23 best Mother's Day gift ideas for first-time moms

Babies are, well, distracting. As a result, the coffee she makes in the morning often sits unfinished through the afternoon. Instead of settling for a lukewarm drink, this smart mug will keep her hot beverages at her ideal drinking temperature (somewhere between 120°F to 145 °F) all day long.

Because hydration is important. This insulated water bottle from Owala has a secure lid that closes with a snap to prevent leaks. That means your graduate can toss it in their backpack and go about their day worry-free.

Brighten her day with some beautiful blooms. Better yet, sign her up for a monthly subscription to ensure she always has fresh flowers in her vicinity. You pick the first delivery date and cadence, then BloomsyBox handles the rest.

Bathtime looks a lot different these days. Instead of soaking in the tub, she probably just hops in the shower for five minutes and calls it a day. Here’s an easy upgrade: She can place one of these aromatherapy streamers in the corner of her shower and as it dissolves, it’ll emit soothing scents of lavender, chamomile and other essential oils.

Just when she nailed down her routine, she went and had a baby. Help her make sense of her family’s new, ever-changing schedule with Skylight, a WiFi-powered display with customized, color-coded views. It’ll come in handy as her family grows since she can make chore charts, grocery lists, weekly meal plans, daily to-dos and other lists. Bonus: For an extra $39 a year you can subscribe her to a photo screensaver, so the Skylight can function as a rotating digital photo frame when it's not keeping her life organized and on track. 

You know what she really wants this Mother’s Day? To hear her baby say her name for the first time. While every baby is on their own timeline, this board book uses rhythm, rhyme and repetition to teach them how to say “Mama.”

She’s not a cool mom, she’s a … hot mom? This color-changing coffee mug speaks both truths. It’ll tell her one thing when the mug is empty, then change its tune when a warm drink is added.

"Sleep when the baby sleeps," they say. As every new parent knows, a pre-sleep-trained baby's favorite time to sleep certainly isn't at night. She needs to get some rest every chance she gets — even if it’s in the middle of the day. When the sun’s shining in, she can put on this contoured eye mask to block out the light and get some much-needed sleep.

Sure, she added a stroller to her baby registry way back when, but chances are, she has different needs at this stage in the game. “If you travel with your baby as much as I do, this lightweight stroller is the perfect present for a first-time mom,” Valentina Ferrer, CEO of Kapowder and mom to a 2-year-old son, Rio, who she shares with partner J Balvin, tells Yahoo Life. And while it’s a splurge, it’s well worth the investment since it’ll grow with her baby (up to 48.5 lbs).

It won’t be hard to come up with 10 reasons why you — and, well, your baby — love her. Add a bunch of photos from your first few months as parents to help fill out the 21 pages. Pick between landscape, square and portrait styles — page count stays the same, price varies.

During these early days, self-care is the ultimate luxury. With a monthly Therabox subscription, you’ll encourage her to find a few moments of peace and quiet during the chaos and cries. Each box comes with eight full-size products to inspire quality me-time — think: candles, bath salts, hair masks and more.

First there were two, now there’s three. Customize this 18k gold-plated or rhodium-plated brass necklace with the birthstones of her family, aka both parents and baby. Siobhán Alvarez-Borland of Mimosas & Motherhood remembers receiving a similar necklace on her first Mother’s Day. “We've been able to add onto as our family has grown,” she tells Yahoo Life.

Food is arguably the best gift you can give any new mom. A gift card to CookUnity will help take the guesswork out of mealtime. It’s so simple: She sets her preferences and makes her picks (up to 16 meals each week), then they’ll ship chef-to-table meals — fresh, not frozen — that just need to be reheated upon arrival.

Lake Pajamas are made with Dreamknit modal, which is, yes, dreamy. The wrap silhouette isn’t just for fashion; reviewers rave that it makes these soft PJs ideal for breastfeeding. “I’m a nursing mom and not only do they feel luxurious, but they provide great access for baby,” one shopper wrote, adding “they’re the softest set of PJs I’ve ever owned.”

I’m all about doing whatever you can to make her life a little easier — like, say, giving her slip-on sneakers that don’t require any tying, wiggling or even bending down. “Honestly my best purchase when I was pregnant cause it got uncomfortable to bend. Now I’m postpartum and I just wear [these] every day and every where,” one customer said about these cushioned kicks.

Going out for brunch might not be in the cards this year, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do something at home. While you can always whip up your own menu, lifestyle expert Chassie Post recommends turning to Harry & David for help in serving her breakfast-in-bed, complete with waffles, cakes, preserves and other sweet staples. “Brunch is always a good idea, especially on Mother’s Day,” she says.

Diaper bags aren’t what they used to be. This new release from Calpak looks like a mini backpack, but it’s more than just that: Made with parents in mind, it has insulated bottle pockets, breathable mesh compartments and a magnetic closure that closes securely (even if her sleep-deprived mind is elsewhere). Plus, it has a trolley sleeve for when she finally travels with her baby.

A spoonful of comfort is just what she needs. She’ll get two 32-ounce containers of soup or mac and cheese (you pick!), along with an assortment of rolls, cookies and a ladle to serve it up. Tack on sweet extras like a cozy throw, cute tea towel or other goodies for an added cost.

The first year flies by. With a Chatbooks subscription, she’ll be able to remember the monthly milestones. It’s so easy to do: Just upload photos directly to the Chatbooks app throughout the month, then get a new photo book in the mail. A recommendation: Pay for the year up front to save $10 — it only comes to about $7 a book!

Her makeup routine is down to a minimum right now, but skincare? That’s something she can’t part ways with. Although she still has that new momma glow, a little extra dewiness won’t hurt. This sunscreen trio will give her just that — Glowscreen is a protective base, Glow Stick is convenient for touch-ups and Glow Oil offers an all-over ... well, glow!

Two hearts beat as one. Get her baby’s first name or birthdate engraved on a gold vermeil or sterling silver heart charm, and tell her that the smaller one beside it symbolizes her. Add a second personalized charm for an extra $49.

After you have a baby, getting dressed isn’t a top priority. That’s why it’s important that she has a comfy bathrobe that she can — and will — wear at all hours. You might know Barefoot Dreams for their ultra-popular throw blankets, but they also make robes in the same microfiber material. “This was the perfect gift given by my husband after the birth of our first child. It ... provides the warmth needed but cool enough to not overbear you with heat,” one mom, who dubbed it her “forever house robe,” wrote.

Teething babies gnaw at everything – her hair, shirt collars, long necklaces, you name it. This rope necklace has non-toxic silicone beads that her baby can safely chew on, but it still looks chic enough for Mom to wear out and about. It’s recommended for babies three months and up.