The Ultimate Guide to Mother's Day Gifts and Experiences

If you've ever shopped for a Mum around Mother's Day you can't have failed to notice the DELUGE of pink floral arrangements, gardening gift sets, or hand-painted tea cups. And whilst there are a lot of mothers who love pink flowers, pottering around their garden, or sitting down to enjoy a nice cuppa (and yes, I like all those things too) WE ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

So, for the sake of all unique, diverse, and wild mums and mother types out there, here is your ultimate guide to What A Mum Wants.

Gardening Mums

Okay, gardening is a big interest so I'll take that one! But if you have a Mum or favourite Aunty that loves digging, chances are she already has her favourite gardening gloves, some excellent quality tools, trowels, secateurs, etc. But if gardening is her love, then gift her something out of the ordinary that shows you've put a bit more thought into it. 

These heritage veggie seeds make me smile so much as a fab gift for your mumma. Not only does she get a chance to grow something a little out of the ordinary, just LOOK at how beautiful these seed packets are. When someone has put that much thought into the design, I'm automatically on board. They just look so cool!

Team it with a Betsy Benn personalised notebook from our garden range so she can plan and plot to her heart's content.

Self-Care and Pamper Mums

Mums feel a bit conflicted about self-care gifts sometimes if I'm honest. Part of them will think OMG yes, this is just what I need and they will start mentally planning when in their week they can fit in a bit of "me" time. A bath is bliss, a facepack might be achievable at the same time as a bath so that's a win. Throw in a hair mask while you're at it and you might even manage to read a chapter of that book you started before Christmas. But another part of her is also thinking, oh, I'm not sure I have the time for all that and she starts running through the mental load and the ever-growing list.

That's why I love a little bit of luxury on the go like this steamer gift set from only The Good Stuff. The shower steamers are just popped in the shower and they release their heavenly fragrances. Perfect for a taste of self-care on the go and might even encourage Mum to indulge in some longer relaxation later on.

If Mum does have a bit more time to chill out and actually really enjoys slowing down, then pick her brains about how and where she does that. Is it a massage at a local spa or gym? Is it a yoga day that she would crave, being hosted nearby, and you just need to create the time for her to go (by taking some of the things off her ever-growing list)? Or would she like something new to her like reflexology or cupping or a sound bath? 

If you haven't experienced a sound bath, then you must. It's a wonderful way to spend an hour or two. 

Cultured Mums

Fill her soul with gorgeousness with a year's membership to The Design Museum. At only £60 for the year it's and absolute bargain because then all exhibitions are free to attend and you can jump the queues and visit anytime you like - even if it says the event is sold out for that day. Recent exhibitions have included: Barbie, The World of Tim Burton, and Wes Anderson Archives. Honestly, there's always something great to see.

If your Mumma loves to listen to a podcast while she's on the move then this could be the gift of all gifts! I have these MusiCozy headphones, and they are brilliant. It's essentially a jersey fabric headband with very low profile speakers where your ears are. I've used it on plane journeys, to listen to guided meditations, to dance around the kitchen when everyone else is asleep, to walk the dog, and I have a friend who sleeps with it to block out her partner's snoring. The battery life is pretty good, and there are lots of designs to choose from. 

Alternative Flowers for Mum

Flowers are lovely, and if your Mum never treats herself to a bunch, they may be the perfect gift. Also, BUY YOUR MUM SOME FLOWERS JUST BECAUSE, and don't wait for a "special" reason to show her some love.

If you want longer-lasting alternatives to a fresh posy then we've got two bangers for you. The first is this lovely birthflower silver necklace. Also available in Gold if that's more her style. Made in England and cast in high-quality recycled sterling silver, this beautiful medallion necklace features a delicate, hand-engraved flower. 

For a small token gift that still has huge sentiment, these wooden flower keyrings are super sweet. A cute idea if Mum has lots of sets of keys, get one for each and label them appropriately - Potting SHEd - Veronica the Beetle - that sort of thing.

For Smarty-Pants Mums

If your Mum loves doing Wordle or Connections every day, or is obsessed with a crossword puzzle then this is a unique gift she will love. 

An Escape Room in an Envelope! An immersive mystery you can personalise. There are different themes available but we really like The Dupe. When a reputable Finnish Art Dealer brokers a deal that isn’t what it seems, he unwittingly puts his life at risk… now on the run, he’s hidden a secret message in an online vault and left a series of 7 clues to the passcode – who do you think can uncover the message?

For Mums with a lot of STUFF

How do we accumulate so many bits and bobs and yet never find anything we need when it's an emergency. Hair pins are my personal nemesis. I know I've bought thousands over the years. Hundreds must still be inside my actual house. can I find more than two usable ones when I need them? Well, I probably could if they were all stored in this bag!

The personalised pouch features a design reminiscent of a typical English Heritage blue plaque, on which you can honour all of her special qualities. The pouch is the perfect fit for her handbag, allowing her to keep all of her bits and bobs close by. 

Mums who deserve a sit-down.

Whether it's to have a cuppa, catch up on some emails, or just chill out after a long day EVERYONE has their favourite spot on the sofa - including Mum!

Reserve her favourite seat with this plush velvet cushion. Available in a jewel-like array of colours, with playful pom poms, we can personalise this with any name you like. Mum, Mumma, Mother, She Who Must Be Obeyed, Queen, Goddess, Betsy... ;-)

Brand New Mums

You won't want to miss that very first Mother's Day. A gift to welcome her to motherhood and recognition of all she has just been through! Something personal and sentimental is perfect.

This silver footprint charm comes on a bracelet or necklace. Add two initials of your choice to personalise the pendant – you could add the first and last initials of the new baby, or you could add the first initial of either parent or even the first initial of two different children.

Or capture a sweet moment in this modern silhouette art print.

Our gorgeous silhouette prints are created from your own photographs, stripping back the fussy and distracting details and backgrounds, and leaving only the stars of the show in silhouette with one or two important details picked out to give it style and substance.

This personalised silhouette print also allows you to add a line or two of custom text to the print. So you might choose a name and date for example.

Rockin' Mums

I couldn't resist including these cool socks. Yes, socks are cool! I won't hear a word said against them. Especially, when they are this fabulous.

More Experience Ideas (for Mum or both of you)

There are so many experience days out there, so I won't be linking to any, just suggesting some themes. When booking, remember to think about the practical things. Is this something your Mumma would like to do on her own, or would she really enjoy company? If she wants company, would that be you, or some of her friends? Can she get there? Is weather a factor (a zoo keeper day is brilliant, but less so in the nippy Spring days we get around Mother's Day)? So, here are some suggestions you can slide into a search bar of your choice, plus your location, and get creative:

A floating soundbath - some swimming pools have cottoned on big style to this idea!

A yoga day with an optional sound or gong bath.

Floating down the river in a hot tub - yes, you absolutely can! Whether you should in MARCH is another question. 

Perfect, or uncover, your axe-throwing skills.

Have an hour with a baseball bat in a rage room.

Jewellery making workshop - from bangles, to rings, and pendant necklaces - I found all sorts being made within 20 miles of Cheltenham.

A zoo experience. Pretty much all zoos and wildlife centres offer some kind of experience. Your Mum might want to photograph all the animals, or handle the snakes, or feed the penguins.

Wild food foraging - typically better in the Summer or Autumn but a voucher would be great.

Cookery days. You name it, there's a course for it. Patisserie, breads, French, Italian, gluten free, kefir... whatever she wants to know more about, it exists!

Life Drawing. There are so many great tutored and untutored places to practice drawing people. And then she'll need a sketch book and set of pencils to take everywhere as it's quite addictive!

Afternoon Tea. It's a classic for a reason. Obviously, most hotels do them. Claridges' is supposed to be great, and I can personally recommend the Fortnum and Mason afternoon tea experience. Though I'm really keen to try one of the afternoon teas in funkier locations like on a double-decker bus driving through London, or floating on a barge in Oxford. Again - Google is your friend.

Chocolate, Gin, Whisky, Cheese tasting tours. Okay, again, there are tasting tours for just about everything these days. The closer you are to a big city, the better your chances at finding something fun.

Rage painting - you read that correctly!

Candle pouring.

Pottery throwing.

Glass blowing.

Needle felting.