Roadtrip to IKEA: What to shop for?

[srhs]

So DH is in for a roadtrip to IKEA (5 hrs. roundtrip) tomorrow to get some Expedit shelves and a bookshelf for the nursery! I need some storage solutions around here!!!

I keep waffling about whether or not I *really* want to spend all day in the car with a 1yo, but I haven't found anything online or around here similar.

Sooooo, with a small house desperate for organization, a 1 yo, and newborn on the way, what ELSE (fabulous, unique, bargain, etc.) should I be checking out at IKEA?
Oh, and what all baskets work with the Expedit?
And is it ridiculous to get 2 of the same unit...1 for the living room, 1 for the finished basement?

TIA! :signthankspin:

[bubbaray]

Check out this thread:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=317084&highlight=ikea

[alien_host]

Although your DC is too young for this right now, we love this stool http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30060846, it is great for the kitchen counter for DD to help with cooking projects and washing hands at the kitchen sink. I find that this one http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60101063 is good for the bathroom but the bigger one is great for the kitchen (even I use it to get to the high shelves).

I also like going through the kids area and looking at the toys. We have the train set, which we like and it's reasonably priced. I also like the cups/bowls/plates they sell.

I know your DC is only 1 but I love this chair for when they outgrow a booster. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30090476 DD sits in it comfortably at the kitchen table without having to be up on her legs.

[JTsMom]

I can not recommend strongly enough to pre-shop online before you go, b/c it is like a marathon! All of the kids stuff is totally adorable. The kitchen stuff is great. Love the organizational stuff- it's all great!

I think 2 Expedits is totally fine. They are so flexible, you really can't go wrong with them imo.

Baskets/boxes- look online so you kind of know what you want, and figure out how many of each piece. For an affordable option, check out the Drona (sp?) boxes. They are fabric, so not super hardy, but you can't beat the price.

[kransden]

I have the plastic kid plates. They are perfect for dd and her friends to eat sandwichs and snacks on - pretty colors and dishwasher safe.

[smiles33]

I know it's early, but since IKEA is so far away from you, I'd plan ahead for when your children are older. I'd recommend picking up a toddler table and chair set. We got this for DD's art projects and it's cheap enough that I don't mind getting paint on it:
http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/71395_PE186815_S3.jpg
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20072816

I'm also eventually planning on getting another waterproof mattress pad from IKEA when I have time (10 minutes from my work).

[SASM]

ITA about checking out the above link...there are just too many awesome things to mention.

I cannot imagine just going for a day and not researching first. IKEA is insanely overwhelming to those who are used to shopping there, let alone a first-timer. :) I was actually going to suggest the Expedit collection. We have 3 pieces, all from separate shopping trips. They are great and work with a lot of different furnishing styles, IMO.

When you get there, beeline for the kids dept first to stock up on things to entertain your DC in the stroller/cart while you shop. When they are older they can go in Smaland!! :)

Eat there! We've been known to eat two meals there in one trip...it is that overwhelming. They have awesome Swedish meatballs...and ask for extra lingonberry. :) Coffee is free before the store opens, too. Awesome cheap hot dogs and frozen yogurt, too. :)

HAVE FUN and good luck! Ohhh...you also have to stop at the AS-IS department a few times while you are there. That is where all of the returns end up and they are usually a very good deal at my store. :)

[daniele_ut]

All of the furniture in DS's room is from Ikea. He has a Hemnes bed and dresser and a 16 cube Expedit with Knipsa baskets. The baskets were a little more expensive, but dh did not want one more big plastic item in this house. I like that we could use them in our living room as well.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v609/daniele_ut/Murray%20house/DSC02346.jpg

When we finally finish the family room in our basement we'll be getting another Expedit (the 25 cube) for books, DVDs and toys down there.

[srhs]

Wow! Fantastic! THANK YOU!

Great tip on hitting toys first!

We have been once before. We snagged DS' nursery furniture right before close in the middle of a road trip (hour 6 of a 9 hour drive). Then, we had to have someone purchase another piece to ship us since their S&H is crazy expensive.
That's why I am trying to research like ya'll suggest and not miss anything. DH is in "Let's-get-this-done," mode and not a fan of me trying to buy a few weeks, thinking we won't find another day to get away. That's why I am crash-researching. lol
Off to look of Drona and Knipsa baskets... I don't find their website to be that user-friendly so I need these tips. :thumbsup:

[kransden]

I also have the this table with chairs and stools. It is large, it fits 4 kids, but it has a slight lip on the edge so the spills stay on the table, not the floor. If space is tight, it's not the one to get, but if you have room it's great. The plastic is very easy to clean.
http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/60900_PE166957_S2.jpg

[JTsMom]

I don't find their website to be that user-friendly so I need these tips. :thumbsup:
This might help:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=expedit

This will show you things that are sized for the Expedit. You can also check to see what's in stock on the right of the page. I think the easiest way to check out the site is to go under "all depts", use the pull-down menu, then narrow down on the left as you go.

[MontrealMum]

Here are some pics of DS' room...just about everything in there is from Ikea, and still sold there...
http://i721.photobucket.com/albums/ww217/gretricht/IMG_1345cw.jpg

The couch, rug, many of the stuffed toys, toy storage (Trofast), lamps, armoire (Pax)...what else is in these pics...coffee table cube (can't remember the name, DS likes to sit on it or in it), curtain material...bookshelf (Billy), picture frames...we have more, but it's not in these pics.

Obviously, we spend a lot of time and money there :)

Seconding what Sharyn said about eating there - either in the "restaurant" or the cafe by the cashes - yummy!

[srhs]

You gals rock! Thanks for the pics and links and inspiration! :bowdown: I'm literally going post-by-post, item-by-item now. It HAS to be easier to do these projects a little at a time. I'm sure my total will not be pretty.

Oh, anyone know a height on the Billy Bookcase Corner thing? That doesn't seem to be listed. I expect it to be pretty large at $400.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S39847644
It's an awful lot of particleboard in one unit, though. The Expedit just looks classier, I think.

[MontrealMum]

Billys range from about 4 ft (that's one in the corner w/DS standing in front) to 6 ft. And you can buy a 1 ft. addition. They also come in various colors and widths. Type "Billy" into the search box and you should get some hits (same w/ all the lines) then you can explore more by clicking on an item ( it should offer all options/sizes) or underneath it will have an option for "more". The Expedit is also particle board, but thicker so it looks classier. :) GTG, DS woke up!

ETA: your standard 2.5 ft X 6 ft. Billy bookcase costs $89 Can. $$. The smaller one in the pic above was maybe $39 or $49? The $400 one you mention is for a much larger unit w/corner pieces etc. You can get all sorts of doors and lights to add on too. There are a few non-particle board shelving units as well but I can't remember their darn names! I think it's the Linnarp we have w/doors???

[srhs]

Billys range from about 4 ft (that's one in the corner w/DS standing in front) to 6 ft. And you can buy a 1 ft. addition. They also come in various colors and widths. Type "Billy" into the search box and you should get some hits (same w/ all the lines) then you can explore more by clicking on an item ( it should offer all options/sizes) or underneath it will have an option for "more". The Expedit is also particle board, but thicker so it looks classier. :) GTG, DS woke up!

Ah-ha! I was in the "Combinations" and needed to be in the "Frames." Well yours looks great, so I'm not going to worry about the particlestuff. It is just the sheer amount of it in this large piece, but if I like it IRL, I won't worry now! Thanks for pointing out the "thicker" though; I wondered why the Expedit looked better (online anyway) when it's made of the same stuff.

[MontrealMum]

The Expedit is a pretty cool-looking piece of furniture. The only reason we don't have one is our place is just too small - and full of Billys already LOL! You will be able to see in person too if you like the look or not. One of the pp posted a pic of baskets that fit in the Expedit (can't remember their name).....another type is the Branas basket which is very traditional wicker-looking. The Leksvik line is another one that is real wood, not particle board.

I will say, though, that we have the 6 ft. red Billy in our kitchen w/ frosted glass doors (the doors cost more than the bookcase!) and NOONE knows it's a Billy - or that it's particle board. The door have fooled everyone apparently ;)

I spend waaay too much time at Ikea (we have two!) and have no idea what we'll do if we move to a place w/o one!

I agree, the website is a PITA - it will be easier in person, once you've just gotten the general gist from the web.

[kijip]

We love our:

IKEA drinking glasses.
Cheese grater that fits on included bowl
dish towels
hanging rods/hooks and clips for the kitchen wall.
Expedit shelves (no baskets or bins here though)
Hemmes dressers and nightstands.
IKEA kids easel and paper rolls
Kids plastic dishes for parties


OTH, we hate and are disappointed in the quality of our:

Wooden picture frames...trust me, they look nice and come in nice colors (espresso, black, white etc) BUT they are not that cheap and the quality is horrible. How something can fall apart when hanging on a wall untouched, I do not know.

Curtain rods and hardware.

Chalkboard organizer.

Most of their lamps, though some are good.

[Melaine]

I'm jealous! I really want to make a little road trip to Ikea as well. They just opened one about 2 hours away.

[AngelaS]

I love the washclothes that are in the baby department. They're my kitchen dishclothes. They are white so you can bleach them and they're cheap enough that you can buy a bunch.

My girls love the kids bowls and cups. I think I have 3 sets of each. :) I use them for cereal and ice cream for myself too--smaller portions are good. :D

I have a gigantic bookshelf from there that we love. I don't see it on the site. It's about 6 feet wide and 7 feet tall. :)

I love the little hooks for the bathoom--that's what we have the girls' bath towels and hand towels hanging on in their bathroom. My shower curtain is from IKEA and I like their $2 liners too. :)

[elliput]

Oh, and what all baskets work with the Expedit?
And is it ridiculous to get 2 of the same unit...1 for the living room, 1 for the finished basement?

If you want a cheaper alternative, and don't mind plastic baskets, I found some bins at Target manufactured by Sterilite which work well in the Expedit. The bins come in three sizes, this is the large.
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m187/elliput/001-4.jpg

And no, I don't think there is anything ridiculous about getting two of the same unit. I wish I had!

[The Review Mommy]

Just be sure to grab a stack of magazines when your there. I like looking throught the magazines. I have the wardrobe, TV Solutions, kitchen, and the big Ikea 2009 one. I like the BESTA system-lots of cool stuff there, EXPEDIT, LACK, PAX, and the kitchen stuff is cool too but those are all furniture. ;) IKEA doesn't mail the magazines out to me. I tried to sign up on line (numerous times) and it wont take our zipcode for some reason. Its not recognizing it. I tried my MIL and Mom's too with no such luck. Maybe try and see?

[Blakes Mommy]

i just posted this in bargains and saw your thread.....

I love the Ikea Mammut table and chairs, and I am not even an Ikea type person. I have more traditional furniture, like Ralph Lauren style. The reason I like it so much is it is easy to clean and the big reason we got it was because it has all rounded corners on the table and chairs. At the time we got it my younger son was just learing to walk and I didn't want him falling on corners of wooden chairs or the table itself. We have the rectangle red table with 2 red chairs but there are a lot of combinations...you can also do stools or the round table. Adults can sit on the chairs too with out worrying about breaking them. It's cute and cartoon looking. Good luck in your search!!

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/ca...childrens_ikea

[Blakes Mommy]

Link isn't working....try this one

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/childrens_ikea

[mommylamb]

I know it's early, but since IKEA is so far away from you, I'd plan ahead for when your children are older. I'd recommend picking up a toddler table and chair set. We got this for DD's art projects and it's cheap enough that I don't mind getting paint on it:
http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/71395_PE186815_S3.jpg
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20072816

I'm also eventually planning on getting another waterproof mattress pad from IKEA when I have time (10 minutes from my work).

We just bought that table this past weekend! It's only $25, including the chairs.

[hellokitty1]

You gals rock! Thanks for the pics and links and inspiration! :bowdown: I'm literally going post-by-post, item-by-item now. It HAS to be easier to do these projects a little at a time. I'm sure my total will not be pretty.

Oh, anyone know a height on the Billy Bookcase Corner thing? That doesn't seem to be listed. I expect it to be pretty large at $400.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S39847644
It's an awful lot of particleboard in one unit, though. The Expedit just looks classier, I think.

just my comment on the billy. we bought these initially for storage in our playroom but they are not very deep at all. eventually we replaced with expedit and moved the billy's to our office since that was more of books, etc. so just my two cents that billy's are only good for books. expedits are much deeper and therefore better for a playroom with toys.

[JTsMom]

just my comment on the billy. we bought these initially for storage in our playroom but they are not very deep at all. eventually we replaced with expedit and moved the billy's to our office since that was more of books, etc. so just my two cents that billy's are only good for books. expedits are much deeper and therefore better for a playroom with toys.


ITA. I was originally planning on getting the Billy for my craft space, but went with the Expedit b/c of the shelf depth.