Are you looking to pamper Mom this Valentine’s Day, but didn’t plan ahead? Fear not! Here are 10 great last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for Mom that she really wants!
It’s almost Valentine’s Day. That means that Mom, like always, is making sure everyone feels loved and celebrated and is making sure her little family has a wonderful Valentine’s Day. But just like at Christmas, Mom deserves to be celebrated too!
As a mom myself, I can confirm that it doesn’t take much for me to feel loved by my family. I don’t need expensive or grandiose gifts or gestures. In fact, the easy, last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for Mom are usually what I want most. If you have a mom and you’re panicking about getting her something for Valentine’s Day or if you are a mom yourself and you want to ask your family for something for Valentine’s Day, fret not! There are wonderful last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for mom that you can make sure she has in time for Valentine’s Day. And, bonus, they don’t take that much effort either!
Here are 10 last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for Mom that I would love to receive. Use these as inspiration for your own mom or for your conversations with your partner and children about how you would like to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year.
Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Gifts for Mom
Let her sleep
Let me let you in on a little secret: the moms in your life don’t get enough sleep. They are up early to enjoy a cup of hot coffee before pandemonium ensues. They are up late making sure the hockey gear is washed and ready to go for tomorrow’s practice. Even when they get in bed with the intent to sleep, they are up spinning their wheels worried about things like kindergarten registration and the odds of nuclear war. That means one of the best last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for mom is sleep!
I get that it might not be feasible for you to let Mom sleep in on the morning of Valentine’s Day. She might have to go to work, and the kids might have to go to school. But make a conscious effort to get her a little more sleep on or around Valentine’s Day this year. Let her sleep in on the weekend, get her snag a nap, nudge her to go to bed early. However you can get Mom more sleep this Valentine’s Day is a great gift.
Make a meal
If Mom is the main cook in your household, letting her take a break from cooking is one of the best last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for Mom you can give. Mom deserves to have a meal cooked for her on Valentine’s Day. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, treat your mom to a meal she didn’t have to cook. Speaking from experience, food tastes so much better when you didn’t have to rush around to cook it while also running a toddler to the bathroom and helping a preschooler spell a note he’s writing to Dad.
If it’s not feasible to get Mom a home-cooked meal on Valentine’s Day that she didn’t have to cook, coordinating takeout is a great option. But don’t expect her to pick the place (unless, of course, she has a specific place in mind). Remove this meal entirely from her mental load. Just have a beautiful meal magically appear on the table, ready for her to enjoy.
Do chores
Mom’s day is likely filled with chores. She’s doing laundry, washing dishes, going to the grocery store, or taking out the trash. When she has a spare moment, she’s probably filling it with a chore. What better Valentine’s Day gift for Mom than to do one of her chores for her?
If you want to add this to your list of last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for Mom, please do me a favor. Do not ask Mom what you can do for her or wait to be asked to help. Just look around and identify what needs to be done. Did the dog spill her dinner all over the floor? Grab the vacuum. Is there a load of clean clothes in the dryer? Fold them. Are there dishes piled in the sink from dinner? Wash them. Mom might cry tears of gratitude if you tick one or two things off her never-ending list.
Pamper her
Every mom I know could use a little pampering. One common trait that most moms share is that they tend to put themselves last on their lists. That means they probably don’t take time to take care of themselves as often as they should. Move Mom up on her own list this Valentine’s Day by pampering her a bit.
Now, what constitutes pampering will change depending on Mom’s preferences. Mom could consider everything from a massage to a basic haircut to be pampering. Take some time and ask Mom what sort of pampering she would appreciate most and make it happen. Get her a gift card to her preferred hair or nail salon or book her a facial with a nearby esthetician. There are no wrong answers here as long as you make sure you’re pampering her in a way she would appreciate.
Make a card
If the Mom in your life has little kids, I know for a fact that she would love to receive a handmade card. This is especially true if her kid is at that early writing stage and can write her a message complete with backwards Ys or Ds instead of Bs. She will treasure these snapshots in time for the rest of her life. If Mom’s kids are too young to write a message themselves, ask them questions about what they love most about Mom and record their answers verbatim. This exercise usually ends with some pretty funny answers, and giving Mom a good laugh is certainly a great thing to add to your list of last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for Mom or even turn it into a Valentine’s Day tradition.
Give her flowers
You might be thinking that it’s a little too cliché to give Mom flowers for Valentine’s Day but hear me out! Especially if Mom doesn’t often get flowers or buy them for herself, flowers can be a very easy way to show Mom you love her and give her a smile for a few days. If you choose to give flowers as one of your last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for Mom, please make sure that you know if she is allergic to any specific flowers and steer clear of those. If anyone in my family is reading this, no lilies please!
Get her favorite treat
Mom deserves a little treat on Valentine’s Day. You know the things that Mom loves that she doesn’t often buy for herself. This could be chocolate, gummy bears, fancy popcorn, a bottle of wine. Seriously, anything you know Mom loves but doesn’t get for herself is a great option for a last-minute Valentine’s Day gift.
Print pictures
Raise your hand if you have thousands of pictures that are stuck on your phone. I know I do. I love to take pictures of my family, but I’m terrible at printing them out, and even worse at framing them and displaying them in my home. I can’t be alone in having this character flaw.
If the mom in your life is similarly negligent about printing out pictures, it will mean the world to her if you print out some family pictures for her. If you want to go one step further, frame them and hang them on the wall. If you pick one of these last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for Mom, make it this one.
Draw her a bath
When I think of ultimate luxury, I think of a freshly drawn, warm bath waiting for me. Sometimes there is nothing better than sinking into a warm bath. This is especially true if I feel like I can truly enjoy it and I’m not shirking other responsibilities. That is why, if you choose to draw Mom a bath for one of her last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts, make it super clear to her that her time in the bath is her own.
A great way to communicate that she can really relish this bath is to make it a little special and make bath time a true win. Make sure she isn’t interrupted by taking the kids out of the house for a bit. Grab her a new scent of bubble bath, a sheet mask, and a new book to read. If you need some inspiration on the book front, I have a whole bunch of recommendations that can serve as a starting point for you.
Say thank you
And last, but certainly not least, say thank you. Mom does a lot every day to make her family feel loved. Perhaps the most impactful thing you can do on Valentine’s Day and every day is to say thank you. It costs you nothing, it takes basically no time, and Mom will find it so meaningful. Please add a simple thank you to your list of last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for Mom this year. If you have to write yourself a note to remember, do it. Just please, thank the moms in your lives. It will mean the world to them.
Other posts
Panicking about Valentine’s Day? I’m here to help with these posts:
I hope I’ve given you some inspiration for last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for Mom that are easy and meaningful. What are you getting Mom for Valentine’s Day? What did you ask your family for this Valentine’s Day? Please share to give us more ideas in the comments below or over on Instagram @sarainseason.
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