52 Best Mother's Day Gifts for Every Kind of Mom in 2024
Mother's Day stumping you? Try these outstanding gifts for the queen of the castle.
It can be hard to find a quality gift for your mom -- especially on short notice. With Mother's Day (May 12) just days away, the clock is ticking on your present search. To give you a comprehensive list of the very best Mother's Day gifts, we scoured our library of buying guides and reviews to find the most gift-worthy products for moms approved by CNET editors.
Whether your mom (or grandmother, mother-in-law or any other mother figure in your life) is into tech, cooking or she could use a little self-care, we have Mother's Day gifts that'll fit the bill. If you're worried about shipping times or she's flush with physical "stuff," we've got last-minute gift ideas that take up exactly zero space, too. So be a good kid and read on, will ya? Lay a little love on Mom this May.
In this article:
Self-care gifts for Mom
If Mom could use some quality shut-eye, she'd appreciate this 100% pure silk sleep mask. CNET ranked it the best overall sleep mask thanks to its comfortable cushiness and the adjustable velcro strap on the back. "I found that it didn't slip off my face while I slept like other masks tend to and the fluffy padding made it have a total blackout effect," says CNET's Caroline Igo.
If you can't send Mom to a massage therapist, this may be the next best thing to help relax those muscles. The Theragun Elite is our top-rated massage gun, but the Theragun Mini is a powerful, cheaper option in a smaller package. It's easy to throw in a gym bag and delivers an impressive 1,750 to 2,400 percussions per minute.
Does Mom always have a cup of tea or coffee on hand? Then she'll appreciate this self-heating mug. I keep this at my desk all day long, and I love that I don't have to keep reheating my coffee and tea in the microwave. Bonus: You can also use the warming pad to charge your phone.
Mom is here, there and everywhere -- which is why she could use a nap. When you need to make that smooth transition into naptime, there's nothing quite like a weighted blanket. Thanks to its breathability and its soft yet heavy feel, the Luna tops our list of the best weighted blankets of 2024. It's also a welcome mix of affordability and quality.
Mom is walking here, she's walking there, and sometimes back here because she forgot her dang keys (more on that later). She could use a good foot massage or seven, and this compact electric shiatsu massager with heat will do exactly that -- whenever she wants.
If she needs more than an at-home foot massage -- and chances are she probably does -- line her up with a professional massage. I especially love giving this gift to new moms. You can choose any amount on the gift card, but be sure to check out the cost of a standard massage, since prices vary by location.
More self-care gifts for moms:
- Osea Bestsellers Bodycare set ($52)
- Zimasilk 100% mulberry silk pillowcase ($20)
- L'Occitane Nourishing and Protective Hand Cream trio ($33)
Sentimental gifts for Mom
Fresh flowers might be a traditional Mother's Day gift idea, but a beautiful bouquet is always sure to put a smile on her face. We tested a slew of online flower delivery services, and The Bouqs Co. came out as the clear winner. Bouqs offers a wide variety of beautiful blooms including roses, peonies, tropical flowers and more. Right now, you can get $20 off select sitewide using the code LOVEMOM.
If a bouquet of fresh flowers is too traditional, this Lego set is a unique gift that will appeal to her creative side. Check out more of our CNET staffers' favorite Lego sets.
You've probably heard a lot of funny stories and anecdotes about your mother's life over the years. What if you could collect them all in one place? Storyworth is a service that will pack all her memories and stories into a beautifully bound book. Once a week, she'll get a question via email that's a writing prompt. (You can choose the question or Storyworth can select it for you.) At the end of the year, all her answers are collected into a hardcover book with photos and captions.
If you've ever heard Mom complain about all those photos sitting in her phone collecting proverbial dust, now is the time to do something about it, and a digital photo frame is the thing to do. The Nixplay smart digital picture frame stores thousands of images and will help you display either one photo or a running slideshow of Mom's life and her favorite people and moments so you can actually enjoy them for once. The frame is available in various sizes -- up to 15 inches -- and a motion sensor will turn the frame on and off automatically.
Speaking of memories of the photographic sort, if she has a pile or piles of old-fashioned paper photos that are susceptible to damage, floods and fires, surprise her with an easy fix: professional photo scanning. Plus, you can use the files to make a sweet digital album or slideshow that she can share on social media.
ScanMyPhotos is a master of photo scanning and will digitally organize any images no matter where you've stashed them -- scrapbooks, photo albums or piled up in a shoebox. You can scan individual photos starting at $0.13 per scan, or the company can send you a box that you fill up and it'll scan them for a flat rate of $240.
More sentimental gifts for moms:
- Shutterfly photo magnets (starting at $7)
- Personalized family recipe cutting board ($25)
- Pia "Mom" mug by Anthropologie ($14)
- Just Between Us: Mother & Daughter: A No-Stress, No-Rules Journal ($14)
Techie gifts for Mom
Although AirPods are great, they're not for everyone. The Beats Fit Pro aren't technically AirPods, but they're built on the same tech platform as the AirPods Pro, and they have the handy ear hook, which means Mom can wear them anywhere and while doing pretty much anything. Plus, the Beats Fit Pro buds come in a range of flashy and fun colors.
Apple AirTags aren't new, but they still make excellent gifts for mothers who might misplace the occasional item. Get a set of four so she can throw one in her beach tote, purse, wallet and luggage. You can even have them engraved with her initials for free if you order them through Apple.
CNET editor and mom Bridget Carey says, "I never cared about an Apple Watch until I had to do everything at home. Now it's the only way I stay sane." With this multifaceted device, mama can be with the kids and away from the laptop without worrying about missing a call or a big email.
Working from home while also running a home can lead to some serious scatterbrain and an Apple Watch will help Mom locate her phone if lost, schedule her day, make playlists for running and 1,000 other things.
Give Mom a helper of the smart home variety -- this is our favorite overall smart display. Thanks to the built-in Google Assistant, the Nest Hub responds to all of the same voice command options as the Google Home Mini smart speaker. You can also control your smart home devices, like a smart doorbell, with an intuitively designed control panel. The second-generation smart home hub model also includes Sleep Sensing and Quick Gestures thanks to Google's Soli mini radar.
The colorful fabric design on this Google Assistant smart display allows the device to blend in anywhere, although the tablet touchscreen comes in particularly handy if you want step-by-step help through a recipe in the kitchen. Read our Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) review.
If your mother uses a hair dryer regularly, she will almost certainly consider this Dyson an upgrade. The admittedly pricey Dyson Supersonic hair dryer measures air temperature over 40 times a second and regulates heat accordingly. This is all to prevent heat damage to hair that's blow-dried often.
More techie gifts for moms:
- Soundcore Motion 200 wireless Bluetooth speaker ($65)
- Anker Eufy 25C robot vacuum ($149)
- Nebula Mars 3 Air portable projector ($570)
Kitchen gifts for Mom
This amazing juicer is a margarita lover's best friend. The genius Fluicer bends and squeezes limes and lemons to get a full juice. It even catches the pulp and seeds in a built-in grate.
Novice cheese nerds may find a personal cheese cave overkill. If Mom considers herself a camembert connoisseur, this device will not only keep those blocks fresh for longer but allow them to age for more robust flavors. It imitates the conditions of a real cheese cave -- proper moisture and temperature -- all within the confines of your fridge.
If you're feeling particularly generous, you can add Cheese Grotto's excellent cheese subscription, which starts at $59 per month.
In a rigorous test of 10 top skillets, the All-Clad D3 came out on top. If Mom likes to sauté and sizzle, she'll appreciate the even heating and sleek design this high-end frying pan delivers. It'll be her new favorite pan courtesy of her new favorite kid.
More kitchen gifts for moms:
- KitchenAid 3-Piece Pasta Roller & Cutter Attachment Set ($150)
- Lodge 6-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven ($80)
- Cuisinart stainless-steel ice cream maker ($100)
Last-minute gifts for Mom
If Mom enjoys cooking, surprise her with one of our favorite online cooking classes to gift. The Chef & The Dish connects you with top-rated chefs from all over the world who will teach you, private classes, in your kitchen in real-time. You cook and learn while your personal chef watches and instructs you. Private classes start at $185 per person. Choose any amount for a gift card.
A curated box of exceptional coffee is definitely not going to go unappreciated. While there are dozens of excellent coffee clubs to choose from, we love Atlas for its price, quality selections and simple gift-ordering interface. Give three months for $55, six months for $99 or a year for $189. Or you can even order the Mother's Day tea and coffee set, which comes with a variety of samples and a Mother's Day card.
With all the time she spends keeping the ship from sinking, there's not always time to spend on personal interests and endeavors. MasterClass makes it easy to learn about a plethora of subjects from the folks who know them best. There are cooking classes from icons like Thomas Keller and Alice Waters but also lessons on subjects you might not realize you need help with.
A MasterClass gift subscription starts at $120 for an annual membership and includes more than 100 classes taught by luminaries in fields from fiction writing to poker. There's something here for everyone. With credible teachers, solid production values and a vast catalog of subject matter, MasterClass is like Netflix for the overly ambitious.
My mother told me that at a certain point, getting "stuff" as gifts is more of a chore than a pleasure. If your Mommy Dearest might have a similar feeling about material things piling up, give the gift of the world's greatest movies with a yearlong subscription to The Criterion Collection.
There are simply too many movies to start naming them (you can browse here), but if she digs the classics, from Paul Newman to Pixar, this great gift will have her popping popcorn and smiling all year. You can gift a year's subscription for $100 or e-gift cards for individual movie purchases.
If Mom is the chef in the house, she could probably use a break from planning the week's daily menus. Blue Apron makes it easy with oven-ready meals that take all the guesswork out of meal prep. It's affordable too, which is why it tops our list of the best meal delivery services of 2024.
More last-minute gifts for moms:
- Best of Goldbelly ($250 for 3 months)
- Book of the Month (3-book membership, $60)
- Tea Runner's Club ($26 per box)
Home gifts for Mom
Plants are only as good as the gardener who tends them. If Mom could use a day off from weeding and watering, these self-watering planters will free her up for a margarita or two.
If your mom is as sensitive to the cold as mine is, she'll love a fire pit to enjoy time outdoors during the spring, fall or cooler summer nights. CNET tested several fire pits, and this model was our favorite smokeless mini fire pit, with its clever 360-degree Signature Airflow system. It's compact enough that you can set it on a table or take it with you in a backpack for camping trips.
These stemless wine glasses are handmade by Mexican artists and blown from recycled glass to create six elegant vessels for wine, cocktails or water. Because each set is handmade they'll look a little bit different, but you can bet they'll draw some attention and compliments every time they're set out on the table.
This might be the most attractive smart garden we've come across and it's impossibly easy to use. Microgreens are best known for their role as entree garnish, but these baby vegetable greens are positively packed with vitamins and antioxidants.
Ingarden has LED grow lights and a reservoir for water that is wicked up into the soilless seed pads. In about seven days, you'll have bushy microgreens to use for salads, sandwiches and a host of other applications. The sleek, simple and clean indoor grower is made from ceramic and steel and fits on basically any windowsill or bookshelf for a welcomed pop of green. See our full review of the Ingarden here.
Hauling heavy (and pricey) cans of seltzer home from the store can be a thing of the past with an eco-friendly water carbonator. SodaStream is a good option but the Swedish Aarke carbonator is big on style and more giftable if you ask me. It's available in five great finishes to match her kitchen motif. Read our Aarke carbonator review.
This unique candle burns for as long as 60 hours and the copper-finished holder is giving off some seriously cool antique energy. This would definitely make a nice centerpiece on the dining table during a relaxing meal. Refills for the candle are $18 so bag one or two for when this long-lasting candle finally does burn out.
Surely you remember the Snuggie. Well, definitely don't get Mom a Snuggie for Mother's Day. I repeat, do not get your mom a Snuggie for Mother's Day. The wearable blanket has grown up, taking on the form of this stylish and giftable Kammok Bobcat 45.
The 600-fill duck-down insulated blanket is plenty warm and, weighing a mere 20 ounces, light enough for camping or wearing around the house (no judgment here). It's the quilt's poncho mode that makes it the ideal accessory for hanging outside by the fire pit. If the mom you're shopping for tends to run a little cold, this might be an ideal Mother's Day gift as we roll through spring.
Kammok has a slightly more budget-friendly model, the Field Blanket, for $100 as well.
After my mother treated herself to an espresso machine last year, I followed up with these double-walled cappuccino glasses. It was perhaps the best 15 bucks I've ever spent and they're now the only glasses she'll use for hot beverages.
This set of two sleek glass coffee mugs is great for coffee, tea, chai and matcha. If you'd like to really amp the gift up, pair the set with one of these great coffee clubs and subscription services that'll ship the best beans -- espresso and otherwise -- to Mom's door.
When the opportunity to swim arises, you must always be prepared to take the plunge. This lightweight towel is small enough for Moms to throw into a bike bag, backpack or back pocket. According to Matador, it absorbs more than twice its weight (81 grams) in water. It's machine washable and comes in a mesh bag with a sturdy handle and hang loop.
More home gifts for Mom