So far I'm happy with it. I mean, these days I'm not so great with change so learning something completely new when I don't actually have the time to sit and play with it is a bit irritating; but, because the hubs has the same phone, he can learn everything and tell me what I need to know, right?? Gosh I sound old...
Well after picking up the phones we had some time to kill before meeting friends for dinner, so we went to Lotte Department Store downtown and spent time on the 7th floor baby lounge and kid's cafe. Really awesome! If you have a baby or small kids in Seoul, I'd give this one a try! It's not one of the biggest or best out there, but clean and super convenient when you're downtown.
Here is PH and Daddy taking a picture together with Daddy's new iPhone.
And here's PH trying to climb up the slide... what a nut!
And here's PH trying to climb up the slide... what a nut!To use the cafe, named Bubble cafe or something like that, you need to order one item for an hour of play time. Coffees and other drinks cost about 5-6,000won (like $5) but are pretty good! There is also gelatto and some food dishes available. The play area in the cafe is small, but for toddlers and young kids I think its decent ~ PH played for an hour and never got bored.
The Bubble Cafe is also a children's hair salon, with seats shaped like airplanes and such. PH doesn't actually have hair to cut, so this wasn't really an interest to me, but it may be worth checking out.
And finally next to these is the mother's/ baby lounge. In here there are change tables, lotions, powder and plastic baggies for soiled items; an infant measurement scale; seating for tired moms and dads (or grandmas and aunties) and highchairs for feedings; sinks, detergents, washcloths, etc. for cleaning bottles and other baby items; a water cooler (hot and cold), and a baby lounge attendant who makes sure everything is clean and there are no problems.
Also here are two additional rooms, one for nursing and one for sleeping babies. The nursing room has air filters, soft music and dim lighting and boppy pillows. The sleeping room also has dim lighting and soft music as well as 6 or 7 cribs with clean bedding and seats for parents.
I think Korea is brilliant for having so many places like these for mothers and babies. For a country with such a low birthrate, they really are on a good track to making it feel more comfortable for families.
One other note, if you drive to Lotte you will have to purchase over $100 for even a little free parking. It's insane. Recently the government is trying to dissuade people from driving downtown. To help with this, they've decreased the amount of parking spaces downtown (I think Lotte went down by %20 last year when they remodeled), but they have increased the parking rates. If you're watching your spending, it is not worth it to drive downtown unless you know you will spend enough to warrant free parking. I can't remember exactly, but I do remember going for dinner there a while ago and we would've paid $60 for parking had we not had a free parking pass. (FYI~ cars are still totally useful in Korea, especially for families! Grocery stores have very reasonable parking fees, and carrying groceries and a baby on public transit is horrible!)
The Bubble Cafe is also a children's hair salon, with seats shaped like airplanes and such. PH doesn't actually have hair to cut, so this wasn't really an interest to me, but it may be worth checking out.
And finally next to these is the mother's/ baby lounge. In here there are change tables, lotions, powder and plastic baggies for soiled items; an infant measurement scale; seating for tired moms and dads (or grandmas and aunties) and highchairs for feedings; sinks, detergents, washcloths, etc. for cleaning bottles and other baby items; a water cooler (hot and cold), and a baby lounge attendant who makes sure everything is clean and there are no problems.
Also here are two additional rooms, one for nursing and one for sleeping babies. The nursing room has air filters, soft music and dim lighting and boppy pillows. The sleeping room also has dim lighting and soft music as well as 6 or 7 cribs with clean bedding and seats for parents.
I think Korea is brilliant for having so many places like these for mothers and babies. For a country with such a low birthrate, they really are on a good track to making it feel more comfortable for families.
One other note, if you drive to Lotte you will have to purchase over $100 for even a little free parking. It's insane. Recently the government is trying to dissuade people from driving downtown. To help with this, they've decreased the amount of parking spaces downtown (I think Lotte went down by %20 last year when they remodeled), but they have increased the parking rates. If you're watching your spending, it is not worth it to drive downtown unless you know you will spend enough to warrant free parking. I can't remember exactly, but I do remember going for dinner there a while ago and we would've paid $60 for parking had we not had a free parking pass. (FYI~ cars are still totally useful in Korea, especially for families! Grocery stores have very reasonable parking fees, and carrying groceries and a baby on public transit is horrible!)
The iPhone was my Christmas gift?? 아싸!! Now I still get a birthday present!!!
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