birthday present ideas for SIL, breastfeeding (if that makes a difference!)

[Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain]

My SIL's birthday is coming up soon, she'll be 41. I'd quite like to get her something to wear. But she's got a 4 month old baby she's currently breastfeeding.

She likes Cos, Arket, Whistles, Nobody's Child, some M&S and some Oliver Bonas. Used to like Compton de Cottoniers and maybe likes Sezanne, Kitri. She's also a size 8-10 and about 5 ft 9/10, she has a larger bust now as breastfeeding but was quite small before in bust area. Quite casual smart dresser and on mat leave.

What should I get her? Something she can use for breastfeeding (top) or other? I recently got her a Nars Multiple on offer in Orgasm (she loves Orgasm) which she liked, as a treat. Re homeware etc - she's in a small flat which is already crammed with bits.

I wouldn’t get clothes. I’m a different size in all those shops and my body changed with pregnancy and after breastfeeding. You could get her a voucher and she could choose herself? I’d stick to make up or skin care, or even something edible or drinkable.

IMO if you can't think of a gift that's perfect for an individual it's better not to give one. Scraping around for ideas becomes just spending money for the sake of it.

Give her a nice card and tell her that you are taking her out for tea/dinner/theatre/whatever at a time and date of her choosing.

But she's lucky and her slim body has moreoreless stayed the same with zero stretch marks! Barely putting on weight despite eating more cakes.

Get her a voucher for a shop she likes

This would be a good idea. As she's finding it hard (she's expressing milk by hand pumping right now) to breastfeed this limits her going out but yes, agreed something to look forward to.

Get her a voucher, if you want her to have something- get her some flowers or chocolates and the voucher
avoud M&S or any other place that can have a baby section, that way is just for her

Oh that's easy then, get her an electric breast pump 😆 I found one much easier for expressing.

Or, either a voucher as a PP suggested, or a safe item like a scarf. Which could also be helpful for breastfeeding.

I would get her a voucher, my body shape hardly changed during pregnancy but my breasts definately changed after breast feeding. Maybe a voucher for some nice new underwear, or fresh haircut, or as someone above suggested take her out somewhere nice to eat.

Actually a haircut voucher is a good idea. She does like the M&S bralettes too. I was thinking maybe trainers, she got DB to buy her some nice M&S ones.

She's tried and failed with so many breast pumps so not doing that! Maybe a nice afternoon tea though. I think she has enough scarves.

The only reason I say tops - is I got her a couple of nice ones she had when she had DNephew almost 6 years ago and she said they were perfect as were tunic type, one was a semi sheer fake snake Zara one and she loved them.

When breastfeeding I used to wear a cotton/lycra camisole top 2 sizes too big from m and s (or anywhere really) underneath normal tops so that I could lift the normal top up then pull the top of the camisole down over my boob which meant maximum coverage and minimal exposure.
what about asking her to join you for a birthday lunch with baby too and a wander round a big M and S for you to buy her a few bits of her choice?

edited to add- please don’t try to get tickets or stuff that would force her to have “baby free” time. I know lots of people think that’s what everyone wants, but when I was BFing and had small children that was the last thing I wanted and I felt awful and pressured to leave them when I wasn’t ready. I remember crying when MIL bought us hotel vouchers to an amazing spa hotel at Xmas when dd was just 6 months as I knew I wasn’t going to be able to use them- and felt awful.