Categories
NSW Windsor

Windsor Riverview Shopping Centre – 227 George Street, Windsor NSW 2756

Overall: Good. Has all the essentials. Nappy change, rest, feed, play.

Good Points: Easy to find! Automatic push button glass doors. Clean, working microwave. Sink for food prep/nappy change areas. Paper towel at main sink. Change bench has 3 change bays, with bins underneath the bench. A wipes unit mounted on the wall to wipe down the change area before and after use. Gorgeous mural on the main wall. Play Panel in the main room, and in one of the cubicles, with all pieces intact. Two private feeding cubicles. Kid and adult size toilets.

Bad Points: Shared sink for food prep and baby change area. No powerpoints in cubicles. Nowhere to rest nappy bags in the cubicles. Curtains for privacy. Hand dryer in toilet. Sanitary bin next to kids toilet. Kids toilet roll is a bit far from the toilet.

We headed to Windsor last week to check out the Sand Sculpting Championships. Usually we’d do this kind of thing on a weekday, to avoid crowds, but this time we thought we’d change tack on go on a Saturday. Ahhhhh when you’re on a good thing, stick to it! The line-up to enter the outdoor exhibition was pretty long, so we headed across the road to the little amusement fair that’d been set up behind the shopping centre.

We had a fun time! Our little one went nuts on the mini  bouncy castle thing, inflatable slide, and the swings. Naturally it did not go down well when we decided to leave. Oh my gosh, what a drama. However, we managed to distract the lil tiger with the local shopping centre, at the back of the park.

Considering how busy it was in Windsor that weekend, the Parent Room in the shopping centre was in great condition. It was easy to find (love good clear signs in shopping centres), spacious and clean! There are loads of other places that could learn a couple of things from this place.

Photo13.jpg
Photo13.jpg
Photo12.jpg
Photo12.jpg
Photo11.jpg
Photo11.jpg
Photo10.jpg
Photo10.jpg

From the undercover car park, we went up the travelator and immediately saw the shopping centre directory signs hanging from the ceiling. Right away we knew where to go to find the Parent Room – just slightly to the right of the travelator, and down the hallway. The Parent Room is on the left hand side of the hallway, right at the end. Just push the big green button and the glass sliding doors whoosh open. These doors are the best thing ever for parents with prams. They just make life so much simpler.

The main part of the room is HUGE! The wall to the left has had a fabulous mural added to it, really brightening up the room. On the right side are the change benches and food prep area. At the back there’s two private feeding cubicles, and on the left is the toilet.

The baby change area is quite good. The benches are clean, but if you’re at all worried, just pull out a wipe from the unit mounted on the wall and give the space a wipe down. The nappy bins are tucked away underneath the benches, away from little hands. The The microwave is on the adjacent bench, with clear instructions it is only to be used for heating baby bottles. It’d be interesting to see if any staff from the centre stores are ever in here using it to heat lunches (it wouldn’t be the first or last shopping centre where this happens), but hopefully they don’t. The only downside in this part is there’s just one sink to use for washing hands after changing nappies, and for bottle prep. Hmmm…..not the best.

Anyway, on to the feeding cubicles! There’s two private feeding cubicles at the back of the room. Each one has an armchair, a curtain to provide privacy, and one of the cubicles has a Play Panel (perfect for the parent who has a toddler in tow while needing to feed a baby). The cubicles could do with a little table of shelf for nappy bags, and a powerpoint. Apart from that, they’re in pretty good condition.

Now for the toilets. There’s both adult and child size toilets – yay!!!!! Each loo has it’s own toilet paper dispenser, although the one for the little loo could be a little closer to the toilet. The sanitary bin would have been better place between the big loo and the wall, especially as it did appear to be overflowing (eewww!). There’s just one sink in here, and a soap unit and hand dryer. Hand dryers are such a pain in the neck! Not just from a hygiene viewpoint, but the noise. Our little one goes bananas at the sound of hand dryers! Paper towel wins hands down with us every single time, and you could always wait until you get out of the loo and use the sink near the microwave – there’s paper towel there!

At the end of the day, we were pretty happy with this Parent Room. The next time we’re out there, probably to check out the markets, we’ll be coming back to Riverview Shopping Centre to use the Parent Room…..and do the last minute dinner shopping before heading home.