When we have a baby, we sometimes hit the mall simply because it’s clean and warm and dry and there are pretty things to look at. I once overheard a couple talking about how in the winter, they would take their sons to the mall before it opened, just so they could let them loose in the empty hallways.

It’s incredible that Montreal malls don’t offer more for children to do; don’t they get that if there’s an area for the kids to play, parents will stay longer and probably spend more money? On trips to Vancouver, I’ve noticed that many malls offer either a free play area for kids, or an on-site play centre with babysitting services. Kudos to Carrefour Laval for being one of the only malls here that has drop-off childcare for kids. Quartier Dix30 in Brossard is another standout in the family arena (although it is one of those outdoor malls). When you see the baby care rooms here, you’ll never want to go home. Both of these shopping centres are well worth a trip — even for families who don’t live in the area. Here’s a parents-eye view of major Montreal malls:

Promenades de la Cathédrale (downtown)
Complexe Les Ailes (downtown)
Eaton Centre (downtown)
Place Montreal Trust (downtown)
Alexis Nihon (downtown)
Complexe Desjardins (downtown)
Angrignon Mall (LaSalle)
Champlain Mall (Brossard)
Quartier Dix30 (Brossard)
Carrefour Laval (Laval)
Rockland Centre (Town of Mount Royal)
Fairview Pointe Claire (Pointe Claire)
Galeries d’Anjou (Anjou)
Place Vertu (St. Laurent)
Promenades St. Bruno (St. Bruno)

Downtown

Promenades de la Cathédrale (view map)
This is where the underground shopping network starts, next to The Bay department store. For children, there’s not much of interest here, except for Dollarama, La Cremière (soft serve ice cream), Payless ShoeSource and Foot Locker.
Family services: There are changing tables inside the bathrooms, but no private nursing areas.
Address: 625 Ste. Catherine St. W. (view map)
Website: http://www.promenadescathedrale.com/

Complexe Les Ailes (view map)

Although Complexe Les Ailes has some of the most beautiful bathrooms and nursing rooms in all of downtown, there’s not much in the way of stores for children here. There is a French children’s clothing store on the bottom level called Orchestra. There’s also EB Games, a video game store for older kids. The metro level’s Presse café is a great option for lunch, though, if you’re looking for a quieter, non-food-court location to eat in the underground city.
Family services: There’s a breastfeeding room on the main floor near the information desk and on the second floor near Presse Café. The one near the Presse Café is well set up.
Address: 677 Ste. Catherine St. W. (view map)
Website: http://www.complexelesailes.com/

Eaton Centre (view map)
Stores/services of interest to families: The top floor of Eaton Centre has Old Navy and Gap Kids/Baby Gap, two great places for kids clothes. On the bottom floor, there’s Tour de Jeux (toy and game store), GameBuzz and Games Workshop (for video games).
Family services: Free stroller rental, nursing room in food court area.
Address: 705 Ste. Catherine St. W., Montreal (view map)
Website: http://centreeaton.shopping.ca/cambridge/jsp/index_flash.jsp?mallid=eat

Place Montreal Trust (view map)

Place Montreal Trust is the most family-friendly section of the underground city. This four-storey mall is home to Indigo bookstore, which has a spatious children’s section, and its own bathroom with changing table. There’s also the Winners on the food-court level, which often has toys for sale; no children’s clothes, though. Stores/services of interest to families:Mexx kids, Zara, Souris Minis, La Senza Girl, Minitalia (shoes) and a huge Omer de Serres (arts and crafts). Place Montreal Trust has a fountain in the food court for throwing pennies, and a glass elevator, which is fun for kids. Events: At Christmas, the mall has a large Christmas tree installation.
Family services: Free stroller rentals. Highchairs in the food court.
Private nursing room on first floor near food court and washroom area.

Address: 1500 McGill College Ave., Montreal (view map)
Website: http://placemontrealtrust.shopping.ca/

Plaza Alexis Nihon (view map)
This shopping centre is not one of the easiest to navigate with a stroller, but it’s got a few points of interest for parents downtown. If you have a child in a stroller, locate the elevators as soon as you get in. They are in an out-of-the way area, on the wing that leads to the Second Cup coffee shop. Stores/services of interest to families: Canadian Tire, Zellers, Sports Experts, Winners, IGA grocery store, mini-Vogue (children’s clothes), Payless Shoes, Yellow, Nature Pet Centre. Family services: There are changing tables in the bathrooms at Winners, Second Cup and Zellers.
Address: 1500 Atwater Ave., Montreal (view map)
Website: http://www.placealexisnihon.com/

Complexe Desjardins (view map)
Although there’s not much here in the way of shops/services for children, Complexe Desjardins is well-known for hosting child-friendly events. It sets up a Christmas village every year, where you can get photos with Santa and have your child’s face painted. There’s also a ball pit/play area for children age 0 to 2, as well as inflatable slides and mazes for older kids. In the spring, there’s often a petting zoo. On the same level where children’s events are held, there’s a large food court with tons of choices. Kids will also get a kick out of riding the escalators and the glass elevator.
Stores/services of interest to families: Souris Minis, Renaud-Bray
Address: 150 Ste. Catherine St. W. or 175 René Lévèsque St. W. (view map)
Website: http://www.complexedesjardins.com

Angrignon Mall (view map)

This LaSalle shopping centres to a family-heavy area, so there are many children’s stores here. It’s also flat terrain, which is easy to navigate. Angrignon mall is well-known for its annual petting zoo, usually set up for Easter weekend. Stores/services of interest to families: Sears, Sports Experts, Zellers, Maxi, Cinema Fortune, Gap Kids, Generation Kid, Dollarama, Souris Minis, OK Kid, Children’s Place, Panda (shoes), Payless Shoes, Renaud Bray, Sepia (children’s photo studio).
Family services: Free stroller rental (strollers are cute mini-cars). Private nursing room in washroom area (ask for key at information desk) and changing tables in the washrooms.
Address: 7077 Newman Blvd., LaSalle (view map)
Website: http://www.carrefourangrignon.com/default.aspx?lang=en-CA

Champlain Mall (view map)
The Champlain Mall is a great one for parents with strollers, because it’s all on one level. No escalators or elevators to tackle (unless you’re in the Bay or Sears). There’s a small water fountain near the information desk for throwing pennies. You can rent single or double strollers (free) at the information desk. The mall holds some seasonal events, including an annual Christmas display with Santa. Sept. 2009 Update: The Champlain Mall will undergo a $40-million renovation that is set to finish in 2010, and will remain open as work is being done.
Stores/services of interest to families: Magenta photo studio, H&M, Children’s Place, Clement, Le Tambourin toy store, Sports Experts, Globo, The Bay, Sears
Family services: There’s a very nice nursing room and bathroom in the back of Les Ailes de la Mode. The bathroom has a changing table, and there’s a separate room with comfortable seating for nursing or bottle feeding (with microwave). Next to the food court, there’s another nursing room (get the key from Magenta photo studio) with a chair, changing table, toilet and sink. There’s also another bathroom toward the Sears end of the mall, which has changing tables.

Address: 2151 Lapinière Blvd., off Taschereau Blvd. (view map)
Website: http://www.shopping.ca/cambridge/jsp/index_flash.jsp?mallid=cha

Quartier Dix30 (view map)
This sprawling outdoor shopping “city” has pretty much all you could ask for in terms of shopping. Yes, it’s completely contrived, with every imaginable store and service but, on the other hand, it’s a very child-friendly shopping destination. For one thing, there’s a little park built into it, for another, the baby care rooms are nicer than your average living room. The Indigo children’s section, which has a Thomas the Train, is a great place to hang out with the kids. The shopping centre is also home to Funtopia play centre and Le Petit Gym, so (particularly in the winter), you can piggyback errands on kids’ activities.  For quick, casual lunches, there’s a Presse Café, Quizno’s Subs, Van Houtte, etc. Dix30 also hosts seasonal events of interest to families, including an Easter event (chocolate “museum”, face painting, balloon sculpture), Sugaring off (taffy on the snow), Mother’s Day (free tulips for moms).
Stores/services of interest to families: Cineplex Odeon, Funtopia, Le Petit Gym, Indigo, Jouets Choo Choo, Sports Experts, Winners/Homesense, Children’s Place, Souris Minis, Roots 73, Omer de Serres, Safari (pet store), Globo, Yellow.
Family services: Next to the women’s bathrooms at both ends of the shopping centre, you’ll find the baby care rooms, which are stylishly tiled, with plush leather chairs, microwaves and changing tables.

Address: Intersection of Highways 10 and 30. At the intersection, from Highway 30, take exit 109 (Rome Blvd.) (view map)
Website: http://www.quartierdix30.com/

Laval
Carrefour Laval (view map)
When you get to this mall, park near the ServiCentre entrance, which is toward the Sears. There are family parking spots in front, and you’ll be able to check out (if not use) the drop-off childcare facility. Here, you can leave the kids for a maximum of two hours while you shop. Children have to be walking, and no taller than 42 inches. Movies are shown on a big-screen TV, and there are various play modules, slides, a fun fake car and other things to explore. The childcare service costs $6 for two hours, and socks are required. Even if the kids don’t want to stay in the childcare area, this section of the mall has a high concentration of kids’ stuff: Orchestra clothing store, Le Tambourin toy store, Gap kids, Panda shoes. Carrefour Laval also has an area with several fountains bordered by flower gardens – a nice area for the kids to run around.

Stores/services of interest to families: Le Tambourin (toy store), Renaud Bray (books and toys), Build a Bear Workshop, Zara, Children’s Place, Gap Kids, Orchestra, Rodin, Souris Minis, Old Navy, Mexx, Blu, Sports Experts, Sears, The Bay.
Family services: Strollers are loaned for $3 (plus a $20 deposit). Private nursing rooms in the section between Mexx and B-2.
Address: 3003 Le Carrefour Blvd. (view map)
Website: http://www.carrefourlaval.ca/

Rockland Centre (view map)
One of Montreal’s more upscale malls, this one has many shops and services for kids. We got our son’s hair cut there once at Minimod. The haircut itself was terrible, but Minimod has a little play area in it and shows movies for kids that are getting their hair cut, so he had a ball. Outside the Magenta/Minimod area, there’s a group of coin-operated ride-on toys that small kids will enjoy.
Shops/services of interest to families: Magenta photo studio, Minimod (children’s haircuts), Gap Kids, H&M, Blu, Zara, Roots, Mexx, Souris Minis, Sports Experts, Tour de Jeux, Safari (pet shop).
Family services: Very nice family bathroom near washrooms in food court on 3rd floor
Bonus: Free indoor parking
Address: 2305 Rockland Road (corner of Acadie and Métropolitan) (view map)
Website: http://www.centrerockland.com/

Pointe Claire
Fairview Pointe Claire (view map)
This is THE West Island mall, so it’s got lots of stuff for the whole family. Stores/services of interest to families: The Bay, Sears, Sports Experts, Winners/Homesense, Children’s Place, Gap Kids, Clement, Souris Minis, Old Navy, H&M, Mexx, La Senza Girl, Tour de Jeux, Safari (pet store), Renaud-Bray.
Family services: Stroller rentals, high chairs in food court. Breastfeeding room on 2nd floor of Sears and breastfeeding room in food court.
Address: 6801 TransCanada Highway, Pointe Claire (view map)
Website: http://www.fairviewpointeclaire.ca/

Galeries d’Anjou (view map)
Stores/Services of interest to families: The Bay, Zellers, Sports Experts, Sears, Magenta Photo Studio, Children’s Place, Souris Minis, Old Navy, Ok Kids, Rodin, Mexx Kids, Jacob Jr., La Senza Girl.
Stroller rental costs $3, plus a $20 deposit.
Baby care room is located near the ServiCentre.
Address: 7999 Blvd. Les Galeries d’Anjou, off Jean Talon St. E. (view map)
Website: http://www.lesgaleriesdanjou.ca

Place Vertu (view map)
Stores/services of interest to families: Blu, OK Kids, Panic, Sears, Winners, Zellers, Sports Experts, Dollarama.
In the spring, there’s usually a weekend fun fair for kids, with rides and other attractions.
Family Services: Family bathroom, including a nursing room. Stroller rental, highchairs and microwaves in the food court.
Address: 3131 Côte Vertu Blvd., north corner of the Côte Vertu and Cavendish intersection (exit 62 from Highway 40), St. Laurent (view map)
Website: http://placevertu.shopping.ca/cambridge/jsp/gh_gh.jsp?mallid=ver

St. Bruno (view map)
Promenades St. Bruno has a cozy, modern ski-lodge feeling to it, with lots of exposed stone walls and skylights. Stores/services of interest to families: Gap Kids, Old Navy, Blu, OK Kids, Tommy Hilfiger, Souris Minis, Clement, La Senza Girl, Magenta photo studio, Sports Experts, Sears, Simons, the Bay. There’s a Toys R Us within walking distance from the mall.
Family services: Private nursery room located across from the service centre with microwaves and change tables
Address: 1 des Promenades Blvd., St. Bruno de Montarville (view map)
Website: www.lespromenadesstbruno.ca/