Tag: changing stations

The Cosmopolitan: Exciting Vibe? Yes! Baby-Friendly? No.

Context is everything.

Family Restrooms: Yes
Diaper Changing Stations: Yes
Lactation Space: No
Stroller-Friendly: Somewhat
Overall Child-Friendly: No
Time Spent: 1-2 hours

My candid review of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas can only begin with a telling argument between my husband and me. He hated the fact that we were crowded into a tiny casino restroom, caring for our 10-month-old baby in a space much more well-suited to nightlife. I did too. But was I grateful, in the moment, that we found a private space at all.

As it turns out, had we looked a bit harder, we would have found a space much more suitable: a family restroom. Our search, during a family trip we took in May of 2023, turned up several gender-neutral restrooms, and we finally opted to use one of these as a private spot to pump. My husband came in with me to offer a second pair of hands, which helps as a strategy to keep things as sanitary as possible.

When we returned from our trip, I made a follow-up inquiry with the MGM Hotel Group, which includes the Cosmopolitan. I learned that there is at least one family restroom with a diaper-changing station on site. I reached out to ask about the location, but I haven’t heard back. If I do, I’ll be sure to update this post. In the meantime, if anyone finds it, please feel free to reach out.

In my post-travel research overall, I’ve learned that many places we visited had more family amenities than we realized. Surely, user error played a role in our failure to locate them. But I think it’s also important to consider findability, especially since some amenities were clearly labeled and convenient. For that reason, along with overall tone, I’ve ranked the Cosmopolitan toward the bottom of my ranking of baby-friendly attractions in Las Vegas, at #12.

Now is a great time for a reminder that this review of the Cosmopolitan is based primarily on our experience there with our 10-month-old daughter. Which is to say, an experience that doesn’t capture the resort’s main audience. We made it work, but I wouldn’t recommend the Cosmopolitan for pumping or breastfeeding in private. There is no public lactation space on site. The family restroom might be an ok spot to pump, but it’s hard for me to say without seeing inside. It would be great to see more lactation spaces all along the Strip, as well as more guidance to help families locate the existing amenities.

If you are planning to pump on the go, at the Cosmopolitan or otherwise, you’ll need the right equipment. I picked the Medela Pump in Style breast pump specifically because it comes with a battery pack, tote bag, and mini-cooler, making it portable and perfect for travel. There was no need to find an outlet, as long as I kept my pump charged. My insurance doesn’t cover any wearable breast pumps, like the Elvie or Willow Go, but I’m very curious about them. If they’re effective, they certainly would have made a huge difference on our trip.

Our family travels with the Medela Pump in Style breast pump, the tote bag and mini-cooler it comes with, and a backpack-style diaper bag, among other necessary supplies.

As for moving through the Cosmopolitan with a stroller, we encountered many ups and downs, literally. We took our Evenflo Pivot Xpand Stroller with us throughout our trip, and I’m glad we did. We were able to easily transfer our daughter from rental car to stroller, and the storage space at the bottom was indispensable, considering all the pumping supplies I was carrying. The downside was the number of elevators. At the Cosmopolitan, we zigged and zagged, searching for appropriate restrooms and elevators to get us where we needed to be.

The Cosmopolitan does look like an exciting place to stay with friends, or as a couple. It advertises itself as a luxury resort, and the advertising isn’t wrong. I enjoyed the quirky, colorful vibe. We encountered lots of edgy, Alice-in-Wonderland-esque decor and plenty of modern, pink elements, all of which align with my personal aesthetic. This stop also came with a fun mystery: the hunt for Secret Pizza, a hidden restaurant that offers a variety of large, cheesy slices. We found it, and the pizza was delicious.

That said, it was obvious from the get-go that this resort’s draw wasn’t its baby-friendliness. My best advice is to move through quickly, or plan to visit while baby is with a sitter. In our case, we celebrated the gender-neutral restroom and our well-sleuthed pizza, and then we moved along to the next stop. 

Recharge With Amazing Tacos After Pumping at Tacotarian

Tacos at your table after pumping: need I say more?

Family Restrooms: No
Diaper Changing Stations: Yes
Lactation Space: None
Stroller-Friendly: Yes
Overall Child-Friendly: Yes
Time Spent: 1 hour

It might seem odd to include a taco restaurant in my ranking of baby-friendly spots in Las Vegas. But if you know me, maybe it doesn’t seem odd at all. In all seriousness, Tacotarian offers more than just a great bite to eat. They came to our rescue a couple of times during our family trip. They provided a boost of family-friendly vibes precisely when I needed them, along with private restrooms and delicious vegetarian food. That’s why Tacotarian earns a number-six ranking in my list. 

Tacotarian was our first stop after arriving in Las Vegas in May of 2023, as my husband and I (mostly me) faced some early-trip jitters about navigating Vegas with our 10-month-old daughter. Nothing in the area looked particularly family-oriented or baby-friendly. But when we walked into Tacotarian, I started to feel better. Granted, Mexican food tends to have that effect on me in a variety of contexts.

In this case, my relief was compounded by the two gender-neutral, single-user bathrooms we found, as well as the welcoming ambiance. We visited the location on Casino Center Blvd., and, while there was no dedicated lactation space, I was able to pump there without too much fuss.

I came prepared with the Medela Pump in Style breast pump, a choice I made during pregnancy. This pump comes with a battery pack, tote bag, and mini-cooler, making it portable and perfect for travel. Using these features, I found plenty of space in the Tacotarian restroom to set up a makeshift pumping station. Both restrooms were clean and pleasant.

My Medela Pump in Style pump came with the black and gray tote bag pictured here, and it has definitely come in handy!

When we returned home, I realized my memory was a bit fuzzy about the diaper changing stations. This trip inspired my blog, so I didn’t have all my ducks in a row yet while we were in Vegas. To fill in the gaps, I’ve been making direct inquiries, including an inquiry with Tacotarian. They confirmed that there is a changing table on site, in line with a relatively new law in Nevada that requires new buildings to have at least one changing table accessible to men and women.

Outside the restrooms, the atmosphere at Tacotarian was family-friendly, including a small gift shop that sold a couple children’s items. The menu focused on vegetarian food, which was a wonderful change of pace from the cuisine I’m used to as a vegetarian in Iowa. I ordered several different tacos and liked everything I tried, although I surprised myself by preferring the basic “Gabacho” with Beyond Beef. The extra calories you burn while pumping breast milk can mean great things when it comes to maximizing taco consumption. 

If you find yourself in the vicinity of a Tacotarian during your stay, I would definitely recommend stopping in, whether you’re hungry, seeking a family-friendly refuge, or both. There are four locations across the Las Vegas metro area, and they also have a new location in San Diego, CA. If you’re reading, Tacotarian, we would love to see a location all the way over in Iowa!