We are long standing IKEA customers. As a itchy footed ex-pat I have lost count of how many kitchen and dining sets I have purchased, in how many countries. Not to mention the affordable furniture I have decorated my various homes with.I’ve even almost gotten to the stage when I can assemble a flat pack table without messing anything up, swearing or needing to take a beer break.
Now that I’m a mother my love for IKEA has grown exponentially. They have saved me from many a parenting fail.
The other week we drove for 45 minutes with an unhappy baby in the car only to arrive at the mall and realize we’d forgotten to pack the pushchair. We were saved by IKEA who loaned us one for the day for free.
We now, out of necessity, judge restaurants less by their food and more by their baby facilities. IKEA wins hands down on this front. They make available high chairs, bibs and baby cutlery. They even gave us a pouch of the same brand of baby food we use at home, for free with the purchase of our food.
Shortly after we’d finished our meal and the Baby had finished throwing things on the floor we had a poonami situation. Again IKEA saved us. As well as having mother/child cubicles and changing tables in every bathroom they also have a private change room with a table and comfy chair for breast feeding, or collapsing in after a particularly horrific dirty nappy. It was lovely not having the general public witness us changing a boy whose massive poop had shot up his back. Our fellow IKEA customers were also spared the moment when the Baby grabbed a big handful of the mess and then started spreading it around on every reachable surface. I read a sign on the wall that said they also have nappies if you need them but thankfully I had remembered…this time.
When we were shopping we came across a table of free samples, one of which was a sugar free oatmeal cookie. That kept the Baby busy while we browsed. We left, again, with arms full of great, affordable toys. These are the Baby’s favourite things to play with at the moment and they are a fraction of the price of the branded toys in the toy shops.
Thank you IKEA for taking ‘family friendly’ to the next level. It is especially appreciated in a country where it is normally a struggle to find a change table or a safe highchair.
*Disclaimer: I was not compensated in anyway for this post. My IKEA love transcends material possessions today. However if an IKEA head honcho is reading this and would like to shower us in money and free stuff we would be amenable 🙂 .