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Other stores can learn from Ikea
Sure, roll your eyes at the cult-like following the Swedish furniture store seems to attract like gravy (or lingoberry sauce) on meatballs but you can sure see why it has a loyal Momma following. We did a media tour today of the new Tampa Ikea store that opens Wednesday, May 6 and boy do they make it easy on families. It starts in the parking lot where a separate parking area is set aside for families.
Once inside, you can take one of their free strollers, or put your stuff in a free locker, grab a 99-cent breakfast for your kids or one for yourself for $1.99. Did we mention the 50-cent hot dog for lunch?
Heading to the bathroom? They have a nice breastfeeding area and even extra diapers -- for free! They have bottle warmers in the cafe, interactive puzzles and games stationed throughout the giant store and I haven't even mentioned the free kids play area where you can drop off potty-trained little ones for an hour while you shop. The kids will be entertained with movies, a rock climbing wall or just a place to sit and color.
Few stores go that far out of their way to sell you cheap book shelves, end tables and napkins. We wish more did.
-- Sharon Kennedy Wynne and Sherry Robinson
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Raising children isn't easy. Whoa, Momma! is here to help you with parenting tips and discussion of all parenting issues. We think there's no such thing as TMI, so our blogging moms aren't shy about the hot topics and won't back away from a good debate. Bottle or breastfeed? Public, private or homeschool? And sex -- it's all open for comment. Don't sit on the sidelines -- pull up a bouncy seat and join the chat.
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THE AUTHORS
Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
E-mail Sharon Kennedy Wynne:
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Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at 
Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, Comment Policy
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