{Live} I heart Ikea
February 3, 2011 in All Posts
A godsend when I was in college and needed to cheaply outfit my pad with a what-was-then-thought-to-be cool aesthetic of modern, colorful furniture, rugs and unnecessary knickknacks, my-oh-my did I fail to see that this was just the TIP of the Ikea iceberg!
If you have no idea where to take the kids on a rainy day, when it’s too dark outside for the park or if you just need a place for them to run off a little steam, Ikea is (again) a godsend.
Just the word “Ikea,” casually uttered in a quiet conversation between adults, sends my toddler into a downright tizzy, screaming “I-KEE-ah! I-KEE-ah!” Both my kids are too small to gain entry into the formal kids’ playzone, but just walking around the different room displays - apparently - is pure heaven.
We’ve spent countless hours getting in and out of the toddler beds in the children’s showroom (yes, sounds incredibly unsanitary and completely against my germaphobic ways) and trying out all the tot-sized table and chair sets. Trying to get my toddler off the floor model mini-slide is next to impossible, save for the times I bribe her either with “fench fies” at the Ikea cafeteria or a ride on the “enevato” or “escado.” Yes, Ikea boasts not just an elevator, but an escalator, too. If you didn’t already know, these are the ultimate in toddler fun.
The cafeteria, while maybe not the most nutritious if you’re a dieting mom, like me, is great for the kids because 1) it’s cheap (and many times free!) and 2) it’s easy. Jane sips that lingonberry juice like there’s no tomorrow. And yes, she drinks it out of a straw instead of her infamous bottle that she would sooner die than part from (even though she’s already two . . . shhhhhh, don’t tell the pediatrician).
It’s still not too bad a place to pick up some home furnishings on the cheap if you can figure out what’s a quality piece for the price. We purchased the Hemnes dresser and daybed for our toddler’s room and are quite pleased. In fact, the daybed has an enormous amount of storage space and a trundle bed feature, which will be great later on for sleepovers! The Leksvik toddler table and chairs was also a great purchase: nice warm-colored wood that withstands crayons, fingerpaint, banging, scraping and oily, sticky foods no problem.
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Chrissy – who has written 422 posts on The Outlaw Mom® Blog - Creative Living in a Conventional World.
I have the exact same reaction when I get to go to Ikea!
Hard not to love a place that has food, children’s entertainment and a chance to re-design your life all in one!
[…] she’s a big girl who needs a “big girl bed,” we started visiting Ikea (one of her favorite playgrounds), to let her try out the toddler beds. I know, eww, germs - but it worked. Two visits to […]