What to give to mom?
Health and comfort
Orthopedic pillow
Many compromise on a good orthopedic pillow due to its cost, leading to sleep issues and discomfort like neck and back pain. Unlike regular pillows that lose shape easily, orthopedic ones maintain spine alignment and offer full head and neck support. They resist deformation, prevent dust accumulation, mite growth, and bacterial multiplication. The filler choice plays a crucial role.
The choice of orthopedic pillows is quite large: they differ in shape, size, and materials. For example, there are inexpensive anatomical models divided into several zones according to the contours of the head and neck. The same function is performed by wavy pillows, consisting of two rollers of different heights. But they are more rigid, do not lose their shape over time and support the head better. Pillows with memory effect have a special filler that, under weight, takes on a comfortable shape for sleeping. In addition, models are sold with a recess for the shoulder, in the shape of a roller, with different rigidity and height.
 |
| The orthopedic pillow ensures the natural position of the spine and provides full support to the head and cervical region. |
When choosing an orthopedic pillow, take into account the person's body build, his or her favorite sleeping positions and health condition. For example, sleeping on the stomach requires a flat pillow, on the side — a high pillow, on the back — a height of about 6 — 10 cm. For shoulders with a large build, choose higher models so that the head does not fall down.
Electric sheet
Older people often face issues like poor blood circulation, rheumatism, osteochondrosis, and radiculitis, necessitating body warming. An electric sheet, resembling regular bedding but equipped with heating elements, proves beneficial. It's not exclusive to the elderly; people of all ages can benefit. In cold environments, especially during winter, an electric sheet warms the bed, easing muscle tension, reducing stress, and aiding sleep. Unlike traditional heaters, it consumes less electricity and doesn't dry out the air. Adjustable to bed size, it's crucial for the sheet's width to match the mattress, though you can trim the length slightly to accommodate the pillow.
In addition to electric sheets, there are also electric blankets and compact heating pads, not for the whole body, but for individual parts. Including specialized heating pads for legs, back, neck and back, and heating belts.
When used correctly, these products are entirely safe and can even be machine washed. It's recommended to opt for models with various temperature settings, allowing users to choose the ideal warmth based on their comfort and the room's conditions. Useful features include auto-shutdown after a set time, a customizable sleep timer, and automatic temperature reduction. For shared use in the same bed, consider models with multiple individual heating zones.
Body Massager
After a hectic day, who wouldn't want to relax and treat their body to a massage? Professional massages may be costly and time-consuming, making home massagers a great alternative. With a wide variety available, it's essential to assess your needs and target specific areas for massage. Manual massagers cater to almost the entire body, while massage pillows focus on the head and neck. Footrests are designed for the feet and sometimes the calves, and belts are versatile for the back, lower back, abdomen, and other attachable areas. There are even options like massage mattresses and hydromassagers, offering a range that suits both your body's desires and your budget.
 |
| Manual massager Beurer MG 185 with several operating modes and 5 attachments in a set. |
Most models offer different operating modes: vibration massage, acupressure, relaxing, anti-cellulite, etc. But remember that such home massagers are designed for relaxation, but not for treatment. After suffering injuries or illnesses, we strongly recommend not to self-medicate and seek help from doctors and specialists.
Humidifier
During winter, when heating is on, many experience difficulties breathing, peeling skin, dry noses, and increased virus transmission among family members. These are signs of dry air. While older individuals may resort to regular cleaning or ventilation, a more convenient solution is providing them with an air humidifier. This specialized device not only maintains optimal room humidity but, with a multifunctional model, also purifies the air from pollutants, allergens, bacteria, and viruses.
Humidifiers vary primarily in their humidification methods (traditional water, steam, and popular ultrasonic), and they offer additional useful features. For instance, an ionizer releases negatively charged ions, promoting overall well-being. Ozonation introduces ozone into the air, acting as a disinfectant. Adding fragrance allows the use of essential and aromatic oils for pleasant scents. The hygrostat monitors room humidity, adjusting the device for optimal levels. Some humidifiers also double as home weather stations, measuring indoor temperature.
Smart watch or fitness tracker
Smart watches and fitness trackers have already become almost essential gadgets for young and middle-aged users, but the older generation is still resistant to new technologies. It's for nothing. Tell your mom that to measure blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, blood oxygen level and even ECG, there is no need to stand in line at the clinic or buy up half of the pharmacy — all these functions are performed by a compact device on the wrist. It's a really useful tool for tracking activity and health, as there are plenty of real-life cases where the watch helped detect heart problems or lack of oxygen in the blood during the coronavirus pandemic. And the built-in pedometer encourages getting out for daily walks to complete the recommended 10000 steps.
We advise you to choose models with a long battery life, water resistance and, perhaps, even MIL-STD-810 protection, so that mom does not have to frequently charge the watch, remove it while cleaning or washing dishes, and store it sealed on a distant shelf so as not to accidentally crash or break it.
If parents don’t want to learn gadgets that are new to them and prefer traditional medical devices, then so be it — give them a blood pressure monitor, heart rate monitor or pedometer, which are more understandable and easy to use.
Kitchen and home
Robot vacuum cleaner
Regularly cleaning with a mop and a standard vacuum can be a demanding task, especially for older individuals, impacting their health. Your mom would surely appreciate the gift of relaxation while a robot takes care of cleaning. A robot vacuum cleaner is an autonomous assistant that independently picks up floor debris, learns room layouts, plans efficient routes, and returns to the station when needed, all without the owner's involvement. If it's a versatile model for both dry and wet cleaning, it also handles floor cleaning. While it may not match manual cleaning, the robot excels in daily household cleanliness maintenance.
Now there are a huge number of different models to choose from for any budget, and the leaders in the robot vacuum cleaner market are companies such as Xiaomi, Roborock, Dreame, iRobot, etc. The main thing is to choose a device with a good mapping system (preferably with lidar), because a vacuum cleaner which drives chaotically around the room and skips uncleaned areas will not bring relief, but a headache.
For homes with carpets, consider a vacuum cleaner with a carpet detection function. This feature automatically increases suction when on the carpet for more effective cleaning. If your mother isn't tech-savvy, opt for a model with a remote control or even a voice assistant. For a more advanced option, choose a vacuum cleaner with a station that self-empties the dust bin if your budget allows. These are the most autonomous models, which require only periodically (once a month, or even less often) to throw out a bag with collected litter.
 |
| Roborock Q7 Max+ robot vacuum cleaner for dry and wet cleaning with a self-emptying station. |
Steam cleaner
Another useful cleaning tool is a steam cleaner. This is a device that uses high pressure steam to clean different surfaces. It is able to clean dried grease on the cooker and kitchen walls, stains in the shower, dirt in hard-to-reach places, wash windows, floors and kitchen cabinets. And most importantly, all this is fast, high-quality and without the use of aggressive chemicals that have a detrimental effect on the respiratory tract, hand skin and can cause allergies.
When it comes to steam cleaners, the choice depends on personal needs and preferences, as they come in various types with different attachments. Manual models, though compact and lightweight, are suitable for simple tasks due to their lower power and performance. Steam mops focus on floor cleaning and are ideal for disinfection, especially in homes with pets or young grandchildren. Household steam generators offer versatility for various tasks, serving as excellent aids for overall house cleaning. Multifunctional devices with expanded equipment, including nozzles for floors, carpets, corners, windows, grout lines, and even an iron with an ironing board, boast impressive capabilities. Investing in well-equipped devices is worthwhile, as mothers will likely find uses for all available attachments.
 |
| Household steam cleaner Karcher SC 2 Deluxe EasyFix Premium with 6 nozzles included. |
By the way, special steamers are provided for clothing care — compact manual and stationary.
Mixers and blenders
Homemade dishes, especially the delicious touch of a mother's cooking, are unparalleled. However, the time and effort involved in cooking can be demanding. To simplify the process, manufacturers offer multifunctional mixers and blenders. A standard mixer with a basic set of whisks and dough hooks is perfect for tasks like preparing mashed potatoes, batter, or thick dough, as well as whipping egg whites, cream, and cake cream. A regular hand mixer is a more economical choice with minimal equipment, while a stationary mixer, equipped with a rotating bowl, operates autonomously without your direct involvement. For more advanced options, planetary mixers are preferred by home confectioners, as their nozzles rotate both around their axis and the entire circumference of the bowl, making them ideal for kneading dough, creams, and fillings.
And for ordinary everyday tasks, an immersion blender will be a good helper, not just a simple one, but with various attachments. Thanks to its advanced equipment, a blender can replace a lot of other appliances: mixer, chopper, meat grinder, etc. For example, the standard blender pulverizes not very hard products into a homogeneous mass. The blade, which comes with a separate bowl, is able to quickly chop onions, raw vegetables, herbs, fruits and other products. Discs for shredding and dicing will grate vegetables and cut ingredients for salads in a matter of minutes. And the special mashed potato attachment will ensure the perfect consistency of potatoes without turning them into a sticky mass.
For lovers of healthy smoothies and other cocktails, a stationary blender would be a good gift. Its capabilities are not so extensive — it is designed for grinding ingredients, mixing them with liquid and preparing drinks. Although there are more advanced soup blenders that also heat the contents to prepare pureed soups.
Teapot
There is an electric kettle in almost every home, and such a gift will not surprise anyone. What about a teapot? It is possible that many did not even know that such people existed. As the name suggests, this is an electric kettle in which you can not only boil water, but also brew tea and other drinks. To do this, the design provides for a special strainer or other brewing device. If you remove it, you get a classic kettle for heating water.
Teapots are usually equipped with glass cases so that the user can control the brewing process, and thermostats to select the optimal temperature depending on the characteristics of the drink and personal preferences. There are also models with a temperature maintenance function, when the kettle operates at low power and thus keeps the water hot.
 |
| Russell Hobbs Attentiv 26200-70 electric teapot. |
Frying pans
In a frequently used kitchen, one can never have enough frying pans, especially those made from high-quality materials with excellent non-stick coatings. It's beneficial to have various sizes and shapes, like a 20 cm pan for frying a few eggs, and a larger 28 cm or 30 cm for cooking larger quantities. Frying pans with low walls and thinner bottoms work well for pancakes, while a ribbed-bottom grill pan is ideal for steaks and vegetables. For Asian dishes, a wok with rounded walls is the perfect choice.
When choosing a gift for a loved one, prioritizing quality is essential. While cast iron frying pans are affordable, they lack non-stick properties, are prone to corrosion, and can be quite heavy. Steel is sturdy but challenging to clean and less resistant to high temperatures. Aluminum, though efficient in heat transfer, may deform with temperature changes if not made with thick enough walls and bottoms. Non-stick coatings vary; Teflon requires careful use, ceramics are scratch-resistant but susceptible to bumps, titanium allows the use of metal utensils, and stone coating enhances strength and durability.
It’s better to immediately choose a frying pan with a lid, so that you don’t have to look for the right size later. And if your budget allows, you can take a whole set — they usually include frying pans of different sizes or shapes.
Pots
The idea that "you can never have too many kitchen utensils" applies equally to pots. Unfortunately, they won't last a lifetime, and having several pots of varying sizes is essential for different cooking processes. The market offers a wide range, including classic saucepans, ladles, steamers, pressure cookers, milk jugs and more. Pots come with or without non-stick coatings, similar to frying pans. Beyond traditional round shapes, non-standard square pots are also available. Additional features may include removable handles, a frying basket, a measuring scale, a seasoning funnel, and more.
We also advise you not to forget about the lid (after all, there are models without it) and, if possible, fork out for a cookware set, which may include different types of pots, ladles and frying pans.
Of course, this is not a complete list of gifts for mom, because it all depends on personal hobbies and preferences. But these are options that will be useful for many. And remember that the main gift for mom is your love, care and attention.
Articles, reviews, useful tips
All materials
