How to survive IKEA with kids

[oldjacksscrote]

Planning a trip to IKEA tomorrow, with a 3 month old and a very spirited naughty 2 year old, I haven't been for years and wondered what tips you guys have for surviving it? I'm starting to stress.

Do they have baby and toddler trollies, baby changing and would you consider It to be BF friendly?

Er Mary did you actually read my post? I said exactly what you are trying to parrot back at me - We are entitled to disagree. Plenty of other posters said they didn't think it was a great place for kids, so I don't really know why you are replying with shirtyness and emoticons as if you are being personally attacked by my opinion. Lets just move on please.

Anyway...! We're getting a new IKEA near us soon and I cannot wait. Means a 30 minute drive instead of a nearly 2 hour one. I will actually be able to 'pop' there for essentials instead of it being a huge day trip.

Sling for the baby, tie your toddler into the trolly seat with reigns (if anything like mine and tries to stand/dance about). Keep supplied with snacks and/or a toy to purchase for bribery purposes. Good luck!

I love going to Ikea with my toddler and often choose to do it as a fun activity on a rainy Monday. Cheap food that he likes, good changing facilities, they provide plastic plates and cutlery so I don't have to carry them around, and he loves exploring all the furniture and playing with the toys in the children's area. It is more stressful at the weekend but perfectly manageable with toddler in sling or trolley.

I went with an 18 month old week before last - she ran around quite a lot in the rugs and fabric section, but in the rest of it I managed to keep her in the trolley in some way or other. I filled it with cushions and let her lie in the main bit - she played with her socks and shoes and toes for quite a while, which helped. I had a sling with me that I used when it came to the flatpack and till area.

Obviously no time to faff and look at stuff, but that's probably a blessing really.

I would have left DH and kids in the car with electronic devices to amuse themselves!

We need a Bristol Ikea MN meetup!

I love going to IKEA but on my own when possible.

DS (6) likes hiding in things and looking at everything which then gives DH the rage as he doesn't like browsing and wants to be as fast as possible. It's not so bad going with either of them individually but both together is a nightmare.

Er Mary did you actually read my post? I said exactly what you are trying to parrot back at me - We are entitled to disagree. Plenty of other posters said they didn't think it was a great place for kids, so I don't really know why you are replying with shirtyness and hmm emoticons as if you are being personally attacked by my opinion. Lets just move on please.

Yes I did read your post. I am not taking "umbridge" and feeling "personally attacked" because you have a different opinion. I just disagree. i.e. I disagree with your opinion that all the children you see in IKEA are bored, tired and frazzled. I'm sure one or two are but considering that many people say their children love it, many probably aren't and your perception is wrong and more based on how your children would feel than reality.

I'm taking the 2yo today. I'm currently checking my list against the website to see if I can miss out the upstairs (showroom bit) and just do the marketplace downstairs then lunch obviously.

I have IKEA envy. Our nearest is about a gazillion miles from here and not worth it just for a mooch around to see what I fancy buying. 😠 Don't know what I want until I see it 😅

annie how would a mn meet up work? Would we all have to wear masks to protect our anonymity?

My 2yo has asked if we can go again so he can try the ice cream machine, so I guess I'll have to plan another visit

There is an area with lots of beds and toys, send your oldest to look after them there for an hour whilst you go and shop:-) Or take an older niece/nephew and buy them dinner!

I am literally at IKEA. I followed the advice to go at toddler pace, and it was brilliant advice because neither of us is wound up.

Men hate IKEA. Weird😄 IKEA Cardiff is v child/baby friendly. Just be prepared to take longer than you think and stop whenever you/kids need to. But leave the man at home or let him know his role is purely that of driver ie he stays in the car.

I do love ikea. Unfortunately DH doesn't, I can't drive and our nearest one is about 20 mins in the car but 2 hours on a train/bus

BUT they are building one RIGHT IN THE TOWN next year. I am SOOOOOOOOOOO excited :o :o :o I think DH is already wistfully thinking of other ways to totally waste all of the Euros I'm going to end up spending there. Hahaha!

I have never ever been to IKEA. Is going to IKEA a 'thing' ? What is so special/different about it? I thought it was just flatpack furniture and meatballs.

cent, tbh I'd never heard of using it as a day out with children until this thread, but IKEA has worked a miracle in turning flatpack furniture into an all-day shopping and dining experience. Leaving aside busy-ness levels (I would not go on a weekend or bank holiday unless it was a code-red flatpack emergency), it's quite a nice place to wander round, and some of their furniture, designs and fabrics are rather lovely.

We went there recently on a Friday evening to pick a new mattress, and it was quite fun. Can't imagine saying that about Dreams/DFS etc.

You will, however, always come out with at least 27 scented candles and some Tupperware, even if you just went in for a browse. Them's the rules .

I am intrigued. DH has always been phobic about flatpack stuff, so I guess that's why we have never been. Learn something new every day.

Their flatpack stuff is also very user-friendly.

Ikea is v family friendly and great for kids as long as you don't go at the weekend or take a pushchair. Do either of those things and it is a circle of hell.

Don't leave him in the car.

Leave him in the restaurant with free WiFi (ikea family card required, but it's free and gets you money off stuff).

They're doing a thing just now where you get a prize for remembering to use your family card. There's some glamorous stuff ... but we won a free chocolate doughnut. Yum!

cent its more than just flat pack. Its all the little storage ideas and the modular style furniture - its a bit like pinterest in a shop!

The furniture is mostly good - far superior to Argos flat pack and normally very simple and straightforward to build.

Its also great because you can alter the use of the furniture really easily. For example I have trofast units for DC toy storage - you can put various sized draws in them, shelves, etc, without having to alter the main frame - just swap it about in seconds. I also have kallax units (so popular places like Argos and Asda direct are now selling their own, lower quality, yet more expensive versions) - these are basically a large cube divided into 4 cubes. They then sell different types of storage box to fit them and also have cupboard and shallow draw sets that can be slotted into the cube. So you can alter the look and use of the main furniture, without replacing the main part.

Then there's the kids wardrobes - You pick a frame size and can put as many drawers, racks, shelves, rails, doors as you like to make it work for you - they have a computer in store for you to play around with your design, which you print off and buy the relevant parts for.

Its amazing. I'd never been there until 1.5-2yrs ago. Now I'm a convert and most of my house's contents came from there. A friend who'd never been before, went a few weeks ago and now loves the place too.

The layout and all the little storage ideas do mean you need the best part of a day to go round it and get to appreciate it though. Cafe is nice and quite cheap too.

Apparently their kitchens are decent, too, actually. Especially because if you fancy a change, they are ALL interchangeable. So you can just switch out the cupboard doors and get an entirely new looking kitchen for the price of a few doors and drawer fronts. I'd probably stick to name brand appliances but actually their own stuff isn't bad - we've had a handed down ikea oven for the last year or so and it's worked really well.

Their stuff is cheap but decent for being cheap. We got a lot of stuff to kit out our flat there this year. They do have more expensive stuff too but for a price:quality ratio, they normally work out excellent. They just get you with the little candles and stuff which probably are worth about 15p but they sell for a pound. I also don't think that their sofas are the best deal, but I could be wrong (we got one from somewhere else).

When we set up home together in 2004 with basically no money, we went to Ikea for the basics, saying we'd replace stuff as and when.

We still have every stick of that furniture, and about as much again! I'm sitting on the Klippan sofa (2004) with my feet on an Adum rug (2014), etc etc. It lasts far longer than you'd think.