ADHD Gift Guide

Holiday love for the ADHDers in your life!

Btw, you can gift a paid subscription of Momspreading to someone in your life, ADHDer or no!

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Of course, the greatest gift you can give your ADHD-having loved ones is to tirelessly fight the global-suicide-pact of consumerism. But if that’s not available to you, you probably need to get them something. And if you insist on not contributing to the giant garbage heap that will be humanity’s legacy on planet earth, have no fear! Non-material options are included. Me personally? I love garbage, and this is the only time of year I can feel remotely less horrible about it. Bring it on.

Ember Mug

I first heard about this bad boy from Dani Donovan’s 2020 Neurodiverse Gift Guide, and then somehow got sent two of them, and though I usually lose interest in or become frustrated with new gadgets (sorry bluetooth sleep mask) and side-eye anything with the word “smart” in its description, this makes me endlessly happy. It basically keeps your coffee or tea warm for hours, so you don’t have to reheat it after your discover it abandoned on top of your toilet. Heaven. If it’s too pricey, I got and endorsement for this $15 one mug hot plate seems less smart but still great.

Clear organizers

What’s in that drawer? Dare I reach my hand into this purse or will its contents devour said hand? Most ADHDers have a lot of shit but don’t know it’s there unless they SEE IT. That’s why we leave all of the cabinet doors open (also it’s so annoying to close them, we’re just gonna open them again later so really it saves time). But see-through bags like this and this are a huge help. Just bought some to put in my 3000 purses!

Colorful cases

Baggu sells bright-ass cases for earbuds, tablets, glasses, and laptops. I would say that 99% percent of the times that I actually locate my Airpods, it’s because they’re in one of these hot pink puffy case. This case even has a lanyard loop to attach to something, so you should probably also get them a lanyard. There are plenty of places to pick up flashy phone cases as well, though sadly my dumb phone case only comes in “Eeyore grey” and “white fragility.”

Location tags

If they ever do a “things ADHDers misplace” round in Family Feud, keys, phone, and wallet will be top three. Tile has little trackers that all sync, so you can use one to call your phone, put one on your key ring, slide one in your wallet, stick one to your baby, etc. There’s also this thing where you can get QR stickers for randos to scan and find you if you lose something you love but not valuable enough for someone to steal from you, like the LLBean slippers I just left behind forever at a hotel. Apple also has Airtags. A Tile 4-pack starter is $60, Airtag 4-pack is $100. Now that I think of it, this would be a great gift to get my husband, because of all the time it would save him helping me look for my shit!

Never have your child point out that you left your keys in the gutter again!

Magazine subscriptions

Especially travel magazines! I’m getting a lot of my wanderlust sated through Afar Magazine and Stranger’s Guide. They both have articles that dont make travel seem easier or cheaper than it really is, center the voices of underrepresented writers and travelers, and inspire me to take my big-ADHD-energy into my local adventures rather than just lamenting that I’m not in Iceland.

Fancier shmancier subscriptions

And speaking of, what’s the best gift for someone who’s always looking for the next shiny object?? Regular shiny objects!! And my shopping addiction feels slightly less problematic now that I get the dopamine hit of picking out four items to borrow a month from Rent the Runway. If there’s something else they love like flowers, tiny little beauty products, or music, I can guarantee you there’s a subscription box for it. For those ADHDers who forget to eat cause they are doing something more interesting, but also forget to shop for food and can’t stand how boring it is to prep it all, a regular snack box would be rad. There are also likely many great local options for subscriptions. In the Oakland area, there’s Oakland Yard’s monthly wine club and Box Car Flowers twice-a-month flower CSA, which I drop hints about on the regular and might just get for myself this year.

Make them an Everyday Emergency Pack

Does your ADHDer move their phone charger from the house to the car, often leaving it in the wrong place? Leave stuff they need at work at home and vice versa? Never know where a matching pair of socks is? Don’t overcomplicate things by getting them something entirely new, just get them more of SHIT THEY LOVE AND/OR NEED. My wish list for this would be a million more of the sleep masks I love, another pair of the sneakers I refuse to clean, two more water bottles, and more underwear so I don’t have to do laundry as much.

Another version of this that adds a little DIY and thoughtfulness would be making them a few Favorite Things Packs and placing them strategically. Think of these as go-bags, but for the emergency that is daily life with ADHD. Use like two or four of those clear bags I mentioned above, fill them with copies of the things they are always looking for (sunscreen, glasses wipes, a few of their pills, pen and post-its, snacks, feminine hygiene, etc) and put them in their high-touch places (a few bags, car, house, etc). Make copies of those keys you were too cheap to get a Tile ring for. I also loved the idea someone gave me of buying things like Wisp disposable toothbrushes, so that they can do things they forget on the go.

If you don’t want to buy shit

• Do a task, or PART of a task that they hate but that will ultimately bring them joy. One of the best gifts I received was my husband taking my list of books I wanted to read, and transferring it to a digital wish list on our library’s website. Now, instead of finishing a book at 10pm, forgetting that I have a list of books to read next, scrolling around on popular book lists online, spending an hour realizing none of them are available to check out, and doing an angry KenKen puzzle instead, I just check out a new book I want to read! You could also research upcoming events for the year that they’d love, put them on their calendar with a big note that says “BUY TICKETS” and add a month-in-advance reminder

  

• Give them a month-free from an onerous task: Offer a month off of laundry, plant watering, menu-planning, etc.

• Give them a coupon for a “Hyper-focus Day” where they are allowed to completely and spontaneously disappear to embark on a project that will seem essential but never be completed, fall down a rabbit hole, or imagine a totally different life and then realize theirs is actually fine.

Credits and further research:

• Shout out to my Academic Mamas with ADHD for all your gift suggestions and your sweet company.

• Katy Weber, ADHD coach and host of the Women & ADHD Podcast also has a few great ADHD gift guides.

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Also, this:

I just read Kevin Wilson’s new novel, Now Is Not the Time to Panic, and I CANNOT. STOP. THINKING ABOUT IT. Book club maybe?