The best last-minute Mother's Day gifts: Gadgets and subscriptions mom will love

If your mom could benefit from getting text alerts to her wrist while she’s out and about, or you know she wants to track her daily steps more often, get her the Apple Watch SE. We consider it the best smartwatch for the money, providing users with the core Apple Watch experience for less than $250. In our testing, we didn’t find too much of a difference in overall performance between the SE and the flagship Apple Watch, and it even includes advanced features like crash detection, continuous heart rate monitoring, Emergency SOS and others. What you don’t get here is an always-on display, blood oxygen monitoring or a temperature sensor, but if your mom will be a first-time smartwatch wearer, those are less-important features that she likely will not miss. — V.P.

Take your mother’s morning coffee routine up a notch with the Ember Mug, a self-heating smart mug that keeps beverages at just the right temperature for up to 1.5 hours or all day if the mug is kept on its charging coaster. It has a temperature range between 120 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which lets your mom dial in just how hot she wants her brew. There’s also a companion app which lets her save preset temps for her favorite drinks, track her caffeine intake, customize the color of the LED light on the front of the mug and more. The latest version comes in a pretty rose gold color as well as white, black, gold, silver and copper. — Nicole Lee, Former Commerce Writer

So many of us take hundreds of photos with our phones and then never do anything with them. They’re left to languish in our camera rolls, only to be uncovered when you have to scroll back months to find that one image you’re searching for. If you want to give mom a more polished way to look back at her favorite photos, an album from Mpix will do the trick. You can customize your photo book from the ground up, choosing the best images of her family and friends and laying them out on each page in a neat way. You can also pick from different types of cover options and paper weights, making the final product as premium as you want it to be. With options starting at $20 per book, it’s pretty easy to make mom a gift she’ll want to revisit long after Mother’s Day is over. – Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor

I took sleep for granted pre-momhood. Only after having a kid did I realize how precious, fleeting and essential a night of unconsciousness is. I reviewed the Restore 2 from Hatch and was impressed with its mix of sleep sounds, sunlight alarm and intriguing original content. One of my wishes after using the second-gen device was for easier-to-use controls on the alarm clock itself — and that’s one of the upgrades in the Hatch Restore 3. You still program the device within the Hatch app, but the improved buttons and dial let you control things afterwards, without having to bring a sleep-destroying phone into the bedroom.

There’s a vast array of “rest” and “rise” content, including sleep stories, wake-up pep talks, stretching exercises, night music and, of course, white noise sounds. If you know a mom who’s wished for better sleep, this may help. Just note that there’s a $6 monthly subscription required to access all the content, but I personally found it to be worth it. — A.S.

If you've had one of these bad boys on your wishlist for a while, I'd urge you to scoop up this deal while you can. Why? Well, it happens to be a wild 48% off. Roomba and robovacs are pretty much synonymous at this point, and the fact that this one has a three-stage cleaning system that works great on both carpets and hard floors make this markdown one you don't want to miss. It can run for up to two hours on a single charge and recharges itself so you never have to worry about it dying while cleaning.

If you think mom would enjoy upgrading her morning cup of java, a Trade Coffee subscription can help. It offers a curated selection of more than 450 coffees from across the US and smartly personalizes which ones it recommends to each subscriber. Upon redeeming her gift, she’ll be prompted to take a brief quiz that asks about her flavor and brew preferences, information Trade will use to suggest a specific bag catered to her taste. Mom can then give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to any coffee she receives, which the company will use to hone its future recommendations. Managing her coffee queue online is easy enough, too. You can gift anywhere from two to 24 bags, and Trade says any gift subscriptions will not automatically renew so neither you nor mom will have any surprise charges to deal with down the line. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter

When I tested air purifiers for our guide, I found the best way to clear the air was by opening windows — but if the mom in your life deals with allergies or lives where the air quality can get bad, an air purifier can be the next best thing. The Levoit Core 400S Smart Air Purifier was one of the quietest models I tested and performed on a level with models three times as expensive. It has a three-stage filter (including an activated carbon layer and particulate filter), and the internal particulate matter sensor can automatically adjust fan speed as air gets murkier. The companion app both shows historical air quality readouts and makes the unit itself easy to control and schedule. Plus, the replacement filters aren’t overly expensive like they are with other units. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter

Some moms cook multi-course dinners every night. Others, like me, are proud when the evening’s meal is more elaborate than a PB&J. The microwave is a perfectly fine way to get food on the table but I’ve found an air fryer makes low-effort dinners feel fancy. Instant’s Vortex Plus crisps the exterior of the veggie corn dogs my kid loves and gives chicken nuggets a golden patina that looks nice next to my signature (microwaved) broccoli and cheese. There’s even a viewing window to peek at food's progress and the replaceable filter does a good job tamping down odors and smokiness. I got my Vortex Plus because it tops our guide to air fryers and couldn’t agree more with my team’s assessment. — A.S.

The Echo Show 15 is 2024’s answer to the tiny TV so many of us remember our parents having in the kitchen back in the day. It’s small enough to mount on the wall in even a tiny space, but the screen is big enough to do justice to a casual sitcom or silly reality show while you make pesto. In addition to smart TV duties, it can handle all the stuff Alexa can do: tell you the weather, set timers and remind you when it’s trash night. On top of that, it can control compatible smart home gadgets and check in on your connected cameras and video doorbells. When you’re not using it, the Photo Frame feature cycles through pics you upload to the Alexa Photo app. Since getting one as a gift from my own mother, washing dishes no longer feels like such a slog. — A.S.

Nobody wants to be left with a dead smartphone, moms included. Having a good portable power bank handy can help avert that catastrophe, and the Anker MagGo Power Bank is our favorite among those at the moment. It’s a Qi2-compatible pack that can attach to an iPhone magnetically and supply a relatively quick 15W charge, no wires needed. In real-world terms, we found it can take an iPhone 15 from near-dead to half-full in about 45 minutes. With a USB-C cable, it can deliver a faster 27W charge.

There’s a nifty display that tells you how much juice is left beyond that, plus a kickstand that makes it easier to prop the phone up on a desk. All of this comes in a half-pound package that’s a little over four inches tall and 0.8 inches thick. Just be aware that this isn’t the best choice for Android devices — if your mom uses one of those, check out our power bank guide for more options. — J.D.

If your mom doesn’t like to walk around the house barefoot or literally gets cold feet with any regularity, a set of OluKai slippers should make her day-to-day more comfortable. The Nohea pair slip over the whole foot easily and have a delightfully soft interior. The understated leather design is attractive, and the sturdy rubber outsole makes it so mom can walk the dog or mosey around the backyard with little discomfort. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter

I don’t have a whole-home sound system and weekend projects definitely take me from room to room to garage to yard. So I picked up a JBL Flip to bring my music with me, and it’s been everything I want in a Bluetooth speaker. It’s about the size of a crowler, comes in lovely colors and pairs easily with both iOS and Android devices. I also like how it sounds good standing on its size or on either end, so you can plonk it down just about anywhere.

I have the Flip 6, but would love to upgrade to the Flip 7. JBL’s newest generation has deeper bass, a slightly longer battery life (up to 16 hours) and, of course, AI smarts to cut down on distortion and improve sound quality. The sound of the Flip 6 is impressive already, which is partly why it appears in our guide to Bluetooth speakers. The improved audio of the latest generation will only make mom’s weekend gardening/bike repair/bread baking sessions more sonically enjoyable. — A.S.

If your mom already knows her way around the kitchen, a new toy like the Breville Control Grip could inspire her to experiment and try out new recipes. Our favorite immersion blender has a powerful 280-watt motor and comes with a separate bowl for chopping and mincing, as well as a larger jug for preparing soups and smoothies. It supports 15 different speeds, making it versatile enough to craft all kinds of dishes, and the included whisk attachment turns it into a makeshift hand mixer, too. It’s one of those unicorn-like multipurpose kitchen gadgets — it does a lot of different things and does them well. And, unlike a high-powered blender or stand mixer, it won’t take up too much space in a cabinet. — V.P.

The Beats Fit Pro may be our favorite wireless earbuds for working out, but your mom doesn’t have to be a regular running or pilates enthusiast to get a lot of use out of them. These buds have a comfortable, secure fit thanks to their flexible wing tips, plus a great sound profile out of the box thanks in part to Adaptive EQ technology. Active noise cancellation is solid as well, which will come in handy when she wants to block out distractions at work or while running errands, and she’ll be able to quickly jump into any conversation she deems important by using Transparency Mode. If your mom has an iPhone, she’ll benefit from the H1 chip inside the Beats Fit Pro, which enables things like quick pairing and switching between Apple devices and hands-free Siri. But Android toting mothers won’t be left out either — the Fit Pros have their own Android app that supports many of the same features. — V.P.

What is it with moms telling everyone to eat their vegetables? In my experience, it’s an involuntary response to motherhood. The Breville Juice Fountain Plus is a way for moms to make drinks loaded with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that actually taste good too. The Juice Fountain Plus’ titanium and steel extraction disc works with an 850 watt motor to squeeze a lot of juice from even tough root veggies. The three-inch chute accepts big chunks of produce, which cuts down on prep time, but even more importantly, the machine disassembles easily and isn’t a pain to clean. – A.S.

Nobody needs to pay for an app to practice better mindfulness and flush out bad vibes, but if your mom has expressed interest in guided meditation, Headspace is our favorite service of the bunch. It offers a buffet of exercises aimed at different life goals and situations, from boosting creativity to increasing relaxation to creating a soothing sleep environment. Most of the meditations let you choose between different instructors, and we’ve found the multi-step courses to gradually build on themselves well. All of it comes in an app that’s clean and easy to navigate. Headspace costs $70/year for an annual subscription, so it may not be something your mom wants to stick with forever. Still, it should be a welcome gift for those looking for a more structured way to get (and stay) in the mental self-care habit. — J.D.

A Universal Yums subscription is a way to make mom’s snack time a little more exciting. Each month, this service ships out a bundle of goodies from a different country (April’s was / is Belgium) alongside a tour guide-style booklet with little games and information about the highlighted nation. Not every treat will be a home run, but if your mom has a more adventurous palate, getting a literal taste of somewhere new can be fun. Gift packages are available in several different sizes and lengths of time. — J.D.