Celebrating Moms and Dads - 2023 Mother's Day and Father's Day Gift Guide
Mark your calendars for this year’s parental holidays where we let our loved ones know how much we appreciate them.
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 14th, 2023
Father’s Day is Sunday, June 18th
Some of our moms and dads are also family caregivers and/or care recipients. I’ve including gift ideas for both roles below and organized them in the following categories:
- Self Care & Soul Care
- Support Small Businesses
- For those with Cognitive Decline
- Suprises in the Mail
- Practical Stuff
- (Almost) Free!
To access the gift details, click on the associated image or the link provided.
Self Care & Soul Care
My daughter got me this Pura plug-in diffuser as a gift and I have it in my office and love it! I like that this set comes with two fragrances. The great thing about this diffuser (other than the scent) is that I can program it through the app so I don’t waste fragrance when I’m not in the room to enjoy it.
For our holiday white elephant gift exchange, I needed to come up with something that would work for all genders and be something that could be a hit gift for a teenager or a 60-year-old. These Quay sunglasses were unwrapped by my brother Tom who has a developmental disability, and he immediately liked them! Whew! He liked them so much that we were all afraid to steal his gift.
To me, there is no better soul care than the space to heal away from the day-to-day demands of caregiving, work, and life. Check out the 2023 Beautiful Adventures from Brutally Beautiful and book a nature-based wellness retreat. Here are a few of the offerings
I don’t have a green thumb. Here are some flowers that can be enjoyed, and don’t have to rely on a human to keep them alive.
Support Small Businesses
Sometimes you just never know who is listening to the Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast, until you know. My daughter’s roommates mom is a loyal listener and after hearing this episode with Tiffany Chou talking about her sibling caregiver relationship with her brother, Chris, she knew she wanted to shop at Depo Market and support their growing small business which employs those with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Katie’s mom, Karen, ended up buying them these adorable bubblegum Evil Eye hoop earrings.
Help your mom or dad digitize their memorabilia so the memories can be enjoyed and shared. Jeff at My Digital Memories offers a complimentary consultation to talk through your project. He can even turn your story into a book. Mention this special Mother’s and Father’s Day offer to receive 25% off any service (until June 30).
The MKT Clothing Co. offers something for any mom and is co-owned by Karen Vick, a family caregiver to her husband Tony who is living with ALS. This Daisy Jones kimona is one size fits most and caught my eye. She also has a Karegiver Collection line offering t-shirts, journals, and more! Use code thanks10 for 10% off.
For Those With Cognitive Decline
Check out the wide array of ‘Dabblets‘ created by Dabblesack. A Dabblet is a reversible fidget/soother accessory that addresses certain sensory needs. These Dabblets also encourage conversation, reminiscing, socialization, and engagement. Use code HHC10 for 10% off any Dabblesack purchase.
This gift keeps on giving as the Raz Mobilty memory cell phone can simplify the experience of receiving and making calls. We want social self-care to be easy for everyone. Here’s a short video I saw on BeLightCare’s Instagram account that shares a bit more about this easy to use phone.
This looks so fun! A natural DIY kaleidoscope that will appeal to people of all ages. With all the colors available in nature – a new experience with each use. And, you likely have to get outdoors and move to get the gifts from nature. Some assembly is required before first use, but the video makes it look pretty easy.
Help older adults remember to use their walker by gifting them a Walker Squawker from Joy for All. These birds offer companionship, too.
Surprises in the Mail
Harry & David was a company that was represented at the Care Colloquium I attended last fall. After learning from the care economy, employee Rhonda went back and got us a discount code to use that saves 15% off the order. CARE23 actually works on all the parent company offerings, including 1-800-FLOWERS, The Popcorn Factory, and Shari’s Berries. My grandma loved chocolate covered cherries!
I’ve been having a blast with my Nuuly subscription since last fall. For a flat $88 monthly fee, I select six stylish and fun clothing items to add to my wardrobe. They have everything – comfy, casual, vintage, and dressy. They even have maternity for the expecting mom. I have elevated my wardrobe with expensive and trendy items that I enjoy but wouldn’t buy individually because they are too expensive or too much of a statement piece to keep forever. I can choose to buy the items at used prices if I want to. But, I haven’t yet because I can always rent them again. I did an unboxing video so you can see what it’s like. Gift a lady in your life a Nuuly box to see if they like it. Or, treat yourself and sign up here.
Jigsaw puzzles are fun but who wants to do the same one more than once? Now, there is a business that ensures you won’t have to do the same puzzle twice and delivers them to your door. Keep your brain sharp and rent puzzles to help you be present and destress. Completing the Puzzle offers a 3-month membership gift card for just $87. Six and 12-month options are also available. Learn more here.
Practical Stuff
Here’s a product both my husband and my 21 year old son like! These Hey Dude comfortable men’s loafers are available in lots of colors.
Another product that my husband raves about is his reMarkable tablet. It’s the closest thing he’s found to paper and he loves that he can easily send PDFs and organize his notes. When I have a surplus of funds in my Happy Healthy Caregiver account, I’m going to get one. I can see the options for my networking meetings and coaching appointments. I can also see how this would be a great notebook for family caregivers to track all their appointment notes and share them with family members. It’s an investment so likely the most expensive product on this list but super practical!
We all need a good night’s sleep; quality sheets can help! These 100% organic bamboo cooling sheets from Pure Bamboo have 4.5 stars, have over 6K ratings, come in over a dozen colors, and are affordable.
My girlfriend Mary wore this stylish and casual sweatsuit from Prinbara to our bookclub and looked adorable! I think every caregiver may need one. I was influenced and just put my order in!
These polo shirts by Johnston & Murphy are well-made, stylish, and fun. My husband Jason works in the beverage industry so of course he owns this shirt with cocktails on it! There are lots of patterns to pick from sharks, golf tees, flamingos, and geometric prints.
(Almost) Free
These low to no cost ideas will certainly show someone you care about them:
- Life is to short to watch bad tv so why not make a ‘cute enough to display’ suggested checklist of shows to watch. Here are a few of my Netflix favorites to consider adding to your list.
- Make a homemade treat, like this healthy granola, and upcycle a cute container you have around your house. Or, grab all the ingredients and make something together.
- Relish the memories together by flipping through old photos or watching home movies together.
- Offer some of your elbow grease to get a project around the house or apartment done. Weed the garden, paint a room, wash and fold the laundry, or clean out the kitchen fridge.
- Plan a fun local adventure together like a stroll in the park followed by coffee or ice-cream.
- Type up a favorite family recipe that they make and ask them to sign the bottom of it. Print extras and put them in a few frames or sheet protectors for them to pass out to their friends and visitors.
- Visit a dollar store and create a gift basket of all their favorite snacks.
- Go thrifting together with a budget in mind, wear the items, and share a photo on social media.
I have been curating these gift guides for the past few years so if you need more ideas you can check out ones from 2020, 2021, or 2022.
Whatever gift(s) you choose for mom, dad, grandpa, grandma or the mother/father like figures in your life, will be the right gift for this year. Happy gift giving and memory making this Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
