IKEA Toys for Kids: What I’d Buy and What I’d Skip
IKEA Toys for Kids: What I'd Buy and What I'd Skip
My IKEA buy-or-skip videos have been some of the most popular things I've posted this year, so I've pulled all three parts together into one place: every verdict, the reasoning behind it, and what to do next if you want more.
A quick note before you read on: this is my opinion. I'm an OT, so I'm looking at these through what I know about kid development, but it's still my personal take on sixteen toys, not a formal ranking. You might land somewhere different on a few of these, and that's exactly how it should be.
Most of what's below suits ages 3 to 6. I'll flag it where an item sits outside that.
Regulation and sensory play
IKEA PS LÖMSK swivel armchair
This one folds closed like a pod, and it spins. Two different things going on for two different kids: the spin gives vestibular input for a child who seeks movement, and the enclosed pod suits a child who seeks deep pressure or a small, contained space to retreat into. It's also a rare regulation tool that looks like a chair in the corner of the lounge room, not a therapy product on a shelf. Check current pricing and stock at ikea.com.au before you go, this one moves in and out of clearance.
View at IKEA →Motor skills and pre-writing
MÅLA easel, softwood
If I had to pick one thing from the whole list, it's this. Easels are excellent for engagement in painting, drawing and creating, and working on a vertical surface is genuinely useful for motor development in a way a flat table isn't. It's recommended from age 3, though plenty of families start earlier for open-ended painting, and the same benefits apply whether your child is just making marks or already drawing with intent.
Standing at an easel puts a child's wrist into extension, which is a better position for the pencil grip they'll eventually use than the flexed wrist a flat table encourages. It asks for shoulder stability to hold the arm up against gravity. It also naturally has a child crossing their body's midline as they paint from one side of the page to the other, which is a skill that shows up again later in reading and writing. None of that requires a single worksheet. It just requires a vertical surface and something to make marks with.
View at IKEA →Pretend play and perspective taking
This doesn't mean you need to buy any of this. It means that giving your child opportunities for open ended pretend play may help you get at the things research does support.
And I want to be specific about what "the research supports" actually covers, because this space gets oversold constantly. Pretend and character play is associated with language development, storytelling and narrative skills, and perspective taking, understanding that someone else might think or feel differently to you. Creativity shows up as an association too.
TITTA DJUR finger puppets
A genuine bargain, and I'm annoyed I didn't spot these in store sooner. Character play like this is a well-researched part of pretend play. It's associated with language development, storytelling, and starting to see things from someone else's point of view.
View at IKEA →
LÄTSAS 12-piece shopping basket set
Shopping is the pretend play kids have the most real-world reference for. They've been to the shops a hundred times, so they already know roughly what the story is.
View at IKEA →
DUKTIG toy cash register
Pair it with the shopping basket. Now there are two roles instead of one, which means two people, which means they have to negotiate who's doing what.
View at IKEA →
BARKBORRE 7-piece doctor's set
The perspective-taking one. Someone has to be unwell and someone has to care about it, which is exactly the kind of rehearsal that helps with something that might be a bit frightening in real life. Playing out a doctor's visit, or a bedtime, or a toileting routine, through a character who isn't them, with them fully in control of how it goes, is one of the more useful things pretend play offers a family.
These are general, evidence-informed ideas, not a treatment plan, and they're not a substitute for support from a registered health practitioner if your child has a specific fear or medical anxiety that needs more than play at home.
View at IKEA →
DUKTIG 24-piece pizza set
There's a built-in sequencing task here, base, then sauce, then toppings, in an order, and a genuine reason to talk to the "customer" because someone has to take the order.
View at IKEA →
DUKTIG 6-piece roll set, cinnamon bun
Same idea as the pizza set, smaller, and in my experience the one that gets played with the longest.
View at IKEA →
FLISAT doll's house wall shelf and HUSET furniture set
This one suits the older end of the 3 to 6 range, once more elaborate, family-style pretend play starts to show up. The bedroom and bathroom set is particularly good for playing out bath time, bedtime or toileting through a doll, which pairs neatly with the doctor's set above, both are ways of rehearsing something that matters through a character who isn't your child.
STENMUS mini play kitchen, white and black
If you're short on space, pop it on a table or any existing surface and you're set. No need for a dedicated corner.
View at IKEA →Routines and independence
HÄNGIG label holder
A visual on the drawer, not on the fridge in another room, so the picture is exactly where the action happens. Kids can also colour in their own labels, which makes the system theirs rather than something done to them.
View at IKEA →
GULDVÄVARE washing mitt
These come to life in a way a plain washer doesn't, which is genuinely useful for bath and shower time if washing themselves is a battle in your house. Worth knowing this one suits from babyhood too, not just the 3 to 6 range, so it's a good one to have on hand regardless of age.
View at IKEA →Want more like this?
Everything above comes from the same place my free resource library does. Pop your email in and I'll send you the whole lot at once.
The four I left on the shelf
GREJSIMOJS floor cushion set of 3
Worth being clear about the kind of skip this is: it's a value skip, not a quality skip. They're genuinely cute and soft. You can get equivalent soft play for less elsewhere, so unless you're set on the exact look, put your money there instead.
View at IKEA →
LILLABO garage with car and helicopter
It decides the play, and I'd rather build the same idea out of what's already at home and leave the story open.
View at IKEA →
GREJSIMOJS soft toy bear, beige
I'd go for smaller plushies over a giant one, better for comfort and for open-ended play.
View at IKEA →
SKOGSDUVA mask set, badger and lynx
I love role play, but masks tend to end up uncomfortable fast. Costumes hold up better. Each to their own here though, some kids love a mask.
View at IKEA →A few questions people ask
Are IKEA toys good for toddlers?+
Some of them, yes. The ones in this post that work well for younger kids are open-ended: an easel, finger puppets, a small play kitchen. The ones I've skipped tend to be the toys that decide the play for the child rather than leaving room for their own ideas.
What age is the MÅLA easel suitable for?+
It's recommended from age 3, though plenty of families start earlier for open painting and mark-making. The vertical-surface benefits apply whether your child is just exploring paint or already drawing with intent.
Does pretend play actually help child development?+
Pretend and character play is associated with language development, storytelling and perspective taking. It's a genuine part of how kids process routines and situations that might be a bit unfamiliar or worrying, through a character who isn't them. It's not a guaranteed fix for any single skill, and giving a child room for open-ended play is one part of a much bigger picture of how they grow and learn.
Is the LÖMSK chair good for a sensory-seeking child?+
It was picked with sensory preferences in mind, spinning for a child who seeks movement, an enclosed pod for a child who seeks deep pressure or a small space. Whether it suits your child specifically is your call, you know them best. If you're navigating more significant sensory needs, it's worth chatting to a registered health practitioner alongside anything you try at home.
Paediatric OT with 8 years of experience working with children and families. Kidera exists to make OT-informed tools accessible to every parent, not just those in clinic. Everything above is my personal take, not a clinical recommendation for your specific child.
