IKEA Shuttle & IKEA Tampines
- S. N. Linn
- May 3
- 3 min read
Updated: May 9
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Alex and I continued our journey to the IKEA shuttle pickup point from Tampines Changkat Butterfly Garden. Along the way, we also explored Tampines Green Playground and Tampines Bike Maze. Eventually, we arrived at Tampines Mall, which was right next to Tampines MRT Station, and the shuttle pickup point was nearby.
With all that walking, we were hungry and stopped for lunch. We could have eaten at IKEA too, but there’s usually a long queue at lunchtime, and we were already quite hungry. Since there were three shopping malls around the station, we had many choices of where to eat. But since the shuttle was coming in 30 minutes, we simply headed to the food court at Tampines Mall and finished our lunch just in time for the shuttle.
The shuttle was a plain white, small bus, not the IKEA-themed shuttle we had hoped to ride. Alex even asked, “Are you sure this is the shuttle?” I needed to reassure him by showing him the sign “IKEA Tampines” placed at the front of the shuttle. But he knew enough now not to let this ruin his day and enjoyed the ride all the same.
Once we were dropped off at IKEA, he requested to watch the shuttle leave as usual, but the driver left the bus instead, after shutting off the bus engine. Now, this was the second disappointment for him. In the past, he would have complained or even had a meltdown. But now, I was so proud to see him let it slide when I explained to him that the shuttle wouldn’t leave so soon, and we should get going. He moved on!
We entered the IKEA building, and Alex headed straight for the lift area. The lifts are one of the attractions for him at IKEA, and he takes them whenever possible.
When we reached the showroom area, he suddenly went into full-on mission mode and started walking briskly as if he were looking for something.
I asked him what he was looking for and heard him say, “Where is it?” before running off to find whatever he was trying to find. Finally, after much chasing after him, I stopped him and asked, “Alex, you need to tell me what you are looking for so I can help find it too.”
He said, “My bed.”
“Your bed? What bed?”
He couldn’t really explain, but said something along the lines of, “Play with light.”
Then he started walking again. As I followed him, I remembered he loved playing with night-lights in the children’s section. These lights were typically placed at the bedside, and Alex loved switching them on and off.
“Alex, do you mean the night-lights that you can play with while lying on the bed?”
“Yes.”
Ahh ha...
It sometimes takes a while to figure out what he’s really after, but having known him for a long time, I could piece together bits of information he shared to get the full picture.
He wasn’t being mysterious or difficult on purpose. I felt Alex simply didn’t connect the dots that it would be easier for him to communicate ahead of time what he was looking for—partly because of his struggle to express himself clearly—and also because the thought of asking for help didn’t come to him naturally, even though he knew I was there to help him.
If he was looking for the children’s section, it was right there when we exited the lift, and he missed it.
(So, Alex, if you are reading this one day, it’s important to slow down because we miss seeing even obvious things when we are in a rush. It’s also helpful to pause and think whether others might know what you are looking for. Just try asking first. You can decide whether you want to listen to them or ignore them later. However, please make sure you are asking the right kind of people.)
Eventually, we arrived at the children’s section, and Alex happily played with the night-lights. The first room he entered in the children’s section, which you can see in the video, was his favorite. He has his favorite room designs, and I think he feels slightly sad when these change. But he is also learning that things change and coming to terms with it slowly at his own pace.
When we headed home, my watch told me I had walked almost 9,000 steps that day.
I felt quite accomplished: I got to exercise, spend time with my child, and help him learn about regulating himself along the way.
If you love to know more about our Singapore explorations, please check out Humble Journeys Index where you can search the adventures by district.
