger Emmy Full. The stylish bag is made of vegan leather and can be converted from crossbody to tote to backpack mode, depending on which straps you use. Mina Baie doesn't include a changing kit, but sells one separately ($59) if you'd like to include it in your gift (or buy that as the gift to upgrade their existing bag of choice).
For the Expecting Mom
I'm expecting again, and this time I'm on a mission to find a good pregnancy pillow. I tried a large body pillow on the advice of another site for my first pregnancy, and it was honestly an awful experience—the pillow was too large and firm for me to comfortably use, let alone have room for both it and my growing midsection in my bed. Plus, it was heavy, which is annoying when your body already feels too cumbersome to move around.
So far, using the Wildbird Pregnancy Pillow has been the opposite. It's slim and light with just enough squish to add a little support under or around my belly without being difficult to get comfortable. It’s beautiful and easy to maneuver around. Wildbird also suggests it for other support positions postpartum, and I'm curious if those will work for me. But it makes for a beautiful gift for any expecting mom and will be one she's excited to put on her bed and curl up with at night.
For the Gamer Mom
Once my kiddo is asleep, you can find me parked on the couch playing video games. I upgraded to a Nintendo Switch 2 ($499) earlier this summer so I could finally buy and play Pokopia ($70), since it's exclusive to the new console, and I already can't wait to use it to play the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ($60) remake coming out in November. It's also quickly become an experience I can share with my son now that he's 4; he's been helping me and my husband replay Tears of the Kingdom, but he mostly requests we help him build monster-hunting robots and cook food for Link like he's a starving Tamagotchi.
If you're not looking to upgrade her console just yet but need a Switch-friendly cozy game for her, Stardew Valley has another big update in the works and only costs $15. I'm also hoping we see Fields of Mistria ($14) come to the Switch eventually, but the full launch came out in August for Steam users and has major quality-of-life improvements if she has played Stardew one time too many. My husband also upgraded his gaming setup this summer with a Steam Machine (from $1,049), and I have big plans to start using it often for Fields of Mistria. If your mom loves games, she'll love any one of these new devices or new games if she already got herself the new gadget like I did.
For Ultimate Everything Showers
For most moms, showers are sacred—especially for moms of babies or younger kids. However, heavy metals, sediments, chlorine, and PFAS can cause health problems not just in drinking water but in water that touches the skin, as well. They can also cause buildup on hair and shower surfaces, making them harder to clean. Many municipalities—including mine—treat water with chlorine, and when I asked him which filter he'd recommend for my own shower, former WIRED reviewer Matthew Korfhage suggested the Weddell Duo. It's the only US filter he's found that has certification for chlorine and lead removal from NSF International, and it also cites third-party testing by IAPMO R&T showing it can remove PFAS, though there's no corresponding certification.
Still, the Duo has a 2.5-gallon-per-minute flow rate and can remove most chlorine from over 8,000 gallons' worth of showers. It's an in-line filter, so it's easy to install in minutes—just screw it in between your pipe and showerhead. It even comes with a little roll of waterproof tape to ensure a leak-free fit, and because of the horizontal orientation, installation won't affect the showerhead height. The filter needs to be replaced every three months, but refills only run about $25 each, compared with competitors like Filterbaby or Rorra, which can cost $40 to $45. —Kat Merck
For Moms With a Full Camera Roll
As a mom, I take a lot of photos of my family. A lot. And sometimes it feels like all those great photos of my son's milestones go to my camera roll and photo storage to die. There are two solutions I love for this that are incredibly giftable: a digital photo frame she can instantly upload images to, and a printed photo book where you can take the best of the best and put them at her fingertips. I have and love both for different reasons.
I love the digital photo frame to add all the photos from a fun weekend at the San Diego Zoo or Renaissance Pleasure Faire for me to relive again and again, but I also love being able to pull a photo book from the bookshelf and relive a specific moment I know is waiting there for me. Aura makes my favorite digital photo frames (followed by Skylight and the Calendar 2 if you want a multipurpose device, but Aura has no subscription fee if you only want photos), while Mixbook has been a favorite of mine for a while when it comes to printing photos, and has great starting prices for its photo books.
A Bird’s-Eye View
If you know a mom who loves to bird-watch (I know one!), you can upgrade her bird feeder to a smart one. Smart bird feeders add a camera to the feeder so she can see a close-up feed of the birds that come to hang out in her yard, and they're adorable to boot, for a little smart curb appeal. WIRED reviewer Kat Merck recommends the original Birdfy feeder as a great gift; it's her favorite smart bird feeder and comes in adorable colors to brighten your mom's yard and catch the eye of neighborhood birds. But the one she and I both have our eye on (her for her mother, me for myself) is the Birdfy Nest Duo, which is actually a birdhouse with two cameras so you can see the birds entering the nest outside and raising a family inside.
Compression Care
There's a wellness gadget for everything now. Rings that track your sleep and blood oxygen levels, masks to make you look younger, massagers to relax your muscles, and now boots to improve circulation. WIRED reviewer Boutayna Chokrane says her mom loves these compression boots from Therabody to improve circulation, which is a common problem for many of our aging parents. These boots combine compression, vibration, and LED therapy into a single wearable device that comes with eight preset routines to focus on legs, knees, and joints. It's a unique option if she wants better recovery for her legs or better circulation for her health.
Better Espresso
The DeLonghi Rivelia is the best and easiest and most user-friendly superautomatic espresso machine I have tested. What’s superautomatic mean? It means you pour whole beans into the hopper, put milk in the milk carafe, and select the drink you want to make on the touchscreen menu. Then you let the machine do most of the rest. The style of espresso made by a superautomatic machine like this Rivelia is generally a bit smoother and less intense than the sort you get in a café. But the process is also less finicky; you won’t be dealing with coffee grounds and portafilters. What’s especially nice with this Rivelia is the ability to make multiple “profiles” for different coffee drinkers in the house, each with their own favorite drinks—and the ability to swap out bean hoppers to make decaf coffee in the afternoon. The Rivelia is also the machine my own mother, a drinker of lattes and dark-roast beans, loves unreservedly. Like others on the WIRED Reviews team, I often ask colleagues and those close to me to test my top-rated machines over long periods to see how they hold up over months or years of regular use. My mother thanks me nearly every month for letting her test the Rivelia. —Matthew Korfhage
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