#MothersDay GIFT GUIDE: What to buy for Mom for in 2021

Mother’s Day is May 9th this year.

I am a mom, and I love gadgets. Every mom I know not only likes gadgets, but relies on them every single day to keep her informed, connected, and entertained — not to mention sane! Here are a few of our favorite things for the big day and beyond!

Tribute Video Montage

Tribute is a service that helps you create a video montage with everyone in your family sharing their love, admiration, and respect for mom. It simplifies the collaborative process — no need to track down family members for their videos, request different file formats, or email reminders. Just choose the occasion and set a date for clip submission. You can use their suite of tools to email family, collect videos and edit yourself, or let their concierge service handle the entire process for you. Either way, Tribute will give you more than just a video; you’ll get a lasting memory too. There’s also the option to send a special 7″ video card of your clips if you want a physical gift for less tech-savvy family members. Purchase: Starting at $25 at Tribute.co.

ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga

This 2-in-1 “do-everything” device keeps up with mom’s multitasking madness! Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is brand new, one of the world’s thinnest and lightest convertible laptops/tablet combos, and the body is only 11.5mm thick.  That’s the width of a tiny button. It weighs just two-and-half pounds. Perfect for multitasking moms who need one device to do it all. Purchase: Prices start at $1,769 at Lenovo.com. 

Gift Her a Slick Smart Phone

Here’s (arguably) the most coveted Mom gadget there is — a smartphone. If she’s still carrying an old, cracked-screen handset she picked up when her teens were toddlers — she is long past due for an upgrade! If your mom laments the perfect simplicity of the flip phone while she’s glued to her touch-screen smartphone, she is one of us and the Galaxy Z Flip 5G is one of my favorite smartphones. It’s a genius melding of that flip phone — it actually flips! — into a state-of-the-art smartphone. It’s a statement-making gadget that folds to fit into your pocket or purse. What’s really cool is how the little Hideaway Hinge unlocks Flex mode — so you can do everything hands-free when it’s away in a pocket. Plus, it can multitask almost as well as Mom herself, with the large 6.7-inch display — perfect for a split-screen — and that whole “always doing two at once magical Mom trick.” Another option is the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. It’s a stellar smartphone — one of the best on the planet — that will connect mom to friends, family, shopping, and whatever rabbit hole she likes to travel to. The latest flagship device has a head-turning, bold design, an epic pro-grade camera for the true memory keepers among us, and the most powerful processor ever in a Galaxy device.This splurge isn’t as expensive as you think, since you can get a $600 instant credit off Galaxy Z Flip 5G and $700 instant credit off Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G when you trade-in on Samsung.com. Purchase: Galaxy Z Flip 5G starts at $699; Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G starts at $499 at Samsung.com.

This iRobot that Cleans the House

Your mom doesn’t want a robot vacuum because she loves cleaning — she wants one because she loves a clean house! 

Get her this top-of-the-line iRobot Braava Jet M6, which combines a powerful sweeper and mop in one super-smart device. The Braava Jet can clean up everything from crumbs to grease with ease, thanks to its precision jet spray and its “Maximized Edge Design,” which helps it get into corners and under furniture.

The robot mop learns and adapts to your space, so it knows where to clean and when to do it.  Simply attach a mopping or sweeping pad and the robot automatically takes it from there. It automatically returns to its charging dock when the job is done. Mom can monitor everything from an app on her phone.  Purchase: $449 at iRobot.

A Covid-Killing Air Purifier

Here’s another one of my new favorite gadgets: The airKAVE Portable Covid-killing portable antiviral air sanitizer. Its creator says it’s been proven to kill airborne SARS-COV-2 — the virus that causes Covid-19, along with all kinds of other nasties like the flu and E.coli. This all happens in real-time within the device via micro-lightning, plasma tech. There are no filters to replace, it’s safe for the home and it’s small enough to take with you into the car, a restaurant, or anywhere you go, really. It cleans a 100-foot radius of air around it and you can connect two devices together to clean a larger space. Just stay within that radius and breathe easily. Purchase: $349 for one; $599 for two at airKave.

The Millo Blender of the Future

If your mom loves smoothies — and who doesn’t — she will love the way this beautiful millo blender  takes the cumbersome process of making them and cleaning up after making them into a futuristic and elegant process with no mess. She can set the texture of her blender with an app on her phone and the thing is so quiet —  due to the magnetic air drive — that she will not have to shout while blending. It’s also small enough to tuck away so her counters are clear when she isn’t blending. Purchase: €479 (coming to the US soon) at millo.

A Crafter’s Dream: The Cricut Joy

Your mom is going to go crazy with art projects, labels, custom phone bling, and more when she gets her hands on the Cricut Joy ($149.99). So be warned! This will take her nascent labeling efforts — your clothes for summer camp and your school lunch box to new levels. The labels will be off the chain! This tiny computer-design cutter “prints” the cuts she designs out of vinyl, paper, iron-on, card stock, and more. It’s tiny enough to pack into a cubby and easy to pull out and connect to her computer or phone via Bluetooth. Purchase: $149.99 at Amazon.

This Complete Rise Garden She Can Grow in the Kitchen

The Rise self-contained indoor garden can grow enough fresh vegetables — right in the kitchen — for mom to survive any apocalypse. It connects to a mobile app that alerts you if it needs anything. But it is, except when it asks for water, nutrients, or for a light adjustment, it is completely self-sufficient. Just pick and eat. It can grow everything from leafy greens to vining crops like tomatoes and peppers — even strawberries and microgreens — without soil or sunlight. It comes in a range of sizes from a small personal one to one that’s capable of feeding an entire family. Purchase:   Starting at $279 at Rise Gardens.

An Inflatable Paddle Board She Can Take Anywhere

If your mom loves nothing more than to get on the water, get some exercise, and have fun–preferably all at the same time — here’s a SUP board ($349.99) she can carry herself and fit in her car, even if she and her car are both tiny. This cute, sturdy, stand-up paddleboard weighs only 17 pounds when fully inflated. When it’s deflated you can roll it up and toss it into the back seat. It has its own carry bag and is stable and fun on the water. Purchase: $349.99 at Retrospec.

This Smart Watch That Tracks Her Health

Warby Parker Blue Light Glasses

A BRRRN Board At-Home Workout

Get on board with your mom’s new favorite workout — the Brrrn Board ($229) is a low impact, enjoyable way to slide right into your fitness goals. The 5 ft. slideboard is a simple workout tool that’s easy to use and easy to fit into any space. You can get the basic moves down fast, or pair it with Brrrn’s at-home, on-demand subscription with hundreds of workouts ranging from sliding, to yoga and breath work, to really amp it up. As easy as it is on your joints, it’s also easy on the environment — the eco-friendly board uses natural rubber wood on the bumpers, and the base itself is made from recycled materials. The entire set comes with the board, a pair of Slide Booties, Slide Mittens, and special board wipes so you can clean it down. Purchase: $229 at Brrrn.

Better Music with the Sonos Move

Functionality meets fun in this Sonos Move wireless speaker, which will upgrade mom from listening to music on her phone or old CD player.

The portable speaker delivers a wide, booming sound experience, with automatic Trueplay™ tuning, which continually adapts the sound for where you are and what you’re listening to.

What we like: the wireless speaker is totally weather-resistant, so you don’t have to worry about using it outdoors. Sonos says you can even drop or bump the unit without too much damage—the Move is protected by a shock-absorbing case. Purchase: $399 at Sonos.

Nomad Base Station Pro

If your mom as a lot of devices she wants to charge at one time without the mess of wires, Nomad’s Base Station Pro ($195.99) is the best option.

It has 18 charging coils beneath the surface, so you can place up to three devices anywhere you like, and they’ll begin charging. The Base Station Pro can charge devices at up to 7.5W, although the thickness of your phone case may reduce that speed.

This is a wireless charging pad is jet black, with an aluminum frame and padded leather surface. It’s easily the best-looking wireless charger we’ve recommended, for tech-savvy modern moms everywhere. Purchase: $199.95 at Nomad Goods.

SOUL Electronics SYNC Pro True Wireless Earbuds

There’s a lot to like about these elegant wireless earbuds ($129.99) , which get you reliable sound quality, easy Bluetooth pairing, and a whopping 150 hours of playtime via a portable charging case that allows for up to 22 recharges. If you’re working from home or taking calls on-the-go, the SYNC Pro has a microphone in both earbuds, providing a stronger connection and crisper, cleaner audio. The buds are super comfortable — even after prolonged wear — and are waterproof too, making them great for mom to take with her from work to gym. Purchase: $129.99 at Amazon.

Kindle Oasis

Amazon’s most premium Kindle offering, the Oasis, features a thin and ergonomic design with an e-ink display that mimics a traditional paperback book. Get 8GB of space to store your favorite reads (a 32 GB version is available for just $30 more). Customize everything from the way you “flip” the pages, to your desired brightness level; set it to automatic mode and an ambient light sensor will adjust the screen to be easier to read, depending on your environment and the time of day.

What we like: this is the only Kindle that’s waterproof, letting mom easily take it into the bath or pool. Purchase: $249.99 at Amazon.

Brother P-Touch Cube Plus Label Maker

If your mom is one of those moms that lives for a good organization project, she’ll want to pick up this Bluetooth label maker, which lets you print labels from your phone or laptop sans wires. Customize your own designs or choose from easy, pre-set templates. This set gets you two rolls of starter tape, a built-in battery and a charging cable. Purchase: $99 at Amazon.

Winc Wine Delivery

Can’t be there to toast mom in person? Send her a delivery through Winc ($19.99) which has hundreds of bottles of wine to choose from (including vegan options). This season, we like the 2018 “Keep It Chill,” a dry red wine that’s best served chilled. Made from Gamay, this wine is crammed with red fruit aromas and a bright and bramby finish, making it a refreshing and unique alternative to rosé. Purchase: $19.99 at Winc.

Coravin Model Eleven Wine Preservation System

Sometimes you just want to crack open a bottle of wine. Other times, you prefer to sip it slow. We’re big fans of the Coravin Wine Preservation System , which dispenses wine without uncorking the bottle, to keep your wine fresh for longer. Most wines start to go bad as soon as they’re uncorked (and good luck trying to plug the cork back in if you can’t finish the bottle). Coravin solves that problem by using a tiny needle that gently “punctures” the cork. The portable unit uses pressurized argon gas capsules to then release the wine. Tip the bottle to pour, then stand the bottle back up when finished.

The first-ever Bluetooth-connected wine preservation device, Coravin’s handy app pairs easily with your phone to let you know how much wine is left and when you need to replace the capsule. Purchase: $649.95 at Coravin.