Lillian Saleh: What do they expect mums to do? Pee standing up?

WHAT’S with all the poorly designed parents’ rooms at local shopping centres? The nicer ones have lounges and a little play area, but mostly others are lucky to offer an uncomfortable seat and curtains that smell like they haven’t been cleaned in a year.

The parents room at Stockland shopping centre in Baulkham Hills.

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I AM convinced no man EVER has changed a nappy in the parents’ room of their local shopping centre. How else can you explain some of the poorly designed rooms?

Where do I start? Doors that don’t open automatically so you have to use your pram as a battering ram just to get in. And then you are confronted with side-facing change tables that make changing a nappy an Olympics gymnastics event.

The design of parent rooms at shopping centres are a bit hit and miss.

And anyone who’s had a baby knows when Mother Nature calls you better answer quick smart. So imagine the horror of a toilet cubicle that doesn’t fit the pram in. Not sure what designers expected mums to do with their bubs while they did their business? Leave them at the mercy of kidnappers or pee with the door open?

It’s not like we can stand at a urinal with bubba safely in their pram. I usually end up holding it till I get home — and let’s just say good thing I do my pelvic floor exercises.

Parents’ rooms also offer a much-needed refuge away from judgmental stares from strangers when your little darling is in the midst of a screaming fit.

The nicer ones have lounges and a little play area where you can just chill out before facing the real world again.

The poorly designed ones are lucky to offer an uncomfortable seat and curtains that smell like they haven’t been cleaned in a year.

This parents room at Stockland Merrylands would get ticks of approval from many parents.

Pre-baby I used to see mums pushing prams around my local centre and wonder why they didn’t have anything better to do.

Post-baby I soon discovered my local shopping centre was a welcome escape especially in the first few months when my son would happily sleep while I did laps of Kmart sipping coffee.

A quick Google search and I soon discovered that I am not the only one obsessed with the state of parents rooms.

There are websites dedicated to the better ones across Sydney — which put the ones I’ve been in to shame.

So this weekend, I will be bypassing my local centres and taking a drive to Top Ryde instead.