The Time Out Family Play Date: VitaLand Taiyanggong
We got two families together and sent them over to check out Vitaland's (维塔兰亲子餐厅) new branch at Taiyanggong. Our play-daters spent the morning exploring the play areas and seeing how kid-friendly it is.
*images from Ronja and Miao
Favourite section
Laila liked the kitchen area the best. The play kitchen had everything a child needed for pretend cooking. There were many fruits and veggies to play with and there was a full set of kitchen supplies. Laila had a great time and always came back to this area to play.
Nola liked the kitchen area too. This section is spacious & easy for young toddlers to move around & has play objects that promoted exploration and problem-solving.
Favourite section to play in together
Still the kitchen area. They climbed up and down, checked out all the supplies and went shopping with the shopping cart. They also enjoyed the little Dyson vacuum cleaners.
Did your kids enjoy themselves? What do you think is the best age for this place?
Ronja: [Laila] enjoyed herself a lot. I think that the perfect age is between two to six, maybe eight, years old. The kids felt very comfortable right away. They had the place to themselves for around thirty minutes and checked out every play area. They walked around the cafe independently and enjoyed themselves while mommies just sat back, observed, and relaxed a bit. The place is totally child-friendly. For lunch, we ordered rice with pork and a chef salad. The food was great and came in big portions. Service was good, too.
Miao: Yes. Best for kids from walker-age to five years old. Along with her little pal, my girl checked out the entire space upon arrival. You could see that she was testing out various play sections and tried to figure out what she liked the best. After a thorough walk-through, she decided that she liked the kitchen area and spent most of her time exploring the play objects there independently as well as with her friend. The space is safe for young toddlers. The stairs and table corners were all buffered. Little sinks were of perfect height for our little ones. We ordered Spaghetti Carbonara set menu for my daughter and grilled chicken and Cappucino for mama. Great portion and flavor for both. Friendly service, too!
Any thoughts on how the experience could have been better?
Ronja: For me, there are too many screens and toys. In some areas, it felt a bit cluttered. The toys should stay in the baskets to keep it neat. Too many toys can be overwhelming for the little ones and the place itself works great already. The place also needs safety plugs on the plug sockets.
Miao: They have done a good job overall. However, I thought there were too many screens and electronic toys. In addition, some areas felt cluttered. I am a firm believer of 'passive toys, active child'.
Any tips for other parents who are interested in coming?
Ronja: Let your child explore the place by themselves. It’s a safe, child friendly environment and there's no need to run after your child all the time. Just enjoy observing what your child likes to play with.
Miao: The space is safe and beautifully designed to allow children of the appropriate age groups to have fun and interact. Keep in mind that kids don’t need to be 'taught' how to play. Parents and nannies can take this opportunity to relax a little. Do less, enjoy more.
Vitaland (Taiyanggong) Building 10,Second Floor, 2 Haoyuan Shangjialou Lu, Chaoyang district (8436 1688) 朝阳区尚家楼路2号院10号楼2层. Open Mon-Fri 10.30am-8.30pm, Sat-Sun, 10am-9pm
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VitaLand's Taiyanggong branch is giving away entrance tickets to ten lucky kids and their plus ones! (Parents don't need entrance tickets.) Check out today's second article to learn more!
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