Alternative Title: “A Definite Highlight of our Singapore Trip”
Our little family of three together with a few friends went on a quick trip to Singapore and stayed there from Friday night to Monday afternoon. It was an unplanned trip. We bought the tickets because airphilexpress was having a sale and you know the old Pinoy saying “kung anong di pinaplano syang natutuloy” really was the theme for our little party.
It was DW’s first international trip and his second airplane ride. His first was when we went to Dumaguete where we spent Christmas. The plane ride was smooth — so smooth in fact that DW kept dancing on his seat. Yep he was up and dancing on his seat the entire trip. He also kept looking at the lights which signaled if the lavatories were occupied or not. He’d scream RED! GREEN! RED! GREEN! when the lights change. (If you were with us during that trip last June 17, let me apologize. On behalf of my family: PASENSYA PO).
Travelling with a toddler on an international flight is not for the faint of heart. Especially if you have a kid as active as ours (maligalig is a better term to describe him). However all that took a back seat because Singapore is just awesome. I tweeted this after coming home.
One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to Ion Orchard not for the shopping (I WISH!) but to use the family room because DW needed a nappy change. Being in Manila, changing DW meant finding a washroom that was decent and that had a changing table. Not all our malls here in Manila have changing tables. Some of the tables are found inside larger cubicles for PWDs (people with disabilities) . Sometimes I shell out the 10 pesos just to use a cleaner bathroom. If we can’t find any clean bathrooms, we change DW in his stroller, using our changing pad. We usually just go to a secluded spot where he won’t be as exposed and change him there. I’d like to thank Manila malls for really setting the bar really low 😛
So when we saw ION’s family room. our jaws dropped. Even DW was confused.
DW: Where am I?
BDW and I were swooning. I was beside myself. ANG OA NG FAMILY ROOM! Best of all IT WAS FREE!!! No attendant to charge you at all!! It was paradise for poopy kids. DW was pooping in first world accommodations!
Let these pics show you the object of our swooning.
On one side: a working fan, a changing table and a comfy chair
The changing table. Our diaper clutch from ManilaBaby shop was a perfect fit. We bring our clutch everywhere!! #shamelessplugging
Don’t worry if you don’t have a changing pad or a diaper on hand
A Pigeon bottle warmer and a dispenser for hot and cold water were also available. We refilled of course.
This plus the fact that Singapore was accessible to strollers and wheelchairs made our trip with DW almost effortless. We didn’t have to worry about stairs because there were ramps and lifts everywhere and the curbs of their sidewalks were sloped. Public spaces had playgrounds and malls all had a family room of some sort where parents can comfortably change and breastfeed their babies. Of course, they were not as “posh” as ION’s but at least you had a clean, safe place to take your kid to when he/she needs to be fed and/or changed.
You only need to wave your hand at the sensor and the door opens.
The First World has spoiled us but then again shouldn’t our malls have the same facilities? Maybe developers and malls should think about these when building their megaplexes. I dream of my DW pooping in first-world facilities!! Don’t we all deserve better?
Ay nako! From now on I will be documenting family-friendly places here in Manila that have similar lounges or facilities. Do you know of any establishments here in Manila that have these? Please share them with us! We need to know because we need to encourage and applaud those places!
manilamommy says
July 13, 2011 at 10:44 amyes toni that’s the right word for it “considerate”
Toni says
July 13, 2011 at 12:16 amAng saya naman niyan. How super family-friendly. Ang hirap magpalit ng nappy sa mga restrooms dito. Exposed galore. That CR is just so considerate!
Gracie says
July 11, 2011 at 12:29 amit is my perpetual dream for my country to have a decent mother & child rooms like the ones i see here in Dubai. not only do they have wonderful changing rooms but there are also areas where they have rockers for Moms when they want to BF their babies.
len says
July 9, 2011 at 9:04 pmooh this has been such an issue for me the past few months hehe! i agree, we do deserve better! here’s my take:
greenbelt 5 – the PWD restroom may be used by parents for changing the baby and since stand-alone siya, both me and the daddy were able to go in. problem was, the music was blasting really loud and baby was fussy that time so it agitated him even more 🙁 and if i remember correctly, the changing table was on top of the toilet bowl, so it’s scary when baby moves around, mashu-shoot talaga siya yikes!
powerplant mall – changing rooms are inside a cubicle to at least hindi nakaka-conscious to do it in front of so many people when the restroom’s crowded 🙂 there’s also a sink inside so that’s a big help 🙂
sm – sawi! sikip na ng restrooms, hindi pa ideal ang location ng changing pads since it’s near the mirror where people crowd to fix their makeup or wash their hands, so you don’t really have space 🙁
and not in a mall but medical city doesn’t have changing stations inside its restrooms.
Eliza says
July 1, 2011 at 2:06 pmThe most decent changing areas in SM Malls are the ones in the Atrium ladies’ rooms of Megamall. In Shang, I use the Gymboree changing station. I too, hate the changing tables inside the PWD cubicle. Malls really should be more family-friendly. I wouldn’t mind if family rooms were paid lounges.
manilamommy says
July 1, 2011 at 9:42 amhey mommies! if you have pics you’d like to share of changing stations here in manila i can post them here! please send them at manilamommy(at)gmail(dot)com
@frances (topaz mommy) – you’ll love singapore frances! bring a sling na rin just in case vito doesn’t want to ride his stroller and wants to be carried instead hehe
Topaz Mommy says
June 30, 2011 at 5:26 pmWe’re going to Singapore soooooooon! =D
Because of your post, na-excite ako. Super duper!
applesanddumplings says
June 30, 2011 at 2:09 pmnice! wish we can have this in manila. i have used breastfeeding station in SM and in Rustan’s. but not as sosyal as that of SG. Rustan’s breastfeeding room has a crib, i just don’t know if they change the sheets of that.
mimi says
June 30, 2011 at 12:38 pmThat was the thing I appreciated most about Singapore, they were very baby-friendly. Ang raming ramps and lifts for the strollers and their changing rooms and breastfeeding rooms were very comfortable, at ang rami pa!
Sa Glorietta 5, yung mga stand-alone PWD toilets nila, andun yung changing table. So pwedeng Dad & Mom magkasama. Hate na hate ko kasi yung nasa Ladies Room lang yung changing table (especially when Katy was smaller, kasi mas mahirap mag-change ng soft and lots of poopy LOL)
SM City apparently doesn’t have a breastfeeding room still (well lahat ng tinanungan namin walang masagot e). I end up feeding sa fitting rooms na walang pila or sa CR cubicle.)
I remember Friday’s in BHS has a changing table in their ladies room. Natuwa rin ako nun when I saw it, kasi isa ring nirereklamo ko was restaurants not having changing tables in their bathrooms.
On our last out of town trip, puro public toilets kasi meron, so sa mga park benches na lang kami nagpapalit haha, kebs na, di naman namin sila kilala LOL
Clarice says
June 30, 2011 at 10:42 amAy! Ako I hate Shang malls coz they don’t have changing tables. Or at least they didn’t before when I would always hang out there. For this reason, I don’t go there when I’m with the kids. Yday, I had to go there and the pay lounge I went to did have a changing bed (it was nice, too, because it was really safe as it was a bed and not the normal folding table) but they didn’t have a sink low enough for my eldest so it was soooo hard to wash her hands.
manilamommy says
June 30, 2011 at 9:58 amHi Michelle (Mom-Friday)! – yeah! we’ve used the SM Prestige Lounge too but not everyone has access to that. Thanks to my mom, we’ve been able to use the facilities but as an ordinary SM Advantage member I can’t and I have to resort to changing DW in his stroller na lang 😛
Thanks for the RT too!
Mom-Friday says
June 30, 2011 at 9:24 amThat is soooooo cool!
Aside from Podium, Shangri-la and Greenbelt (i think), I enjoy the comforts of the SM Prestige Lounge where we can hang out/rest after shopping, drink complimentary iced tea or coffee, use their washrooms with clean and complete facilities w/ all the basic toiletries.