We didn’t spend much time doing shopping for ourselves in Copenhagen, but boy, did we shop for and with the kids! They were pretty ecstatic to visit the (numerous) toy shops around the city. Mostly due to the fact that the shops are more like kiddy playgrounds than sterile stores! Very child friendly, really enticing, and just a lot of fun 🙂

As you can see below, my kids have a very slight (ahem) obsession with vehicles. And basically every store in Copenhagen, inclusive of the large department stores, indulges the visiting kids with lots of ride-em cars, tricycles, bicycles, etc etc to play on! SO DIFFERENT to Singapore, where almost all the department stores lock them up with a chain, or place them high on a shelf so no one can reach. What the stores in Copenhagen accomplish is a generous, happy attitude that makes you really pleased to shop there… because you and your kids aren’t made to feel like you are hellbent on destroying their stuff hence why it needs to be all locked up. My kids couldn’t quite believe their eyes, and I think Hunter got a bit confused between shops and playgrounds.. calling the malls “playground” 😛

On top of that, the department stores also have large play areas for the kids… with a whole bunch of their toys for sale open for kids to ‘try before you buy’. Best. Concept. Ever. Basically you can see what toys your kids actually want to grab at and play with, and then you can buy it. Really saves you the effort and money when you buy a boxed-up toy, take it home and open it, only to have the kid be totally uninterested with it. Argh.

And… every mall we visited had a fully featured train table for kids to play on. As you can imagine, Hunter was kept occupied for HOURS.

One of the malls even had a FREE (!) carousel ride for kids. I think all of us were totally boggled.

Hunter was particularly keen on the Lego flagship shop. It had huge Lego figurines that Hunter loved posing with, and boy he had a blast in the shop! Though he spent the majority of his time fixated on a blue toy car there, so much so that I ended up buying it and Chris built it together with Hunter.