IKEA Burbank - New info!

Monday, September 10, 2012

My Cost: $5.99 + tax for my lunch

600 N San Fernando Blvd

Burbank, CA 91502

www.ikea.com/us/en/store/burbank

So I know I've blogged about IKEA twice already, but today we went again, (because kids eat free every MWF from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, and every Tuesday from 11:00 am to close,) and I finally found a place to nurse! This little hidey-hole would have come in handy the last few times I was here when my baby was crying, and I didn't know where to take him to feed him. Today, wouldn't you know it, he didn't cry at all! But at least I know for next time, (because, let's face it, I'm going to keep coming here a lot...)

The place you can go to nurse your baby is... drumroll please...  the family bathroom on the first floor, near the entrance!!!

It is a very nice family restroom - there are sinks at two levels (so little ones can wash their own hands,)  a nice changing table stocked with disposable liners and a nice, convenient trash can, and there is a nice little chair with a rug where you can sit and nurse. It faces the door, though, so I would recommend locking it, and hopefully no other little families with kids who can't hold it anymore will show up. The only downside I can see of using this bathroom for nursing is there is nothing to stop Vivi from playing in the toilet while I nurse. But maybe she's moved past that phase...

The secret nursing corner! Yay! I finally found it!

After discovering that bit of exciting information, I also learned another important bit of info: Småland, (aka the playroom,) is being renovated this month. It was thoughtful of them to wait until school started, I suppose, but now all those moms with one or two preschool kids left who really want that hour of total solitude won't get to take their kids here for a few more weeks! It's supposed to reopen after September 25th.

And the third new tidbit - speaking of the playroom - is that you can sign up for the new, (is it that new? I just found out about it myself,) IKEA Family program that will give you access to free coffee and tea in the cafe, special discounts on merchandise, and an extra 30 minutes of time in the playroom! Fantastic! I signed up today after getting home, so I can't say I've actually taken advantage of my new membership, but I'm looking forward to it. Here's the summary from their website. You can look up this info yourself and sign up here.

Another benefit not listed above is that now, through the end of the year, you can get $5 off regular adult admission, or $2 off regular child admission to the Aquarium of the Pacific! Just show your IKEA Family card for the discount. Neat-o!

So the nursing corner of the family bathroom, the Småland renovations, and the IKEA Family program are the three new bits of information I wanted to share. Here are just some pictures of Vivi having fun in the store, since we actually explored the showroom today!

Vivi is becoming quite the independent eater! She can dip things in ketchup now
without eventually smearing it all over her face! What a big girl!

We had the cafe play corner to ourselves for a little while, and Alex got to practice a little crawling!

She always likes to try out the kids' display merchandise for a while.
(She can't go to Småland yet because she's not potty trained, so this is the next best thing.)

More good times in the kiddie doorway! (She spent a good ten minutes here.)

These yellow play towers are stationed around the showroom at places where
parents might want to  take some time and do some ordering.

No, that's not someone's house, that's a display room. Letting her play "house" in these rooms reminded me of the commercials where people are actually living in IKEA.

Had to include a picture of this little guy being a good sport!

Risn-N-Shine Cafe in Sunland

Sunday, September 2, 2012

My Cost: about $25 (cash only)

9685 Sunland Blvd

Sunland, CA 91040
www.yelp.com/biz/rise-n-shine-cafe-sunland

Because Omar had to work yesterday, today felt like the official beginning of our Labor Day Weekend. We kicked it off with breakfast at our regular place - the Rise-N-Shine Cafe in Sunland. It's a yummy little cash-only place with a Western theme, and tons of posters, photographs, standees, what-have-you, all over the walls. I found it through their Yelp reviews. We've been eating here whenever we go out to breakfast for at least a year now. It's not every weekend, but it's often enough that the waitresses have seen our family grow from one child to two, and have observed how fast they both are growing. (I feel like I should know the waitresses' names by now, but I don't. I do leave good tips though!)

This is the most recent photo I could find from the Rise-N-Shine, taken December 17, 2011.

IKEA Burbank

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

My Cost: $3.99 + tax for my lunch

600 N San Fernando Blvd

Burbank, CA 91502
www.ikea.com/us/en/store/burbank

I didn't feel like fixing lunch today. So, since it was Tuesday, I decided to take the kids out for IKEA lunch! Remember, kids eat free all day on Tuesdays! I'm not going to lie, we went last Tuesday too, I just didn't blog about it because it was really crowded, and Alex cried most of the time, and it just wasn't a great experience. But today was much better, and I even noticed a few *new* things about the Burbank IKEA Cafe, so let me just mention them quickly.

First of all, I had never noticed that in the far corner (away from the food service) is a children's play area! Check it out:

Rugs, toys mounted to the wall, kid-sized chairs, and a nice, sturdy enclosure. 

Even a TV with kids' movies! (This was a Chipmunks movie.)

Second of all, there are booster seats as well as high chairs. The booster seats at this IKEA seem only to be near that play area. And third of all, near the play area is also a bottle warming station (aka microwave) and free bibs! I totally should use those free bibs!

Alex is showing off the boosters, the bibs, the microwave, and even extra napkins!

 Sadly, still no sign of a nursing lounge. I'm 99.99% sure they don't have one, and if they do, it is very inconveniently located! It might be lost somewhere in the labyrinth...

Kids eat free at IKEA

Monday, August 6, 2012
My Cost: $3.99 + tax for my lunch

600 N San Fernando Blvd

Burbank, CA 91502
www.ikea.com/us/en/store/burbank

Today I decided to take a break from all the long-distance, lengthy time-commitment outings and just take the kids to the Burbank IKEA for the afternoon. IKEA was always a favorite destination for my brother's kids, plus there were several things I thought we could do:

1. I had some other errands to do beforehand, so I didn't want to worry about making lunch. I know the IKEA restaurant is tasty and cheap, and also knew there was a chance the kids meals would be free.

2. Now officially 18-months-old, Vivi is more and more interested in activities that improve her dexterity, so I wanted to see what cheap educational toys they might have for her. Maybe some beads to string or pegs to hammer?

3. I thought we could possibly kill some time out of the oppressive heat by letting Vivi explore and climb on the furniture in the display area, (plus, then she's not wearing out the furniture at home!)

4. CHOCOLATE! I know they have great big $.99 bars of chocolate, and I wanted some.

Our trip to IKEA started as planned. We went straight to the restaurant and I even beat the rush so the line was short! I got a meatball plate for myself ($3.99) and turns out, (at the Burbank location at least,) KIDS EAT FREE Mon-Wed-Fri from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Tuesday from 11:00 am to close! So basically that means you can get a free lunch for your child (under 12) any day during the week except Thursday! (I do not know if it is "free with purchase" or just free outright. The food is so yummy and cheap there that I can never resist making a purchase for myself.)

There are lots of high chairs available in the dining room, so that's great for families with little ones. I didn't seen any booster seats though. You'll notice I didn't get a beverage for myself - that's because I didn't want it to spill!

After eating, (their mac and cheese is really tasty, but my picky eater didn't want much of it,) we went over to the toy area where they have some things on display. Vivi enjoyed trying out all the different chairs, and I think she liked the abacus too!

I picked up some stacking cups for $2.99, a hammering toy for $5.99, a pop-up storage container for $4.99, and some plastic plates and bowls (they come in multicolor sets of 6 for $1.99). Vivi was having a great time climbing into the toddler beds, and she especially liked this little doorway they have that's just-for-kids:

At this point I would have been happy to lazily wander through the display area and watch Vivi climb around on the inexpensive modular furniture, then go get my chocolate, but Alex had a different plan. He had patiently sat in the stroller the whole time we were there, and he finally decided enough was enough. If it's one thing I've learned having kids, it's that plans have to be flexible. When it's time to go, it's time to go!

I knew Alex was hungry, and with all the other family-friendly amenities they have (you can leave your kids at the Småland play area for 60 minutes free of charge if they are ages 4-10 and potty trained, the restaurant is kid-friendly, and there are small play areas just past checkout near the IKEA Bistro and at the Returns waiting area) I wondered if there might be a mother's lounge for nursing. But since I had never seen one in the past, I just went to the car.

Lucky for me, Alex fell asleep on the way to the park, so I didn't have to feed him after all!