I’ve shared my holiday gift guide, but many of you have asked for a gift guide of unusual ideas that aren’t the normal kitchen gear, clothing and toys. This list of gift ideas is just that… a compilation of unusual and creative ideas that your recipient definitely won’t already have!
All of these gifts are practical, healthy, and usable so they won’t sit on a shelf. Give them for a wedding, birthday, or just because! As a bonus, if you live in the same house as your recipient, you can also take advantage of the health benefits of these gifts!
Top Unusual Gift Ideas
These are the gifts I am giving to the hard-to-shop-for people on my list. I know they don’t already have these and love that they’ll get some health benefits too!
The MyoByddy
I got one of these as a gift from my hubby and it is one of my favorite things now! It is basically percussive massage meets myofascial release meets infrared heat. It feels like a mixture of deep tissue massage and fascia massage and I find it so relaxing! I love it so much, I asked for a discount for you guys and you can get $50 off the Myobuddy Pro2 and $100 off the Myobuddy Pro2 Plus+ with the code WELLNESSMAMA at this link.
Music That Improves Health
Lately, I’ve also been loving Wholetones and am giving it to several people on my list. It is music created at certain frequencies that are shown to calm the brain, improve focus, reduce stress and promote relaxation. I keep it on repeat in our house this time of year, especially their Christmas album!
Red Light Therapy
What my mom is getting (hope she doesn’t read this!) this year. Red light therapy or photobiomodulation is shown to improve skin, increase collagen production and improve mitochondrial function in the body. I use it daily and wanted her to be able to get the benefits too. I use a Joovv Combo light.
A Mini Trampoline
Great for the lymphatic system, as an easy way to exercise and just plain fun! A mini trampoline (also called a rebounder) will fit in most houses and jumping on it is a great daily practice. A simple and inexpensive mini trampoline is fun for the kid (or kit at heart) on your list… and it is healthy too!
Acupressure Mat
Your recipient can use this gift at home for a few minutes a day to improve sleep, relieve tension and increase relaxation. This mat has 6,210 acupressure points that press against the body to help increase blood flow to muscles in your back and neck. This can help reduce inflammation and pain while releasing endorphins. The neck pillow has 1,782 acupressure points that can reach in between the neck and shoulder, treating tension headaches and neck muscle pain at the source. Here’s the one I have and love.
A Balance Chair
Have someone on your list who works at a desk part of the day? Many companies are fine with switching out a chair to a more ergonomic chair even if they won’t go for a standing work station. This balance chair combines a yoga ball and a rolling chair for a desk chair that engages the core and negates some of the harmful aspects of sitting all way.
Full Spectrum Sunlight Lamp
For anyone who suffers with Seasonal Affective Disorder or daytime sleepiness, this lamp may be the answer. It has a bright full-spectrum bulb that simulates daytime, even indoors and even in the winter.
Trigger Point Massage Tool
A Trigger Point Massage Tool looks like a cane but works for self-massage. It hits hard-to-reach spots and is great for releasing tension in the back. I love to use this while watching a movie (bonus if you’re sitting on the yoga ball chair too!).
Cruzee Bike
This one is only recommended for the 5 and under crowd on your list. It is a totally new approach to a training bike. No training wheels or petals here, just an ultra-light bike that teaches balance. Best part? Kids can carry it, put it away and move it on their own.
CSA Membership
A great way to support local farms and give the gift of fresh veggies all year. CSA means “Community Supported Agriculture” and it means that the member is essentially sharing in the yield of the farm that year. We’ve been a member of several different CSAs over the years and loved them all. Search for CSAs in your area to find one near you.
Squatty Potty
What could be better than the gift of good posture in the loo? The Squatty Potty became popular after its appearance on Shark Tank, its many celebrity endorsements and its famous unicorn poop video. Our family has had them for years and my midwife even recommended them during my last pregnancy for better bathroom posture and to prepare for labor.
Chemex or Mushroom Coffee
I have two rules when it comes to coffee… I don’t drink it everyday, and I only drink good coffee. (Except when camping, there is something about terrible coffee when camping that is so good!) For me, this means I only drink coffee made in my Chemex and I stick to Four Sigmatic coffee or instant coffee packets. The Chemex is a cone shaped glass pour-ver coffee maker that makes amazing coffee without any trace of bitterness or acidity. It is also beautiful and *almost* makes me want to drink coffee every day!
Probiotics for the Home
Sounds strange, right? Turns out that our homes have a microbiome just like our guts, our mouths and our skin. Many scientists are concerned that we give birth and live in such sterile environments that our gut microbiome can suffer. We can improve our gut bacteria in many way, but just like I often let my babies play in organic dirt, we can also support our skin and gut microbiome through interacting with probiotics in our environment. There is also some evidence that these beneficial bacteria can help ward off mold and odors in the home. That’s why I spray my house with a house probiotic called Homebiotic and the super-crunchy person on your list may just love this odd gift too!
Probiotics for the Skin
Our skin has a microbiome too and as we talked about in this podcast episode, there are things we can do to support it. One such thing is to use skin probiotics to restore the delicate balance of our skin bacteria. This spray uses a specialized bacteria called Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria to improve skin, remove odor and even help acne. I love this stuff and use it daily (plus, it is a skincare gift that your favorite person definitely doesn’t already have!
A Sauna
This is definitely a gift you would only buy for someone you really really love since it isn’t cheap. There are so many benefits to daily sauna use and an at-home one is the easiest way to accomplish this. We have a two-person Clearlight Sauna and I love it because it is my “quiet box” where I go to sweat, listen to a podcast and get a few minutes of me time.
Which of these gifts do you like? What is the most unusual gift you’ve ever gotten?
The Homebiotic link doesn’t work, and I couldn’t find the sales page for Keto meter, can you link more directly, or point me in the right direction?
Love these gift ideas! I’d be totally overjoyed to get any of them (though I already own like half the list! haha) but I’ve got my eyes on the Myobuddy, that sounds awesome.
We have a Strider balance bike, and we LOVE it. It’s so easy for the little ones to use, and our older kids who used it transitioned very quickly to “real” bikes without the need to have Daddy run along behind for ages and help balance them. (Much better for their confidence AND for Daddy’s back!)
Hello,
We are looking at an infrared sauna for our house. Is there a difference between clear light and sunlighten? I am having a hard time choosing! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
THank you,
Jess
They are separate companies and after researching both we settled on the Clear Light…
Hi Katie-
I tried to purchase the Myobyddy with the $100 promo and the code wellnessmama100 didn’t work. Any ideas? Thanks for your help!