When I became a mom two years ago, I realized just how little extra crap I needed in my life (literally and figuratively). Stuff is just stuff, and when you have a baby, you don’t really need more stuff in your life. So if someone gifted me anything, my favorite items were those that were both practical and high quality. But as always, the best gifts are always experiences and time.

These items following have been some of my favorite gifts I’ve received from friends and family that might help you with your Mother’s Day shopping this year–new mom or not. A lot of these were gifts from other mamas, and I appreciate that they generously gifted me with my mama needs in mind! I’ve included items with a few different price points, so hopefully it’s helpful to finding something in your budget too. Pin this article for later or even other holiday gifts if you need! 🙂

1. Gua Sha Facial Lifting Tool + Oils 

Self-care is probably one of the nicest things you can gift any mama! I had never heard of gua sha before I got this beautiful jade Mount Lai facial lifting tool ($28) as a gift. It’s as it sound–a facial sculpting tool that is cool to the touch but circulates the blood flow in your face. My sister-in-law (SIL) gifted it to me and I didn’t truly get how awesome it was until this past year during the pandemic, when I finally started paying attention to my facial care routine. After trying the Mount Lai jade tool, I realized it really made my skin smoother and gave it a natural glow and more defined structure, after just a few minutes. Even my own mother told me I looked better–healthier with a natural glow. I take that as a major compliment, coming from my mom! But more than than, I also just felt good while doing it and afterwards. That’s probably the acupressure part of gua sha.

My SIL gifted also me a vial of Josie Maran Argan Oil ($17-$96) to use with the gua sha tool, but you can easily use other kinds of facial oils too. I like to use a few drops or Biossance Squalene + Vitamin C Rose Oil ($72) or Herbivore Emerald Hemp Seed Deep Moisture Glow Oil ($48) applied to my face before lifting and sculpting my cheekbones with the gua sha tool. They are expensive, but one jar will probably last you a really long time. The Biossance one smells very subtle and light on the rose oil, and I can’t smell much from the Herbivore one. Both give me awesome hydration and glow. I got them in a sampler pack of green and clean Sephora products for Christmas (also from my SIL) and a little goes a long way! If you want a smaller vial to trial like the one I have, Sephora has the Biossance oil in a limited gift pack called the “Hydration Hits” ($25) that I personally am gifting away this year too.

2. 360 Degree Rotating Makeup Organizer

There is nothing that makes me a happier mama than when things are organized and cleaned up and easy to find. This little 360 degree rotating makeup organizer (~$22) was a game changer for me, and who knew my OCD heart better than my own mom who gave this to me? I personally like the square version ($22) pictured above better than the circle version ($18) because I get more real estate. I linked the only one I could find in a square version, and it’s in clear, but I have the white one. The only down side to a square one that it’s a little more tricky to rotate if your countertop is cluttered or tight on space as it needs a wider radius. But I love that this organizer is customizable to the size of compartments you want, and the lazy susan design makes it so easy to find the items you need! If you prefer a circle version, there are more options available to choose from on Amazon!

3. Skinesque 3-minute Wake Up and Make Up Flash Mask

As a busy mama, I don’t have very much time to spend on my facial routine. So a lot of the times, I admit, that “routine” goes neglected. But even on a day where I can spare a little time, this South Korean Skinesque 3-minute flash mask ($38) vs. other 10, 15, 20 minute masks is awesome! Efficient and effective. I know it’s called a “Wake up and Makeup” mask for use to tone and prime your face for make up, but I usually pop this on after my post-gym or evening showers while I’m putting on lotion and getting dressed, just to be efficient! My skin seriously feels super fresh and hydrated after the 3-minutes, though sometimes I might leave on just a little longer because I forget. I hardly wear makeup anymore, but I still love how my face feels afterwards–even without moisturizer! (I forget a lot now.)

There’s 30 masks in a pack, and since they are not individually packed, there’s a little tweezer inside for you to take out the masks with. The downside to this kind of packaging is that the masks are soaked in solution a little more unevenly and tend to be more drippy on the chin area when you put it on your face. I just make sure to have a towel ready to wipe under my chin, but it’s so hydrating, I honestly don’t care if it gets on the rest of my body after my shower. These masks were another goodie gifted from my SIL, and I’m sad Sephora doesn’t seem to carry them anymore because I ordered more and gifted some to friends for their birthdays earlier in the year. However, I did find them at Macy’s (~$32) and Amazon. Macy’s has 15% off right now with code FRIEND, making it cheaper than on Amazon by just a little bit.

4. Kindred Bravely Nursing Pajama Set

For nursing mamas, I think the Kindred Bravely Davy nursing pajamas ($50) are literally the comfiest! I didn’t nurse for long but one of my best friends gifted this set to me while I was pregnant and I loved wearing them even when I was pregnant! The pants are really soft and stretchy which helped for my bump, and the nursing top is not itchy like I found some other ones were. I can tell the quality is good even after washing a few times. The only gripe I have is that the pants are a tad long for a petite mama like me, but honestly they were so comfortable I just overlooked that fact. I still wear the bottoms now, 2 years postpartum. And you can take 25% off right now on the site with code CELEBRATEMOM!

Another item that I have not tried but thought was genius from Kindred Bravely is the Sublime Hands Free Nursing and Pumping Bra ($50). You can literally do both nursing AND pumping at the same time, or at least you don’t have to change out of your nursing bra into a pumping bra which saves so much time and comfort! I wish this was something I had when I was going through the challenges of triple feeding but they didn’t make it until after my breastfeeding journey was done. This would be a really nice gift for any nursing mama!

5. Fleece Lounge Jogger Pants

I am so late to the joggers party. So late. Not sure where I was during the pandemic, but my husband recently bought me this pair of fleece lounge jogger pants ($20) from Target to match my daughter in a pair of toddler joggers he bought her, and I couldn’t be more heart eyes at the comfort and price point. Mamas, you will love these. I have since gone and bought all the other colors because they are so soft and warm and I could wear them all day! They are made by Stars Above and they come in heather, charcoal, and black. The best feature? There. are. pockets.

I will have to note, my charcoal ones pilled up kind of fast, but I haven’t had as much problems with the heather and black. Also, I don’t care too much because I’ll still wear them all day long at home since they’re so comfy! At $20, I know I’m not expecting athleisure, but I’m also not breaking the bank!

6. Allbirds Shoes

I swear 2020 was the year of COVID-19 and shoes for me. It’s the year I got into Rothy’s and Allbirds, and I’m pretty sure I don’t wear anything else now. But you know what, my feet deserve some more love, and so do all the other hardworking mamas out there! My coworker/best friend had been trying to convince me that I needed these Allbird shoes for the. longest. time. Finally, she kind of made me try them because she gifted me a gift card to buy my first pair. The rest is history. If you haven’t tried them yet, don’t. Or do. But you may just get addicted to how comfortable they are, so don’t say I didn’t warn you!

I like the Tree Runners ($95) which are made from tree materials (eucalyptus), recycled bottles, and more. These are light and breezy, but Allbirds also has Wool Runners ($95) for the colder climates and seasons. For on-the-go shoes when I don’t have any hands free because I’m carrying my toddler, I like my slip-on Tree Loungers ($95) pictured below. In fact, I’m most often in the loungers because of speed and ease. Beyond how comfortable the shoes are, the sustainability mission behind the company and their commitment to the environment and using recycled and natural materials makes me feel even better about spending my dollars there. I’ve gifted several people some Allbirds as well because I like them so much!

And did I mention they’re washable? 🙂 Pro tip: Keep the shoe inserts they come with to help maintain the shape of shoes after you wash them and they’re drying. Also, ask for free extra shoelaces when you shop in store!

7. Owala Water Bottles

You’re wondering, why the hell would anyone want a water bottle? As if we don’t have enough already! But truly, you won’t want any other water bottle after you’ve had an Owala water bottle. I remember in those first postpartum months, I would often forget to drink water but really needed to, especially when I was breastfeeding. The Free Sip Owala water bottle ($14.99) would have been so easy to use and I wish I had it back then! The carry loop makes it really easy to pick up and go. There is a spring-loaded opening top that reveals a mouthpiece with a one-handed push of the button, making it really easy for mamas to open the bottle without unscrewing a top. But best of all, the mouthpiece is both a straw AND an opening, letting you decide if you want to chug from the opening or sip from the straw. I don’t know about you, but sipping from a straw and opening a bottle one-handed is GOLDEN when you are trying to breastfeed a baby or juggle all the chores moms cover. And a bonus I’m sure they didn’t plan for is that it’s easy to slip under a mask to sip and drink from the straw during this pandemic!

My coworker told me to try Owala and I finally gave in because for awhile they had a healthcare worker discount. And then I had to buy one for everyone I knew because it was that awesome. Even my daughter knows how to push the button to open it and drink from it because it’s so easy by having a straw! Having this water bottle really makes me want to drink water and I almost never go without it. Check out their website for better videos and images as well as the other two bottle designs. My favorite is the lightest bottle pictures above (Free Sip Tritan), but they have stainless steel ones too if you really want your water to stay super cold and I also own a few of these. I just recently snagged the Twist for free during their birthday celebration giveaway!

8. Apple Watch

Okay, the splurgiest idea of all if the mama you’re shopping for doesn’t have one yet to go with her iPhone. I’m not even saying you need to go for the newest Series 6 (starting $399)–I have a Series 3 ($199) that hubby got me for my birthday when I was pregnant a few years ago. The Series 3 has all the functions I need! The newest Series 6 has even more bells and whistles like EKG monitoring and oxygen saturations. Not sure if I’d need that, but it might be useful for some people.

If you don’t have one yet, the Apple Watch is seriously super helpful for mamas in their day-to-day with a baby/toddler even beyond acting as a watch or a workout tracker. I never thought I’d need one until I had a kid. If you don’t think it is convenient for the super quick Apple Pay or text checks or voice-to-text replies when you don’t have free hands because you’re holding a child, then the thing that should sell you on the Apple Watch is the phone locator function. I literally use my Apple Watch to ping my phone everyday (several times a day) because I can’t keep track of where I’ve placed it! And the best part is your phone will ping even if it’s on silent, so you can find your phone way more easily. Even the most organized mama (not me) could use a hand in finding her phone sometimes!

9. Anecdote Candles – ‘Motherhood’ & ‘I’m Speaking’

I saw the “I’m Speaking” Anecdote Candle on a friend’s IG stories and I had to go look up the company. To my great delight, I saw they had partnered with Anthropologie and sold some candles there–namely a “Motherhood” candle ($26). These are such cute conversation starters! Definitely the least practical thing on my list, but I’d personally love if it were gifted to me. (That’s why I gifted myself one! Ha.) The “I’m Speaking” (Smells like Male Fragility and Rude Interruptions) candle is also a hilarious one and would also be an awesome gift to any female friend. The price point is steep but you can also look around for when Anthropologie has those candle sales/discounts!

Time – it’s the best gift of all

Honestly, all material things aside, the gift of time and memorable experiences is still unbeatable. As a mom now, I get that even more than ever. I love getting spa and massage certificates or having a day planned for me on where to go and what to eat so I don’t have to plan it or cook it. Having time to myself to do a full facial routine or read a book undisturbed is golden these days. But beyond that, precious time spent with my little family and watching my daughter glow with happiness–that is the ultimate luxury, especially if I don’t need to think about the next thing I need to wash too.

I intended to get this article done like a month ago so people had time to shop, but oh hey, look–mom duties called and sleep seemed way more fun when there was free time. So now here we are and I know there’s less than two weeks left til Mother’s Day this year, but if you still need to get something, hopefully these ideas can help! I’ve already bought some of these items to gift other mamas (including my own) and friends in my lives for their birthdays and other occasions, so this is not just some random list I put together. I mean, the best gifts to give are the ones you like to receive too, right? 🙂 As always, pin if helpful, please! Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas– all day and every day. There isn’t really a gift that is enough to appreciate you…we can only try to show a fraction of it!

xoxo,
Jasmine