Reviewed by B
Overall: Nappy change, feed, rest and play. There are better facilities on other levels in Mac Centre.
Good Points: Change area is well laid out. Sinks next to each change space, bins right underneath, paper towel and soap at each space.
Bad Points: Door to Parent Room is gone!! There’s a big green button to whack, but you don’t need to…because there is no door. Just a great big open doorway instead. Don’t know if it’s broken or gone completely. For privacy, best head to one of the other rooms. Microwave and sink is between the toilet room and nappy change space – health and hygiene concerns anyone?
My little angel and I decided to check out Mac Centre last week. We headed straight for the food court ‘cos we were huuuungry!! I thought going to Sumo Salad would make us both happy. Bubs picked the salad (something with felafel and cous cous), and we nabbed a corner booth. Well it appears the salad was chosen more for the bright colours and for me to eat, as bubs wasn’t too keen on eating it after all. Jumping up and down on the cushy corner seats was a much more appealing thing to do. If I thought I could have gotten away with it, i would have joined in hehehe.
Now for getting around all the levels, Mac Centre is the BEST. You can get from top to bottom, and all levels in between by walking around and around. Gentle sloping ramps around the entire centre make it a cinch for Parents with Prams to get around. There are lifts at the Target end of the centre, which take you from Ground Level to The Loft…but they are slow and usually have a queue of people waiting to get in anyway. The exercise you get from walking around and around via the ramps is worth not taking the lifts.
Anyway! At the back of the food court is a long wall with windows looking down to the ice skating rink. Head this way, turn left, walk up the corridor, and left again you’ll find the Parent Room.
If you want to breastfeed at Mac Centre, I wouldn’t head to this Parent Room. There are others which actually have visible, intact working doors to Parent Rooms on other levels in the shopping centre, which will give you the privacy you and your baby deserve. This room, good for changing bottoms, going to the loo, and having a little bit of a rest and play.
The best part is definitely the change area. Benches are a good height, with three change grooves. There is a sink, soap dispenser and paper towel unit for each change space. And below each one is a nappy bin. This is great!! Being able to change bubs and clean up all at once, without having to bend and stretch to the other side of the room like an acrobat, all while keeping one hand on your angel to stop them from jumping off the bench, is fantastic.
There’s a microwave, which appears to be working and clean. Separate sink underneath. Just a little bit concerned about the health & hygiene issues of having a food prep area so close to the nappy change and toilet area.
The loos are okay. Big one for big people, little one for little people. But seriously, can the sanitary bin be kept between the wall and the big loo!! It’s just asking for little people to play with the button on it, and I really don’t think that’s safe at all. There’s one sink which is a little high for little people to reach, along with the soap dispenser. Tippy toes will work, or picking up your cherub to reach the taps is another option.
For a rest, there’s a big vinyl red couch and a little side table. Not bad, but probably more interesting for all to go back out to the food court and sit by the windows to watch skaters on the ice rink below. More entertaining and relaxing. This space is good though if you need to keep your little one entertained without having them take off through the food court. The enclosed play area is basic: glass walled, child safety gate, one wall mounted play centre. Not a very big space, so only one or two children tops in here.
On to the feeding area. Comfy single armchair with a side table. Curtains on two sides for ‘privacy’. In this room, with the absence of the entry door (maybe it’s in lost and found?), the curtains around the feeding space may as not be there anyway.
Look, it’s not a bad Parent Room. It’s just not as good as it should be (having a door would really up its stakes). For me and my little one, we thought it much more fun to head to Maccas for a mini snack wrap and then to Big W to buy some winter woolies.
