Gifts for Daughter: Ideas From Mom and Dad

Just Between Us: Mother and Daughter Journal

• Hardcover journal
• Two ribbon bookmarks
• Prompts and quizzes

A guided journal that a mother and daughter pass back and forth, with prompts, quizzes and space to write what is hard to say out loud. Most gifts are things; this one opens a conversation that keeps going for months. She answers a page, leaves it on your pillow and you write back. It works best for tweens and teens and the moms who miss their chats.^[2]

Good for

Moms of tween and teen daughters.

Skip if

She is a grown woman with a busy life; a letter from you lands better.

BLISSFORD Satin Pillowcase with Zipper

• Queen size two pack
• Hidden zipper
• Vegan silk alternative

A smooth satin pillowcase with a hidden zipper, sold in a long list of colors. Cotton pillowcases tug at hair overnight; satin lets hair slide, so she wakes up with less frizz and fewer tangles. The zipper keeps the pillow from slipping out. It is the small beauty gift teens and grown daughters both use every night.^[1]

Good for

Daughters with curly or long hair.

Skip if

She only sleeps on cotton; satin feels cool and slippery to some people.

Pura Vida Original Bracelet

• Wax coated waterproof
• Adjustable slipknot
• Handmade in Costa Rica

The original wax coated string bracelet from Pura Vida, handmade by artisans in Costa Rica, with the small P charm. Cheap string bracelets fray and fade in a month; these hold up in the shower, the pool and the beach. An adjustable slipknot fits any wrist, and she can stack it with the ones she already has. It is the easy gift for a teen or a young woman who likes a layered wrist.^[3]

Good for

Teens and college daughters who stack bracelets every day.

Skip if

Her style is dressy and minimal; string bracelets read casual.

Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm

• Shea and murumuru
• Sheer glossy tint
• Squeeze tube

A cushiony lip balm with shea and murumuru butters and a sheer, glossy tint in a squeeze tube. Drugstore balms feel waxy and vanish in an hour; this one feels like a treatment and looks like a gloss. It goes over or under lipstick and fits any pocket. It is the small luxury teens and twenty somethings ask for by name.^[4]

Good for

A stocking or a small add-on gift.

Skip if

She already has three; it is one of the most gifted balms around.

Clever Fox Weekly Planner, Undated

• Undated pages
• Stickers and guide
• Faux leather cover

An undated weekly and monthly planner with pages for a life vision, long and short term goals and a daily agenda, sold in a gift box with stickers. Phone calendars hold appointments but not plans; a paper planner helps her set goals and actually see her week. Undated pages mean she can start any month and skip a week without waste. It suits a daughter starting college, a first job or a new year.^[1]

Good for

Daughters starting college or a first job.

Skip if

She plans everything on her phone; paper will stay in the drawer.

Owala FreeSip Insulated Water Bottle, 24 oz

• Straw or swig lid
• Locking carry loop
• Keeps drinks cold

An insulated steel bottle with a lid that lets her sip through a built-in straw or tilt it back to swig, with a carry loop that locks the lid. Most bottles make you pick one way to drink; the FreeSip does both and does not leak in a backpack. It keeps water cold for hours. It comes in color mixes, so it is easy to pick one that looks like her.^[5]

Good for

Daughters who carry a bottle to class, work or the gym.

Skip if

She drives a lot; it is too wide for many car cup holders.

Compare with Stanley Quencher →

Stanley Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumbler, 40 oz

• Fits car cup holders
• Three position lid
• Dishwasher safe

The big insulated tumbler with a handle, a straw lid and a narrow base that fits most car cup holders. A regular bottle runs dry by lunch; the Quencher holds enough ice water for the whole day and keeps it cold. The rotating lid switches between straw, sip and closed. It is the cup half her friends already carry, in a color she picks.^[6]

Good for

Daughters who drive or sit at a desk all day.

Skip if

She carries a bottle in a backpack; the Quencher is not leakproof in a bag.

Compare with Owala FreeSip →

Jellycat Bashful Pink Bunny, Medium

• Medium size
• Very soft plush
• Floppy lop ears

The floppy eared, very soft plush bunny from Jellycat, the London toy maker, in its medium size. Most stuffed animals feel like toys; the Bashful Bunny has become a keepsake for teens and young women who keep one on the bed or the desk. Many daughters carry theirs from home to college. It is a sweet gift from a parent that says she will always be your little girl.^[7]

Good for

Teens and college daughters who love cute things in their room.

Skip if

She does not collect plush; it is pricey for a stuffed animal.

Kendra Scott Elisa Pendant Necklace

• Gold plated chain
• Oval stone pendant
• Many stone colors

A small oval stone pendant on a fine gold plated chain, the most recognized piece from Kendra Scott. Costume jewelry tarnishes in a season; the Elisa goes with jeans or a dress and holds up for years. It comes in many stone colors, so you can pick her favorite or her birthstone shade. It is the classic first nice necklace from mom or dad.^[8]

Good for

A graduation, sweet sixteen or milestone birthday.

Skip if

She wears only solid gold; Elisa is plated, not solid.

LEGO Icons Flower Bouquet

• Posable stems
• Mixed flower types
• Adult LEGO set

A LEGO set for adults that builds a bouquet of roses, poppies, daisies and snapdragons with posable stems and petals. Real flowers last a week; this bouquet stays on her shelf for years and needs no water. The build is a relaxing evening on its own, alone or together with you. It is a gift for a grown daughter who likes a calm project.^[1]

Good for

Grown daughters who like puzzles or quiet projects.

Skip if

She does not like building; the gift is half the build.

Chicago Skates Classic Quad Roller Skates

• High top lace-up boot
• Indoor and outdoor wheels
• Brand since 1905

Classic white high top quad skates for the rink or smooth pavement, from Chicago Skates, a roller skate maker for more than a century. Cheap toy skates wobble and hurt the ankles; these have the supportive high top boot of a real rink skate. Roller skating is back with teens and young women, often as a group thing with friends. It is a fun, active gift that gets her outside.^[1]

Good for

Daughters who want a new hobby with friends.

Skip if

You do not know her shoe size; skates need the right size.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 Instant Camera

• Automatic exposure
• Selfie mirror
• Prints in seconds

The best selling instant camera, which prints credit card sized photos a few seconds after she presses the button. Phone photos stay on the phone; Instax prints end up on her wall, her mirror and her friends' fridges. Exposure and flash are automatic, and a mirror helps with selfies. It is the teen and college gift that gets used at every party.^[9]

Good for

Teens and college daughters who live with their friends.

Skip if

You do not want to keep buying film; every shot costs money.

Barefoot Dreams CozyChic Adult Robe

• CozyChic plush knit
• Shawl collar
• Machine washable

A long, plush robe in Barefoot Dreams' CozyChic knit, the soft fabric of luxury hotel robes. Thin bathrobes are for after the shower; this one is the robe she lives in on a Sunday morning, soft like a favorite sweater. It is machine washable on a gentle cycle. It is the grown up comfort gift she would never buy for herself.^[10]

Good for

Grown daughters with their own place and slow weekends.

Skip if

She wants a robe to dry off in; CozyChic is not absorbent like terry.

UGG Women's Tasman II Slipper

• Sheepskin lining
• Indoor and outdoor
• Braided collar

A suede slip on with a sheepskin lining, the UGGbraid collar and a sturdy sole that works indoors and out. Cheap fuzzy slippers flatten in a month; the Tasman stays warm and keeps its shape for years. Teens wear them to class and grown daughters wear them to the coffee shop. It has been a favorite for years, so it rarely misses as a gift.^[1]

Good for

Daughters who have been hinting about UGGs.

Skip if

You do not know her size; check her shoe size first.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

• Glare free screen
• Warm adjustable light
• Waterproof

Amazon's waterproof e-reader with a glare free screen, a warm adjustable light and a battery that lasts for weeks. Reading on a phone means notifications and eye strain; the Paperwhite holds thousands of books and reads like paper in the sun. She can read in the bath, on a plane or in bed without a lamp. It is the big gift for a daughter who always has a book going.^[11]

Good for

Daughters who read on the commute or before bed.

Skip if

She loves paper books and bookstores; some readers never warm to a screen.