What a sad thing to learn!
Westfield Burwood has removed the big indoor playground! It’s the one that was outside K-Mart. A great place to let little ones play and burn off some energy while mums and dads catch up – especially on cold or rainy days.
But it’s been taken away and replaced with…..yep, you guessed it…..yet another coffee shop.
Where’s the incentive now for parents of little kids to shop at Westfield Burwood?
Yeah it has a good number of parent rooms and there are activity centres in most of those, but you can’t have a proper catch up with other mums and dads in the room where you change nappies.
Indoor playgrounds are fantastic for parents and kids, and you’d think for stores too.
When the safety of our kids is top priority, these soft play style playgrounds provide a feeling of comfort. We’re fairly confident there won’t be any or at least minimal injury and there is virtually no risk of our kids being pecked by magpies or bitten by stray dogs.
Indoor playgrounds, especially in cities like Sydney, are essential. Not just in terms of safety, but also for creating a community atmosphere and building friendships……all while stimulating the economy.
You might be thinking this is a bit of a stretch – it’s just an indoor playground, right? Well, it’s more than that. At face value, it is just a playground. But what it provides is an opportunity for people to get together in a central, easy to find, weather protected location where kids can play happily and parents can connect with others going through the same stages of life.
In terms of being a convenient location, many parents also do their shopping before/after spending time on the playground. It’s ideal! Regardless of what’s happening outside (hard to tell lately what the weather is going to be like one day to the next), a trip to the playground and the shops can be done in one place.
Surely this is a good thing for Westfield.
I know for me and my little one, we shop at the places where there’s a decent indoor play area….even if it means travelling past other shopping centres that aren’t as family friendly. And next week we were planning on catching up with a friend and her daughter at Westfield Burwood. We were going to head there because of the playground, and so we could go shopping too! But since finding out this main play area has been removed and replaced with another crappy franchised mass-produced coffee store…….we’re going to go someplace else where the kids can play, and we can spend our money…..in the one place.
Category: Burwood
Reviewed by C
Overall: Basic stand alone room with dated fitout. At least it is quiet. Nappy change, feed, rest.
Good Points: It’s a stand alone room, which was surprising. Baby change bench. Two sinks, one next to the change bench. Paper towel and soap dispenser within hands reach of the change bench.
Bad points: Nappy bin against the wall on the opposite side of the room – fine if you want to practice your aim shooting hoops. A single chair for feeding – not comfortable or practical.
 |
| The entry to the Parent Room |
This is another great shopping centre in terms of catering for kids. There’s Parent Rooms on most floors, some having more than one. And a few indoor playgrounds too! It’s rare to find a cinema with a stand alone Parent Room, so when I saw Greater Union at Burwood had one we had definitely had to check it out.
Just follow the signs for the toilets, follow the narrow hallway around until you see the door with the above Parent Room sign.
 |
| Lots of room |
The room is pretty big. Can definitely fit a few prams in here but can only change one baby at a time. There’s just one change bench. Two sinks, which is good to see – one for use after changing nappies, the other for food prep I guess. There’s a paper towel and soap dispenser, a single chair so you can have a rest. One bin for nappies and general rubbish. Oh and a loo – just the one.
 |
| Change bench, two sinks, very basic |
So decorating wise, it’s not that flash. But this room is more for a quick change before or after the movies. If you’re after a room where you can rest, bubby can play, and just some place with a few more extras then head upstairs into the shopping levels and check out those rooms.
 |
| A single office chair for feeding – do it in the movies instead |
For feeding, it’s not well equipped at all. Just a single office chair next to the bin. I’d recommend feeding bubs in the darkness of the cinema – you’ll have more privacy there with the lights down than you will in this room. The upside of feeding in the cinema is you can watch whatever movie at the same time – win win!!
So for a cinema Parent Room, it’s okay. I had imagined it would just be a fold out table in a disabled toilet. Finding a stand alone room was quite a surprise. It needs a bit of work, but at least it is roomy and you can do what you need to in here. Just remember there are other rooms which are alot nicer and better equipped on the other levels of Westfield.