Best Gifts for Mom (2026): E Readers, Digital Wall Calendar, Smart Bird Feeders

See, I like a Kindlebut if you want to find The best e-reader for your money, the answer is Kobo. I really like the Kobo Libra version which is cheaper than the Kindle Colorsoft version and can also double as a digital pen when you add on the $70 pen. I also like Kobo’s descriptions; you can write on pages, instead of the strange margins and boxes on Kindle. The Kobo also has its own page-turning remote now, which I like to combine with a pillow holder so I can lean back and relax without holding my e-reader while I read. I gave the same stand to my mom, and now I can easily see her final reading position because the pillow rests on it.

Active Listening

My husband and I had AirPods at the same time. We were late adopters and long time fans of our Apple phones. AirPods 4 are not the WIRED category sound preferencesbut I’m one of the many people who don’t seem to keep other earbuds in their ears, so Apple’s tipless design is perfect for me, even if that means you don’t block out the good sound. I got my first Christmas present from my family this year, and I originally put stickers on my case to tell the difference between my case and my husband’s. I’ve been uploading to Mujjo, which makes it easy to see which one is mine and put it on my keys. It’s a great addition if your mom already has AirPods but has trouble keeping track of them, or is looking for an easy way to differentiate hers from other members of the household.

Gamer Games

After the work day, you can find me curled up in bed with my Nintendo Switch. I have recently been promoted to a Nintendo Switch 2 ($449) so that finally I could buy and play Poppy ($70)since it’s fixed to the new console, and I’ve already logged obscene hours on the game. It’s the same as Animal Crossingbut imagine that it’s all Pokemon instead of random animals. It has a pull on me, similar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons they did in 2020, and there have been a few times where I’ve been awake and playing after my son woke up in the middle of the night or had an accident. (You could say it’s helping me prepare to be a parent.) I really like the feeling of new Joy-Constoo, especially with the included Joy-Con 2 Grip. If you’re not looking to upgrade its console yet but need a fun Switch good game for him, Stardew Valley it has some great functionality and only costs $15.

Its Google Calendar IRL

My most recent birth control tool is a digital wall calendar. These tools take my Google Calendar (and almost any other digital calendar, too, if your mom isn’t a Google girl) and put it on a physical device that I can quickly access without having to pick up my phone or bark. Alexa. The Skylight Calendar 2 I love it because it not only includes a to-do list, meal planning, and reference book but also doubles as a digital photo album. This means that it will display beautiful pictures of my family most of the time, and then, with just a few clicks, it will open any calendar or page I’ve ever completed to show me what’s on my family’s schedule. It has a subscription fee, however, to get access to the digital photo mode and other options, such as meal planning. But I think it’s worth it to get so many things on one device.

Bright Picture

As a mother, I take many pictures of my family. A more. And sometimes it feels like all the great photos of my kid’s activities go to my camera roll and photo storage to die. There are two answers I like about this that are very rewarding: a digital picture frame he can upload photos instantly, and a printable photo book where you can take the best ones and put them in his hands. I have them and I love them all for different reasons. I love a digital photo gallery to add all the photos from a fun weekend at the San Diego Zoo or the Los Angeles Renaissance Pleasure Faire to reminisce over and over again, but I also love pulling a photo book off the bookshelf and remembering the exact moment I know is waiting for me. Aura creates I love digital photo frames (along with Skylight and Calendar 2 if you want a multipurpose device, but Aura has no subscription fee if you want photos), while Mixbook has been my favorite for a while when it comes to photo printingand has good starting prices for its picture books.

Bird’s Eye

If you know a woman who likes to watch birds (I know one!), you can upgrade the bird feeder to be smart. Smart bird feeders add a camera to the feeder so they can see nearby feeders for the birds that come to visit their yard, and it’s a great sight for a little getaway. smart curb request. WIRED reviewer Kat Merck recommends the original Birdfy Lite as a great gift; it’s him a smart bird feeder and it comes in bright colors to brighten up your mom’s yard and attract the nearby birds. But the one he and I are both looking at (he for his mom, me for myself) is the Birdfy Nest Duo, which is basically a bird house with two cameras so you can see the birds nesting outside and raising a family inside.

Beautiful Pan

I didn’t know I needed a small cast iron pan until it arrived. Field Co.’s hand-finished, cast iron pans have long been known for their lightness and attractive appearance. But when cooking a 5-inch cooker, this one can cross the line from cute to “cute.” But that’s what makes it a great gift: Your mom probably doesn’t have a cast iron pan this small, but it also has some real uses. At only two pounds, this pan is easy to take out and hide, easy to maneuver or flip a pie, easy to use, and just the right size to fit a two-egg omelet. In addition to the egg pan, it’s a large, thin, single-serve pan—whether it’s grilled cheese, bacon or sausage, or a few chicken thighs. Egg pan can be purchased separately. But for $60 more, this gift is perfect. It comes with cleaning supplies (probably my favorite mail order cleaner), some perfume, and a cognac, black, brown, or cherry leather cover. –Matthew Korfage

Compression Care

There is a cleaning tool for everything now. Rings that track your sleep and blood oxygen levels, masks to keep you looking young, massagers to relax your muscles, and now even walking shoes. WIRED columnist Boutayna Chokrane says her mother loves her these compression boots from Therabody improving blood circulation, which is a common problem for many of our elderly parents. These shoes combine compression, vibration, and LED support in one wearable device that comes with eight pre-programmed modes to monitor legs, knees, and ankles. It is a special way if he wants to recover his legs or improve his health.

Good espresso

The DeLonghi Rivelia it’s the best and most convenient and easy-to-use espresso machine I’ve tried. What does superautomatic mean? It means that you pour all the beans into the hopper, put the milk in the milk carafe, and choose the drink you want to make on the touch-screen menu. And then you let the machine do more. The type of espresso made by a high-end machine like this Rivelia is usually smoother, and less bitter than what you get in a cafe. But the process is also limited; you will not encounter coffee grounds and filters. What’s great about this Rivelia is the ability to create several “profiles” of coffee drinkers in the house, each with their favorite drink – and the ability to swap bean hoppers to make decaf coffee during the day. Rivelia is also my own mother’s favorite latte and roasted bean machine. Like others on the WIRED Reviews team, I often ask friends and those close to me to test my high-end machines for long periods of time to see how they perform over months or years of use. My mom thanks me almost every month for letting her try Rivelia. –Matthew Korfage

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