I visit Nex quite often as it’s pretty near our home and the shopaholic in me needs to go window shopping it’s a good place for meals with friends every now and then. My first ever outing alone with Noah was to Nex, and to meet a fellow nursing mummy and her little one, so we had to make sure we knew where the nursing rooms in the mall are. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many nursing rooms listed on their website!
Nursing Rooms are located at every level of the mall. SkyGarden (Level 4R) – Near Serangoon Public Library Level 4 – near Food Junction & near Virtualand Level 3 – near Isetan Level 2 – near Isetan & near Watsons Level 1 – near G2000 & near Crystal Jade Kitchen Basement 1 – near M1 & near Shokutsu 10 Basement 2 – near Kim Eng Securities & near Jean Yip Hub
We visited the one on Level 1, near G2000 and Crystal Jade Kitchen, and I visited one on Level 3, which is actually in Isetan itself, at the Children’s Department, on a separate day. (To be reviewed in a later post.)
Nex Nursing Room (Level 1) Note: I think all the nursing rooms listed above are equipped with the same items as they are all managed by Nex. I didn’t manage to check the other nursing rooms out but the one we visited on Level 2 initially was occupied and looked exactly the same from the outside as the one on Level 1.
Facilities: 2.5/5 What really bugged me was the pathetic nursing stool, yes, STOOL. Excuse me, but the person who decided to put a stool in there instead of a chair, has clearly never tried to nurse a baby comfortably before. I don’t know about other nursing mothers, and maybe everyone else but me has a baby who doesn’t squirm or kick at least once while being breastfed, but a chair with a proper backrest would have been nice.
The sad stool
Oh and did you notice the location of the nursing stool? Yup, right next to the sink. It has also been chained to the changing table next to it, perhaps because someone has removed/stolen the stools before, although I really can’t understand why people do these things. Where are you going to put that stool? Are you going to steal the stools from all the nursing rooms in Nex to complete your collection? I can just imagine it:
Guest: Oh what interesting stools you have! Where did you get them? Thief: Nex. I only have five now, but I’ll go and get another one to complete my dining chairs set soon, once I get a chain cutter.
Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Why on earth would you want a stool from a public nursing room that resembles a toilet? But I digress.
To be fair, the nursing room is fairly well-equipped with a water dispenser, sink, hand dryer, changing table, bin and a large roll of toilet paper. However, the height of the changing table was a problem for me. I think the architects who design such facilities need to take into consideration that there are short mothers who are of average height. It really is quite difficult to change a squirming baby’s diaper when your arms are stretched awkwardly just to be able to reach the other side of the diaper. My friend who is taller than me wasn’t all that comfortable changing her baby’s diaper and I’m sure she’s not the only one who will appreciate a lower changing table.
Water dispenser
Changing area
Close-up of changing area
There also isn’t a lot of space for a diaper bag on the counter, although I guess you can put it on the nursing stool. There is a hook for you to hang your bag, but it’s behind the door, and any mother will tell you that it’s too far from the changing table. Your baby can easily roll off the changing table while you turn your back for just a second to grab something from your bag.
Cleanliness: 3/5 The soap dispenser was out of soap and the sink looked like it was clogged, with bits of unidentifiable material in and on it. The floor was relatively dry and the changing area was dust-free. As it is situated next to the toilets, it wasn’t all that pleasant smelling either.
Conclusion While I appreciate the fact that there are so many nursing rooms in the mall, it would have been nice if they were larger and didn’t feel so claustrophobic. I would also prefer to nurse in a restaurant or cafe, rather than in one of these rooms, as it just feels too much like a slightly modified toilet cubicle.
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