The Wonderful Westfield Mall of Fairfield

This is our new favorite mall. Not because the stores are exceptional... or because of the location per se... or because of the people you'd find there. No. It's all because of this one amenity that we haven't yet to find anywhere else - the Family Lounge.

So you might be asking us, "What the heck is a Family Lounge?". Well in a lots of places, it's just a larger bathroom that a mom (or dad) can take a few children and help them go to the bathroom, without the wait and with the room for strollers and multiple children. But the Fairfield Mall's lounge is different. The fist time we walked in, we were stunned. It is clean, it is nicely furbished and has all the amenities that a parent and especially nursing mother could want.

First, it has a row of changing stations, with special areas where babies won't roll off the changing table. They even thoughtfully added mirrors and mobiles so kids could be entertained while having their diapers changed. On this row of changing stations, there is a small sink next to each station... to clean your hands of course. Then there is the usual family sized bathroom that includes even a kid sized toilet. Second, it has three rooms with cloth curtains for nursing children. The rooms have separate light switches, comfy padded chairs and even reading material. To say the least, a mom could fall asleep in there while nursing! It's that nice. And then to top it off, it has a microwave, a bottle warming machine, a TV (that plays some cartoon movie), couches for the husband and some toddler block toys (like you see at doctor offices) to keep the rest of the family entertained.

So, if you're a new mom in the area or a to be new mom... know that you can get out and about and not have to worry about all the challenges of changing, feeding or getting to the restroom yourself at the Fairfield Mall (BTW, the exit is Travis Boulevard). And, you can probably get some shopping in too!