Dear IKEA
I don’t visit your store very often because it’s too much fun and I spend too much money, despite considering IKEA products good value. Like many Moms, I enjoy a browse of your showroom. I dream of a tidy, coordinated and stylish home with just the right amount of tarnished steel and mustard yellow accents. I have been planning a visit for some time, and had it all planned out.
Shopping List:
- 4 x wicker storage cubes to organize my shelving unit/bookcase;
- 2 x charmingly Scandinavian wooden toys for the twins’ birthday next week;
- 2 x large house plants to slowly murder over the coming months;
- 12 x hanging plastic kitchen storage pots (totally gonna explode my Pinterest board with this one);
- 12 x small plants (do you do herbs?) to put into kitchen pots;
- 1 x yellow IKEA bag full of crap I don’t need but can’t resist because it’s so cheap.
We Arrive:
We arrived in good time on a Thursday morning, this was intentional. I really can’t face the hoards at the weekend, and don’t love your store enough to get stabbed for the sake of a discount sofa (no, we haven’t forgotten about that). I did not however plan for adult backup because I made the mistake of presuming you offered double occupancy shopping carts. The type where two children fit in the front and all the fun stuff you didn’t come for goes in the back? But no, the only cart I could see was the standard ‘no-one’s kid is this wide so why is there only one seat’ variety. So, onward into IKEA we went with just the double stroller as transport.
We Browse:
The store was nice and quiet and I enjoyed perusing the city apartment lounge décor, wondering what life will be like when my kids leave home. I am very quickly overtaken by a Mom on a mission… armed with a double stroller stacked up with a number of scatter cushions. She’s obviously on her second round because I haven’t even got to the cushions yet, and everyone knows there’s only one long windy route through IKEA. As it’s so early I consider whether she’s lost and has been doing loops since yesterday, but obviously that’s ridiculous because where would she shower?
She didn’t have twins but two children pre-walking (IKEA length walking anyway). You see, us twin moms may only be a small percentage of your customers, but I’m pretty sure the two-under-two brigade are all regulars… they are frugal and desperately looking for something to do to escape the washing pile. Nevertheless, Two-Under-Two Mom was doing a pretty good job with the cushion tower and yellow bag over her shoulder, so I figured anything she could do…
We Shop:
Shopping went well, I had quickly spotted my storage cubes which I managed to stack on top of the handy zone under the stroller. I found some lovely wooden toys for the boys, a walker/trolley, and one of those wiggly wire things you push wooden beads along… perfect. The walker however was quite large and was going to be a push in the yellow bag, so I stacked it on top of the stroller like Two-Under-Two Mom’s cushions. Then I saw the tent tunnel… George loves to crawl under and through things (and get stuck), I just have to have it. Again, a little large so we stacked it.
We Cry:
A few trinkets later, we turn into the kitchen junk department. You know what’s coming… the tunnel and tent slide off the top of the stroller and into Arthur’s lap. Nothing too horrific, I’m not careless enough to stack a box of knives on top of my babies, but still, to him it was just as bad, and he went into total melt down. If you remember our recent Pumpkin Patch outing, Arthur is the more dramatic of the Twins, and doesn’t take too kindly to unexpected turns of events. I gave him a quick cuddle and tried to stuff his mouth with Cheerio’s in the hope it would shut him up. People were starting to slow down and give the tilted head pity smile.
Luckily for me we weren’t far from the half way point café, so we took a break and had a bottle – them not me. The tears dried, and we were ready for the ‘basement of crap you fill the yellow bag with’. It wasn’t long before the tunnel and tent fell into Arthur’s lap again and I couldn’t believe he found it just as shocking as the first time it happened… really? Another handful of Cheerio’s later I decided to ditch my plastic kitchen pots (Pinterest board I haven’t forgotten you) to make space for the tent in the bag. I wouldn’t have been able to buy the plants to go with the pots anyway. Unless… do you think they could hold a fern each?
We Pay:
So… IKEA, I’d like to point out that I could have bought a lot more stuff, had you allowed me to do so. Not only is my living wall Pinterest board ruined, but I missed out on a cool red rocking horse, a nice lamp and one of these chalk boards I spotted on the way to the checkout…
I would appreciate in future, if you would consider us double stroller Mom’s, there are a lot of us about and there is only so much stuff you can stack (I can see this becoming a ‘stuff on my cat’ challenge).
Yours wearily,
Twin Pickle
I have never been to IKEA, is that a bit ridiculous? The website is ace though, I too daydream about an organised living space!
OMG… that’s got to be a first! To be honest I would stick with the website though, it always takes forever to walk around and you just can’t find the way out!!
You are a brave lady going to Ikea. Whenever we used to go we would get lost in the sofa dept. We don’t have one on Jersey, I do miss those swedish meatballs though! #FridayFrolics
IKEA stores are pretty massive, you probably don’t have space for one on Jersey!
Great post!!
Oh gosh, having spent quite a bit of time in Europe I know the tiny trolleys you mean, not very useful for your tribe of three!
Oh, I do my best to avoid Ikea. It’s just too big. That said, we have a collection of their bookshelves and cube storage units, so I get it!
Funny they wouldn’t have carts that are more kid friendly – not just for twins, but for those with two young kids. Mine are almost three years apart and for a time they could both fit happily in the grocery cart (my eldest is a skinny kid, though).
It’s a guilty pleasure of pain I suppose… I always say “I’m not do my that again,” but always go back for more ?
I live in a town without an IKEA. I am not even sure where the closest one is. But when my kids were younger and needed to be restrained in a cart I hated the fact that our local Walmart only had one and it was never available. One time I even saw a lady using it who only had one kid! Like wth? I can totally understand your frustration. Thanks for linking up with #momsterslink :))
Oh gosh you are brave! I agree Ikea is a great shop and I tend to spend way more than I intended when there, but yes are they nuts not catering for mums with twins or even two children who are still little. Really love this post it made me giggle and your photos are adorable! But yes Ikea listen to this mum! #eatsleepblogRT
Too right. Last time we went to IKEA I put my 4-year-old in the main bit of the trolley to stop him wreaking havoc. A double seat would be very useful indeed.
I have done that with a single buggy. I just popped in for candles so didn’t bother with a trolley. Ended up balancing shelves on the buggy! Thanks for linking up to #FridayFrolics
#eatsleepblogrt this is amazing, I hope the red horse is one day yours (or maybe even two of them to match your double trolley) love it ❤️️
Haha. Two red horses would be marvelous ?
a trip to ikea never seems to go as planned #momsterslink
Hee hee – this has tickled me – you were brave – I don’t think I’ve ever taked our twins to IKEA – hope you get back soon for the rocking horse 😉 x
You’re very brave facing IKEA with children full stop, but with no adult back-up?! I can’t believe they don’t have double trolleys, seems like they’ve missed a trick there, all those parents who could have bought so much more. Unless they are cunning and figured no adult would take kids there on their own so people with two kids would take two trolleys and therefore buy twice as much ?
#EatSleepBlogRT
Haha, maybe that is their ploy!
I read this just before I headed to IKEA and saw famed rocking horses!! As well as the toys you grabbed! Then it was all about the meatballs…..
Next time go childfree 😉
Always love a bit of Ikea, so practical. But seems fairly obvious for them to have twin strollers #eatsleepblogrt
Why would they not have a double trolley?! that is madness! I did have to have a little chuckle that Arthur had a second meltdown about the same thing. But I do feel your pain. Certainly they could have held a fern each, going to Ikea is a team sport after all 🙂 #eatsleepblogrt
I like the idea of an IKEA olympics!
It’s amazing how super-strengthed you become as a mum, juggling things in one arm whilst carrying a baby (and for you pushing another). Fab article, I can’t believe they don’t have the fairly standard double trolleys but hopefully if this is read by important people at Ikea, this will change. A xx #EatSleepBlogRT
This open letter needs to be directed to nearly every store that has shopping carts! I know us MoMs aren’t a huge percentage of the population but, like you said, there are SO many with 2 under 2 (3) that would be so grateful for a double-seater shopping cart… yet another reason to love Costco 😉
Costco carts are amazing!! ???? In fact I have a cute photo of the two of them at Costco I should update this post with!