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Best Gifts for Mom (2026): E-Readers, Digital Wall Calendar, Smart Bird Feeders
Moms give the best gifts, so it stands to reason that you should get the best gifts for Mom when you're shopping for her in any scenario. That includes Mother's Day, her birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah, or any other holiday in your family's life that includes gift-giving. The holiday season is right around the corner, and I've added a few gift ideas with that time of year in mind.
If you're worried you're going to give her a disappointing gift or something she already has, fear not: I've gathered the coolest things we recommend here at WIRED that just about any mom will love. From wellness gadgets that can improve her skin, the best tote bags I've tried, and even a device that puts her digital calendar in an IRL device, moms everywhere can get a ton out of these gifts. Many of these items I've given to my mother, or other WIRED staffers have given to theirs, or it's at the top of my list as a mother of a 4-year-old.
Updated September 2026: I've added two tote bag gift ideas for the fall season, the Wildbird Pregnancy Pillow as a gift for expecting moms, and more options in the gaming section.
The must-have gadget for women of almost any age is an LED mask. These masks promise to use red light to erase wrinkles, brighten your skin, and keep acne at bay. I haven't seen much change in my wrinkles in my year-plus of regularly using a red light mask, but I can confirm it makes my skin brighter and calms down acne and scars much faster when I'm regularly treating my skin. HigherDose is a favorite mask of mine because the three-strap design lets it hang on my head rather than squeeze it, making it one of the most comfortable masks I've worn.
My other favorite LED tool actually sits on my head and also comes from HigherDose. The brand's Red Light Hat treats your head with red light to rejuvenate your scalp and hair follicles for better hair growth, and as someone with a sensitive scalp and a hair-pulling problem, using this cap regularly genuinely improved my scalp and hair. It's the healthiest it's ever been, and my scalp is the least itchy, too. I love that this hat also has a battery pack, so I can comfortably wear it anywhere while I treat my head.
Look, nothing says mom life like looking for the perfect bag. I'm in a massive tote phase of my life; I somehow need to either lug an armload of items for myself and my son (or just myself!) or I only need a tiny belt bag. There's no in between.
The Yardsale Day Bag has been my go-to for a variety of needs, from a stylish personal item for a flight to a gym bag to the aerial studio. It's got a waterproof bottom that makes me happy to bring it to the zoo's splash pad, and a magnetic middle separator you can flex to separate the middle of the bag into two medium sections to better divide all your items. Plus, there are a handful of side pockets inside, but none are large enough for my massive Owala water bottle. I have the 30L in Butter, but there's also a smaller 20L version if you're looking for something a little more compact.
If your mom wants something a little more stylish, the Alex Mill totes are always on my mind. They come in a variety of gorgeous colors and are made of coated canvas, so they can put up with daily adventures, and you can customize them with your mom's initials (or even just the word “mom”!) with Alex Mill's hand-painted letter service. It's a simpler tote with no other pockets, but you can use the top snaps to let out the sides or tuck them in, depending on how much space Mom needs on a given day. The weathered color and vibe of these bags also feel perfect for the fall season.
My latest favorite family planning gadget is a digital wall calendar. These handy devices take the Google Calendar I live by (and just about any other digital calendar, if your mom isn't a Google girl) and put it on a physical device I can quickly tap into without needing to grab my phone or bark at Alexa. The Skylight Calendar 2 is my favorite, because it not only includes to-do lis