Tag: Ikea

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NSW Rhodes

Rhodes Shopping Centre – Level 2 (between Lifts and Westpac), 1 Rider Blvd, Rhodes, Sydney

Overall: Very good. The best of what’s available at Rhodes. Easy to find with all the essentials plus some nice extras. Nappy change, private feeding, food prep, rest and play.


Good Points: Simple to find and enter. Located between the Lifts and Westpac on Level 2 (ie the floor with Coles, Target and the playground). Push button auto-slide door. Three private feeding cubicles. Four nappy change bays. Disposable change mat liners. Separate sink for washing hands after nappy changes. Clean and working microwave, and separate sink for food prep. Fenced play area. Couches for parents. Television. Adult and kid size toilets.


Bad Points: Curtains for privacy in feeding cubicles. No additional powerpoints for mums who need to express. Just the one sink in the toilets. 

4 change bays

Food prep area

Finally we made it to Rhodes and managed to check out the last remaining Parent Room without too many hassles. This was quite fun because being school holidays, the place is usually packed with young families. But  it seems this early in January, people must be away on holidays. Whatever the reason, it was nice to come here again to check out the last Parent Room on the list for this shopping centre.

This one is on Level 2, which is actually the ground floor of shops but it’s called Level 2 because of the Lifts. Details details details. This is the floor with the very good small softplay indoor playground for young ones, and Coles, Target and other clothing and grocery stores. The Parent Room is smack right between the Lifts and Westpac – very easy to find.

Kids play area and television

3 private feeding cubicles

The door has a big silver square button which just needs a press to open. I love this door. It has sparkly frosted glass which is very pretty but also gives loads more privacy than others I’ve come across elsewhere. 
To the left of the room is the change bench and food prep area. The change bench has 4 nappy change bays, with bins underneath the bench, disposable change mat liners mounted on the wall, and the hand washing sink with soap and paper towel located at the far end. Up the entrance end of the bench is the food prep area. It has a clean and working microwave plus separate sink with soap and paper towels. While it would be ideal to have this part on a separate wall altogether, it’s good to see there is a separate sink for each of these functions.

Side table and armchair in each cubicle

On the right hand side of the room is the 3 private feeding cubicles plus the toilet. The cubicles are average in size. Big enough to fit mum, bub and pram in there. There’s an armchair and side table in each, and it’s actually pretty comfy. The front of each cubicle has a curtain for privacy. These are not my favourite but it’s better than nothing. I’d rather see every private feeding cubicle have lockable solid doors, like there are at many Stockland shopping centres (my personal faves). It’s not much fun when you are feeding your baby, skin on show, and some other little one decides to throw open the curtain to play peek-a-boo. Lockable solid doors stop this from being a problem, plus they make you feel more safe and secure.

Adult and kid size toilets

Just the one sink in the toilets

The best feature of this room, for me anyway, is the small fenced play area for the kids with the couch and television for me. Love it! Sometimes after shopping and spending time at the other playground, you just want to be able to chill out for a few minutes someplace where you know your little one is not going to be able to escape. So I’m very happy with this setup. The play area is small but a couple of kids could happily entertain themselves in here with the assortment of toys available. And I can keep an eye on my little one while checking out what’s on television, as the tv is mounted high above the play area and the couch is facing it. Too easy and definitely a nice touch.

Also on the right side of the Parent Room is the toilet. Inside there’s adult and kid size toilets, and one sink with soap and a hand dryer. This toilet room is big enough to fit a pram and the door is locked from the inside. The sink, however, is not all that accessible for little ones. The tap is one of those push down round knobs which requires a bit of force, and the soap dispenser is a little high on the wall for most little kids to be able to access. So for hand washing after using the toilet, parents will most likely need to give kids a bit of help.

This Parent Room is definitely the best of what’s on offer at Rhodes. So when you’re next there, make sure you check it out….and let me know what you think of it.
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NSW Rhodes

**UPDATE** Renovated Baby Oasis for Ikea – Rhodes Shopping Centre, Level 4, 1 Rider Blvd, Rhodes Sydney

Hi mums and dads!

Ikea Rhodes has given the Baby Oasis a makeover. Check out the new photos!

The private feeding cubicles are bigger, and each one has powerpoints!  The toys in the kiddy corner are alot safer than what was in there before. We like the bag hooks on the walls, so you can rest the nappy bag without putting it on the floor.

Reviewed by B

Overall: Nappy change, feed, rest and play. Great! Lovely play area, with comfy couches and good little feeding cubicles.
Good Points: Right next to food hall; You don’t have to do the Ikea circuit to get to it – just straight up in the Ikea lift just inside the store entrance; Lots of fun things to keep your little ones entertained.
Bad Points: A couple of small planks of wood with screws sticking out were lying on the floor – not good!!!!! Nappy changes have to be done in a separate room – signs requesting this due to hygiene (fair enough I guess, but kinda inconvenient when we’re use to doing everything in the one place); The ‘duress’ button in the nappy change room – i’m thinking ’emergency’ might be easier for the general public to understand.

So my princess & I decided to tackle the wonderful world of Ikea last Wednesday. We haven’t been there in ages!! Main reason for the lag between visits is the time it takes to walk around the place. Crazy!! BUT we have since discovered the express route to the Parent Room – hooray!!!!
Just to the left of the grand escalator leading you to home improvement paradise, you’ll see the lift. Press the Up button, get in, and head to Level 5. Ta dah!!!! You’ll arrive at the Ikea Restaurant/Food Hall. Out of the elevator You’re faced with the seating area of the food hall, and to the right is the Feeding & Play area for little ones. It really is great.

There are 3 feeding cubicles, with curtains for privacy. Each has a comfy armchair and some shelves, plus a HUGE poster to let you know not to change nappies in there. This must be done in the Baby Change room, located down a small hallway along the side of the food hall/restaurant. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve always thought Ikea smells like a nappy bucket anyway so I don’t see why they don’t want nappies changed in this room. Being right next to the seating area of the food hall/restaurant could have something to do with it (der!).

For little ones there are colourful rugs, chairs and cushions. Shelves, mini kitchen utensils, little sink etc to keep them well entertained. The flat screen television is real, but some wires have been pulled out underneath so….it’s not working. The microwave is also real and……it works!!! Yay!!!
So remember when you are in this particular room, you can feed, rest and play……but NO NAPPY CHANGES! (i’ll show you the room for nappy changes in just a sec).

Okay! To change nappies, you have to leave the feeding & play area. Annoying I know, but who wants to get kicked out of Ikea?! Could be a fun story to tell afterwards though hehehe. Anyway, right next to the food hall/restaurant is a hallway. It’s between the foodhall/restaurant and the awesome kids furniture/accessories part of Ikea. So head up the hall, and to your left you’ll find a door with one of those stick figure pictures of a person changing a baby. Stick figures must be a universal language.
You’re not going to have much room for a pram, unless it is an umbrella stroller. If you’re happy to do a 50pt turn with your pram in this room, then go for it! Otherwise, just leave it outside the door – or use it to chock the door open! That way you can keep an eye on it.
Toilet, nappy dispenser, paper towels, change bench, bin, sink, soap – all there. You really don’t have space or any reason to want to stay in this room for any longer than is necessary, except to read the ‘What We Do For Kids’ promo or the ‘Kids Menu’ poster. Got to have some reading material while you or your little one is on the loo.
There’s one loo. Above it is the sanitising spray thing, where you put paper underneath it, push the unit and sanitising spray spritzes out. Give the seat a wipe down and off you go.
Now, do you see the BIG RED BUTTON?
Yep, the button that’s bright and big and just the right height for little people to be able to whack it. Well, it’s the ‘duress’ button (more commonly known and understood to be the ’emergency’ button). Alot of us would know what ‘duress’ means, but I reckon it’s safe to say that there’s a whole lot of people who don’t know what it means. You could be forgiven for giving it a belt just to see what happens. Seriously, going to the loo or changing nappies should not require an advanced level of English. Just put ’emergency’ on the button!! And put it higher up the wall, away from curious little hands.
If your little person is mobile, you’ll probably need to keep a close eye on them in here. For such a tiny room there’s a bit for little people to get into. The big red button, for starters. The waste paper bin lid doesn’t sit properly on the unit, and would easily hit the floor with a gentle nudge. The paper towel unit above the sink was open and spilling towels when we visited. Just another play area really.
Personally, I’m not a fan of the position of the change area. It’s a bit difficult to change bubs when she’s lying crossways. Maybe it’s just me. The raised side is great, however, as it helps keep bub in place during the nappy change. If it means bubs doesn’t fall into the nappy bins below, I am happy.
So the Parent Room/s in Ikea are pretty good really. Not the best but not the worst either. And for place that does a $1 hot dog…………what more could you ask for?!! I like it 🙂
Categories
NSW Rhodes

Rhodes Shopping Centre – Level 4 (corridor between cinema and foodcourt), 1 Rider Blvd, Rhodes, Sydney

Reviewed by B

Overall: Nappy change, feed, rest and play. Excellent, spacious, clean facilities. Easy to get around with wide walkways, travelators and lifts throughout the centre.
Good Points: Great play area, comfortable feeding cubicles, spacious change area. Additional Parent Rooms in Ikea and on the lower shopping level of the centre. Excellent monthly morning tea program for Mums and Bubs.
Bad Points: Furnishings are starting to look a little worn. Few Parents With Prams parking spaces. Massively busy on weekends and school holidays.

Great shopping centre with travelators, lifts, wide pram-friendly walkways, and a fabulous indoor playground – plus a great couple of Parent Rooms!
The one we checked out on this visit is on Level 4. Head to the food court, between Oporto and Reading Cinemas you’ll head up the little corridor and find the Parent Room to your right. Easy!

Great big flat silver button to press which opens the auto-sliding door. Toilet is directly on the left as soon as you walk in the room. During school hours on weekdays, it’s fairly quiet compared to loads of other shopping centres. So the Parent Room is fairly quiet and clean most of the time (except for weekends – it can get quite manic!). The change bench is long and a good height, with nappy bins located underneath. A couple of couches are in the room, giving us mums the ability to have a much needed rest for a few minutes. Little ones can entertain themselves in the fenced play area. Love these play areas!!
The feeding cubicles are pretty good. Comfy low set armchairs with side tables. Privacy is provided by curtains at the front of each cubicle and hard walls in between each one.

Little important extras are in this room: change area liners (pull the paper down from the roll above the change bench and rip off the length of paper you need); sink and soap dispenser next to each change groove; clean, working microwave; Leaflets available on the Mums and Bubs Club, plus other activities in the centre.

There really isn’t a great deal more to say about this place. It’s just a really nice, well laid out shopping centre. Two levels of stores, all accessible via travelator or lifts. Great indoor play area for kids, with comfy couches so parents can rest and have a coffee while the kids play. And if you need a bit more quiet, just head to the Parent Rooms where the kids can keep playing but you can get a bit of much needed quiet time.

Go check it out!