When I decided to buy my daughter a little table and chairs for her first birthday, I asked my Facebook friends: “Any recommendations for play tables and chairs?
The majority of responders had this recommendation: the Ikea LÄTT table and chair set. I followed their guidance and bought the little table with two chairs from Ikea for the beautiful bargain price of $20, and the purchase has worked out perfectly. That’s why today’s hint is that other parents in the market for a similar table set consider going with the Ikea model.
The set is much sturdier than I had imagined (even I can sit on the chairs fine), and my daughter loves to hang out standing at the table, or sitting on one of the chairs, “reading” her board books and playing with her puzzles. My friend, who has had the table for more than a year, says it’s “still holding up great.” So I plan to turn it into a kids’ dinner table for when my daughter graduates from the high chair and we have guests over.
Of course, like everything from Ikea, you need to put the table together yourself (if you’re short on time or skills, consider hiring a TaskRabbit to help). Also, be aware that the table is retailing for double the price at other outlets, like Amazon.com.
If you don’t like the plain white look of the table, there’s a whole blogosphere of DIY ideas for transforming the table with various paint colors and fabrics. Just search “Ikea latt children’s table hack” in Google, and for a start, check out the clever DIY ways to upgrade the table’s look from these blogs: Little Free Radical, Meet the Sullivans, Effortless Style and Enjoyer of Grace.
Based on my experience so far, there’s only one big downside to the table: My daughter has turned one of the relatively lightweight chairs into her walkers of sorts (we have yet to buy her a real walker, as we’ve been following advice from the Baby Bargains book to avoid walkers for safety reasons). However, this likely would have happened with any table and chair set we bought her.
If you still want to shop around, other friends of mine recommended models from Room and Board as well as this model.
What kids’ small table and chair set, and furniture in general, do you recommend and why?
More Hints
Today’s Hint: Babyproofing with a Beanbag Chair
Today’s Hint: Another Use for a Paper Soup Bowl (Think Sippy)
Today’s Hint: 3 Ordering Tricks for When There’s No Kids’ Menu
Today’s Hint: 3 Money-Saving Strategies for Paying Babysitters & UrbanSitter Giveaway
Today’s Hint: Two Exercise Hacks for Working Parents
Hi Jennifer! Thanks so much for linking my IKEA Latt DIY on your blog! I love how it turned out, but want to warn people that the chairs a fragile and not meant for adults to sit on. We learned this the hard way and now have only one chair!
Thanks for the warning! That’s great to know and I’ll stop sitting on the little chairs:)
I love IKEA!! We got my boys a toddler table form IKEA as well (I think they were like $7) and it lasted for quite some time -until it was left outside while it rained.
I love Ikea, they have great things at great prices. I also love having a toddler table and chairs. It is perfect for arts and crafts. It is also great with helping children learn to walk like I see in the picture because they can push the chairs around. Thank you for sharing this post.
I love Ikea too, but we don’t have any close enough that I can go to regularly. *sad face* lol
I’ve nominated you for a Sunshine award. You can read about it on my blog http://missyhomemaker.com/saturday-soapbox-2-blog-awards/
Hi Jennifer! Thank you so much for the feature and the kind comments you left on my FB page! Like Colleen mentioned, they’re not the sturdiest chairs but definitely a steal for the price. 🙂 Thanks again!
Unfortunately we don’t have an IKEA near us, but I really wish we did!
As an alternative, I would suggest the Little Tikes table and chairs. A little more expensive than the IKEA table, but I would definitely recommend it. And it is available in different color combinations…we have the blue table with green chairs, but it also comes in navy blue/red and blue/yellow.
Thanks for the table tip Lesley:)
Hi!! Thank you so much for the recommendation. I’m in the market for a toddler table for my 18 month old. He sits at a table at daycare to eat and is starting to dislike the high chair. How old was your daughter when she was able to sit at the ikea table on her own?
Definitely by 18 months or so:) Hope this helps!