Furniture Store Daycare and Other Wonders

After years of wanting to try it out, we finally got a taste of free furniture store daycare. It was magical! Kinderparadies at Moebel Martin in Mainz, conveniently located next to the cafe (we literally ran into friends from daycare whose grandparents brought the kids to play while they got a coffee), entertained Navin for a good 2+ hours.

As far as I'm aware, daycares at furnitures is not a thing in the US except for Ikea. But boy is it ever here. Ikea offers it, therefore so do all other furniture stores. Here's how it works:

• Kids must be 3+.
• There is a time limit - usually 2 hours.
• Trained caregivers will watch your kids and even provide snacks / drinks.
• You can bring house shoes for your kiddos - they likely won't be able to wear outside shoes in the play area.

That's pretty much it! The only disappointing part was that Nayan couldn't go too - but we will be going back when he turns 3 in a few months! The staff will call you once the time is up or if your child requests a pickup. Otherwise, you can actually shop (or just drink a coffee) in total peace. 

What's also fun: 

• Family bathrooms are available with plenty of room for changing diapers - you're not restricted to the mens' or womens' bathrooms.
• The cafe offers a kids' menu and often kid-friendly activities in the summertime outside.
• In addition to shopping carts, strollers are available. Useful, because these stores are very large!  

I love how truly kid-friendly everything is here. In our neighborhood, the kids are used to collecting free bread at the bakery, salami at the butcher, lollipops at the paper store, stickers at the grocery store... and sometimes even when it's just me, shopowners will send home goodies for the little guys. How lucky are they - and we - to live here!

You may also want to read all about going to the gym in Germany, here!