As a working mom myself, I can say that the best gifts I’ve received are the ones that were thoughtful, creative, and showed me that my family valued all parts of me.
A gift can be a unique opportunity to show the mom in your life that you notice and appreciate everything she does, and that you want to help take care of her and make memories with her.
Here I’m sharing eight special items that I have and love — or that another working mom I know has and loves.
What kind of working mom are we talking about here?
The title of working mom encompasses many different life situations. If you know a mom and she works at a job to get paid, then she’s a working mom, and she’s constantly switching between work and home responsibilities.
I’m a full-time stay-at-home mom to two young boys, ages 3 and 1, and I’m a working mom. I personally know several moms who are in a similar situation to me; we are with our children full time, but we also work in another capacity.
In my case, I’m self-employed, so I fit work into early mornings, nap times, evenings, and weekends.
Other moms I know do freelance or contract work too. They piece together childcare from friends and family on the fly as work obligations pop up.
And still other moms I know took maternity leave when their kids were babies, and now are back to work full-time while their little ones attend daycare or school.
Whether you leave the house in the morning and return in the evening, or squeeze your work into whatever pockets of time you can find in your day, we’re all balancing a lot.
It’s not just the juggling act of making sure everybody is fed, clean, and happy while making sure you’re meeting work deadlines. It’s also the mental load of juggling your work-brain and your mom-brain.
Switching between the two can be draining, even if you love all the things you do in all your roles.
Gift giving tip #1 for moms
If you have a working mom in your life and you’re shopping for a gift for an occasion — or even a “just because” gift — I encourage you to think outside of her working identity and treat her to something that fulfills the other aspects of her life.
Rather than giving her something that will make her work day easier or her mom life more organized, think about what she needs to feel her happiest and healthiest.
8 creative gifts for working moms
Without further ado, here are my top gifts for working moms.
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1. Best for de-stressing
I have a Saje diffuser in my home and I love it for setting the tone of my day.
An energizing oil in the morning, a grounding one when I have to settle into some work for an hour, and a relaxing one in the evening, all help me to manage stress and make me feel more calm amidst the chaos.
You can purchase a Saje diffuser — and various essential oil combinations — here.
2. Best for brightening her day
When I’m having a harder day, I’ll often walk to a nearby flower shop and treat myself to a bunch of flowers. I have a good mom friend who does the same.
It’s an instant mood lifter and it brightens the house up. How nice would it be to have flowers automatically delivered on a regular basis?
If you want a gift that brightens your working mom’s day, consider a flower subscription. Flowerbx sends a beautiful bouquet of seasonal flowers to her door once a month.
You can sign up for a subscription to Flowerbx here.
3. Best for alone time
Despite knowing all the benefits of meditation, I’ve never been able to do it. I’ve always found it difficult to shut my brain off.
I recently started using a meditation app and it’s a game changer. I know a mom who will shut herself in the bathroom for a 5-minute meditation when she begins to feel overwhelmed, and she says it totally shifts her mental state.
A subscription to a meditation app would be a great gift for the working mom in your life, to show her that you understand she needs a few minutes alone sometimes.
You can gift a year or a lifetime subscription to the Calm app.
4. Best for quality family time
I bet that the working mom in your life would love to have some downtime as a family.
Whether she works outside the home or is the full-time caregiver, she’s craving some quality time when she’s not doing and just being.
Give her a gift that is for the whole family to enjoy, letting her know that you want to spend quality time with her, too. Board games will forever be a fantastic way to interact as a family and make some special memories.
You can purchase the classic edition of Monopoly on Amazon.
Or try a board game like Sequence for Kids if she has younger children.
You can buy Sequence for Kids on Amazon.
5. Best keepsake
Who takes the photos in your family? My bet: mom. Why does she take them? Because she knows they’ll jog special memories one day.
But guess what? If she’s always behind the lens, she’s probably not actually in many of the photos. Make it your mission to get your mom in the photo, too.
Show her you want her to be part of the memory, and not just the one curating the memory, by gifting a fun camera that any member of the family can snap a pic with anytime.
I personally love a Polaroid-style camera with instant film; there’s something about the retro vibe and the instant gratification that make the whole thing fun and special.
You can get the camera that my family uses and loves on Amazon.
6. Best for self care
This neck massager looks silly, but hear me out: it feels amazing.
The working mom in your life is probably carrying around kids and bags of groceries, pushing a stroller, sitting at a computer, and doing all sorts of other things that are wreaking havoc on her neck, back, and shoulders.
This deep tissue kneading pillow massager feels so good at the end of a long day — I love it! And it’s a great way for you to encourage her to take a load off and take five.
You can order the massager on Amazon.
7. Best for saying thank you
A “just because” gift — just because we love you, just because we notice you, just because we appreciate you — is, hands down, one of the most lovely things you can do for the working mom in your life.
Surprise her with something unique and unexpected, like this Mamas throw blanket from Anthropologie. I love it because it’s meaningful, creative, whimsical, cozy, unique, and unexpected. Guaranteed it will make her day.
You can purchase the Mamas blanket from Anthropologie.
8. Best for supporting sleep
Mom probably isn’t getting enough sleep, especially considering the way her day is stacked, so that means that good quality sleep is super important.
When her head finally hits the pillow, she needs to be able to fall asleep quickly and soundly. As somebody who has struggled with sleep ever since becoming a mom, I know that all the little bedtime rituals really do make a difference in helping to wind down.
A relaxing pillow mist is a really nice way to help cue your body for rest.
You can order the Muse Apothecary Pillow Ritual Mist on Amazon.
The final word
If you’re shopping for a gift for one or more working moms in your life, there are lots of great options available.
No matter what type of gift you select, try to get her something that will let her know you’ve noticed what she likes and you care about what she needs.