Saturday 17 March 2012

Top 5 Worst Nursing Rooms in Singapore

I've finally put together my best and worst nursing rooms (which have been judged based on this review criteria) after visiting more than 70 nursing rooms in Singapore. And since I believe in hearing the bad news before the good, I'll be starting with the worst nursing rooms first.

#1: East Point Mall
Located on the 6th floor of the mall, there is only one nursing room available in this mall which is too small to accomodate a stroller and has no amenities except for a sink. It is also very secluded in the evening and there was a small gap between the door and the floor (I mean someone could just peep in) which made me feel very insecure while feeding my baby. I was so freaked out, I totally forgot to take pictures of it.

#2: IKEA
The nursing rooms at both Ikea stores in Alexandra and Tampines look the same and have similar amenities. The difference is that there are 2 nursing rooms at Ikea Tampines (Level 1 & 2) but only 1 nursing room at Ikea Alexandra. As there are so few nursing rooms in Ikea, most of the time I find myself waiting to use the nursing room on weekends when there is a large crowd of people. And with a screaming and hungry baby in my arms, it's really an unpleasant wait indeed.
Clockwise (from top left): changing table and disposable diapers dispenser; sink and tissue dispenser; nursing chair
(picture taken at Ikea Alexandra)
There are also very few amenities available except for a sink, electrical point and diapers dispenser and may even have a bad smell on weekends when it is not cleaned regularly. For a supposedly child-friendly place, the nursing room facilities certainly does not cater to the needs of mothers with young infants and toddlers.

#3: Iluma
Although there are more than one nursing room available in this mall (located on levels 1, 2 & 3), the nursing rooms were small (can at most squeeze 1 stroller in) and there were no amenities except for one sink.
Clockwise (from top left): door with a transparent glass panel in the middle that lets you see everything that is going on inside; changing table and seat for nursing; sink
There were no electrical points, which may make expressing milk more inconvenient. But the biggest problem I have is the glass panel on the door which signals to me that this room was probably not designed to be a nursing room since it totally defeats that purpose. In addition, there was a bad smell coming from inside the room when I visited it so my guess is that it's not cleaned regularly.

#4: Junction 8
Located next to various toilets at levels 2 & 3, there are more than enough nursing rooms available in this mall. However, once again the nursing rooms were small, plain, old and had no amenities except for a sink.
Left: Changing table and sink; Right: A tiny little uncomfortable stool for nursing
You can tell how old and dirty everything is even in the photos! And the stool for nursing was very uncomfortable. Needless to say, it was not a very good experience for me and baby.

#5: Wisma Atria
Located on the 3rd floor within the female toilet, there is only one nursing room available in this mall. There was more than one occasion where I experienced either having to wait for the room or having someone wait for me to finish using it.
Anti-clockwise (from top): Entrance to the toilet has a nursing symbol informing you of the availability of a nursing room inside; couch for nursing and changing table; sink and detergent
Although it was fairly large (can accomodate about 2 strollers), there were no amenities available except for a sink. As is it located inside the female toilet, it was not very clean and has a bad smell. It's also often mistaken as a resting area since only a curtain separates the nursing area from the main toilet. Since then, I usually make my way to other nursing rooms in the area to avoid having to use this one.

But the last thing I want to say is that although these nursing rooms ain't very good, it's after all still better than having to nurse in public or in the toilet (which I have done countless of times) so for that I'm still thankful. I just wish they could upgrade it and make it a better experience for all of us.

Do check back tomorrow for my list of best nursing rooms. In the meantime, visit my nursing room review page for more of my reviews =)

P.S: This list is generated based on my own personal experiences with the nursing rooms. However, improvements may have been made (perhaps the malls got feedback and did something about it) since I last used the rooms. Please let me know if there is any changes and I'll update my page!
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