My family is lucky to be close to an Ikea, which is an awesome store! From their furniture to their glasses I can always find what I need at Ikea. I have created a list of my top five Ikea products for kids that we use in our home. Plus a bonus product that is more for the parents!
Tunnel/Tent
This is the ultimate toy for your little one! My daughter played with this the most when she was still crawling. She still loves to crawl through the tube and enter the tent. Now that she is older she pretends that the tent is a castle, cookie store, or her toys' room. Whenever we have play-dates this is defiantly a top contender for their attention.
The neat thing about these items is that they can Velcro together to form one giant tunnel/tent combination! They also fold up nice and small for easy storage. The Children's Tent is currently $9.99 and the Play Tunnel is priced at $14.99.
The neat thing about these items is that they can Velcro together to form one giant tunnel/tent combination! They also fold up nice and small for easy storage. The Children's Tent is currently $9.99 and the Play Tunnel is priced at $14.99.
Stuffed Animals
I absolutely love the stuffed animal selection at Ikea! They range from $2 to $15 and are incredibly well made. They are very very soft and durable. Many of my daughter's Ikea stuffed animals have been on trips to the washing machine. My favorite thing about these toys is the fact that they don't have any buttons or beads, they are all fabric and stitching. This means that they are baby safe, so I frequently include one of these in my baby shower gits!
My daughter has quite a few Ikea stuffed animals because we will let her pick one out that is around $5 if she behaves while we are shopping (a lot to ask when we are at Ikea since it is such a long endeavor). It gives her something to hold while we shop and it doesn't break the bank!
My daughter has quite a few Ikea stuffed animals because we will let her pick one out that is around $5 if she behaves while we are shopping (a lot to ask when we are at Ikea since it is such a long endeavor). It gives her something to hold while we shop and it doesn't break the bank!
Step Stools
We have two step stools that we got at Ikea. A taller one for the bathroom which was $8 and a shorter one for her room which was $5. In the bathroom we have the taller step stool which allows my little one to reach the sink while we wash our hands. It also lets her see in the mirror, which is great for teaching her to brush her teeth and hair. She will also bring her large step stool to the kitchen and use it to reach the utensil drawer when she helps me put away the dishes. The smaller stool is great for my daughter's bedroom. She loves having the independence to turn her light on and off. She can also use it to open her door when it is closed.
I love watching the wheels in her head turn when she is trying to figure out how to reach something that is too tall and she realizes she can go get one of her stools to use a a tool. One time she was trying to look at a picture that was high up on a wall. She was reaching and getting on her tippy toes and she still had a ways to go. Then it was like a light-bulb went off in her head and she ran to the bathroom and grabbed her step stool. Even with the added height she was too short to see the picture so she went and got her other step stool and decided that she could stack them in order to become tall enough. It would have worked, but they were not very steady so I lent her a hand ;)
I love watching the wheels in her head turn when she is trying to figure out how to reach something that is too tall and she realizes she can go get one of her stools to use a a tool. One time she was trying to look at a picture that was high up on a wall. She was reaching and getting on her tippy toes and she still had a ways to go. Then it was like a light-bulb went off in her head and she ran to the bathroom and grabbed her step stool. Even with the added height she was too short to see the picture so she went and got her other step stool and decided that she could stack them in order to become tall enough. It would have worked, but they were not very steady so I lent her a hand ;)
Magnet Board
Ikea sells a magnet board for $13 that has a lot of potential uses. Right now we use it to house my little one's alphabet refrigerator magnet toy! I love that it gives her an alternative location for her magnet's since out kitchen is extra tiny. I have all sorts of grand plans for this magnet board (most of which will never happen ;). Some of my ideas are to laminate pictures of family members and put magnet strips on them to create our own magnetic family tree. Another thought that I had was to let my kids start magnet collections when we travel. Magnets are relatively cheap and you can find some pretty cool ones, not to mention they won't ruin the paint on your kid's door like my own sticker collection did.
Dinnerware
I saved the best for last! Ikea has the most awesome kids dinnerware for only $2 for a 6 pack. We have the entire collection which is plates, flatware (forks, knives, and spoons), bowls, and cups for a total of $8! They are sets with 6 different colors, so they are fun and cheap. Which is good because as you can see we are currently missing a few items! I didn't even realize that they were MIA until I set up the dinnerware for this picture!
My neighbor has been blessed with a large family of 6 kids and she uses these items in a brilliant way! Each child is assigned a different color and they use the same items everyday. This way if a yellow fork is left on the table she knows that "kid C" is the culprit! It also helps to keep everyone's snacks and drinks separated so that it is easier to keep track of which cup belongs to each child.
My neighbor has been blessed with a large family of 6 kids and she uses these items in a brilliant way! Each child is assigned a different color and they use the same items everyday. This way if a yellow fork is left on the table she knows that "kid C" is the culprit! It also helps to keep everyone's snacks and drinks separated so that it is easier to keep track of which cup belongs to each child.
Bonus: Finger Guard for Doors
This product is the bomb! This is a white rubber piece that you fit around your child's door. It keeps your kid from slamming doors, protecting your sanity and their fingers! It also keeps your youngster from locking themselves in their room since they are unable to fully close the door. It is super easy to remove whenever you want to close their door and it only costs $3 for a pack of 3!