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A Parents Survival Guide To Ikea
By Daddy Troy Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
Recently, when shooting a video about “Ten Things You Can Buy at IKEA for Under $10“, I decided to bring along my kids since a lot of the stuff I would be buying would be for their rooms. (Here is a link to the list of the ten things I bought)
The drive from our house is about 45 minutes, just enough time to risk a half a nap or a hangry attack (huner + angry), but nothing will keep us from our IKEA adventure.
As a result, I present you with the Parent’s Survival Guide to IKEA.
1. After you park your car, as you approach the IKEA store, grab a cart and put a kid inside. Since the carts have FOUR steerable wheels, you can do some great dancing a la Fred Astaire with your kid AND the cart. While it can whip your kid into a pre-entry frenzy, it also sets the tone that this will be a fun trip. No standing. ___
2. IKEA stores actually have built in child care. Right as you walk in the store there is a play center where you can drop your kids into an IKEA employees care. And if that is not for you, our local IKEA has a video screen with a bunch of places for kids to sit, maybe with one parent while the other one shops. ___
3. IKEA can be a little maze like, and so they have maps of their store. Grab a pencil, and tell your kid that you need help navigating the store. Which is true. If she is a reader, then she can watch the signs and trace our where you have been. Ask her every once in a while what is coming next, how far to bedrooms, where is the kids play area, is there a restaurant? Best of all, kids love the shortcuts. Have her on high alert to find all shortcuts. ____
4. If you have a baby, and you left your diapers in the care, no worries. IKEA has free diapers. I will let you draw your own conclusions about the marriage of socialism and capitalism. __5. If your kid can read numbers, tell them that you are looking for something under ten dollars. It gives them something to hunt for and keeps their mind busy. Maybe even tell them you will let them buy something for under $10
6. Keeping on the numbers track, tell you kid you are looking for something that is under 12 inches long, and then give them one of the handy measuring strips.
7. If all else fails, hand them your iphone with a game on it. Our IKEA has free wireless, so you they can even download a bunch of apps without your permission. Most of the apps are under ten dollars, including the new iphone app for DADLABS.
8. Bring a camera and have them take pictures of the furniture and toys they want in their room.
9. Eat a snack in the store’s restaurant.
10. Once you hit the warehouse, have the kid go to the printer that prints out what aisle your furniture is on. He will have learned his touch screen skills on the iphone.
11. Searching for Aisle and Bin numbers is a treasure hunt in and of itself. DesCartes would be proud.
12. Let your kid push a cart. Be serious about it. Tell him this is a big boy responsibility. And then you help him do it. The warehouse is a little more forgiving than the showroom.
13. Even little hands can help with self check out.
14. Don’t forget the ice cream just after the check out counter, which will keep them full of sugar for the whole ride home, but who cares, its your family’s big adventure to IKEA._____
Ten Things You Can Buy At Ikea For Under $10
By Daddy Troy Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
Here are the links to the ten things that I mention in my video: Ten Things You Can Buy at IKEA for Under $10.
Also, I just posted a blog about Surviving a Trip to IKEA with Your Children.
1. Kvart Wall/ clamp spotlight $6.99
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50152449
2. Pokal Glasses $2.99
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60081734
3. Bastis Hooks $1.99
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60095321
4. Nyttja Frames $7.99
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80117039
5. Mula Bead roller $7.99
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80014041
6. Duktig coffee/tea set $9.99
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00130148
7. Koja tent $9.99
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30073090
8. Forsiktig children’s stool $3.49
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60101063
9. Bolmen Stool $7.99
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80159519
10. Noje wall basket with lid $4.99
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60107828
11. Smila Blomma flower wall lamp $9.99
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00097950
12. Rusch wall clock $2.99
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70098989
High Stakes Ikea
By Daddy Clay Sunday, September 14th, 2008
I’m sore because I shopped at Ikea. But that’s not even the most humiliating thing. My ability to screw up products that are widely agreed to be the easiest to assemble on the planet? No. The most upsetting and emasculating part of the whole outing: as predicted, it was entirely subsidized by my winnings at the Vegas craps tables.
After years of slogging and losing and barely breaking even, I have a lifetime run at the tables and what does it go for? A new DSLR that I’ve been coveting for ages? A new laptop to replace my battered and buggy G4? Nope. A rug. A loft for Bubba. A chest of drawers. Some decorative items.
Let this be a lesson to you all. If you finally win in Vegas, do not, in your euphoria, share the exact dollar amount with your spouse.
I may have said “baby needs a new pair of shoes,” but I didn’t mean it so literally.
Plus the outing turned into one of those “I wish I hadn’t burned my bridges” projects. Have you ever had that happen to you? You initiate some household project that has rippling implications just about two hours too late on a Sunday? Me exactly with the Ikea.
The lynchpin? I pull the seats out of the van. Once that step is taken, I am committed to get all the way to tucking the kid into his new loft that night. Did I mention that my parents were coming to dinner? Once I pull those car seats, I am committed to disassembling and getting out of the house the massive wooden bunk bed set, hauling out 40 miles to the “Austin” Ikea in Round Rock, dragging three kids through the rat maze, herniating myself on flat packs, assembling the bed, disassembling the bed, re-assembling the bed using the instructions, then, finally, putting the seats back in the van.
As a bonus, I get to do the last three steps with my dad “helping.” (Actually, I would never have gotten the thing together without him. Thanks, Bud.)
So it’s together. Bubba loves it despite the fact that it squeaks (which could be a problem in the teen years). We’ll put the chest together today so we can get his clothes off the living room sofa.
And I’ll take a Motrin for the sore back. I guess the Wii Fit hasn’t yet worked it’s magic.
Turkey Week At Dadlabs
By Daddy Clay Monday, November 19th, 2007
We’re celebrating Thanksgiving here at DadLabs by presenting an (almost) entire week of shows all on the theme of our kids’ least favorite holiday. Today we’ve posted a Lab with some nifty Thanksgiving travel tips (don’t), and even a crafty thingy (Martha?). You’ll notice that we filmed on location, and even got permission from the authorities (though we still almost got arrested when I started running out into traffic because Troy told me to). So a big thanks-giving to the nice folks at the Austin Bergstrom Airport for letting us invade their well-secured turf.
