Best Unique Gifts For Mothers

Best Percussion Massager Gun: RENPHO Massage Gun

If mom has aches and pains (and who doesn’t?), a massage gun may be just about the most perfect gift ever. 

Why? It enables deeper tissue massages. Percussion massager guns can provide more relief for deep tissue pain. Here is what the RENPHO massage gun looks like unboxed in its carry case:

  Here’s a close-up view of the various attachments:

(As a reminder: we pay for products we test with our own money. Yes, we bought that massage gun you see unboxed above! We don’t take freebies or money from brands we review. Baby Bargains is 100% reader supported). Here’s more on why this pick came out on top:

What We Liked

• 20 adjustable speeds. Other guns we tested didn’t have that many options.

• Carry case which makes it nicely portable.

• Very quiet. We measured the sound of this gun at about 60 decibels—that is the volume level of an average conversation.

• Works well for tight muscles. We liked the heads on this model better than the other massage guns we tested.

• 15-minute auto shut off to save battery. Official battery life is 4-6 hours, says the maker. In our testing, we got about six hours with varied speeds, which was impressive. We see reports from our users who got less battery life, so your mileage may vary.

• Various attachments including a u-shaped accessory for spine, neck and shoulders.

• Protection feature to keep it from being damaged if you apply too much pressure.

What Needs Work

• On the heavy side. At 4.27 pounds, this can be a bit exhausting to use.

• Tough to use on your back without help from a partner. But that is true for most percussion massage guns.

Best Jewelry: Star Wars Millennium Falcon 3D Dangle Earrings

Best For DIY Nail Lovers: Modelones Poly Nail Extension Gel Kit

Is your Mom tired of paying high prices at her local nail salon? Does she want to try DIY polygel nails? Is there a kit that is good for beginners, but in the price range the family can afford? Yes indeed—we recommend Modeltones poly nail kit. 

It has less gel and fewer colors than other fancy kits, but it still gives you good bang for the buck. Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Easy to use—great for beginners.

• Includes slip solution. That’s important to get the form to slip off your nail.

• LED lamp.

• Includes basic nail care tools.

• Comes in a gift box!

What Needs Work

• Low wattage LED lamp = longer nail drying time.

Best Italian Cookies: Pasticceria Matilde Vicenzi Roma Gift Tin

The Swiss may have their chocolate, but we love Italy for their amazing cookies.

There’s something magical about the cookies from Italy—they are rich and delicious.

For future research purposes, we are going to have to travel to Italy and inspect these bakeries first-hand. You know, quality control.

For now, however, our blind taste tests had to suffice—we took nine popular cookie brands made in Italy and had the cookie enthusiasts among our staff rank their favorites.

If you are looking to give Italian cookies as a gift (and if so, you are a special person indeed), we liked this tin of assorted cookies best. Excellent quality!

Here’s what the cookies look like inside the tin—note how each type of cookie is individually wrapped:

Here are the cookies unboxed from the tin . . . with a quarter at the bottom as a size reference:

Best For Snuggling: Biddeford Blankets Micro Plush Electric Heated Blanket

If mom is always cold, this gift is sure to be a hit.

FYI: most electric blanket makers say you shouldn’t use blankets with an extension cord. So what can you do if the nearest outlet is a good distance from your couch or chair?

We recommend Biddeford’s Micro Plush blanket—it is nicely made with ultra-thin wires that are less noticeable than other brands, in our opinion.

What We Liked

• Heats up quickly.

• Very soft to the touch.

• Six heat settings.

• 10-hour auto shut-off.

• Good size at 50″ x 60″.

• Less noticeable wires.

What Needs Work

• A bit pricey.

• The cord can become detached from the blanket too easily. We see reports of this issue online, however, we didn’t experience it when we did our testing.

Best Relaxing Gift: HoMedics Indoor 3-Tier Relaxation Tabletop Fountain

Let’s talk gifts that help mom relax. On the top of our list: indoor water fountains.

These fountains have gained popularity in recent years, thanks to their soothing sound and utility (yes, some folks like to use them as birdbaths for parakeets).

After spending several hours researching the best bets, we came across some general tips that can make the difference between a happy and a not-so-happy fountain experience:

• Use distilled water. Regular tap water has impurities, which can cause your fountain to require more cleaning.

• Be sure to fill the fountain up to the top. Remember the pump must be under water to work correctly. If you don’t add enough water, the pump can be very noisy (a common complaint among some users).

• Clean the fountain every week or two. 

When recommending tabletop fountains, we like HoMedic’s 3-Tier fountain—it’s a best bet for most folks. Set-up is easy and we like the bang for the buck here.

What We Liked

• Easy to assemble.

• Affordable.

• Includes lights and rocks.

• Add more rocks or plants to taste. Here is what one user did to enhance this fountain:

What Needs Work

• Lights are not replaceable. And can burn out too quickly.

• More rocks, please.

Best For The Coffee Lover: Torani Variety Pack Caramel, French Vanilla, Vanilla & Hazelnut, 25.4 Ounces (Pack of 4)

If mom loves coffee, this gift will be a home run—a sampler pack of Torani’s most popular flavors.

To find the best bets, we always do blind taste tests. That way we aren’t influenced by brand names or packaging—just the taste.

In this case, we tried 11 brands of coffee syrups in various flavors (vanilla and caramel in particular). Which made the best lattes? Best iced coffees? 

Torani’s variety pack came out on top, based on overall flavor and value.

Here’s a recipe for a Vanilla Frappé using one of the syrups that won our competition.

Recipe: Vanilla Frappé

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp (1 oz.) Torani Vanilla Syrup
• 1 cup (8 oz) Vanilla ice cream
• 1/4 cup (2 oz.) milk
• 2 shots espresso*, chilled
• 2 cups ice

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine espresso*, milk, vanilla ice cream, ice and Torani in a blender pitcher and blend until smooth.

*Can substitute 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee.

(Recipe and photo credit: Torani)

Best For Cake Bakers: KOSBON Cake Decorating Supplies 

After all the powdered sugar settled, we pick KOSBON’s Cake Decorating Supplies kit as a top cake decorating set. It clocks in with 366 tools! No, that isn’t a typo.

Here’s why we liked it as the best cake decorating set:

What We Liked

• Boxed set. This set comes in a nice box that would make a great birthday or shower gift.

• Includes pans! Yes, this set even has three springform pans that are non-stick.

• Excellent for novice bakers with molds, carving pens, piping bags, spatulas, smoothers, whisks and more.

• Good value for everything that is in the box. We’re not sure what this all would cost separately, but just the time it would take to order all the individual times would be a big savings right there.

What Needs Work

• Missing items? The box we ordered had everything that was promised, but we see a few reports of missing items.

• Better packaging. In addition to missing items, we also see reports of broken or bent items. Again, we didn’t see that with our set, but it would be wise to open it up and make sure everything arrived intact before giving this as a gift!

Best Digital Picture Frame: Nixplay Smart Digital Photo Frame 10.1 Inch

Digital photo frames are perfect for moms who want to see the latest pictures of their  kids—and in theory, they should be easy to set up. Unfortunately, the reality of too many digital picture frames falls short of this ideal. Some frames come with lousy apps and software that can frustrate even the most tech-savvy person.

Our top pick here solves those problems: the Nixplay Smart Digital Photo Frame was the easiest to set up and use in our testing. We could easily email photos to the frame; and the software/app are well designed. Bonus: this frame can be wall mounted and even has a motion sensor to turn it on/off. Here’s an overview:

What We Liked

• Excellent picture quality. The HD frame has excellent resolution (1280 x 800) and even turns pictures from landscape to portrait if needed.

• App (Nix Play) is easy to use. In our testing, we thought Nix’s app was the most intuitive to use. Most impressive: you can troubleshoot any issues you might have with the frame via the app, changing the settings, etc.

• Wall mountable. 

• Variety of sizes. If you don’t like this size, there are other frames from this maker both smaller and larger.

• Alexa enabled. Yes, you can control this frame with Alexa, if you have an Alexa device like the Echo Dot.

What Needs Work

• Can only be paired with one device. 

• Not ideal for video. This frame can play only short video clips.

• Set up requires basic knowledge of WiFi pairing. While we found the set up to be easy and straightforward, it does require pairing the device with WiFi (which means knowing mom’s WiFi password) and setting up an account in the Nix Play app. Again, not crazy difficult . . . but probably not for tech novices.

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!