Free babysitting?

Need a break from the kids? If you lived in the Seattle area, you could head over to Ikea .

According to this New York Times’ story, “ A Cheap Date, With Child Care by Ikea ,” a growing number of moms and dads are taking advantage of the store’s free 1 ½ hours of child care so that they can get some shopping done, eat Swedish meatballs at the café or even have a date (inside the store) with their spouse or partner.

The store known for its affordable and Scandinavian-style (particle-board) furniture and household products has an area known as “Smaland” where kids can have fun in a ball pit or area and other play structures. There’s also plenty of toys and some might even have a TV.

The NYT story noted that Smaland attendance nationwide has risen about 20 percent so far this year.

Ikea’s goal is to get you to shop, of course. Although they can’t leave Ikea when they drop their kids off at Smaland, several parents interviewed by The NYT admitted they used the place as a kind of respite.

Locally, Fred Meyer offers a Playland for kids so that their parents can go grocery shopping in peace. The YMCA also has childcare so that moms and dads can get a workout in (although I know of at least one parent who actually left the building once to run errands instead).

Any other businesses or places in town that offer free (and safe) child care? Do you take advantage of the free babysitting? (I know some parents who wouldn’t even consider leaving their kids in Playland, Smaland or the like.) What do you do to get a break from the kids?