Family lounge and nursing room at Westfield Wheaton

I don't know how many people in the area know about this new-mom hidden treasure, but it is awesome and totally unexpected. In Wheaton, MD, just a bit north of DC in the suburbs, in the shopping mall formerly known as Wheaton Plaza and currently called Westfield Shoppingtown Wheaton, on the second floor near JC Penny, there is a food court. Right off the food court, there is a "family restroom." For years I have been frequenting this mall, and it never occured to me to check out the family restroom (of course, until recently, I never had much need for one). Anyway, I thought a family restroom merely referred to a large bathroom with one toilet and one sink where a mother could bring in her son or a father his daughter without bothering any other restroom users. Maybe that's still the case in some places, but not at Wheaton Plaza.

The "family restroom" here could better be described as an entire family lounge. When you walk in, to your left, along the wall, is a long row of changing tables (concave so baby doesn't roll out) with--think how clever this is--sinks right next to them. There is also a microwave (for warming baby food with caution, I guess) and an electric bottle-warmer. To your right, there is a play area for young children that has a child-size table and several child-size chairs and a television playing cartoons. Behind the play area, there are three nursing booths that resemble small changing rooms with armchairs and with curtains over the doors. These are perfect for any shy breastfeeders, although I find that many changing rooms in the mall are also more than adequate--and there is also a very comfortable sofa in Macy's ladies' room--if you find you need to nurse and are nowhere near the food court. Finally, at the back, there is the large bathroom part of the family restroom, but instead of one toilet and one sink, it contains one adult-sized toilet and sink and one child-sized toilet and sink.

Even if you don't need to use the family restroom, you might want to swing by just to marvel at it! The only downside I have found is that the cartoons are pretty loud, so an older baby may be distracted while nursing.

Additional props to Westfield: Wheaton Plaza also has reserved parking for expectant moms near many of its entrances.

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