Access to the baby room is at the ladies' fashion department
We were there about a month ago and it was in the morning before the crowd arrived, so the whole place was clean and without any bad smell (which usually happen towards the end of the day).
The diapering area (pic above), which is to your left when you enter the room, is huge. There are seven changing tables (and you can probably fit in as many strollers in that space), with a highchair, a sofa and some chairs around this area.
The breastfeeding room is located on the other side of the room (to the right of the main entrance).
The first time I used the baby room, I was there to breastfeed Kenan. I ended up being disappointed with the design of the nursing room. As I made my second visit months later, I was still disappointed as no improvements were made. Maybe my expectations have been high but given that it's Takashimaya, I sort of expected better standards.
Let me show you why I was disappointed:
The nursing room uses curtain instead of a door. Once you enter, you are immediately greeted by the armchair (or a mom breastfeeding her baby). If at this moment you think the room is only meant for one nursing mom, you are wrong!
Can you see another curtain at the side of the chair? Behind there are more 'cubicles'. Honestly, I don’t know exactly how many but from what I had observed previously, it's probably two others in there. Imagine the inconvenience in trying to access the other 'cubicles'! That's why I say the room is poorly designed. It's not a nice feeling when you're breastfeeding here, especially the one directly facing the main entrance (which I was using!) because whoever want to access the other 'cubicles' will end up disturbing you and people on the way to get water can peep in.
And speaking of water, there's both hot and cold water available. It's just next to the nursing room.
I really do wish that nursing rooms can be better designed to give breastfeeding moms greater comfort and privacy. For me, the nursing room was one of the factors I considered when deciding which malls to go to when I was still breastfeeding my boy. So we were going to Great World City quite a bit because I totally love the nursing room there. Of course, there is also one of our favourite Japanese restaurants at GWC.
So, can any moms help confirm if the Takashimaya nursing room can be used by three moms at any one time?
Ratings:
Cleanliness: 4/5
Amenities: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5
MORE REVIEWS: Hop over to Madeline's (otherwise known as the Mad Psych Mum) blog and see more nursing room reviews, she's done a great job doing this and there are lots of accompanying photos as well!
