The Best Gifts for Moms: Thoughtful Tech, Kitchen, Wellness, and Hobby Picks

The best gifts for moms are useful, personal, and easy to enjoy. These are the gadgets, games, kitchen tools, photo gifts, and wellness products I’ve tested, used, or recommended for the moms in my life.

A stylish AirPods case she can actually find

I received my first set of AirPods from my brother last Christmas. At first, I added cute stickers to the case so I could tell mine apart from my husband’s. Since then, I’ve upgraded to this stylish case from Troubadour, formerly Mujjo.

The case makes it easy to identify your AirPods, and the clip lets you attach them to your keys or bag. It’s a practical gift for a mom who already owns AirPods but has trouble telling them apart from everyone else’s.

Gamer gear for moms who play after bedtime

Once the kids are asleep, you can often find me on the couch playing video games. The Nintendo Switch 2 costs $449 and became available to purchase and play at the beginning of summer.

One game I’m excited to play is Pokopia, which costs $70 and is exclusive to the new console. The remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, priced at $60, is scheduled for release in November.

Gaming has also become something I can share with my four-year-old son. He helped me and my husband replay Tears of the Kingdom, although he mainly asks Link to build a monster-hunting robot and cook food for Link, like a starving Tamagotchi.

If you’re not ready to upgrade to the newest console, there are still plenty of excellent games for the original Switch. Stardew Valley costs $15 and has another major update on the way. Fields of Mistria costs $14. The full version was released for Steam users in August, and it includes a significant quality-of-life upgrade. The game is expected to eventually come to Switch.

My husband also upgraded his gaming setup with a Steam Machine, which starts at $1,049. If your mom is a gamer and already has a new console or gaming device, a new game or accessory can make an especially fun gift.

A digital photo frame for family memories

As a mother, I take a lot of family photos—sometimes too many. It can feel as though pictures of my son’s milestones disappear into my camera roll and photo storage.

There are two giftable solutions I like: a digital photo frame that lets her upload images instantly, or a printed photo book filled with her favorite memories. I own and enjoy both for different reasons. A digital frame lets me add photos from a weekend at the San Diego Zoo or the Los Angeles Renaissance Pleasure Fair and relive them over and over. A photo book, meanwhile, makes it easy to pull a specific memory from the bookshelf.

Aura makes my favorite digital photo frames. Skylight and Calendar 2 are alternatives if you want a multipurpose device, but Aura does not charge a subscription fee if you only want to display photos. The Aura Aspen Digital Photo Frame costs $229. For printed photos, Mixbook has been a longtime favorite and offers photo books with a low starting price.

A smart bird feeder for bird-watching moms

If your mom loves bird watching, consider upgrading her bird feeder to a smart model. A smart bird feeder adds a camera, allowing her to get a close-up view of birds visiting the garden.

WIRED critic Kat Merck recommends the original Birdfy Lite Smart Bird Feeder. It costs $170, with some configurations priced lower, and is available in colors designed to brighten a garden.

The Birdfy Lite is easy to set up and has a user-friendly app, although its video resolution and lightweight construction are not ideal. The Birdfy Nest Duo is another model worth considering. It is a birdhouse with two cameras, so you can watch birds nest and raise their families outside.

A cute cast-iron egg pan for home cooks

I didn’t know I needed a small cast-iron pot until one arrived. Field Company’s hand-finished, pre-seasoned cast-iron pans are known for being lightweight and attractive. With only 5 inches of cooking surface, the Cast Iron Egg Pan Starter Set costs $206, with the set sometimes listed at $185.

At just 2 pounds, the pan is easy to pull out, handle, and store. It is well sized for flipping pancakes, serving food, or making a two-egg omelet. It can also be used to cook a small amount of bacon or sausage, grill cheese, or prepare several pieces of chicken thigh.

The egg pan can be purchased separately from the No. 5 Cast Iron Chef Skillet. For an additional $60, the gift set includes a cleaning kit with a chainmail scrubber, seasoning oil, and a leather handle cover available in cognac, black, brown, or cherry.

—Matthew Korfhage

Compression boots for recovery and self-care

Wellness gadgets are everywhere, from sleep-tracking rings and skincare masks to muscle massagers and compression boots. The Therabody JetBoots Pro Plus costs $1,150.

WIRED reviewer Butaina Chokran said her mother uses these compression boots to improve blood circulation. The wearable device combines compression, vibration, and LED therapy, with eight preset routines focused on the legs, knees, and joints. It is also fully wireless and available in three sizes.

The boots can be a useful gift for someone interested in leg recovery or circulation. However, the device is expensive, and there is limited transparency around the technical specifications and effectiveness of its infrared LED therapy. It also does not integrate with the Therabody app.

A super-automatic espresso machine for better coffee at home

The De’Longhi Rivelia is the simplest and easiest-to-use super-automatic espresso machine I’ve tested. It costs $1,500, although it has been listed for $1,299.

Using a super-automatic espresso machine is straightforward: pour whole beans into the hopper, add milk to the carafe, and select a drink from the touchscreen menu. The machine handles most of the remaining work, so there is no need to deal with coffee grounds or a portafilter.

The espresso is generally smoother and less intense than what you would get at a café, but the convenience is hard to beat. The Rivelia supports multiple user profiles, allowing different coffee drinkers to save their favorite beverages. You can also swap out the bean hopper to make decaf coffee in the afternoon.

My mother, who enjoys lattes and dark-roasted beans, loves the Rivelia. Like the rest of the WIRED review team, I ask colleagues and people close to me to test our top-rated machines over time. My mother still thanks me almost every month for letting her test this one.

—Matthew Korfhage

For the ultimate shower upgrade

For many mothers—especially those with babies and small children—a shower can be sacred. The Weddell Duo Shower Filter costs $90.

Heavy metals, sediment, chlorine, and PFAS can be found in water, while dirt can build up on hair and shower surfaces. Many municipalities treat water with chlorine, so I asked WIRED water-filter critic Matthew Korfhage which shower filter he recommends.

The Weddell Duo is an American-made, in-line filter that screws between the pipe and shower head. It has a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute and can remove most of the chlorine from 8,000 gallons of showers. NSF certification covers chlorine and lead removal, while third-party testing cites PFAS removal; however, there is no corresponding PFAS certification.

Installation takes only a few minutes, and the package includes waterproof tape to help create a leak-free fit. Because it can be installed horizontally, it does not have to reduce the height of the shower head. The filter should be replaced every three months. Replacement cartridges cost about $25, compared with $40 to $45 for competitors such as Filterbaby and Rorra.

—Kat Merl

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