I sometimes look around our home and think back to a time when everything had its place, furniture carefully positioned, contrasting colours with a general feeling of space, tidiness and organisation.
We were probably that couple who apologised for the “mess” to friends (already parents) who knew all too well what change was to come.
Fast forward a few years after the arrival of our daughter and the introduction of our cocker spaniel, it’s fair to say our home has gone through a dramatic change to accommodate us and our growing list of stuff!
The installation of 5 stair gates (yes 5!), safety latches on cupboards and rubber corners stuck to furniture. My husband’s home office relocated to make way for the nursery, that same office reduced a further 50% for toy storage a year later.
Toys now frame the bath replacing the scented candles and the living room is lived in, with an overflow of toys and my daughter’s paintings proudly up on the wall.
Lots of change but we love it, extending our family has brought new life to the home and we have fully transited to a family home. Kids make memories not mess, right?
With all that and looking around our home now, it’s also clear we have developed a new love for Ikea, it must be a new parent gene or something, what kind of parent are you if you don’t own those pink, green, white storage boxes!
Joking aside, as most parents do, we carefully consider each purchase, research, read reviews and compare prices. We wanted the best solution (safety, durability) for the best price, but even I was a little surprised by how much we own from Ikea with various store visits and online orders, and… it just goes to show, the best product doesn’t always mean a premium price tag!
Making parenting more affordable, well done Ikea!
Below are a few staple, great value items we have from Ikea, that have met all of our criteria and having used them for the past 4 years would absolutely recommend them all.
Let us know in the comments below if you have any other Ikea gems you’d like to share.
PELLO Armchair £36.00
Comfortable, robust, stylish and great value. We are still using the PELLO Armchair today. Lot’s of memories in this chair for both of us, settling and feeding our baby, comforting a poorly baby, reading stories and cuddles.
ANTILOP Highchair with Tray £14.00
The ANTILOP Highchair has been a permanent fixture at our dinner table for 3 years now. Our daughter had outgrown the Chicco highchair we had since she was born, so the Antilop was an ideal replacement. It is really easy to clean, light to move around the house and a good height, level with most dining room tables I guess. It doesn’t fold away but you have it out so often it would be an effort.
MAMMUT Children’s Table £17.00
Easily assembled, very robust, light, easy to clean and can be used in and outdoors. Activities on the floor (dog willing) or the dining table is great but it’s nice for children to have their own space at their height, particularly for playdates as they grow older. Our MAMMUT table is green which looks to have been replaced with the blue above. We still use it today either for activities or as you will appreciate, its another surface to put lots of stuff upon when not actively used.
MAMMUT Children’s Chair £7.00
As above, well made, perfect height for the little ones, nice for parents to sit at your child’s level to interact and play too. Available in white, blue, red and pink. At just £7.00 each we went for 3.
TROFAST Storage Combination £136.00 (8 trays and 8 boxes)
Where do you put it all? Well, these TROFAST storage units have been great, a place for everything, toys, paint, pens, dress up, books, playdoh, all nicely out of sight until the next day! We went for the 4 columns (above) but Ikea has several variations, colours and sizes to choose from. *Unanchored furniture can tip over. This furniture should be anchored to the wall with the enclosed safety fitting to prevent it from tipping over.
TROFAST Frame £35.00
As I said above even with the TROFAST Storage system, a year later we needed more storage. Pretty reasonable at just £35.00 the TROFAST Frame allows you to add another configuration of trays or boxes (see below) and of course another surface.
TROFAST Storage Trays £1.50
Bright, hardwearing and just £1.50 each, works with variations of the TROFAST Storage units.
PRUTA Food Containers Set of 17 £3.50
Perhaps one of our most underrated Ikea purchases, PRUTA Food Containers, a set of 17 for just £3.50. We bought these in 2015 and are still using them today. Dishwasher friendly, stackable, transparent, ideal for lunches, snacks or leftovers in the fridge, an essential for parents on the move.
KALAS 18-Piece Cutlery Set £1.20
Our daughter has a love of rainbows, not hard to see where that originated with this and the following 3 products from the KALAS range. We picked up the KALAS range of cutlery on a store visit. 3 years on they are still in use, durable and dishwasher friendly, as every parent will vouch for, you can never have enough. Amazing value at a total of just £4.80 for a total of 36 pieces!
KALAS Plates 6 Pack £1.20
KALAS Bowls 6 pack £1.20
KALAS Cups 6 pack £1.20
BAGIS Assorted Coat-hangers 8 Pack £0.90p
Plastic, colourful and essential, just £0.90 pence for a pack of 8.
Ikea PS Fangst Hanging Storage £4.00
All those cute cuddly soft toys, but where do they all go? You haven’t got the heart to give them away just yet, but you want them to be accessible. At just £4 this hanging storage allowed us to store our collection of soft toys, visible, accessible without any meltdowns.
LACK Wall Shelf £15.00
Straightforward to fit, concealed mounting with a gloss finish that is easy to clean, available in a choice of colours (white, birch, black, oak, high gloss) and sizes (190×26 cm, 59x25cm, 110x26cm and 30x26cm). We have one up in our playroom and another LACK Shelf pending (hubby!), great for boxes, games, puzzles or anything you would prefer out of reach.
DUKTIG Play Kitchen £59.00
Not an essential, but a firm Ikea favourite within parenting circles. The DUKTIG Play Kitchen, great quality with a range of accessories from Ikea, still going strong with us after 2 years. Its popularity or perhaps over-popularity means you can also customise these kitchens with custom decals available on Etsy.
Free coffee and discounts with IKEA Family
We only discovered this no-brainer after our spending spree, (sad face). But have since signed up, IKEA Family is FREE to join and comes with a host of benefits including, product range discounts exclusive to members, an extra 10% off sale prices, FREE product insurance on the way home or during assembly and…FREE tea or filtered coffee’s (Mon-Fri), discounted Breakfasts (Mon-Fri), with additional food offers in IKEA’s food market.
Let us know in the comments below if you have any other Ikea gems you’d like to share.
Disclaimer – This is not a paid or commercial placement. All products listed above have been purchased, used and recommended by the author. Prices subject to change, valid on publication date, please check the Ikea website for further details.
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