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Engadget
09-05-2025
- Engadget
The best last-minute Mother's Day gifts: Gadgets and subscriptions mom will love
Mother's Day is nearly here — and the window to get a gift shipped on time is closing. The good news is, as of this writing, a majority of the gifts we recommend here should arrive by Sunday, if you happen to be an Amazon Prime member. Same-day and delivery by Sunday options are showing up in our searches. Of course, that'll all depend on the stock levels of your nearby warehouses. We at Engadget worked together to come up with this list of Mother's Day gadgets and subscriptions, highlighting gifts we've given to our own moms as well as picks tested in our buying guides. Whatever the mom in your life is into, there's probably something here she'll find useful. Just be sure to double check shipping times to make sure your gift arrives by Sunday. Or, for truly last-minute shopping, we also included a couple of subscriptions. When I tested air purifiers for our guide, I found the best way to clear the air was by opening windows — but if the mom in your life deals with allergies or lives where the air quality can get bad, an air purifier can be the next best thing. The Levoit Core 400S Smart Air Purifier was one of the quietest models I tested and performed on a level with models three times as expensive. It has a three-stage filter (including an activated carbon layer and particulate filter), and the internal particulate matter sensor can automatically adjust fan speed as air gets murkier. The companion app both shows historical air quality readouts and makes the unit itself easy to control and schedule. Plus, the replacement filters aren't overly expensive like they are with other units. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter $220 at Amazon So many of us take hundreds of photos with our phones and then never do anything with them. They're left to languish in our camera rolls, only to be uncovered when you have to scroll back months to find that one image you're searching for. If you want to give mom a more polished way to look back at her favorite photos, an album from Mpix will do the trick. You can customize your photo book from the ground up, choosing the best images of her family and friends and laying them out on each page in a neat way. You can also pick from different types of cover options and paper weights, making the final product as premium as you want it to be. With options starting at $20 per book, it's pretty easy to make mom a gift she'll want to revisit long after Mother's Day is over. – Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor $20 at Mpix Take your mother's morning coffee routine up a notch with the Ember Mug, a self-heating smart mug that keeps beverages at just the right temperature for up to 1.5 hours or all day if the mug is kept on its charging coaster. It has a temperature range between 120 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which lets your mom dial in just how hot she wants her brew. There's also a companion app which lets her save preset temps for her favorite drinks, track her caffeine intake, customize the color of the LED light on the front of the mug and more. The latest version comes in a pretty rose gold color as well as white, black, gold, silver and copper. — Nicole Lee, Former Commerce Writer $138 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $150 at Target$100 at Walmart If you think mom would enjoy upgrading her morning cup of java, a Trade Coffee subscription can help. It offers a curated selection of more than 450 coffees from across the US and smartly personalizes which ones it recommends to each subscriber. Upon redeeming her gift, she'll be prompted to take a brief quiz that asks about her flavor and brew preferences, information Trade will use to suggest a specific bag catered to her taste. Mom can then give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to any coffee she receives, which the company will use to hone its future recommendations. Managing her coffee queue online is easy enough, too. You can gift anywhere from two to 24 bags, and Trade says any gift subscriptions will not automatically renew so neither you nor mom will have any surprise charges to deal with down the line. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter $60+ at Trade Coffee I took sleep for granted pre-momhood. Only after having a kid did I realize how precious, fleeting and essential a night of unconsciousness is. I reviewed the Restore 2 from Hatch and was impressed with its mix of sleep sounds, sunlight alarm and intriguing original content. One of my wishes after using the second-gen device was for easier-to-use controls on the alarm clock itself — and that's one of the upgrades in the Hatch Restore 3. You still program the device within the Hatch app, but the improved buttons and dial let you control things afterwards, without having to bring a sleep-destroying phone into the bedroom. There's a vast array of 'rest' and 'rise' content, including sleep stories, wake-up pep talks, stretching exercises, night music and, of course, white noise sounds. If you know a mom who's wished for better sleep, this may help. Just note that there's a $6 monthly subscription required to access all the content, but I personally found it to be worth it. — A.S. $170 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $170 at Target$170 at Best Buy Some moms cook multi-course dinners every night. Others, like me, are proud when the evening's meal is more elaborate than a PB&J. The microwave is a perfectly fine way to get food on the table but I've found an air fryer makes low-effort dinners feel fancy. Instant's Vortex Plus crisps the exterior of the veggie corn dogs my kid loves and gives chicken nuggets a golden patina that looks nice next to my signature (microwaved) broccoli and cheese. There's even a viewing window to peek at food's progress and the replaceable filter does a good job tamping down odors and smokiness. I got my Vortex Plus because it tops our guide to air fryers and couldn't agree more with my team's assessment. — A.S. $130 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $160 at Wayfair$100 at Belk If your mom could benefit from getting text alerts to her wrist while she's out and about, or you know she wants to track her daily steps more often, get her the Apple Watch SE. We consider it the best smartwatch for the money, providing users with the core Apple Watch experience for less than $250. In our testing, we didn't find too much of a difference in overall performance between the SE and the flagship Apple Watch, and it even includes advanced features like crash detection, continuous heart rate monitoring, Emergency SOS and others. What you don't get here is an always-on display, blood oxygen monitoring or a temperature sensor, but if your mom will be a first-time smartwatch wearer, those are less-important features that she likely will not miss. — V.P. $169 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $170 at Target$169 at Walmart The Echo Show 15 is 2024's answer to the tiny TV so many of us remember our parents having in the kitchen back in the day. It's small enough to mount on the wall in even a tiny space, but the screen is big enough to do justice to a casual sitcom or silly reality show while you make pesto. In addition to smart TV duties, it can handle all the stuff Alexa can do: tell you the weather, set timers and remind you when it's trash night. On top of that, it can control compatible smart home gadgets and check in on your connected cameras and video doorbells. When you're not using it, the Photo Frame feature cycles through pics you upload to the Alexa Photo app. Since getting one as a gift from my own mother, washing dishes no longer feels like such a slog. — A.S. $300 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $300 at Target$300 at Lowe's If your mom doesn't like to walk around the house barefoot or literally gets cold feet with any regularity, a set of OluKai slippers should make her day-to-day more comfortable. The Nohea pair slip over the whole foot easily and have a delightfully soft interior. The understated leather design is attractive, and the sturdy rubber outsole makes it so mom can walk the dog or mosey around the backyard with little discomfort. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter $130 at OluKai I don't have a whole-home sound system and weekend projects definitely take me from room to room to garage to yard. So I picked up a JBL Flip to bring my music with me, and it's been everything I want in a Bluetooth speaker. It's about the size of a crowler, comes in lovely colors and pairs easily with both iOS and Android devices. I also like how it sounds good standing on its size or on either end, so you can plonk it down just about anywhere. I have the Flip 6, but would love to upgrade to the Flip 7. JBL's newest generation has deeper bass, a slightly longer battery life (up to 16 hours) and, of course, AI smarts to cut down on distortion and improve sound quality. The sound of the Flip 6 is impressive already, which is partly why it appears in our guide to Bluetooth speakers. The improved audio of the latest generation will only make mom's weekend gardening/bike repair/bread baking sessions more sonically enjoyable. — A.S. $150 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $150 at REI$150 at Target If you're not going to help your mom around the house, at least get her something that can do a few things for her. This Roomba from iRobot is a good start. It's our current top pick for the best budget robot vacuum you can get thanks to its sleek design, easy setup process and even easier to use mobile app. Once set up and paired to their home Wi-Fi network, your mom can program cleaning schedules that tell the robovac when and where to clean. At the designated times, it'll putter around, sucking up dirt, debris and pet hair in its path. All mom will have to do is empty its dustbin after each cleaning job — a chore that will only take a few seconds. This is truly a set-it-and-forget-it style robovac, one that they'll thank you for after just a few completed cleaning jobs that they didn't have to do themselves. — V.P. $130 at Wayfair Explore More Buying Options $130 at Amazon$250 at Target If your mom already knows her way around the kitchen, a new toy like the Breville Control Grip could inspire her to experiment and try out new recipes. Our favorite immersion blender has a powerful 280-watt motor and comes with a separate bowl for chopping and mincing, as well as a larger jug for preparing soups and smoothies. It supports 15 different speeds, making it versatile enough to craft all kinds of dishes, and the included whisk attachment turns it into a makeshift hand mixer, too. It's one of those unicorn-like multipurpose kitchen gadgets — it does a lot of different things and does them well. And, unlike a high-powered blender or stand mixer, it won't take up too much space in a cabinet. — V.P. $128 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $130 at Target$130 at Sur La Table The Beats Fit Pro may be our favorite wireless earbuds for working out, but your mom doesn't have to be a regular running or pilates enthusiast to get a lot of use out of them. These buds have a comfortable, secure fit thanks to their flexible wing tips, plus a great sound profile out of the box thanks in part to Adaptive EQ technology. Active noise cancellation is solid as well, which will come in handy when she wants to block out distractions at work or while running errands, and she'll be able to quickly jump into any conversation she deems important by using Transparency Mode. If your mom has an iPhone, she'll benefit from the H1 chip inside the Beats Fit Pro, which enables things like quick pairing and switching between Apple devices and hands-free Siri. But Android toting mothers won't be left out either — the Fit Pros have their own Android app that supports many of the same features. — V.P. $170 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $170 at Macy's$170 at Target Nobody wants to be left with a dead smartphone, moms included. Having a good portable power bank handy can help avert that catastrophe, and the Anker MagGo Power Bank is our favorite among those at the moment. It's a Qi2-compatible pack that can attach to an iPhone magnetically and supply a relatively quick 15W charge, no wires needed. In real-world terms, we found it can take an iPhone 15 from near-dead to half-full in about 45 minutes. With a USB-C cable, it can deliver a faster 27W charge. There's a nifty display that tells you how much juice is left beyond that, plus a kickstand that makes it easier to prop the phone up on a desk. All of this comes in a half-pound package that's a little over four inches tall and 0.8 inches thick. Just be aware that this isn't the best choice for Android devices — if your mom uses one of those, check out our power bank guide for more options. — J.D. $90 at Amazon What is it with moms telling everyone to eat their vegetables? In my experience, it's an involuntary response to motherhood. The Breville Juice Fountain Plus is a way for moms to make drinks loaded with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that actually taste good too. The Juice Fountain Plus' titanium and steel extraction disc works with an 850 watt motor to squeeze a lot of juice from even tough root veggies. The three-inch chute accepts big chunks of produce, which cuts down on prep time, but even more importantly, the machine disassembles easily and isn't a pain to clean. – A.S. $150 at Wayfair Explore More Buying Options $180 at Amazon Nobody needs to pay for an app to practice better mindfulness and flush out bad vibes, but if your mom has expressed interest in guided meditation, Headspace is our favorite service of the bunch. It offers a buffet of exercises aimed at different life goals and situations, from boosting creativity to increasing relaxation to creating a soothing sleep environment. Most of the meditations let you choose between different instructors, and we've found the multi-step courses to gradually build on themselves well. All of it comes in an app that's clean and easy to navigate. Headspace costs $70/year for an annual subscription, so it may not be something your mom wants to stick with forever. Still, it should be a welcome gift for those looking for a more structured way to get (and stay) in the mental self-care habit. — J.D. $70/year at Headspace A Universal Yums subscription is a way to make mom's snack time a little more exciting. Each month, this service ships out a bundle of goodies from a different country (April's was / is Belgium) alongside a tour guide-style booklet with little games and information about the highlighted nation. Not every treat will be a home run, but if your mom has a more adventurous palate, getting a literal taste of somewhere new can be fun. Gift packages are available in several different sizes and lengths of time. — J.D. $15 at Universal Yums
Engadget
08-05-2025
- Engadget
The best last-minute Mother's Day gift: Gadgets and subscriptions mom will love
It's getting down to the wire to snag a Mother's Day gift that will arrive on time. But luckily, as of this writing, more than a few of these gifts will arrive before Sunday for Amazon Prime members. Below, you'll find gift ideas we at Engadget think moms will appreciate long after a bouquet of flowers would have died. We've tried these gadgets and subscriptions ourselves, reviewing them for guides or otherwise using them in our everyday lives — so we know they're worthwhile. Be sure to double check shipping windows if you want something to arrive by Sunday. And for truly last-minute shopping, we also included a couple of subscriptions. When I tested air purifiers for our guide, I found the best way to clear the air was by opening windows — but if the mom in your life deals with allergies or lives where the air quality can get bad, an air purifier can be the next best thing. The Levoit Core 400S Smart Air Purifier was one of the quietest models I tested and performed on a level with models three times as expensive. It has a three-stage filter (including an activated carbon layer and particulate filter), and the internal particulate matter sensor can automatically adjust fan speed as air gets murkier. The companion app both shows historical air quality readouts and makes the unit itself easy to control and schedule. Plus, the replacement filters aren't overly expensive like they are with other units. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter $220 at Amazon So many of us take hundreds of photos with our phones and then never do anything with them. They're left to languish in our camera rolls, only to be uncovered when you have to scroll back months to find that one image you're searching for. If you want to give mom a more polished way to look back at her favorite photos, an album from Mpix will do the trick. You can customize your photo book from the ground up, choosing the best images of her family and friends and laying them out on each page in a neat way. You can also pick from different types of cover options and paper weights, making the final product as premium as you want it to be. With options starting at $20 per book, it's pretty easy to make mom a gift she'll want to revisit long after Mother's Day is over. – Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor $20 at Mpix Take your mother's morning coffee routine up a notch with the Ember Mug, a self-heating smart mug that keeps beverages at just the right temperature for up to 1.5 hours or all day if the mug is kept on its charging coaster. It has a temperature range between 120 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which lets your mom dial in just how hot she wants her brew. There's also a companion app which lets her save preset temps for her favorite drinks, track her caffeine intake, customize the color of the LED light on the front of the mug and more. The latest version comes in a pretty rose gold color as well as white, black, gold, silver and copper. — Nicole Lee, Former Commerce Writer $105 at Walmart Explore More Buying Options $140 at Amazon$150 at Target If you think mom would enjoy upgrading her morning cup of java, a Trade Coffee subscription can help. It offers a curated selection of more than 450 coffees from across the US and smartly personalizes which ones it recommends to each subscriber. Upon redeeming her gift, she'll be prompted to take a brief quiz that asks about her flavor and brew preferences, information Trade will use to suggest a specific bag catered to her taste. Mom can then give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to any coffee she receives, which the company will use to hone its future recommendations. Managing her coffee queue online is easy enough, too. You can gift anywhere from two to 24 bags, and Trade says any gift subscriptions will not automatically renew so neither you nor mom will have any surprise charges to deal with down the line. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter $60+ at Trade Coffee I took sleep for granted pre-momhood. Only after having a kid did I realize how precious, fleeting and essential a night of unconsciousness is. I reviewed the Restore 2 from Hatch and was impressed with its mix of sleep sounds, sunlight alarm and intriguing original content. One of my wishes after using the second-gen device was for easier-to-use controls on the alarm clock itself — and that's one of the upgrades in the Hatch Restore 3. You still program the device within the Hatch app, but the improved buttons and dial let you control things afterwards, without having to bring a sleep-destroying phone into the bedroom. There's a vast array of 'rest' and 'rise' content, including sleep stories, wake-up pep talks, stretching exercises, night music and, of course, white noise sounds. If you know a mom who's wished for better sleep, this may help. Just note that there's a $6 monthly subscription required to access all the content, but I personally found it to be worth it. — A.S. $170 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $170 at Target$170 at Best Buy Some moms cook multi-course dinners every night. Others, like me, are proud when the evening's meal is more elaborate than a PB&J. The microwave is a perfectly fine way to get food on the table but I've found an air fryer makes low-effort dinners feel fancy. Instant's Vortex Plus crisps the exterior of the veggie corn dogs my kid loves and gives chicken nuggets a golden patina that looks nice next to my signature (microwaved) broccoli and cheese. There's even a viewing window to peek at food's progress and the replaceable filter does a good job tamping down odors and smokiness. I got my Vortex Plus because it tops our guide to air fryers and couldn't agree more with my team's assessment. — A.S. $130 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $136 at Walmart$160 at Wayfair If your mom could benefit from getting text alerts to her wrist while she's out and about, or you know she wants to track her daily steps more often, get her the Apple Watch SE. We consider it the best smartwatch for the money, providing users with the core Apple Watch experience for less than $250. In our testing, we didn't find too much of a difference in overall performance between the SE and the flagship Apple Watch, and it even includes advanced features like crash detection, continuous heart rate monitoring, Emergency SOS and others. What you don't get here is an always-on display, blood oxygen monitoring or a temperature sensor, but if your mom will be a first-time smartwatch wearer, those are less-important features that she likely will not miss. — V.P. $169 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $169 at Walmart$170 at Target The Echo Show 15 is 2024's answer to the tiny TV so many of us remember our parents having in the kitchen back in the day. It's small enough to mount on the wall in even a tiny space, but the screen is big enough to do justice to a casual sitcom or silly reality show while you make pesto. In addition to smart TV duties, it can handle all the stuff Alexa can do: tell you the weather, set timers and remind you when it's trash night. On top of that, it can control compatible smart home gadgets and check in on your connected cameras and video doorbells. When you're not using it, the Photo Frame feature cycles through pics you upload to the Alexa Photo app. Since getting one as a gift from my own mother, washing dishes no longer feels like such a slog. — A.S. $300 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $300 at Target$300 at Lowe's If your mom doesn't like to walk around the house barefoot or literally gets cold feet with any regularity, a set of OluKai slippers should make her day-to-day more comfortable. The Nohea pair slip over the whole foot easily and have a delightfully soft interior. The understated leather design is attractive, and the sturdy rubber outsole makes it so mom can walk the dog or mosey around the backyard with little discomfort. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter $130 at OluKai I don't have a whole-home sound system and weekend projects definitely take me from room to room to garage to yard. So I picked up a JBL Flip to bring my music with me, and it's been everything I want in a Bluetooth speaker. It's about the size of a crowler, comes in lovely colors and pairs easily with both iOS and Android devices. I also like how it sounds good standing on its size or on either end, so you can plonk it down just about anywhere. I have the Flip 6, but would love to upgrade to the Flip 7. JBL's newest generation has deeper bass, a slightly longer battery life (up to 16 hours) and, of course, AI smarts to cut down on distortion and improve sound quality. The sound of the Flip 6 is impressive already, which is partly why it appears in our guide to Bluetooth speakers. The improved audio of the latest generation will only make mom's weekend gardening/bike repair/bread baking sessions more sonically enjoyable. — A.S. $145 at Walmart Explore More Buying Options $150 at Amazon$150 at REI If you're not going to help your mom around the house, at least get her something that can do a few things for her. This Roomba from iRobot is a good start. It's our current top pick for the best budget robot vacuum you can get thanks to its sleek design, easy setup process and even easier to use mobile app. Once set up and paired to their home Wi-Fi network, your mom can program cleaning schedules that tell the robovac when and where to clean. At the designated times, it'll putter around, sucking up dirt, debris and pet hair in its path. All mom will have to do is empty its dustbin after each cleaning job — a chore that will only take a few seconds. This is truly a set-it-and-forget-it style robovac, one that they'll thank you for after just a few completed cleaning jobs that they didn't have to do themselves. — V.P. $130 at Wayfair Explore More Buying Options $130 at Amazon$250 at Target If your mom already knows her way around the kitchen, a new toy like the Breville Control Grip could inspire her to experiment and try out new recipes. Our favorite immersion blender has a powerful 280-watt motor and comes with a separate bowl for chopping and mincing, as well as a larger jug for preparing soups and smoothies. It supports 15 different speeds, making it versatile enough to craft all kinds of dishes, and the included whisk attachment turns it into a makeshift hand mixer, too. It's one of those unicorn-like multipurpose kitchen gadgets — it does a lot of different things and does them well. And, unlike a high-powered blender or stand mixer, it won't take up too much space in a cabinet. — V.P. $128 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $130 at Target$130 at Sur La Table The Beats Fit Pro may be our favorite wireless earbuds for working out, but your mom doesn't have to be a regular running or pilates enthusiast to get a lot of use out of them. These buds have a comfortable, secure fit thanks to their flexible wing tips, plus a great sound profile out of the box thanks in part to Adaptive EQ technology. Active noise cancellation is solid as well, which will come in handy when she wants to block out distractions at work or while running errands, and she'll be able to quickly jump into any conversation she deems important by using Transparency Mode. If your mom has an iPhone, she'll benefit from the H1 chip inside the Beats Fit Pro, which enables things like quick pairing and switching between Apple devices and hands-free Siri. But Android toting mothers won't be left out either — the Fit Pros have their own Android app that supports many of the same features. — V.P. $170 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $170 at Macy's$180 at Walmart Nobody wants to be left with a dead smartphone, moms included. Having a good portable power bank handy can help avert that catastrophe, and the Anker MagGo Power Bank is our favorite among those at the moment. It's a Qi2-compatible pack that can attach to an iPhone magnetically and supply a relatively quick 15W charge, no wires needed. In real-world terms, we found it can take an iPhone 15 from near-dead to half-full in about 45 minutes. With a USB-C cable, it can deliver a faster 27W charge. There's a nifty display that tells you how much juice is left beyond that, plus a kickstand that makes it easier to prop the phone up on a desk. All of this comes in a half-pound package that's a little over four inches tall and 0.8 inches thick. Just be aware that this isn't the best choice for Android devices — if your mom uses one of those, check out our power bank guide for more options. — J.D. $90 at Amazon What is it with moms telling everyone to eat their vegetables? In my experience, it's an involuntary response to motherhood. The Breville Juice Fountain Plus is a way for moms to make drinks loaded with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that actually taste good too. The Juice Fountain Plus' titanium and steel extraction disc works with an 850 watt motor to squeeze a lot of juice from even tough root veggies. The three-inch chute accepts big chunks of produce, which cuts down on prep time, but even more importantly, the machine disassembles easily and isn't a pain to clean. – A.S. $150 at Wayfair Explore More Buying Options $180 at Amazon Nobody needs to pay for an app to practice better mindfulness and flush out bad vibes, but if your mom has expressed interest in guided meditation, Headspace is our favorite service of the bunch. It offers a buffet of exercises aimed at different life goals and situations, from boosting creativity to increasing relaxation to creating a soothing sleep environment. Most of the meditations let you choose between different instructors, and we've found the multi-step courses to gradually build on themselves well. All of it comes in an app that's clean and easy to navigate. Headspace costs $70/year for an annual subscription, so it may not be something your mom wants to stick with forever. Still, it should be a welcome gift for those looking for a more structured way to get (and stay) in the mental self-care habit. — J.D. $70/year at Headspace A Universal Yums subscription is a way to make mom's snack time a little more exciting. Each month, this service ships out a bundle of goodies from a different country (April's was / is Belgium) alongside a tour guide-style booklet with little games and information about the highlighted nation. Not every treat will be a home run, but if your mom has a more adventurous palate, getting a literal taste of somewhere new can be fun. Gift packages are available in several different sizes and lengths of time. — J.D. $15 at Universal Yums
Engadget
07-05-2025
- Engadget
The best last-minute Mother's Day gifts: 17 gadgets and subscriptions that should arrive by Sunday
Mother's Day is coming up quick. If you're still trying to figure out a good gift, we have some ideas. Here at Engadget, our minds reflexively focus on tech. While it's true an electronic gadget might not be the 'traditional' Mother's Day gift — just about every mom we know would prefer a cool new piece of tech over a short-lived bouquet of flowers and box of chocolates. A number of us collaborated on this guide, filling it with gadgets and services we've tested, used, or even given to the moms in our own lives. Thanks to speedy shipping times (particularly from Amazon), many of these gifts should arrive by Sunday. There are also a couple of subscriptions that you can buy truly last minute if your gifting process comes down to the wire. When I tested air purifiers for our guide, I found the best way to clear the air was by opening windows — but if the mom in your life deals with allergies or lives where the air quality can get bad, an air purifier can be the next best thing. The Levoit Core 400S Smart Air Purifier was one of the quietest models I tested and performed on a level with models three times as expensive. It has a three-stage filter (including an activated carbon layer and particulate filter), and the internal particulate matter sensor can automatically adjust fan speed as air gets murkier. The companion app both shows historical air quality readouts and makes the unit itself easy to control and schedule. Plus, the replacement filters aren't overly expensive like they are with other units. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter $220 at Amazon So many of us take hundreds of photos with our phones and then never do anything with them. They're left to languish in our camera rolls, only to be uncovered when you have to scroll back months to find that one image you're searching for. If you want to give mom a more polished way to look back at her favorite photos, an album from Mpix will do the trick. You can customize your photo book from the ground up, choosing the best images of her family and friends and laying them out on each page in a neat way. You can also pick from different types of cover options and paper weights, making the final product as premium as you want it to be. With options starting at $20 per book, it's pretty easy to make mom a gift she'll want to revisit long after Mother's Day is over. – Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor $20 at Mpix Take your mother's morning coffee routine up a notch with the Ember Mug, a self-heating smart mug that keeps beverages at just the right temperature for up to 1.5 hours or all day if the mug is kept on its charging coaster. It has a temperature range between 120 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which lets your mom dial in just how hot she wants her brew. There's also a companion app which lets her save preset temps for her favorite drinks, track her caffeine intake, customize the color of the LED light on the front of the mug and more. The latest version comes in a pretty rose gold color as well as white, black, gold, silver and copper. — Nicole Lee, Former Commerce Writer $100 at Walmart Explore More Buying Options $140 at Amazon$150 at Target If you think mom would enjoy upgrading her morning cup of java, a Trade Coffee subscription can help. It offers a curated selection of more than 450 coffees from across the US and smartly personalizes which ones it recommends to each subscriber. Upon redeeming her gift, she'll be prompted to take a brief quiz that asks about her flavor and brew preferences, information Trade will use to suggest a specific bag catered to her taste. Mom can then give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to any coffee she receives, which the company will use to hone its future recommendations. Managing her coffee queue online is easy enough, too. You can gift anywhere from two to 24 bags, and Trade says any gift subscriptions will not automatically renew so neither you nor mom will have any surprise charges to deal with down the line. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter $60+ at Trade Coffee I took sleep for granted pre-momhood. Only after having a kid did I realize how precious, fleeting and essential a night of unconsciousness is. I reviewed the Restore 2 from Hatch and was impressed with its mix of sleep sounds, sunlight alarm and intriguing original content. One of my wishes after using the second-gen device was for easier-to-use controls on the alarm clock itself — and that's one of the upgrades in the Hatch Restore 3. You still program the device within the Hatch app, but the improved buttons and dial let you control things afterwards, without having to bring a sleep-destroying phone into the bedroom. There's a vast array of 'rest' and 'rise' content, including sleep stories, wake-up pep talks, stretching exercises, night music and, of course, white noise sounds. If you know a mom who's wished for better sleep, this may help. Just note that there's a $6 monthly subscription required to access all the content, but I personally found it to be worth it. — A.S. $170 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $170 at Target$170 at Best Buy Some moms cook multi-course dinners every night. Others, like me, are proud when the evening's meal is more elaborate than a PB&J. The microwave is a perfectly fine way to get food on the table but I've found an air fryer makes low-effort dinners feel fancy. Instant's Vortex Plus crisps the exterior of the veggie corn dogs my kid loves and gives chicken nuggets a golden patina that looks nice next to my signature (microwaved) broccoli and cheese. There's even a viewing window to peek at food's progress and the replaceable filter does a good job tamping down odors and smokiness. I got my Vortex Plus because it tops our guide to air fryers and couldn't agree more with my team's assessment. — A.S. $130 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $136 at Walmart$160 at Wayfair If your mom could benefit from getting text alerts to her wrist while she's out and about, or you know she wants to track her daily steps more often, get her the Apple Watch SE. We consider it the best smartwatch for the money, providing users with the core Apple Watch experience for less than $250. In our testing, we didn't find too much of a difference in overall performance between the SE and the flagship Apple Watch, and it even includes advanced features like crash detection, continuous heart rate monitoring, Emergency SOS and others. What you don't get here is an always-on display, blood oxygen monitoring or a temperature sensor, but if your mom will be a first-time smartwatch wearer, those are less-important features that she likely will not miss. — V.P. $169 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $169 at Walmart$170 at Target The Echo Show 15 is 2024's answer to the tiny TV so many of us remember our parents having in the kitchen back in the day. It's small enough to mount on the wall in even a tiny space, but the screen is big enough to do justice to a casual sitcom or silly reality show while you make pesto. In addition to smart TV duties, it can handle all the stuff Alexa can do: tell you the weather, set timers and remind you when it's trash night. On top of that, it can control compatible smart home gadgets and check in on your connected cameras and video doorbells. When you're not using it, the Photo Frame feature cycles through pics you upload to the Alexa Photo app. Since getting one as a gift from my own mother, washing dishes no longer feels like such a slog. — A.S. $300 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $300 at Target$300 at Lowe's If your mom doesn't like to walk around the house barefoot or literally gets cold feet with any regularity, a set of OluKai slippers should make her day-to-day more comfortable. The Nohea pair slip over the whole foot easily and have a delightfully soft interior. The understated leather design is attractive, and the sturdy rubber outsole makes it so mom can walk the dog or mosey around the backyard with little discomfort. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter $130 at OluKai I don't have a whole-home sound system and weekend projects definitely take me from room to room to garage to yard. So I picked up a JBL Flip to bring my music with me, and it's been everything I want in a Bluetooth speaker. It's about the size of a crowler, comes in lovely colors and pairs easily with both iOS and Android devices. I also like how it sounds good standing on its size or on either end, so you can plonk it down just about anywhere. I have the Flip 6, but would love to upgrade to the Flip 7. JBL's newest generation has deeper bass, a slightly longer battery life (up to 16 hours) and, of course, AI smarts to cut down on distortion and improve sound quality. The sound of the Flip 6 is impressive already, which is partly why it appears in our guide to Bluetooth speakers. The improved audio of the latest generation will only make mom's weekend gardening/bike repair/bread baking sessions more sonically enjoyable. — A.S. $150 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $150 at Walmart$150 at REI If you're not going to help your mom around the house, at least get her something that can do a few things for her. This Roomba from iRobot is a good start. It's our current top pick for the best budget robot vacuum you can get thanks to its sleek design, easy setup process and even easier to use mobile app. Once set up and paired to their home Wi-Fi network, your mom can program cleaning schedules that tell the robovac when and where to clean. At the designated times, it'll putter around, sucking up dirt, debris and pet hair in its path. All mom will have to do is empty its dustbin after each cleaning job — a chore that will only take a few seconds. This is truly a set-it-and-forget-it style robovac, one that they'll thank you for after just a few completed cleaning jobs that they didn't have to do themselves. — V.P. $130 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $249 at Wayfair$250 at Target If your mom already knows her way around the kitchen, a new toy like the Breville Control Grip could inspire her to experiment and try out new recipes. Our favorite immersion blender has a powerful 280-watt motor and comes with a separate bowl for chopping and mincing, as well as a larger jug for preparing soups and smoothies. It supports 15 different speeds, making it versatile enough to craft all kinds of dishes, and the included whisk attachment turns it into a makeshift hand mixer, too. It's one of those unicorn-like multipurpose kitchen gadgets — it does a lot of different things and does them well. And, unlike a high-powered blender or stand mixer, it won't take up too much space in a cabinet. — V.P. $128 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $130 at Target$130 at Sur La Table The Beats Fit Pro may be our favorite wireless earbuds for working out, but your mom doesn't have to be a regular running or pilates enthusiast to get a lot of use out of them. These buds have a comfortable, secure fit thanks to their flexible wing tips, plus a great sound profile out of the box thanks in part to Adaptive EQ technology. Active noise cancellation is solid as well, which will come in handy when she wants to block out distractions at work or while running errands, and she'll be able to quickly jump into any conversation she deems important by using Transparency Mode. If your mom has an iPhone, she'll benefit from the H1 chip inside the Beats Fit Pro, which enables things like quick pairing and switching between Apple devices and hands-free Siri. But Android toting mothers won't be left out either — the Fit Pros have their own Android app that supports many of the same features. — V.P. $170 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $170 at Macy's$180 at Walmart Nobody wants to be left with a dead smartphone, moms included. Having a good portable power bank handy can help avert that catastrophe, and the Anker MagGo Power Bank is our favorite among those at the moment. It's a Qi2-compatible pack that can attach to an iPhone magnetically and supply a relatively quick 15W charge, no wires needed. In real-world terms, we found it can take an iPhone 15 from near-dead to half-full in about 45 minutes. With a USB-C cable, it can deliver a faster 27W charge. There's a nifty display that tells you how much juice is left beyond that, plus a kickstand that makes it easier to prop the phone up on a desk. All of this comes in a half-pound package that's a little over four inches tall and 0.8 inches thick. Just be aware that this isn't the best choice for Android devices — if your mom uses one of those, check out our power bank guide for more options. — J.D. $90 at Amazon What is it with moms telling everyone to eat their vegetables? In my experience, it's an involuntary response to motherhood. The Breville Juice Fountain Plus is a way for moms to make drinks loaded with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that actually taste good too. The Juice Fountain Plus' titanium and steel extraction disc works with an 850 watt motor to squeeze a lot of juice from even tough root veggies. The three-inch chute accepts big chunks of produce, which cuts down on prep time, but even more importantly, the machine disassembles easily and isn't a pain to clean. – A.S. $150 at Wayfair Explore More Buying Options $180 at Amazon Nobody needs to pay for an app to practice better mindfulness and flush out bad vibes, but if your mom has expressed interest in guided meditation, Headspace is our favorite service of the bunch. It offers a buffet of exercises aimed at different life goals and situations, from boosting creativity to increasing relaxation to creating a soothing sleep environment. Most of the meditations let you choose between different instructors, and we've found the multi-step courses to gradually build on themselves well. All of it comes in an app that's clean and easy to navigate. Headspace costs $70/year for an annual subscription, so it may not be something your mom wants to stick with forever. Still, it should be a welcome gift for those looking for a more structured way to get (and stay) in the mental self-care habit. — J.D. $70/year at Headspace A Universal Yums subscription is a way to make mom's snack time a little more exciting. Each month, this service ships out a bundle of goodies from a different country (April's was / is Belgium) alongside a tour guide-style booklet with little games and information about the highlighted nation. Not every treat will be a home run, but if your mom has a more adventurous palate, getting a literal taste of somewhere new can be fun. Gift packages are available in several different sizes and lengths of time. — J.D. $15 at Universal Yums
Engadget
05-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Engadget
The 14 best tech gifts for moms
If you're struggling to come up with just the right gift for your mom, you're not alone. Mothers can be particularly difficult to shop for, especially if your mom is like many we know who insist that they don't want or need gifts. Short of giving them some time back in their day to do what they want to do instead of things they need to do, the gift ideas we collected below can help you show the mother figure in your life that you care and want to spoil them a bit even when they claim it's not necessary — because they deserve it. When I tested air purifiers for our guide, I found the best way to clear the air was by opening windows — but if the mom in your life deals with allergies or lives where the air quality can get bad, an air purifier can be the next best thing. The Levoit Core 400S Smart Air Purifier was one of the quietest models I tested and performed on a level with models three times as expensive. It has a three-stage filter (including an activated carbon layer and particulate filter), and the internal particulate matter sensor can automatically adjust fan speed as air gets murkier. The companion app both shows historical air quality readouts and makes the unit itself easy to control and schedule. Plus, the replacement filters aren't overly expensive like they are with other units. — Amy Skorheim, Reporter Read more: The best air purifiers $220 at Amazon Take your mother's morning coffee routine up a notch with the Ember Mug, a self-heating smart mug that keeps beverages at just the right temperature for up to 1.5 hours or all day if the mug is kept on its charging coaster. It has a temperature range between 120 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which lets your mom dial in just how hot she wants her brew. There's also a companion app which lets her save preset temps for her favorite drinks, track her caffeine intake, customize the color of the LED light on the front of the mug and more. The latest version comes in a pretty rose gold color as well as white, black, gold, silver and copper. — Nicole Lee, Former Commerce Writer $180 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $180 at Target So many of us take hundreds of photos with our phones and then never do anything with them. They're left to languish in our camera rolls, only to be uncovered when you have to scroll back months to find that one image you're searching for. If you want to give mom a more polished way to look back at her favorite photos, an album from Mpix will do the trick. You can customize your photo book from the ground up, choosing the best images of her family and friends and laying them out on each page in a neat way. You can also pick from different types of cover options and paper weights, making the final product as premium as you want it to be. With options starting at $30 per book, it's pretty easy to make mom a gift she'll want to revisit again and again. – Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor $30+ at Mpix I'll be the first to say the Pura scent diffuser surprised me. Before testing it out, I didn't believe such a small device could really inject strong scent into my home. But it didn't take long before I was proven wrong. The one I have stays plugged in, resolute, in the family room of my home close to the front door, and as soon as I walk in when the Pura is running, I'm met with the lovely smells of Amalfi lemon, lavender fields or whichever other scent I decided to go with. The Pura can hold two different proprietary scent capsules at a time, so you can create very different vibes based on time of day, occasion or anything else you can think of. The Pura app makes it easy to set diffusion schedules per scent, too, and it can pause diffusion all together if you're away from home. Are you going to get whole-home diffusion from this CD-sized gadget? No (maybe try the new Pura Plus for that), but it'll make the part of your home that it lives in feel much more luxurious. — V.P. $50 at Pura The Aura Carver frame would make a great gift for any parent or relative with whom you want to stay more connected and share memories as you're making them. The top pick in our best digital frames guide, the Aura Carver has a super simple setup: plug it in, download its companion app and upload photos. One of its best features is its ability to continuously scan the albums you pair with it and automatically upload new photos in it to the frame. That means if you have a shared photo album between you, your mom and other family members and pair it with the frame, anyone can add new photos to the frame simply by adding them to your shared album. On top of that, the Carver has the best display we've seen on any digital frame and there's no limit to the number of photos it can show. — V.P. Read more: The best digital frames $149 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $150 at Walmart$150 at Target Tech touches everything now and the beauty industry has built a better mousetrap with the latest dry-and-style machines available today. One of the simplest I've tried, yet most effective, is the Calista StyleDryer Pro. It's a hairdryer and a brush in one, and it comes with two brush attachments that mom can swap between depending on her preference. Regardless of which is her favorite, both will make it easier for her to get a stellar blowout. Three temperature settings let her dial in exactly how hot (or cool) she needs to go for her desired style, and the attachments are infused with Tourmaline to better distribute heat. In my testing, I found the StyleDryer Pro not only dried my hair more quickly than my separate, aging hair dryer and brush duo, but it also got my hair sleeker and smoother than I ever have been able to get it before. (Note that we're now linking to the newer Vault StyleDryer Pro, which appears to be a bit larger but replaces the now-discontinued original version.) — V.P. $29 at Calista If mom's been feeling all in knots lately, a personal massage 'gun' like the Theragun Mini can provide some temporary relief by gently pummeling away her muscle aches. While not the most forceful device of its kind, this triangular massager is effective enough to ease soreness, yet small enough to carry around in and outside of the house. We've recommended older versions of the Mini in past gift guides; compared to the last one, this third-generation model is similarly compact and supports the same speeds and head attachments, but it lasts a bit longer on a charge. (Therabody rates it at 180 minutes.) Just be warned it's not exactly quiet. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter $179 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $179 at Target The Beats Fit Pro may be our favorite wireless earbuds for working out, but your mom doesn't have to be a regular running or pilates enthusiast to get a lot of use out of them. These buds have a comfortable, secure fit thanks to their flexible wing tips, plus a great sound profile out of the box thanks in part to Adaptive EQ technology. Active noise cancellation is solid as well, which will come in handy when she wants to block out distractions at work or while running errands, and she'll be able to quickly jump into any conversation she deems important by using Transparency Mode. If your mom has an iPhone, she'll benefit from the H1 chip inside the Beats Fit Pro, which enables things like quick pairing and switching between Apple devices and hands-free Siri. But Android toting mothers won't be left out either — the Fit Pros have their own Android app that supports many of the same features. — V.P. Read more: The best wireless earbuds $170 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $170 at Macy's$180 at Walmart Look, there's a good chance your mom plays Wordle, Connections, Sudoku and/or The Mini anyway — opening up the rest of the New York Times Games catalog with a subscription should only bring them a few more hours of gentle fun during their downtime. Few daily achievements are more satisfying than reaching 'genius' in Spelling Bee or finishing the full-size crossword. But even beyond that, the paid tier unlocks archived editions of Wordle and Connections, plus the ability to track game stats across devices. While not every game in the selection is a winner, your mom will probably be grateful for the harmless entertainment the next time she's bored. — J.D. $50/year at New York Times The Pixel Watch 3 is Google's best smartwatch yet, so much so that it took the top stop as our favorite watch for Android users in our best smartwatches guide. The Pixel Watch 3 has a slightly larger circular display than its predecessor, and it's brighter than ever which will make it easier to read in all sorts of lighting. In our testing, we found it to be an excellent activity and sleep tracker, and advanced features like auto workout detection and custom running plans make it even better for both those just starting a new exercise routine and seasoned athletes. Google Assistant integration comes in handy as well, allowing users to get questions answered, check calendar events and weather forecasts and more just using voice commands. Plus, the Pixel Watch 3 has the longest battery life of any Pixel Watch to date, with up to 24 hours of use before it needs a recharge. — V.P. Read more: The best smartwatches $300 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $350 at Google Store$300 at Best Buy I've loved Withings' hybrid watches, which put all the health tech you could need in a far less geeky package, for more than a decade. The ScanWatch Horizon, its first using a diver's watch case, has been a permanent fixture on my wrist since 2021. Since then, Withings has updated the ScanWatch with even more features, and launched a Horizon successor, called the Nova. The one downside is that all the ScanWatches are, to be blunt, beefy enough that they only suit folks with strong forearms. If you prefer a smaller timepiece, you've been left on the sidelines until the company launched the ScanWatch Nova Brilliant. It shrinks all of the ScanWatch tech into a 38mm case and gets a two-tone strap that matches your bezel color choice. A cynic might suggest Withings is aping the style of Rolex's Datejust watches, even down to the two-tone strap choice. An optimist might wonder why that's relevant, given it costs an order of magnitude less money and does an awful lot more. If someone special in your life wants a smart watch but not a smartwatch, and wants to look luxurious while doing it, this should be top of your options. — Daniel Cooper, Senior Reporter $599 at Withings Last holiday season, after a month or so of me unsubtly and repeatedly mentioning how very cool and convenient and interesting Engadget's top air fryer pick seemed to me, one surprisingly appeared beneath our tree. For nearly a year now, my entire family has used the Instant Vortex Plus air fryer nearly daily to cook frozen french fries, crisp up dinner, reheat takeout or make extra stretchy nachos. This particular model comes with replaceable filters that keeps the fried-food smell down to a minimum and the glass front paired with interior light make it easy to peek on your potatoes without opening the drawer. The basket is easy to clean, preheating is fast and the touch controls are simple to understand — pretty much everything you want in a good air fryer. — A.S. Read more: The best air fryers $130 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $136 at Walmart$160 at Wayfair For most moms I know, sleep is a precious, unguaranteed commodity. I personally used to sleep like the dead until I had a kid, which then made every nighttime creak a reason to bolt upright, ready for action. I reviewed the Hatch Restore 2 and found it to be a delightful sleep companion, one that helped me get to sleep and woke me up less jarringly than anything else I've tried. The latest model, the Hatch Restore 3 actually improves upon the previous generation with additional onboard controls (something I'd wished for in my review). It still has a continually updated library of sleep aids including nature sounds, lulling stories, dreamy music and meditations. Waking up techniques combine a sunrise alarm with pep talks, stretching sessions, fun facts and more. The only catch is that the best content requires a $6-per-month subscription. But, so far it's been worth it for me. — A.S $170 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $170 at Target$170 at Best Buy I'm not the world's most organized person, but I do recognize that keeping the detritus of life more or less in its proper place makes a day far easier to get through. I've picked up a few of the storage and organizational designs from Yamazaki Home and each one has made my home feel more under control. The Rolling Storage Cart has a clean look with its white steel and a bamboo top. Just about any room in the house could benefit from the three hidden shelves it offers, but I've used mine as a place to store rolls of toilet paper and the bowl scrubber in the bathroom. Everything stays concealed behind the solid side panel until you roll it away from the wall to access what you need. To me, it represents low-effort tidiness, which is my favorite kind. — A.S. $145 at Yamazaki Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.
Engadget
05-05-2025
- Engadget
These 17 gadgets and subscriptions make great Mother's Day gifts
Whether your mom keeps on top of the latest tech trends or still calls you for help logging into her email account, a carefully considered gadget can be a practical way to tell her thanks for, y'know, putting up with you. Sure, the usual flowers, breakfast in bed or complementary spa day will always be worthwhile Mother's Day gifts, but if you want to take a different (and much nerdier) approach, a good piece of tech can make her life easier even after the holiday has passed. If you need some help brainstorming some gift ideas, we've put together a list of gadgets, services and other gear that should bring any mom a little joy. When I tested air purifiers for our guide, I found the best way to clear the air was by opening windows — but if the mom in your life deals with allergies or lives where the air quality can get bad, an air purifier can be the next best thing. The Levoit Core 400S Smart Air Purifier was one of the quietest models I tested and performed on a level with models three times as expensive. It has a three-stage filter (including an activated carbon layer and particulate filter), and the internal particulate matter sensor can automatically adjust fan speed as air gets murkier. The companion app both shows historical air quality readouts and makes the unit itself easy to control and schedule. Plus, the replacement filters aren't overly expensive like they are with other units. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter $220 at Amazon So many of us take hundreds of photos with our phones and then never do anything with them. They're left to languish in our camera rolls, only to be uncovered when you have to scroll back months to find that one image you're searching for. If you want to give mom a more polished way to look back at her favorite photos, an album from Mpix will do the trick. You can customize your photo book from the ground up, choosing the best images of her family and friends and laying them out on each page in a neat way. You can also pick from different types of cover options and paper weights, making the final product as premium as you want it to be. With options starting at $20 per book, it's pretty easy to make mom a gift she'll want to revisit long after Mother's Day is over. – Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor $20 at Mpix Take your mother's morning coffee routine up a notch with the Ember Mug, a self-heating smart mug that keeps beverages at just the right temperature for up to 1.5 hours or all day if the mug is kept on its charging coaster. It has a temperature range between 120 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which lets your mom dial in just how hot she wants her brew. There's also a companion app which lets her save preset temps for her favorite drinks, track her caffeine intake, customize the color of the LED light on the front of the mug and more. The latest version comes in a pretty rose gold color as well as white, black, gold, silver and copper. — Nicole Lee, Former Commerce Writer $106 at Walmart Explore More Buying Options $150 at Amazon$150 at Target If you think mom would enjoy upgrading her morning cup of java, a Trade Coffee subscription can help. It offers a curated selection of more than 450 coffees from across the US and smartly personalizes which ones it recommends to each subscriber. Upon redeeming her gift, she'll be prompted to take a brief quiz that asks about her flavor and brew preferences, information Trade will use to suggest a specific bag catered to her taste. Mom can then give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to any coffee she receives, which the company will use to hone its future recommendations. Managing her coffee queue online is easy enough, too. You can gift anywhere from two to 24 bags, and Trade says any gift subscriptions will not automatically renew so neither you nor mom will have any surprise charges to deal with down the line. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter $60+ at Trade Coffee I took sleep for granted pre-momhood. Only after having a kid did I realize how precious, fleeting and essential a night of unconsciousness is. I reviewed the Restore 2 from Hatch and was impressed with its mix of sleep sounds, sunlight alarm and intriguing original content. One of my wishes after using the second-gen device was for easier-to-use controls on the alarm clock itself — and that's one of the upgrades in the Hatch Restore 3. You still program the device within the Hatch app, but the improved buttons and dial let you control things afterwards, without having to bring a sleep-destroying phone into the bedroom. There's a vast array of 'rest' and 'rise' content, including sleep stories, wake-up pep talks, stretching exercises, night music and, of course, white noise sounds. If you know a mom who's wished for better sleep, this may help. Just note that there's a $6 monthly subscription required to access all the content, but I personally found it to be worth it. — A.S. $170 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $170 at Target$170 at Best Buy Some moms cook multi-course dinners every night. Others, like me, are proud when the evening's meal is more elaborate than a PB&J. The microwave is a perfectly fine way to get food on the table but I've found an air fryer makes low-effort dinners feel fancy. Instant's Vortex Plus crisps the exterior of the veggie corn dogs my kid loves and gives chicken nuggets a golden patina that looks nice next to my signature (microwaved) broccoli and cheese. There's even a viewing window to peek at food's progress and the replaceable filter does a good job tamping down odors and smokiness. I got my Vortex Plus because it tops our guide to air fryers and couldn't agree more with my team's assessment. — A.S. $130 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $136 at Walmart$160 at Wayfair If your mom could benefit from getting text alerts to her wrist while she's out and about, or you know she wants to track her daily steps more often, get her the Apple Watch SE. We consider it the best smartwatch for the money, providing users with the core Apple Watch experience for less than $250. In our testing, we didn't find too much of a difference in overall performance between the SE and the flagship Apple Watch, and it even includes advanced features like crash detection, continuous heart rate monitoring, Emergency SOS and others. What you don't get here is an always-on display, blood oxygen monitoring or a temperature sensor, but if your mom will be a first-time smartwatch wearer, those are less-important features that she likely will not miss. — V.P. $169 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $169 at Walmart$170 at Target The Echo Show 15 is 2024's answer to the tiny TV so many of us remember our parents having in the kitchen back in the day. It's small enough to mount on the wall in even a tiny space, but the screen is big enough to do justice to a casual sitcom or silly reality show while you make pesto. In addition to smart TV duties, it can handle all the stuff Alexa can do: tell you the weather, set timers and remind you when it's trash night. On top of that, it can control compatible smart home gadgets and check in on your connected cameras and video doorbells. When you're not using it, the Photo Frame feature cycles through pics you upload to the Alexa Photo app. Since getting one as a gift from my own mother, washing dishes no longer feels like such a slog. — A.S. $300 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $300 at Target$300 at Lowe's If your mom doesn't like to walk around the house barefoot or literally gets cold feet with any regularity, a set of OluKai slippers should make her day-to-day more comfortable. The Nohea pair slip over the whole foot easily and have a delightfully soft interior. The understated leather design is attractive, and the sturdy rubber outsole makes it so mom can walk the dog or mosey around the backyard with little discomfort. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter $130 at OluKai I don't have a whole-home sound system and weekend projects definitely take me from room to room to garage to yard. So I picked up a JBL Flip to bring my music with me, and it's been everything I want in a Bluetooth speaker. It's about the size of a crowler, comes in lovely colors and pairs easily with both iOS and Android devices. I also like how it sounds good standing on its size or on either end, so you can plonk it down just about anywhere. I have the Flip 6, but would love to upgrade to the Flip 7. JBL's newest generation has deeper bass, a slightly longer battery life (up to 16 hours) and, of course, AI smarts to cut down on distortion and improve sound quality. The sound of the Flip 6 is impressive already, which is partly why it appears in our guide to Bluetooth speakers. The improved audio of the latest generation will only make mom's weekend gardening/bike repair/bread baking sessions more sonically enjoyable. — A.S. $150 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $150 at Walmart$150 at Verizon If you're not going to help your mom around the house, at least get her something that can do a few things for her. This Roomba from iRobot is a good start. It's our current top pick for the best budget robot vacuum you can get thanks to its sleek design, easy setup process and even easier to use mobile app. Once set up and paired to their home Wi-Fi network, your mom can program cleaning schedules that tell the robovac when and where to clean. At the designated times, it'll putter around, sucking up dirt, debris and pet hair in its path. All mom will have to do is empty its dustbin after each cleaning job — a chore that will only take a few seconds. This is truly a set-it-and-forget-it style robovac, one that they'll thank you for after just a few completed cleaning jobs that they didn't have to do themselves. — V.P. $129 at Wayfair Explore More Buying Options $129 at Amazon$250 at Target If your mom already knows her way around the kitchen, a new toy like the Breville Control Grip could inspire her to experiment and try out new recipes. Our favorite immersion blender has a powerful 280-watt motor and comes with a separate bowl for chopping and mincing, as well as a larger jug for preparing soups and smoothies. It supports 15 different speeds, making it versatile enough to craft all kinds of dishes, and the included whisk attachment turns it into a makeshift hand mixer, too. It's one of those unicorn-like multipurpose kitchen gadgets — it does a lot of different things and does them well. And, unlike a high-powered blender or stand mixer, it won't take up too much space in a cabinet. — V.P. $128 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $130 at Target$130 at Sur La Table The Beats Fit Pro may be our favorite wireless earbuds for working out, but your mom doesn't have to be a regular running or pilates enthusiast to get a lot of use out of them. These buds have a comfortable, secure fit thanks to their flexible wing tips, plus a great sound profile out of the box thanks in part to Adaptive EQ technology. Active noise cancellation is solid as well, which will come in handy when she wants to block out distractions at work or while running errands, and she'll be able to quickly jump into any conversation she deems important by using Transparency Mode. If your mom has an iPhone, she'll benefit from the H1 chip inside the Beats Fit Pro, which enables things like quick pairing and switching between Apple devices and hands-free Siri. But Android toting mothers won't be left out either — the Fit Pros have their own Android app that supports many of the same features. — V.P. $170 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $170 at Macy's$180 at Walmart Nobody wants to be left with a dead smartphone, moms included. Having a good portable power bank handy can help avert that catastrophe, and the Anker MagGo Power Bank is our favorite among those at the moment. It's a Qi2-compatible pack that can attach to an iPhone magnetically and supply a relatively quick 15W charge, no wires needed. In real-world terms, we found it can take an iPhone 15 from near-dead to half-full in about 45 minutes. With a USB-C cable, it can deliver a faster 27W charge. There's a nifty display that tells you how much juice is left beyond that, plus a kickstand that makes it easier to prop the phone up on a desk. All of this comes in a half-pound package that's a little over four inches tall and 0.8 inches thick. Just be aware that this isn't the best choice for Android devices — if your mom uses one of those, check out our power bank guide for more options. — J.D. $90 at Amazon What is it with moms telling everyone to eat their vegetables? In my experience, it's an involuntary response to motherhood. The Breville Juice Fountain Plus is a way for moms to make drinks loaded with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that actually taste good too. The Juice Fountain Plus' titanium and steel extraction disc works with an 850 watt motor to squeeze a lot of juice from even tough root veggies. The three-inch chute accepts big chunks of produce, which cuts down on prep time, but even more importantly, the machine disassembles easily and isn't a pain to clean. – A.S. $150 at Wayfair Explore More Buying Options $180 at Amazon Nobody needs to pay for an app to practice better mindfulness and flush out bad vibes, but if your mom has expressed interest in guided meditation, Headspace is our favorite service of the bunch. It offers a buffet of exercises aimed at different life goals and situations, from boosting creativity to increasing relaxation to creating a soothing sleep environment. Most of the meditations let you choose between different instructors, and we've found the multi-step courses to gradually build on themselves well. All of it comes in an app that's clean and easy to navigate. Headspace costs $70/year for an annual subscription, so it may not be something your mom wants to stick with forever. Still, it should be a welcome gift for those looking for a more structured way to get (and stay) in the mental self-care habit. — J.D. $70/year at Headspace A Universal Yums subscription is a way to make mom's snack time a little more exciting. Each month, this service ships out a bundle of goodies from a different country (April's was / is Belgium) alongside a tour guide-style booklet with little games and information about the highlighted nation. Not every treat will be a home run, but if your mom has a more adventurous palate, getting a literal taste of somewhere new can be fun. Gift packages are available in several different sizes and lengths of time. — J.D. $15 at Universal Yums
