Tag: Westfield

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Chatswood NSW

Westfield Chatswood, Level 2 – Anderson Street, Chatswood NSW 2067

Reviewed by C


Overall: Okay. Big room but cold and kind of empty. Has potential for a whole lot more. Nappy change, feed.


Good Points: Big room! Long clean change benches, with sinks and soap dispensers in easy reach. Two private feeding cubicles. Big and little loo.


Bad Points: Not at all inviting. Entry door not easiest to open. Cold. Small feeding cubicles with bright lighting. No powerpoints in feeding cubicles. One standard height sink in toilet. Sanitary bin between big and little loo.

Follow the pretty pink sign

The Parent Room on Level 2 is pretty easy to find, which is lovely. In fact, Westfield has done a good job with the positioning of Parent Rooms in Chatswood. The Level 2 room is down the hallway, between Priceline and a travel agent (sorry, I didn’t note which company). If you’re looking at Coles, head to your right and the hallway is to the right of the escalators. 

Here’s the Parent Room front door
Follow the hallway as it snakes around the corner, and the pink signs will direct you to the Parent Room. The laminated Parent Room sign on the front door didn’t really give me confidence about what was inside. And I wasn’t really surprised at the fitout of the room. It’s big and has almost all you and your bub need, it’s not somewhere that makes you feel comfortable staying in for too long. And after visiting the Food Court Parent Room, I don’t think there was much left in budget to do any renovations here.

Massive change bench with 2 change bays
The change bench is enormous! It’s to your right as you walk in and runs almost the entire length of the wall. There’s only 2 change bays, and each has a sink and soap dispenser right next to it, plus nappy bins in the pullout cupboards underneath. Going forward it’d be a good idea to put in a new bench with more change bays – make use of all the extra space! On the other hand, having so much room means you can spread out all your nappy bag contents while you search for the packet of baby wipes.

Microwave at the end of the bench. 
At the far end of the change bench is the microwave. It’s clean and working – yay! There isn’t a separate sink or bin, which presents a hygiene issue. Extra powerpoints are to the left of the microwave, against the wall. These are the only additional powerpoints in the Parent Room. So for anyone needing to express using an electric pump, just be aware you’ll not have any privacy and will have to stand.

Two private feeding cubicles
There’s two private feeding cubicles in this room. Each has a club chair and side table, with a curtain at the entry for privacy. The lighting above is quite bright, which isn’t very soothing or relaxing. And given the massive amounts of unused space in this room, the cubicles could be bigger and nicer. But it is a quiet room, so apart from the lighting and size…..it’s not too bad. You can fit your pram into the cubicles but it’d be a struggle to have anyone else in there with you apart from just you and your little one.

Doorway to the toilet – on your left as you enter the room

Along the wall to your left is the toilets. It’s a regular door to open, which is nice – means not having to use the pram or your body to keep it open while you get everything inside. There is a big loo and a little loo and each has a toilet roll dispenser. The downside for the little loo is the toilet paper is too high and far from the loo. So little ones might need some help here. And my other pet peeve – the sanitary bin is, yet again, placed between the two toilets. There is sooooo much room between the big toilet and the wall…….why isn’t it there!

Two loos – very good!

Sink, soap and hand-dryer – bit high for little ones to reach
The sink is regular height, with the taps, soap and hand dryer out of reach for most little ones. So parents and carers, hang about to give your little angels some help here. They might need a booster to reach the taps and wash hands. The upside to this bathroom though is it’s clean. Unlike some I’ve seen, you don’t have to worry about what your kids are going to find in rubbish on the floor – because there isn’t any. Yay!

Just a television and one wall mounted play unit for entertainment
For entertainment or distraction….there’s not much in here. So much space, so under utilised! There’s a single wall mounted play unit on the left wall as you walk in, and a flat screen tv beside the main door. That’s it. Most parents and carers BYO toys, books etc when going out with little ones anyway, but just make sure you have something with you if you’re intending on using this room for any longer than just a quick visit. I think even I’d go stir crazy in here without something to do.

Like the other rooms in Westfield Chatswood, this one does the job. It’s clean, big and you can do pretty much everything you need to. For a quick stop, this is good. But for comfort and something that looks after mum/dad/carer and bubs a bit better, head up to the Food Court room on Level 4.




Categories
Chatswood NSW

Westfield Chatswood, Food Court, Level 4 – Anderson Street, Chatswood NSW 2067

Reviewed by C


Overall: Best room at Westfield Chatswood! Nappy change, rest, feed, play. Clean and spacious.


Good Points: Easy entry – big sliding frosted glass doors. Nappy change area separate to food prep area. Decent size play area. Two darkened private feeding cubicles. Clean and working microwave. Separate sinks for food prep and nappy change areas. Extra seating just inside the entrance. Big loo and little loo.


Bad Points: No powerpoints in feeding cubicles. Feeding cubicles are a little small. No paper towel at the nappy change bench. Shop staff like to use the microwave. Sanitary bin between big and little loo.

The sign at the front of the door so you know you’re in the right place

After a lovely half hour of awesome playtime at Softplay (never been to a timed play centre before), we were ready for some foooodd!!!! So what else are you going to do? Head to the food court! Yippee!
We got the lift from Level 6 down to Level 4 and made our way across to the food court. Bub and dad went to Subway, while I went to Maccas. Yep, Subway is definitely the better choice but the Happy Meals had My Little Pony’s! And I…oops!….and Casey really wanted a pony. 

Anyway, looking around checking out the parent and child friendliness of the food court, I spotted the signs for the toilets and saw there was a Parent Room there too! Very very happy mummy. The hallway to the bathrooms and Parent Room is in the far right corner of the food court, between a kebab outlet and Oporto (I think) Look for the signs hanging down from the ceiling – cannot miss it.

The food court is okay. Has all the usual suspects of fast/semi-fast food. Some healthy options which is good to see. There were a couple of high chairs dotted about the place, and various seating options – from chairs through to cushy stools and booths. Like most food courts, it’s manic during lunch hour so can be a bit tough to navigate with a pram. Umbrella strollers, however, are a cinch.

So the Parent Room! It has my favourite kind of door – big sliding frosted glass door with a big green button to whack to make it open. These doors make life soooo much easier. Once inside, it’s a pretty lovely Parent Room experience. Floating floorboards (or something that looks like it), green, creams and brown for the fitout – nice and soothing. 

The decals on the front sliding door are so welcoming. Love these doors. Perfect for the larger prams

Directly to your right as you walk in, there is a little extra seating area. I guess if the feeding cubicles are full, or your partner/hubby/friend/mum etc wants to give you some space or something, these couple of extra chairs come in handy. Directly to your left (opposite this little seat nook) is the toilet. 

Extra seating just to the right as you enter the Parent Room

Big loo and little loo

For the most part, the toilets get my approval – apart from the sanitary bin being between the 2 loos, instead of between the wall and the big loo. Anyway….the good thing is there are 2 loos!! Yay! Each has it’s own toiler paper dispenser, plus individual sink and soap. And there’s paper towel for drying hands – yay again!! Much more hygienic than hand dryers, and teaches little people to dry their hands properly before leaving the bathroom. I like it! It’s a pretty good size bathroom………definitely would be able to get a pram in there (if you don’t mind shunting the door open with the pram – one of those annoying pressure doors).

Love big and little sinks, with separate soap units

Spacious change area. Three change bays, two sinks

For little people requiring nappy changes, the change area has 3 bays, each with a sink to the side. The sinks have soap dispensers, and nappy bins are in pullout cupboards underneath the bench. The area is clean and well fitted out. Just make sure you  have something to dry your hands on (eg a flannel or tissues) as there isn’t a hand-dryer or paper towel within arms reach.

Separate food prep area, including separate sink.

At the far end of the Parent Room is the food prep area and the private feeding cubicles. The food prep area is pretty simple. Long bench, paper towels, sink with filtered water tap and soap dispenser, and a microwave tucked away in the corner.

Clean and working microwave

This is a lovely spacious food prep area. The only down side being it seems store staff like to use the microwave too! While we were in here, a nice young woman was in a store uniform, using the microwave to heat up her lunch. Don’t they have staff rooms in Westfield? 

Club chair inside one of the feeding cubicles

To the left of the food prep area are the two private feeding cubicles. There is a comfy club chair and little side table in each room, and a curtain provides privacy at the front. The cubicles are darker than you’d normally find in a Parent Room, which is a nice touch. Helps to make bubs more settled when feeding if the light is not so harsh. The downside of these cubicles is the size. They really are quite small. Just you, bub and the pram will fit in without room for anything or anyone else. The plus side is you get a very cosy feel.

The very fun play area

And now for the fun part! The play area!! Yep, when little ones are all clean and fed, you can let them loose in the secure play area. It has some funky artwork on the walls, including mirrored decals. There’s a couple of wall mounted activity units, a flat screen television, and some big fat round cushions/blocks to jump, sit or play on. The only problem I found was getting my little one away from this place. She was not interested in leaving! Fair enough, really.

All in all, this Parent Room at the Food Court in Westfield Chatswood is the best the shopping centre has to offer. It’s probably the most modern and definitely caters best to your needs in a Parent Room. I’d happily visit this one again for sure. 

Check it out and let me know what you think of it!





Categories
Chatswood NSW

Westfield Chatswood, Level 4 – Anderson Street, Chatswood NSW 2067

Reviewed by C


Overall: Not bad. Nappy change, feed and rest. Nothing really to keep kids entertained here. But for the essentials of a Parent Room, this is a good setup.


Good Points: Free disposable change mats; Loads of Parking with Prams spaces; Lifts to every floor; Easy to find; Clean and quiet.


Bad Points: Not as high a standard compared to other rooms in the shopping centre. Narrow doorway with pressure door making it difficult to get  in and out of the room; No powerpoints in cubicles – just on the change bench.

Level 4 Parent Room – go down the hallway to the left of Gregory jewellers, then right up a small hallway to the bathrooms (follow the signs)



I love Chatswood. Especially since Lush has opened a new store in Victoria street (bath ballistics and bubble bars are by far my all-time fave products). Anyway, my darling hubby had a couple of days off work so with DD in tow we piled into the car and headed on over to Chatswood. First stop – Westfield!

Albert Ave multi-level Car Park. Soooo many Parking with Pram spaces!


If you miss the big red signs hanging from the ceiling, then look for the pram paintwork on the ground.





Parking in the multi-level Albert Ave carpark is just the best. If you want the most Parking-with-Prams parking spaces on almost every level, and lots of spaces, then this is the place to go. We parked in this multi-storey instead of the carpark underneath Westfield because this one has loads more spaces over more levels. In a nutshell, it’s easier to get a park, especially a Parking-with-Prams carspace. We were on level 4 (i think!) and just walked across the catwalk, straight into Myer and Westfield. Too easy.


Now I knew when we were inside that I had seen a Soft Play centre and it was on one of the top floors. I looked up and saw it was way up on Level 6. With the centre directory in hand, we began our trek to play time – but of course we had to visit the first available Parent Room.

Level 4 – just the television to keep you entertained. Nice clean setup.
To get to this one, we came out of Myer, walked around to the left past Gregory jewellers and then left down a side walkway, then right (follow the signs) up a little white hallway to the toilets. And there on the right we found the Parent Room. 

Level 4 – nappy change, rest and feed. 

It’s definitely not the best of what Westfield Chatswood has to offer, but it’s handy, quiet and clean. There are two change bays, with nappy bins under the counters. The upside to this Parent Room is the free disposable change mats – the unit is against the wall between the two change bays. The downside is there’s nothing really for kids to play with, no powerpoints in cubicles, and the door is one of those pressure doors where you need to use the pram as a block to keep it open while you get inside.

Level 4 – sinks, soap, clean and working microwave.


Level 4 – extra armchairs, in case the cubicles are occupied.

The upside to this Parent Room, it’s quiet and clean. There are two private feeding cubicles, and each has a comfy armchair,side table, and enough room to fit your pram.  Curtains at the entrance of each provides privacy, which is fine. One of the cubicles is much deeper than the other (the one on the right!) so race to make sure you get it first hahaha!


Level 4 – two cubicles, clean, comfy, and the one on the right is deeper and a little cosier.


Level 4 – big and little loos with their own paper dispensers.

I almost left this one before checking the toilets. I think I was too excited about heading to my favourite source of bubble bath products – good thing my man and bubby were with me to keep me on track. Now the toilet room is a decent size, and there is a toilet for adults and another for kids. And each one has it’s own toilet paper roll.But my pet peeve has reared it’s head again because the sanitary bin has been put right between the two loos. Why??!!! Why can’t it be put between the big toilet and the wall. It just seems like the sensible thing to do, I think. 
Anyway, there’s just the one sink, soap dispenser and hand dryer here. So little ones, you may need to get some help 🙂

With pictures taken, opinions made, back out into the corridor and off to find the Lifts – we were in urgent need of playtime at SoftPlay!! Off to Level 6 – wahoo!!