If you have a stay at home mom on your list of people to buy for this Christmas this article will give you ten great gift ideas. Most stay at home moms spend their days balancing the care of their children with preparing meals, cleaning and running errands. There are several gift ideas that can make their busy lives easier. Here are the top ten gift ideas for stay at home moms.
1. TiVo-You’d think a stay at home mom would have plenty of time to lounge in front of the television, right? Well, maybe a mother of one young child would, but for the rest of us television time is a luxury. Yet, every Fall there are great new shows that beg to be watched. A Tivo or DVR subscription will allow a stay at home to watch her favorite shows while folding laundry at 10pm, nursing a baby at various times each day when she is forced to sit, or while working out. Tivo allows stay at home moms to multitask and that is why I consider it as one of the top ten gift ideas for stay at home moms.
2. Clothes-not casual clothes!-many stay at home moms dress for comfort or wear clothes in which they don’t mind cleaning, cooking or burping a baby. A lot of stay at home moms are on a budget so that they are able to stay at home and many times that budget doesn’t leave a lot of money for new clothing. This is why clothing is the second of the top ten gifts ideas for stay at home moms. Stay at home moms will appreciate outfits that are a bit dressier than what they would normally wear. For the stay at home who enjoys going out to dinner with her husband, a pretty dress would be nice. For the stay at home mom who is about to re-enter the workplace, a nice business suit for interviews is great. If money is no object, a pretty cashmere sweater will make a stay at home mom feel worth the triple digits she’d bring in if she was paid for her job as a sahm.
3. Exercise equipment-While most gyms have childcare available, actually getting to the gym with children in tow is a feat that will burn more calories than the quick workout a stay at home mom will get before the childcare teachers come to tell her that her baby is crying and her three year old is throwing toys. Resistance bands, medicine balls, a yoga mat or even workout clothing is an excellent gift for the stay at home mom. If you can afford it and she has the space for it, larger equipment such as a treadmill or elliptical machine are nice gifts. Exercise equipment she can use at home whenever she finds the space in her day to work out is great gift idea for the stay at home mom.
4. Planners and Day Runners-Especially for mothers of school-aged children, a planner is one of the top ten gift ideas for stay at home moms. Between volunteer work, doctor’s appointments, grocery lists, and PTO events, the stay at home mom is busy. A busy mom needs a planner! One with space on the calendar to write in several events on one day is perfect. A pricier gift idea is a handheld device that will allow the stay at home mom to create files in Word and Excel (such as grocery lists, her children’s current sizes, to do lists, etc), check email while waiting in car lines or at soccer practice, and store needed addresses, phone numbers and other contact information.
5. Subscription to a home keeping magazine or website-If she is on a budget, then a stay at home is likely alone in keeping her home clean and organized. That is why number five on my list of the top ten gifts for stay at home moms is a subscription to a cleaning-help or organization website. In the resources section of this article you can find links to these helpful websites. Certain websites, like Motivated Moms offer a daily list of chores to do and include items that need to be done weekly, monthly, etc. A list of the entire year’s worth of work can be bought for less than ten dollars and printed as needed to be hung on the fridge or put in a planner. If she finds it more convenient, the stay at home mom you are buying for can receive daily emails that contain the to-do list.
6. Gift certificates for pre-made meals-Recently many “meal making” places have opened and offer busy cooks an easy and fast way to have complete, hot dinners on the table every night. Places like Dream Dinners, Meal Makers and the like are great places for stay at home moms to balance a busy evening schedule with a home cooked meal for their family. For around $150, customers can create about two weeks worth of meals in the store and take the meals home to freeze for later use. This hour or so spent once or twice per month can really save a ton of time during the week for busy moms. Getting a gift certificate for an introductory meal making session is one of my best top ten gift ideas for stay at home moms. (If you like this idea a lot but find even the introductory session price too expensive, buy a ‘once a month cooking’ cookbook for the stay at home mom on your list.)
7. Cleaning service-Cleaning takes a big chunk out of a stay at home mom’s day. Hiring a professional organizer or a cleaning service for just one week will help tremendously.
8. Free babysitting-The luxury of going somewhere, anywhere without having to take along the children is not something a stay at home mom gets often. This gift on my list of top ten gift ideas for stay at home moms will cost you nothing! Offer to baby-sit her children. For free. If you want to spend money on a gift then combine the gift of free baby-sitting with one of the next two gift ideas.
9. Spa day-Every single mom, stay at home or not, deserves a spa day! Buy the stay at home mom on your list a gift certificate to a spa or salon. Some moms will prefer to get a massage and others will prefer a new hair cut and manicure. Either way they will get the pampering they deserve. If you’re feeling really generous offer to baby sit the kids while she enjoys her day off.
10. Movie passes-Last on my list of the top ten gift ideas for stay at home moms is movie passes. Let’s face it; moms are watching a lot of Noggin and Disney movies because, well, that’s what moms do for their kids. Give her the passes with strict instructions that the movie she sees must be for her and not for the kids! And then, offer to baby sit. This gift is a no-fail hit!
Stay at home moms don’t ask for much. Just a day to themselves once or twice per year, ideas for staying organized as they manage a household and the lives of several people and an appreciation for all that they do. Show the stay at home mom on your list how amazing she is with one of the top ten gift ideas for stay at home moms.
