Weird and Unique Mother’s Day Gifts New Moms and Old Ask For

Chalk it up to the hormones

Precious Mammaries / Via yourbreastmilk.com

I asked thousands of moms about what crazy things they’d like for a gift this Mother’s Day and I received an overwhelming response. Many were simply pleased by the question, and my Facebook page was flooded with notifications gushing “I’m glad someone is asking me this!” and “Nobody else would understand but another mom!”

Moms aren’t crazy. We just happen to like different things from most as suits our needs and interests related to motherhood. Some of the sanest people happen to like the weirdest things. And that’s perfectly normal — we think.

Here, I’ve gathered together a list of some of the oddest gifts that moms actually love to receive on Mother’s Day, according to a survey taken by moms around the world.

So without further ado, here is the list of bizarre Mother’s Day gifts that moms actually love.

1. Mother’s Milk Tea

Thirsty for Tea / Via thirstyfortea.com

This one isn’t as weird as you think, because mother’s milk tea is just made up of a fragrant combination of herbs that help boost her milk supply. Despite it’s name, it has no milk in it at all — unless of course you decide to add cream to it.

This tea is designed for consumption by lactating mothers. What you may not know is that it can also be enjoyed by non-lactating mothers who may just want to have a nice hot drink that happens to also be good for women’s health.

Here’s an idea: You could put together a tea gift basket with a variety of mother’s milk tea flavors like this Indian spiced variety, Shatavari Cardamom. Or you could make bubble milk tea, also called “boba,” which is a popular iced drink from Asia that has tapioca pearls, and use mother’s milk tea as the flavor! Just add some sweetness to it and voila, mother’s milk bubble tea!

Here is a recipe for regular homemade bubble tea, which you can add breast milk to!

2. Salt Lamp

Via Amazon.com

A lot of “crunchy” mamas, or mothers who live an alternative attachment parenting lifestyle ask for Himalayan pink salt lamp on special occasions. The great thing about this gift is it doesn’t cost much yet looks quite fancy!

Good salt, whether it comes from the Himalayas (pink salt) or Utah (Real Salt™), is sea salt from ancient caves, filled with trace minerals known to have many beneficial properties. This same edible salt gets turned into jewelry, lamps, and other decorative items for the house. Pink salt isn’t just good for eating — in lamp form it also acts as an air purifier, ionizing the air.

3. Breast milk and placenta jewelry

Precious Mammaries / Via yourbreastmilk.com

This one sounds strange indeed, but mothers go nuts for this stuff. Breast milk jewelry is usually intended for breastfeeding mothers but not necessarily for currently lactating mothers. How is this possible? Although breast milk jewelry does use human breast milk, the milk used can be from previously frozen pumped breast milk that could have been in someone’s freezer for years. It can also be from a loving donor’s breast milk.

Breastfeeding mothers know that the act of breastfeeding their babies is such a special time, and weaning can be a very emotionally difficult process. Some mothers can’t directly breastfeed but instead pump milk to feed their babies, and this too can be a very hard subject for mothers who desire to breastfeed but can’t. Preserving breast milk in jewelry form helps to forever secure the good memories shared with the little ones during the life-giving process of feeding them.

Placenta jewelry is made with mom’s dried placenta encapsulated in pills. No, this process does not involve blood or anything slimy! Placenta encapsulation is an odd but welcomed post partum service available to all mothers after giving birth. If she has some extra pills to spare, why not make them into jewelry?

Check this jewelry piece out made from breast milk and placenta from a company called Precious Mammaries.

4. Topless nursing/pregnancy photoshoot

Elena Ringeisen / Via modernmarket.co

This may sound cringeworthy, but I believe pregnancy and breastfeeding being ugly is just a social construct. These two acts are a natural and beautiful part of a woman’s life. In many cultures, public birthing and nursing are commonly accepted.

Women love photoshoots and getting dolled up for them, so it’s not that surprising that a mother would want herself captured during the most precious times in her life, namely while pregnant and while nursing.

She doesn’t have to be completely naked. Many moms cover their breasts with their hands, and during the nursing shoots, her nipples are covered by her baby’s face. The milk bath photoshoot is one of the more popular shots for breastfeeding mothers. She and baby nurse in a bath tub filled with breast milk, water, and flower petals for a relaxing, stress-free photography session.

There’s a milk bath photography tutorial from Elena Ringeisen of Modern Market.

5. Breast milk soap

Precious Mammaries / Via yourbreastmilk.com

Just like breast milk jewelry, this is a gift made from a mommy’s breast milk! Alternatively, donor breast milk can be used. Breast milk has many known beneficial and healing properties, from curing ear infections to relieving eczema.

Goat milk soaps are all the rage, so why not make and use soap from the milk of the mammal closest to yourself — humans!

Here is a gorgeous soap with mother and baby carved into it, also from Precious Mammaries.

6. Genetic Testing

We know moms love breast milk jewelry. In a way, this jewelry is a DNA keepsake, in that it stores mom’s DNA in the form of a preserved sample of her milk. It would make sense that moms would be into genetic testing as well, and according to our survey, they do!

You might’ve heard a lot of people talk about their genetic ancestry lately. That’s because companies like 23andMe came out with a service to learn about both your health and ancestry through DNA kits you order through their website. You just need to spit up some saliva and send it back to them through the mail. From there, a report will be sent back to you in about 6–8 weeks based on the results of testing the DNA found in your saliva.

7. Lactation cookies

Noel Trujillo / Via food.com

Sounds gross, right? With flavors like mint, chocolate, and oatmeal, lactation cookies have been a fad for awhile among nursing mothers. Again, like the tea, no breast milk is necessary. Ingredients include brewer’s yeast, oats, and flaxseed, which have been known for centuries to boost breast milk supply. These are actually DELICIOUS and would be a funny or mean gag gift to give dad! Oops.

Here is a yummy lactation oatmeal chocolate chip cookies recipe you might want to try!

8. A nap

Via Amazon.com

Many women asked to be pampered with massages and a trip to the nail salon for M Day, but the kind of pampering many moms ask for can often be as simple as some time to nap! While she naps, daddy can watch the kids and the kids can do some of the chores. She’ll be delighted to wake up to a clean house and maybe some dinner!

While napping, she might want to use a pretty cozy mermaid blanket in her favorite color. A mermaid blanket is a popular gift that’s exactly what it sounds like — a knitted blanket shaped like a mermaid tail!

9. 24 hrs of solitude away from home

Since it’s not always easy to keep mom’s room silent for her much-needed and well-deserved nap, many moms in our survey actually asked to be away from home for a few hours or even the whole day! Getting her a hotel room to sleep in overnight, worry- and noise-free, might just do the trick to rejuvenate tired mommys. Superheroes need a break sometimes, too!

There you have it. This is a tried-and-true honest list from real mothers of bizarre gifts moms actually LOVE to receive on Mother’s Day, birthday, or any day!