13 Fab Gifts for "Stay at Home" Moms

Brighten up quarantine this Mother's Day

By Katie O'Reilly

May 6, 2020

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Photo by fizkes/iStock

Get ready to ring in one memorable Mother’s Day! Perhaps you’re quarantined with your mother, or maybe you’re separated from her for the foreseeable future. Either way, this year it won’t be a holiday for brunch outings or store shopping. In fact, since moms everywhere are now “stay at home” mothers, you’ll probably want to gift something extra thoughtful. 

The mamas among Sierra staffers offered up some fine (if abstract) gift advice. Topping the list was "Let her sleep in, let her go outside solo, and don’t make her cook.” Other things she might appreciate: “silent bubble baths,” “talking to friends on Zoom uninterrupted,” and/or “someone else cleaning the house.” For something sweet to actually unwrap, though, we rounded up 13 sustainable, mom-approved presents that (we hope!) render sheltering in place just a little bit more pleasant.

 

Yes, we’re all steering clear of national parks to protect one another and adjacent gateway communities. However, you can bring iconic NPS playgrounds home to Mom in the form of cozy lightweight blankets made from post-consumer recycled synthetic insulation and 100 percent recycled ripstop polyester. Rumpl just added two limited-edition additions ($129 each) to its gorgeous National Parks Collection, introduced last year. These vibrant homages to Yellowstone and Grand Canyon National Parks (pictured) will get adventure-loving mamas feeling all warm and fuzzy, inside and out. 

Give your mother the gift of that relaxing vacay getaway vibe—on her own porch, that is. Polywood’s Vineyard Porch Rocking Chair ($239) is the embodied reincarnation of landfill-bound plastic milk cartons. Unlike traditional wooden rockers, it withstands all climates and requires very little maintenance. Available in 11 fade-proof colors to match your mom’s motif. 

Launched by a single mother, Farmbox Direct is a subscription box service offering fresh fruit and vegetables sourced directly from organic farms. Choose among three different seasonal box sizes (starting at $48), and Mom will receive weekly, customized packages sent straight to her home—no anxiety-inducing grocery trip necessary. 

 

As we all know all too well by this point, there’s only so much TV to binge-watch and bread to bake while sheltering in place. Of course, now is not the time to flock to the stores for nonessential kitchen project items, but most of us already have staples like nuts and oats on hand. So why not give your mom good reason to enhance the plant-based aspect of her lean, green lifestyle with the gift of the NutraMilk ($450) processor? In addition to making traditional faves like peanut butter and almond milk, she’ll be able to get creative with vegan salad dressings, oat-based homemade skin care, and more. 



There’s certainly no better time to get comfy at home! Made from organic non-GMO and fair-trade cotton, sateen sheet sets from Origanami (starting at $119) make for a great way to wish mom sweet dreams in lasting fashion.

On Earth Day, the eyewear wizards at Smith unveiled a collection of shades made from 100 percent post-consumer plastic water bottles. Order a pair of the Lowdown 2 Cores ($179) for Mom, and they’ll arrive in 100 percent recycled packaging. Available in several choices of frame and lens color combos, they’re crafted with adventurers in mind, with nose pads and auto lock hinges. Plus, they make for a nice symbolic reminder for Mom that despite these uncertain, gloomy times, the future in many ways really is bright. 

The time for at-home self-care has never been riper. Anato Skincare creates minimally processed and packaged products sourced from tree nuts and other (mostly organic) ingredients picked in the forests of Santa Cruz. The smorgasbord that is the Zero Waste Voyager Kit ($92) lets Mom pamper her mug with samples of Arborescent Serum (a fragrant evening dry oil), Regenerative Elixir (a daytime smoothing serum), Ocean Friendly Sunblock, soothing Tree Balm, a Kelp Forest Mask, and a reusable travel pouch.

 

Don’t forget about body care! Using natural aromatic oils, Duluth Trading Company offers luxurious Lavender Lotion ($15), exfoliating Tea Tree Body Scrub ($16), and portable, quick-absorbing Hand Lotion ($8)—all pleasant ways to keep nourished in the face of so much hand-washing and sanitizing.

 

If Mom’s gotta be shut in at home, you might as well send her senses on a journey through the mountains, deserts, and forests of the West. Juniper Ridge essential oils ($12 to $15) are naturally distilled, bottled, and ready to pour into a diffuser, warm bath, or favorite skin and hair products. Plus, they’re plant-based and free from petrochemicals and synthetic fragrances. 

Is your mother missing her favorite cafe? Why not bring some hip aesthetic into her abode and help keep her coffee hot too? Featuring a double-layer stainless steel structure, Snow Peak’s Tsuzumi Bottle offers extended insulation for up to six hours. Its compact size is great for travels (to the porch or garden, that is), and its ergonomic size makes it easy to grip.

 

Ideal for anyone who’s found extra solace in gardening this spring, the brand-new Gardener’s Bucket ($75) from Sea Bags is made with a mesh bottom that’ll let mom easily shake away sand and dirt. Six exterior mesh pockets hold gardening tools, gloves, and more, and it’s all made from upcycled sailcloth. 

Is the mother figure in your life as elegant as she is earthy? Then check out Campfire Pottery and Mulxiply’s extensive collaborative jewelry collection. We’re partial to the slightly asymmetrical Raku Stone Earrings ($56), handcrafted from Maine ceramics and Nepalese brass metals.

Remember, you can always plant a tree (or 100!) in your mother’s name. Reforestation nonprofit One Tree Planted has created a Mother’s Day gift that allows you to “plant a tree for mom” right from their site. Considering all gifts go toward a tree-planting project in Australia to restore lands devastated by wildfires and to aid with wildlife habitat restoration, and will cost you but a dollar a tree, it’s a pretty sweet deal. What’s more, Mom gets a certificate (pictured) commemorating her namesake little plot of forest.