Mother's Day is a wonderful time to honor the special women in your life. When celebrating Mother's Day, you might think of your own mom, but it could be a mother figure, an aunt, a neighbor, perhaps a co-worker, or a friend. There are many ways to show love and appreciation, and a Mother’s Day Gift Basket is a great choice.
Gift baskets are becoming increasingly popular for more personal occasions because they can be customized and personalized to the person receiving them. Check out some of these incredible gift basket ideas below.
How can I put together a DIY Mothers Day gift basket?
Putting together a Mother's Day gift basket on your own can make the gift more personal and perhaps even more affordable. First, you're going to want to pick a theme. Next, look at your mother's favorite things or Google for inspiration. Then pick a basket that you like, and start accumulating items to put inside. Here are a couple of ideas to get you started.
Foodie Basket: These can be filled with treats, snacks, chocolates, or some special Mother's Day cookies. You can also add food magazine subscriptions, a cooking class, or a gift card to a high-end restaurant. Usually, you'll want to look for unique or gourmet treats from small businesses to give them a taste of something new, but you can always add in their more common favorites as well.
Spa Basket: These can be filled with soaps, lotions, bath foams, nail polish, shower steamers, bath bombs, incense, face masks, hair products, and so much more. All of it will help your mom relax and encourage her to try some new products she'd never considered buying herself.
Coffee Basket: This basket is for coffee lovers and can be filled with all kinds of coffee. You can also add in mugs, waffles or graham sticks, flavor add-ins, creamers, sugars, and more.
Movie Basket: If the mother you're buying for enjoys a good movie, consider filling a basket with bags of popcorn, different flavors of popcorn salt, a gift card to a local theater or a subscription to a streaming service, a small fleece blanket, and some sweets to balance out the salt from the popcorn.
Note: Your local thrift store is a great place to find a good basket!
Other Mother's Day Gift Basket Ideas
As always, whether you're wishing a Happy Mother's Day to your own mother, a sister-in-law, a friend, or a mother figure in your life, take time to put thought into your gift and don't assume you know what she needs based on a single observation. Sometimes the best thing to do is just ask what she wants or needs. If you’d rather keep it a surprise, here are some Mother’s Day gift basket ideas:
The Busy Mom
If you've got a mom who's always on the go, you can get her a unique gift basket designed to make her life easier. The items inside could include time-saving hacks or gadgets, simplification tools, or books on streamlining life. You could also include calendars, pens, day planners, water bottles, to-go mugs, various organizers, or a robot vacuum if you really want to go the extra mile.
Other gifts that could help a mom when things get hectic include a subscription or gift card to a meal or grocery delivery service or a few visits from a local cleaning service. Moms on the go might also appreciate quick and easy snack or meal options. For example, a cookbook full of easy, simple meals with protein bars, trail mix, and drink packets could be amazingly helpful.
The Spa-Loving Mom
There is nothing like being pampered to help relax and rejuvenate. A gift basket full of pampering supplies would be a wonderful gift for any who enjoys spa time or, better yet, needs spa time. Ideas for such a collection could include a special towel for hair after a shower; a fluffy, personalized towel; new slippers; a new bathrobe; a new color of nail polish; face and foot masks; bath bombs, shower steamers, or bath salts; and moisturizing lip balm. If you want them to be pampered rather than pampering themselves, consider adding a gift card for a manicure, pedicure, or massage.
The Gourmet Food Mom
For some, food is both an art and an experience. To put together a gourmet food basket, consider including wine or whatever her drink of choice may be, fun cheeses, high-end chocolates, dried fruits, and various nuts. These are all common items for a charcuterie board, so you might consider changing this gift "basket" to a gift "board."
If you aren't interested in a literal board, there are dozens of really cute plates or platters you could include.
If you would like to gift something aimed at a foodie but want something more streamlined, you might consider a gift card to a high-end restaurant, a certificate for a cooking class with a chef, a gourmet cookbook, or a food magazine subscription (physical or digital). A new kitchen tool might make a fun addition as well.
The New Mom
More than anything else, new moms usually need rest. While that may be in short supply, creating a gift basket full of things that will make her life easier is a great way to go. Caffeine, though not rest-promoting, can help stave off the effects of some of those long nights, especially if she works outside of the home. A bag of her favorite coffee or a gift card to her favorite coffee shop might be very welcome. If she’s not a coffee drinker, tea, soda, or even chocolate (did you know chocolate contains small amounts of caffeine?) might be a welcome gift.
Cute and comfortable clothes are other options to consider. New mothers rarely fit into their pre-baby clothes right off the bat—even if they did, they would probably just want to wear more comfortable things, anyway. Sometimes new moms find it difficult to justify spending money on new clothes they don't intend to wear for long. So receiving something that makes them feel pretty and comfortable will be much appreciated.
Sometimes, new moms, especially first-time moms, have needs that aren't being met. For example, she might feel stressed about getting cool and fun things for her when she knows she can't afford some of the things she needs for her new baby. If you feel like this might be the situation for the mom you're celebrating, a gift card to a store that sells a variety of things might be a good solution. Then she can spend some money on herself and buy a few things she desperately needs for the baby.
The Health-Conscious Mom
Lots of moms make fitness and improving their health a priority in their lives. If that's the case, you can find or make a variety of baskets that are easily tailored to the mother you are celebrating.
Healthy Food
If the mom in your life is into nutrition, consider giving her a basket that includes a meal kit subscription, a juicer, workout protein boosters, sugar-free snacks, water enhancers, or compact blenders.
Well-Being
Another basket could be focused on personal comforts, including items like a desktop humidifier, bath soaking salts, or acupuncture pillow sets. Books about meditation or mental health could also be good options.
Exercise
If you have a mother that loves to exercise, then you might consider including in your basket a set of workout bands, a yoga mat, workout clothes, running shoes, a smart water bottle, or wireless headphones designed to be worn during exercise. Depending on your mother's interests, you can customize her gift basket to get her the things she wants or new things to try that she would never buy herself.
The Tired Moms
Every mother you have ever met has been tired too many times to count, and not just when her children are young. A great Mother's Day gift basket would ease the mom's exhaustion. You could include gifts that will make her family's lives easier, like easy meal plans, babysitting coupons, or grocery delivery services. You could focus on her rest and fill the basket with gifts like bath bombs, soothing candles, sleep masks, humidifiers, weighted blankets, white noise machines, or noise-canceling headphones. Every mom will appreciate these gifts, no matter their age or interests.
The Gardening Mom
Gardening can be an exceptionally rewarding hobby. Fill your garden basket with handheld gardening tools like spades, shovels, shears, rakes, hoes, scissors, and gloves. These tools often wear out and occasionally need to be replaced. Ergonomic versions of these tools might also be welcome to an avid gardener.
New seed packets or plant starters from a local nursery are often a welcome addition to a garden. Heirloom seeds mean that when a vegetable is harvested, the seeds from that plant can be saved and used as seeds for the next year. This is a gift that can last a very long time, and many gardeners adore heirloom varieties. Creative garden stakes to mark what vegetable is planted where. These will be a fun addition to a garden-themed basket.
If the woman you are celebrating loves to cultivate flowers, she'd probably welcome a basket full of seeds, bulbs, flowers, potting soil, flower pots, or baskets. A watering can or hose attachment made specifically for flowers could also be very helpful. If you wanted to deviate from the gift basket theme, you could go for a gift wheelbarrow or planter.
The Crafty Mom
If you've got a crafty mother, then she'll love a basket full of crafting supplies. If her craft of choice is sewing, you can get her fabric, sewing patterns, needles, thread, pins, and fabric markers. If she loves to knit or crochet, you can get her knitting needles, crochet hooks, scissors, patterns, and yarn.
If she loves scrapbooking, you could get her stamps, stickers, glue, markers, gel pens, colored pencils, and patterned paper. If your mom likes to make candles or soap, you can get her unique molds and scents. If she loves to paint, you can get her canvases, paintbrushes, an art easel, and paint. If she likes to make jewelry, you can get her wire, beads, jewelry hooks and clasps, wire cutters, tweezers, and pliers.
If you're unsure what she would like, do your best to fill the basket, then tuck a craft store gift card inside so she can pick out her own supplies. If your mother loves to craft but can't seem to find the time, you can give her a coupon for a few hours of your time to run errands or do chores for her so she can pursue the activities she loves.
The Bookworm Mom
How many times have you seen your mother settle down in her favorite armchair with a book? Did she ever read you stories before bed as a child? Sometimes a mother needs a break to lose themselves in a good book, so here are a few ideas.
- New book or book series
- A gift card to a local bookstore
- Signed book from her favorite author
- Audible or Kindle subscription
- Bookmarks
- Reading glasses
- Kindle case
- Bookends
- Line marker clips
- Book bag
- Book nook
- Book light
If you want to make her reading experience more enjoyable, you can get her a soft blanket, scented candles, a variety of teas or hot chocolate, slippers, or a coffee mug. Maybe you can slip in a note telling them you're taking them to a book signing by their favorite author.
The Minimalist Mom
Experiences, travel opportunities, gift cards, digital subscriptions, or season passes to something fun locally might be a better alternative. If you really want to give her something, a digital picture frame or a beautiful bouquet of flowers paired with gourmet chocolates (that won't take up counter space for long) could be an excellent gift. You can also give her the gift of your time since nowadays it feels like no one has enough of that, or you can donate to her favorite charity.
The Women Who Are Not Mothers Yet
There are circumstances in life that can cause a woman who wants to be a mother to not get that chance. Mother's Day can be difficult for these women, as it's a reminder of what they don't have. If the woman you want to celebrate falls into this category, it might be that navigating the holiday can feel nearly impossible—but it doesn't have to be.
Rather than focusing on the "mother" part of Mother's Day, opt for an "I love you" gift and steer clear of the sympathy gifts. There's enough pain there already. If you're unsure, you can always ask what they would like for Mother's Day, or if they prefer not to celebrate it.
What About Budget-Friendly Mother’s Day Gift Ideas?
Sometimes an expensive gift isn't an option, but some of the best gifts are homemade or totally free. Think of your mother's interests and your talents. Is there a point where the two of them meet? If so, consider some of the following Mother's Day gift options.
- You can hand-make gifts if you're crafty, such as a crocheted or sewn scarf or blanket.
- You can put in some homemade cookies or brownies.
- You can collect photos of her happiest memories and make a unique collage or scrapbook.
- You can write her letters or fill a journal with all your favorite memories of her.
- You could give her pressed flowers or a jigsaw puzzle that the two of you can do together for some quality time. Sentimental gifts are always a winner because they celebrate the relationship you share.
Things NOT to Give on Mother's Day
There are a ton of great gift ideas out there for mothers, but while you are considering which gift to give, whether it be for your mom, your spouse, or an important mother figure in your life, please consider how a gift will be received. Any gift that will make the receiver feel self-conscious, inadequate, or embarrassed is a bad idea.
Anything that highlights age or weight might fall into this less-than-welcome category. Gifts that are for other people (like their children) are also generally a faux pas.
Lastly, we recommend avoiding gifts that will make life more difficult or gifting anything that requires care for an indefinite period of time (like an animal, unless specifically requested).
Mother’s Day with Spoonful of Comfort
We hope you found this article helpful and that you have some ideas of what to give on Mother's Day. If you’re still not sure, maybe we can help.
Mother’s Day is very special to us at Spoonful of Comfort. Taking care of mothers is why we got started. Our Mother’s Day Gift Package is the perfect way to make mom feel loved and pampered on her special day.
