Wirecutter - 10 things Wirecutter moms love

Lululemon

I can’t believe I ever went without wearing bike shorts under skirts and dresses, but once I became a mom, the high-rise Lululemon Align shorts became my saving grace. I loved wearing dresses postpartum not only because they were more comfy and less constricting than leggings, shorts, and (gasp!) hard pants, but because they made me feel somewhat put-together and more like myself.

The Aligns put me at ease, knowing I wouldn’t have a Marilyn Monroe moment when I was strapping my then newborn into a wearable carrier. Now that she’s a toddler, I feel covered while chasing after her on the playground. The fabric is buttery and softer than that of other, more-sporty bike shorts I own. And the stretchy waistband is honestly heroic: It’s forgiving and not at all restrictive, and it lies flat against my skin.

—Catherine Kast, supervising editor

Té Company Tea

Coffee makes me jittery, but oolong tea has just the right amount of caffeine to help me start my day. And a cup of New York City–based Té Company’s Oriental Beauty Oolong—with its delicate fragrance and taste—is a pleasant way to ease into the morning. I love stopping by the company’s tea house for snacks and cookies (which you can also order online). And when I can’t make it there in person, it’s nice to be able to brew a cup at home.

—Winnie Yang, supervising editor

Open Spaces

I’m a real fan of watching other people organize things. Organizing things myself, not so much. But after watching a few episodes of Get Organized With The Home Edit on Netflix, I got onboard with one of their main strategies—containment. It basically involves buying containers and putting stuff in them, and so I’ve been on a real container kick. My favorites by a mile are these Medium Storage Bins from Open Spaces. They look great lined up in a row, and when they’re combined with the optional wooden lid, they can be stacked for even more storage. I use them for the things we need but don’t want to look at, like extra masks, art supplies, 8,000 pairs of kids’ novelty sunglasses, and Peloton paraphernalia. When your home is in constant danger of being overrun by objects, containment is more than just a strategy—it’s a way of life.

—Amy Koplin, newsletter specialist

Osei-Duro

A couple of years ago, lured by a very good sale, I bought Osei-Duro’s Bata Dress in Carmine (it comes in a few other prints, too). I’ve bought a number of dresses from Osei-Duro over the years because I love its prints––mostly batik made by artisans in Ghana. But the Bata is by far my favorite and most-worn (in fact, it’s maybe one of my most-worn dresses period).

I’m a petite person, and sometimes I get lost in boxy, oversize dresses, but not this one. That’s thanks, I think, to the tie in the back and the fact that it’s not too long for my 5-foot-2-inch frame. I get compliments pretty much every time I wear this dress, but it’s also one of the most comfortable things I own—and secretly a perfect mom dress. Last summer I wore it happily through the final months of pregnancy. This summer it’s one of the few dresses I’ll be able to keep wearing, thanks to the button-down front that allows me to breastfeed. And I’m sure I will wear it for many years to come.

—Marguerite Preston, senior editor

bitterfly / iStock

I got a gift card to one of our local independent bookstores for a recent birthday, and it was a truly excellent gift for a few reasons. A) It’s not just a cash equivalent; it translates to an afternoon to myself and a reason to get out of the house without kids. B) I really love books. And C) I really love old bookstores.

—Erica Ogg, senior editor

Wary Meyers

I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent a lot of time washing my hands in the past couple of years, and I find this important task is made more enjoyable with a good bar soap. I have long found home design inspiration from the husband-and-wife team behind Wary Meyers, first through an old blog of theirs and now through their Instagram account. When they introduced their line of glycerine soaps some years ago, I was immediately taken by the fun, bright colors and appealing scents.

If you like soap that leaves your hands fragranced for hours afterward, this is not for you: I like that the scents are not overpowering, don’t saturate the bathroom, and don’t linger on the skin. The soaps lather well, rinse clean, and don’t dry out my hands. They also make my bathroom look a little more welcoming.

—Winnie Yang, supervising editor

Jiobit

There are many reasons a parent might want to track their child’s whereabouts. For me, it’s laziness. With trackers in the kids’ backpacks, I know how leisurely I can walk to the bus stop, so that I can avoid exerting myself in any way. The Jiobit Smart Tag locates the kids in real time. And while it doesn’t deliver perfect accuracy, and it’s not cheap, it gives me a rough idea of where they are. It’s the price I pay for peace of mind when I need to move as slowly as humanly possible.

—Amy Koplin, newsletter specialist

Hoka One One

Since I have fully absorbed my suburban momness over the course of this bloody pandemic, all I want in life is to take a nice, quiet walk around my neighborhood. And I’ve been coveting a pair of crazy-expensive walking shoes. So would someone please buy me a pair of Hoka One One Clifton 8 in Blue Fog/Plein Air?

—Annemarie Conte, deputy editor

Kindred Bravely

Nursing bras get all the glory, but I wish someone had told me about nursing tank tops when I was a first-time mom just learning to breastfeed. I was so anxious about feeding my daughter in public in the first few months of her life, and part of that was because no matter what I was wearing, I’d end up showing more skin than I wanted to. I stumbled upon this tank while I was stocking up on the Kindred Bravely Sublime Nursing Sports Bra (my go-to), and I was overjoyed at the prospect of having my postpartum torso just a little more covered when I tried to nurse outside. In addition to layering the tank under my favorite oversize button-downs for more coverage, I loved rocking flowy crop tops over it; the clip-down straps are especially easy to access under those.

Kindred Bravely is a brand beloved by many moms on the Wirecutter staff. And one thing I love about it is that it has better options for bustier moms than other nursing brands I’ve tried. Oh, and if you’re thinking of gifting a new mom nursing clothes for Mother’s Day, think about getting them a gift card to KB instead, so they can choose what they’d like—and experiment with sizing on their own bodies.

—Catherine Kast, supervising editor

Laurie Ellen

I first heard about Laurie Pellicano’s treats from two different friends (both moms, coincidentally) with impeccable taste. A former pastry chef at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, Pellicano makes a variety of beautifully packaged sweet and savory snacks, including spiced nuts, shortbread in intriguing flavors, and, my personal favorite, the Everything Cheddar Crackers. These flaky, savory, seedy snacks disappear quickly in our house. (And when I’ve sent them to friends, they often say they’ve had to hide them from other members of their households.) The crackers are great with an aperitivo or with some wine, beer, or seltzer, but I could (and do) find reasons to eat them by themselves, whenever.

—Winnie Yang, supervising editor

Bala

I love these items because they’re aesthetically beautiful, and they fall in a category where products aren’t typically pleasing to the eye. I ordered these for my mom for Mother’s Day. She’s obsessed with working out, but she also cares so much about the aesthetics in her home. This is the perfect combination of utility and beauty. Don't get me started on how smooth they feel against the skin—when weights are typically rough and cold.

—Melanie Blanco, executive assistant

Home Depot

My mom is lost without iced tea, unsweetened with a couple of freshly squeezed lemon wedges floating at the top. She can’t leave the house without her beloved drink in hand. So one Mother’s Day, my sisters and dad bought her a potted lemon tree from Home Depot. That little plant has proved to be a force of unity in my family. At the dinner table, my dad gives weekly reports on its growth, and we make jokes about how he puts way more work into keeping it alive than my mom does. When we have our extended relatives over every summer, a group of them can always be found talking in a circle around the tree, admiring its little buds and catching up on summertime happenings.

Come winter, my sisters and I cluster around my parents’ kitchen island, smelling the first fragrant fruits of the lemon tree’s harvest. And we all enjoy its citrus tang baked into lemon bars or squeezed over chicken and veggies for dinner; these lemons are more vibrant-tasting than any we’ve bought from a store. This is a low-maintenance plant, easy to keep up with throughout the seasons. So it makes for a fun gift if your mom can’t live without lemon, like mine. But more importantly, it has helped facilitate the little conversations and laughs that bring my family closer together, which is the best gift any mother could ask for.

—Arianna Flores, updates writer