Play: Fun at IKEA

My friend (and deal contributor) Beth and I met up at IKEA for a little fun and shopping with the kids. Finley was very excited to go shopping and have lunch with her best friend June and I was looking forward to all the great freebies and discounts!

Both Beth and I signed up for the new IKEA FAMILY program the other day, so our first stop was to get our cards printed and pick up our coupons for a free frozen yogurt. Yum!

After that we spent the next hour or so browsing the store and letting the kids go wild. IKEA, if you're reading this, I know a couple of kids that would make great product testers! I think they tried out every single couch out there.

And every single bed.

Sheets included! Make yourself at home, Finley!

If I had a dedicated playroom in my house, this slide would be in it (along with lots of other IKEA toys and furniture).

After all that playing the kids worked up a hefty appetite (and the moms, too, from chasing them around), so we headed to the restaurant for lunch. The kids enjoyed their free kid's meal (valid on Tuesdays at the Seattle IKEA). And I dined on a delicious plate of chicken and fries at a discounted price thanks to my IKEA FAMILY membership. (Have you figured out that I'm a huge fan of this new program!?)

After lunch we continued our shopping. I didn't have many items on my list but of course I ended up with more than a few things in my shopping cart - paint brushes, art smocks/bibs, funnels, and a couple packs of straws. Great stocking stuffers for the kids!

After paying for our things, we stopped at the Cafe on the way out for our free frozen yogurt. It was a great end to a fun day at IKEA!

Play, Stay Away or Just Okay

IKEA definitely gets a Play rating. If you live near an IKEA, I totally recommend taking your kids for an outing there. It's fun and it's free (well, other than all the things you'll want to buy). IKEA makes a big effort to make shopping with your kids nice and easy. They offer family parking to make it easy to get in and out of the store, a kids menu at the restaurant, play areas and family restrooms. Plus lots and lots of beds and couches to jump on test out.

IKEA also makes it nice and easy to shop without your kids, too. You can check them into Småland for up to an hour and enjoy a little kid-free shopping. Nice!

So sign up for your IKEA FAMILY membership and head to IKEA for a day of fun!