Bless them, but mothers can be hard to please.
So when it comes to Mother’s Day gifts, the most obvious choice is sometimes the best one. You’ve probably seen a million Mother’s Day lists with the same home appliances, tablets, and smartwatches, but before you scoff — sometimes the obvious choice is obvious because it really is that good.
Below you’ll find some picks you might expect, but we guarantee any of the mothers in your life will undoubtedly love them, from fitness trackers to sneakers.
Input may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article. We only include products that have been independently selected by Input's editorial team.
Moms are busy people. An Apple Watch is a great way to help them stay on top of their schedule, track their daily activity, and do things like take calls and quickly respond to messages without having to fish out their phone. The Apple Watch Series 7 is the best smartwatch out there. That is unless your mom uses an Android phone.
It’s hard to find someone for whom an Instant Pot wouldn’t be useful. Whether you’re trying to prepare a meal for your family or simply want a fast way to make a complicated meal after work, an Instant Pot’s set-it-and-forget pressure cooker skills should come in handy in a variety of situations and food types.
Much like Coca-Cola, there is only one pair of wireless earbuds that will get mom screaming: AirPods Pro. They connect seamlessly with iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks; they sound terrific, especially with content that supports spatial audio; and everyone knows you're not wearing cheap ones.
We'll be upfront: the Stagg EKG electric pour-over kettle is not cheap. But it is so damn pretty (in any of its seven colors). Bells and whistles include 1,200-watt quick-heating and an LCD screen for tracking boiling and stopwatch functions. The Stagg is absolutely more form than function, but at least you'll look good pouring water over coffee or tea in your Instagram Stories.
The Air Max 97 is a classic silhouette that has remained as iconic as it did when the original "Silver Bullet' released in 1997. Pair it up or down — doesn't matter, the Air Max 97 comes in myriad colorways to match any fit.
Amazon’s Echo smart speakers and displays are great for asking Alexa for the odd timer or audiobook request, but the Echo Show 15 has the added benefit of a large screen for photos, video calls, and widgets. Place it in the kitchen as the smart home “brain” of the house or in the living room for photos and video calls.
There's a reason vinyl sales are booming again: nostalgia is powerful. But also: records are simpler. They let you focus on the music on a single album as opposed to speeding to the next one. This Crosley CR8009A-TU record player is not going to impress audiophiles, but it is cute, comes in several aesthetically pleasing colors, and has Bluetooth just in case you wanna stream music to its built-in speakers.
What good are all the photos taken on your phone if you never share them? Fujifilm’s Instax Mini Evo is our favorite instant camera. It looks retro, prints photos directly from its 5-megapixel camera, connects with phones (iPhone and Android) to print pics onto instant film, and there are fun features like filters mapped to the lens ring and dial that you can add to spice up prints. And the print lever: *chef’s kiss*.
Anyone can play games, and Nintendo’s extremely popular Switch offers some of the easiest and most flexible ways to do it. Play Nintendo Switch Sports with friends, spend hours building the perfect Animal Crossing: New Horizons island, or just dig into the huge library of classic Nintendo games. The Switch (OLED model) has options, whether your mom is just getting into games, or just picking them up again.
Amazon makes some of the best e-readers, hands-down, and the Kindle Paperwhite is no different. The crisp, backlit, E Ink display will make text easy on your eyes (feel free to binge Outlander at your leisure) and the Kindle store offers a vast selection of books and audiobooks for purchase. You can even send library books to your Kindle for easy reading on the go.
Apple’s 2021 iPad mini is almost as powerful as the company’s larger tablets, and has access to the same great app library, ranging from classic games to productivity tools. Use it to take notes at work with an Apple Pencil, read a magazine on the couch, or prop it up and watch Netflix in bed. The 6th-gen iPad mini is simple enough to use that it can entertain kids just as easily as it does adults.
Air fryers are not a gimmick. They actually make frying foods less of a mess and the results are usually comparable if not better than traditional deep frying. Not to mention, healthier (maybe). Our senior editor James Pero stands by the Philips Premium Air Fryer XXL; he used it during Super Bowl LVI to do a wings showdown versus his wok. His winner? The air fryer.
Ember's smart mug is not new. Yet it still tops gift guide lists because it's actually good. With an app for iOS or Android, you set the temperature you want your beverage to stay warm at, and through magic coils, within the base of the mug and the charging coaster, it does just that.
A smaller and more lightweight alternative to an Apple Watch, a Fitbit Charge 5 is a good first step into fitness tracking, especially if you (or your mom) uses an Android phone. You don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from the data your Fitbit collects, either. Automatic sleep tracking and heart health features should give you peace of mind and help you start making healthy changes to your lifestyle.
