There are no shortage of gift guides for what to get your mom for Mother’s Day, and I’m willing to bet most of us fall into one of three general gift giving categories: brunch, flowers, or something really personal. Done and done.
But what about the mamas who are NOT your own mother? If you’re in the stage of life when ALL your friends are popping out babies, this gift guide will help you figure out how to show them the love this mother’s day. It’s the guide I wish I’d had before I became a mother myself, when my default was a card or flowers (when I remembered to honor my mama girlfriends). Don’t get me wrong, those things are AWESOME—hell, just remembering to show a new mama some love on Mother’s Day means you are WINNING—but if you want to stand out from the pack, here are some ideas for really rocking her world this Sunday.
Time alone
This one is unapologetically identical to my gift guide on my personal blog. Everything else on these lists is different, except this one. THIS ONE.
Take the baby and give her some time to herself. To do… whatever.
Yoga. Binge on Netflix. Stare blankly into space.
Sleep. Sit at a coffee shop and slowly sip a latte and leisurely read a book. Pee alone. Cook or do laundry without ‘help’. Literally, whatever.
Note: This is the gift I want most pretty much all the time, but this won’t work for all mamas. We all have different comfort levels around how soon and how long we can be away from the baby. You probably know where the mama in your life falls on the spectrum; if not, ask her partner.
Lounge pants she can wear in public
If you follow me on Insta, you’ve likely seen me wearing these pants ad nauseum. It’s because they’re all I want to wear, all the time. So light and comfy and they totally count as lounge pants you can wear in public. I bought them for my husband, too, and now we awkwardly match all the time.
Anyway, I digress. The point is: these pants are everything.
I have runner and new mama friends who also swear by these Outdoor Voices sweats.
Full disclosure: I ordered a pair in my usual size M and while the fabric was buttery soft, the sizing wasn’t quite right. I’m waiting for my exchange in the mail and will let you know how the S treats me.
High waisted leggings.
We all need a little help keeping it all together, if you know what I mean. When I was newly postpartum, the two parts of my body that felt most unfamiliar were my stomach and my butt. Anything that could help keep everything in place and maybe add a little compression and lift to compensate is heartily welcomed. These leggings from Lorna Jane are high-waisted AND have booty support. Win, win!
Coffee subscription service
Moms live at this unfortunate intersection of no time and need caffeine. That’s where coffee subscriptions come in. I love Sudden Coffee—instant coffee that’s actually good (really!)—that she can store in her diaper bag or purse and mix up a cup wherever she is. It’s lifechanging, y’all. Plus it’s a subscription model so she doesn’t have to leave the house OR add it to her grocery list. WINNING.
Bike seat for her kiddo
I’ve bought a lot of baby things that people swore was THE ONLY THING YOU NEED. I have a lot of baby things I didn’t actually need that are all currently languishing in my garage. OH my garage. What a shitshow of a mess.
Anyway. This bike seat was the thing that fit the bill for what I *actually* couldn’t live without. I bought the Thule Ridealong Mini, and it’s worked like a dream.
That said, I think the Yepp Mini is cuter (those colors!) and several of my mama friends have and love it. So, pick your fave, and get her a baby helmet so she’s ready to go without another trip to the store.
Mac’s is classic pink, because, #sweatpink4life, but I also love this ladybug helmet, and this space one is pretty cute, too.
For an active mama who treasures her freedom, the bike seat was just the thing to make me feel like myself again. Other than fitting into my jeans, but no one’s really figured out how to give that gift yet.
Fitting into her jeans
Okay, well, actually… why not help her get back to feeling like herself by training for a race with her? Or give her the gift of an experience that will help her reconnect to her pre-baby self? So much of motherhood is focused on the mothering part, the part that’s not really about her. I so appreciate gifts that are truly for ME, not for the baby. And more often than not, that means the gift of time to continue pursuing the things I love.
Here are some discounts for you: FLEXANDFLOW gets you 20% off EMPOWER Race registration, and MAMALOVE gets you 15% off EMPOWER Vancouver retreat registration.
Remember: when in doubt, give her the best gift of all: time alone to do whatever the f she wants.
prAna and Lorna Jane are partners of Fit Approach, but this post is not sponsored. It does include some affiliate links, the proceeds of which go into my coffee fund. Because, motherhood. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for your support! <3
Ha! Yeah, pretty much all of this, especially the time alone. I think that goes for ALL moms of little kids. Mine is almost 3 and I would really love to use the bathroom or shower alone. That would be great.
HA, Christine, showering / peeing alone is the ultimate luxury! I hope you get some quality time this weekend (and always) to take care of business. 😉
I hope you get all the snacks and couch time this week!! Also, Mac in the bike seat is the best thing ever / I’m pretty jealous 😉
Yes to giving the gift of ME time! Love this!