Carlingford Court, Ground Level (near Bakers Delight) – Cnr Pennant Hills Rd & Carlingford Rd

Overall: Pretty good. Clean and quiet. Nappy change, rest, feed.

Good Points: Three private feeding cubicles. Auto-slide push-button door. Adult and child toilets with matching sinks. Paper towel dispensers. No hand dryers. Separate food prep area. Microwave and additional powerpoints. Clean change bench with three change bays. Built-in fold out change tables in each feeding cubicle. Comfy armchair plus sidetable in each feeding cubicle. Quiet and clean.

Bad Points: Tricky corners for prams immediately inside the door. Toilet roll unit for little toilet a bit out or arms reach. Taps on toilet sinks are a bit hard to activate. Shared sink and soap for nappy change bench and food prep area. No nappy bins underneath the main change bench. Full and overflowing nappy bins in the feeding cubicles. Curtains for privacy 

It’s taken forever, but my little one and I finally made it back to Carlingford Court to check out the last parent room. I mean, it’s only our local shopping centre so you’d think we would have knocked it over first. Nope! Instead we’ve been running around Sydney like headless chooks, thinking we’ll always pick up this one on the way home. Too funny. Ah well, it’s done now. I have to say, it’s pretty good too. A couple of flaws, but pretty good.

This Parent Room is down the hallway between Bakers Delight and the health food shop. Just follow the signs, down the hallway, around to the left, and the door is on the right. Hit the big green button to make the door whoosh open. Easy peasy at the start, but just inside the door you have to twist and turn around a pesky narrow entry way and around a corner to get to the main part of the room. Bad design. It’s fine if you’re doing a walk-in, but it’s not easy with a pram in tow.

The toilets are the first thing you see. The door is lockable from the inside (always a good thing!). There’s enough space for a pram. There are two toilets and sinks, one each for both parent and child. I don’t think it’s a very good idea having the toilet paper roll attached to the back of the door. It’s a little out of reach for little ones. The best part of these toilets is there’s no hand-dryer!! Yay!!! I’m so happy about this. There’s a well stocked paper towel dispenser, and no hand dryer. Great hygiene, especially with winter about to hit. Loving it.

Past the toilets are the feeding cubicles and the main part of the room. Each of the three feeding cubicles has a curtain for privacy, a built-in fold out change table, nappy bin, side table and armchair. It’s great! And you can fit a pram inside too (but I’m not sure about double prams. Please tell me if you’ve had a go at getting a double pram in here). This is a big bonus for us mums who want privacy and security. The only real downside to the cubicles – there aren’t any additional powerpoints, and the nappy bins were overflowing very early in the morning. 

The main part of the room is very spacious. It doesn’t have a couch like the Parent Room up on Level 1, but it’s very roomy. There’s a separate change bench and food prep bench. Now this would usually be a good thing except there is only one sink for both areas. Not so good for hygiene. Also there aren’t any nappy bins near or underneath the change bench. The only nappy bins are in the private feeding cubicles. What are you meant to do with soiled nappies if the cubicles are occupied?

The food prep bench has loads of room. The microwave is clean and working. The sink is clean, with soap and paper towel right there too. Really, it’s a nice quiet Parent Room. It’s missing extras like Play Panels, a separate sink for the change bench plus extra nappy bins, but other than that it really is a nice Parent Room. And I’m now very happy to report that all the Parent Rooms at Carlingford Court have now been reviewed. Phew!