This ex-teacher opened a child-friendly cafe in PJ to combat the “iPad baby” phenomenon

10 years ago, bringing your phone to the dining table would’ve led to an earful from your parents. I can still remember the lectures my mum gave like it was yesterday.

But tech has crept into our lives so quickly that even toddlers have their own tablets these days. Ever heard of the term “iPad baby”?

As a mother of two young kids, Melissa worried about the normalcy of this. Gadgets are the easiest way to distract kids from causing a ruckus in public. However, we all know it’s harmful to their cognitive development in the long run. 

She thought, “Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could create an environment where kids can be kids without parents needing to resort to devices to keep their kids entertained and quiet?”

Instead of waiting for someone to make this a reality, she did it herself. That’s how Leetou Pods in Ara Damansara was founded. 

Catering to young kids is her priority

Leetou Pods brands itself as a child-friendly cafe, which isn’t something I can easily picture. Aren’t most cafes already child-friendly?

What they mean by this is that the space is tailored for young children. 

It’s hard to miss the cafe’s spacious open play area that’s equipped with plenty of toys. This includes blocks, rocking horses, animal figurines, ride-on cars, and even a slide. There’s also a good selection of books for the avid young readers that visit. 

You have to start them young, right?

Besides those, Leetou Pods provides a few other amenities that set it apart from your regular cafe:

These are just on regular days. Every Friday, you can find kids dancing around at Leetou Pods’ “Music and Movement” programme. Every couple of weeks, there will be a “Messyplay” which can range from arts and crafts to sensory exploration.

Most of the programmes are done in collaboration with other brands like Tiddlers by Gg, which organises private playgroups.

Serving up healthy meals for all ages

If you’re not a parent, you can look at Leetou Pods as a space to nourish yourself. But do note that they’re a non-halal cafe.

Its menu comprises light snacks like tater tots to heavier meals like pasta and roast pork sourdough sandwiches. The latter is a crowd favourite and comes highly recommended by Michelle.

All the food served is lightly salted, which makes them healthier for the younger patrons. The food is also cooked using wholesome ingredients from businesses supplying child-friendly food.

For example, the cafe’s chicken popcorn and chicken nuggets are made using actual breast meat instead of the usual processed chicken parts. 

Michelle and her team also take an eco-conscious approach when it comes to energy usage. 

The cafe is installed with a large high-volume-low-speed fan that circulates efficiently enough that they don’t need to use air conditioning. Leftover orange peels and pulp from making orange juice are turned into jams.

“As for social impact, we’re creating an environment for mums to work in relative peace during the weekdays and a nice environment for our community to enjoy a hot cup of coffee while their children play,” Michelle said.

More than a cafe, but not a daycare centre

That said, you shouldn’t confuse Leetou Pods with a daycare centre, because it’s not. 

It just so happens that Michelle is a former preschool teacher with over 15 years of child education experience. Couple that with her own experience as a mother and you get a cafe owner who has a good grasp of how to accommodate kids. 

With that in mind, the toys brought in and the activities being offered are specifically curated to develop the children’s motor skills, cognitive ability, and physicality.

“A lot about parenting is really common sense,” she shared candidly. “How we run the place is how we’d like any other restaurant [to] accommodate parents with kids. And since there aren’t many, the benchmark is really quite low.”

“We’re never concerned if we have the necessary skills to do this because skills can be learnt. It’s the execution that matters.”

Being one of the few cafes in this niche means there are not many references to guide her. Not to mention that she has to balance her time between running the cafe’s day-to-day activities, raising her kids, and organising enriching events for parents as well.

To add, the statutory municipal requirements for the cafe’s licensing and compliance have been quite a learning curve. The lack of a real manual slowed down the already complicated process too.

In her own words, though, they’ve been executing and overcoming whatever challenges that come their way so far.

A community for parents to support each other

Customers of the cafe are usually parents who live around the Klang Valley. 

However, they’d occasionally receive a visit from out-of-state travellers from Ipoh and Penang. The furthest customer they’ve had came all the way from Sarawak. Michelle believes they’re drawn to Leetou Pods because there’s a lack of such cafes in Malaysia.

As a first-time business owner, Michelle is learning as she goes. But it helps that her husband is a serial entrepreneur and provides advice when she gets stuck from time to time. 

Being a self-funded passion project may also have its limits, but she believes that it takes a village to raise a child. So her goal with Leetou Pods is to build a community for just that.

With that in mind, she hopes to build more outlets to provide more parents and children with a safe space. They’re currently looking for potential partners to discuss expansion opportunities. 

“We believe all parents need all the help they can get. We know because we’re the same,” she confided. “We want to create a place where children can feel safe playing and parents won’t feel judged each time a kid starts crying or making a fuss.”

Featured Image Credit: Leetou Pods