Trips to IKEA

We love IKEA.  So much so that we went twice in two days last weekend.  We were "remodeling" our apartment, which included clearing out part of a huge closet we have to make room for an office for Nathan, and that involved some hit or miss purchases, and things being out of stock at the closer IKEA (in Schaumburg, 30 minutes away).  We had gone with Nathan and spent almost six hours in the IKEA labyrinth, but still hadn't gotten exactly what we wanted.  Nathan was exhausted.  I could have stayed longer, but Elsie and Olivia were a bit tired.  So the next day, the girls and I went to the "other" IKEA, in Bolingbrook, which is about 45 minutes away, and was tidy and well-stocked with what we needed.  Brava!

Here are some of the things we like about IKEA, which, if you didn't know, is a wonderful family-friendly place that specializes in furniture and household supplies that maximize tight spaces.  (Which is all us, what with four folks in a one-bedroom apartment!!):

Online List - the place is a madhouse and a sensory overload, so it's best to shop online first, where you can make a tentative "shopping list" - you can even pick your preferred store, and the list will generate where in the store you will find what you want.


Car Carts - Not all IKEAs have these, but our Schaumburg one does.  One could effectively put four children in one of these carts - two in the car, and two in the regular seating basket.  But that would involve four small children under five, and I don't want to think about that...

Dining at IKEA - Fun things, like tray carts, Swedish meatballs, and a kid's seating area, make dining fun.  Olivia contemplates the mashed potatoes,

while Elsie protests confinement in a high chair.

Smaland - Olivia, who doesn't like to be "lonely," requests to be dropped off at the IKEA playroom every time we go.  She eagerly removes her shoes when we sign her in and has no more eyes for us at all as she dashes off to play with the trees or play kitchen or ball pit.  And she can even go potty by herself there.

Family Bathrooms - As a nursing mom,  I love that they offer a lounge area for other nursing mamas (or bottle feeding mamas, but that's not quite as exposing) within the family bathroom.  Elsie loved the sink, which was just her height:

 

And Olivia loved everything.  We were at IKEA, after all.  Here is a dance to prove her joy:

We have a few more returns to make and a few more things to purchase for Nathan's office, so we will be going back next week, on our way to visit family in Rockford.  Oh, the joys of IKEA.  Just don't tell Nathan...