Right now, more than ever, I just love the idea of a great self-care gifts for a mom or grandma in your life this Mother’s Day. If we haven’t said it enough, moms remain overworked, under-appreciated, overextended and generally in need of care. And if they won’t put themselves first, well…maybe we can help with that, right?
Check out these lovely self-care gifts for mom that go beyond massage gift cards. I know I’d like any of them.
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Related: 13 more me-time self-care gifts that help bring the chill
Custom Meditation Box ($125, Uncommon Goods; $85 without customization)
Close the laptop….open this. Yes it’s a little indulgent, but if you want to indulge her right into a state of inner peace and balance, I love this lovely custom box from artist Jayne Riew to help cut down on “mental traffic.” (Isn’t that a great phrase?) You can even customize the inner lid with your own personalized message, or order one ready-made with its own perfect, calming message.
The Big Book of Less: Finding Joy in Living Lighter ($15.64, Amazon)
Admittedly it’s a bit ironic to come out with a big book about minimizing, but this one is really special. Irene Smit and Astrid Van Der Hulst’s beautifully produced book includes checklists, tear-out posters and mini journals, small craft projects, and just wonderful short chapters filled with all kinds of ideas to meditate on from a variety of authors and perspectives. I own a copy and just keep coming back to it.
Related: Strong as a Mother: The radical idea that moms need to take care of themselves first.
Optoma NuForce Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds ($68 on sale, Amazon; different from above photo)
Whether she’s plugging during me-time at the gym, some podcast time at home, or some “I get to pick the music now” time any time she wants, earbuds can be a practical, wonderful self-care gift for moms on Mother’s Day. I’ve owned a pair of NuForce earbuds for several years and they’re still going strong. Plus, rose gold!
Or hey, want to splurge? There’s always Apple’s Latest AirPods. (Hint to my own children, ahem.)
Etched Mother’s Day Wine Gift Box ($44.99+, OneHope Wine)
If a glass of rosé is her self-care — or a good Cab, or Sauvignon Blanc, or a sparkling Brut — then this is the perfect Mother’s Day gift. You can chose from three different etched sayings. I love this one, but I’m kind of giggling at You’ve done a grape job raisin me! Which, come to think of it, is a good dad joke. Maybe that’s the gift that dad buys “from” the baby?
All the purchases from OneHope support various outstanding charities. Just be sure to order by May 5!
Hematite and Gold Beaded Bracelet by Caviar Icon ($425, Nordstrom)
This beautiful, simple, go-with-anything bracelet comes in lots of different semi-precious stones, but for a self-care gift for mom, I’d pick Hematite, which has properties that ground, balance, center, and calm. (And then, she can always look down at her wrist and think of you, which hopefully offers up its own kind of feel-good properties.)
Scentered Aromatherapy Gift Set ($49, Scentered)
I love these beautifully packaged aromatherapy gift sets with themes including De-Stress, Be Happy, Escape, and probably my favorite, Sleep Well. Or maybe De-Stress. Or maybe Escape. (Do I have to choose?) The high-quality essential oils smell terrific, and I love how incredibly conscientious the company is about their packing materials — meaning this Mother’s Day gift offers a little care for Mother Earth, too.
A Premium Subscription to the Calm App ($59.99/year, Calm, with a 30-day free trial)
I cannot stop raving about the calmness and self-care I’ve found with this app, and even described it as one of 5 apps that changed my life this year. Sometimes I click over to ambient music and just take a break from the world on the subway. Sometimes I turn on the “breathe” function, and follow the guiding graphic while I simply…breathe, deeply, for a minute or two. Often, I use the sleep stories to get me settled and snoozing faster than an Advil PM.
Related:Tons of fantastic ideas for last-minute Mother’s Day gifts that don’t feel like it.
Pep Talk Postcards book by Emily McDowell($12, Em & Friends)
If you know Emily McDowell (as in, anyone who has ever been on this site before), you know how much we love her witty takes on inspirational quotes. Well this book is full of then, in the form of 20 postcards. Quotes include range from Thank you for existing to Together, we can move mountains. Well..climb mountains? We can definitely look at pictures of mountains. Feel free to give Mom the entire book of postcards — or surprise her when she wakes up with each one plastered across every wall in the house.
A Gift Card to her Favorite Local Restaurant (price varies)
On a recent episode of Spawned, we talked about how nights out with female friends counts as self-care in a big way. So get her a gift card to a favorite local restaurant, and a night off to enjoy it with some of her favorite women. She’ll love it, trust me. One way to buy: Open Table now offers gift cards for individual restaurants so check to see if her favorite local spots are there.
Foot Spa in a Box Kit ($42, Uncommon Goods; different from item shown)
While looking for a yummy pair of thick, fuzzy socks, I came across this which does her one better, by including a jar of soothing, rosemary-mint scented foot cream. Ahhhh.
Photo Heather Ford on Unsplash
Gift Card Toward a Cleaning Service (price varies)
Please please please: Do not ever buy her cleaning products of any kind for Mother’s day. Ever. However, a gift of someone else doing all the cleaning? That’s Mother’s Day gift-giving perfection. I have found great household help through care.com but if you already know and love a particular service, go for it,
Charbonnel et Walker Sea Salt Caramel Truffles Box ($52, Sur La Table)
Does a massive box of indulgently high-end chocolate truffles count as self-care for moms? Yes. Now don’t ever ask again.
