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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| Two loos – very good! |
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| 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!
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| 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.