Categories
Carlingford NSW

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!

Categories
Carlingford NSW

Carlingford Court, Level 1 – Cnr Pennant Hills Rd & Carlingford Rd, Carlingford, Sydney

Reviewed by K & B

Overall: Nappy change, feeding, rest. Very clean. Not much traffic at all. Not hugely  inviting but it’s quiet which is nice.
Good Points: Extremely clean. Microwave clean and working. Separate sinks in food prep area and nappy change area. Soap and paper towel dispenser in nappy change area. Private feeding cubicles have their own wall mounted change table plus nappy bin. Love the big and little loo with matching sinks and soap units.

Bad Points: Colour scheme not overly inviting. Parking is a pain in the neck. Very small number of Parents with Prams spaces, and they are often occupied by cars that don’t have child car seats in them.

The Carlingford court web site has the following information

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Carlingford Court’s Parents Rooms are located in the following locations:
  • Level One, in the corridor behind Flight Centre.
  • Ground Floor, in the corridor behind Bakers Delight.

Catering for guardians and carers, the Parents Rooms are equipped with microwave ovens, play areas, nappy dispensers and private feeding spaces.
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Hmmm….this description isn’t entirely accurate. There is a microwave on Level 1, but you won’t find a nappy dispenser or play area. So if you are going to head to Carlingford Court, BYO (most mums do anyway, but if you forget there is always Coles & Woolies downstairs).


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As you can see there is ample room for moving around  – event with multiple full sized prams in the room.
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The couch is quite comfortable and ample.

Private rooms are good.  As you can see, a nice little sturdy flip-down change table, a side table and a comfortable chair for mum.

The open change area is incredibly clean. It has two change spaces and there is a sink on the bench, with a soap and paper towel dispenser. Nappy bins are in front of the bench. There’s a separate sink underneath the microwave on the wall unit near the entrance, so you don’t have to worry about cross contamination with food prep for your little one.
Really, this is probably the cleanest Parent Room we’ve seen. And this isn’t the first time we’ve been in this one. When you visit Carlingford Court, there’s always centre staff around cleaning the food court and other area so it looks like this dedication extends to the Parent Rooms too. Happy days.
Now on to the toilets. Very happy to report there are two loos! One for big people and one for little people. Each has its own loo paper dispenser, and there is a matching sink and soap dispenser for both. It’s probably a bit mummy of me, but the little sink next to the big sink is just so cute! Oh! And I’m so happy to let you know….the sanitary bin is away from the little loo. Yay!! It’s been put next to the adult toilet, where it should be. 
So Carlingford Court is pretty well set up for parents and children. There’s a great little indoor play area outside Priceline upstairs on Level 1 – with lovely comfy couches next to it so mum and dad can have a rest.