Visiting the city with a toddler?

My husband and I are planning a trip to the city in 2 weeks - this is his 2nd trip with me, and my 4th trip in the last year!

My oldest DD is 9 and is DYING to see the city, too. I%26#39;m concerned about taking the baby, though - she%26#39;d be two when we go.

How easy/hard is it to really get around the city with a toddler? What are some reccommended activities?

TIA!

Visiting the city with a toddler?

Getting around NYC with a toddler isn%26#39;t much different that getting around any other city/town with a toddler. IMO, the main differences will involve transportation. If you are using the MTA (subways and buses) you will have to take the stairways (subways) into consideration. And it%26#39;s always nice to consider the other passengers.

Remember, the more you have to carry to accommodate your toddler (diapers - if required, toys, etc) the more difficult will be your task. Think of how long you are out and about and how your daughter fairs with long outings.

Nineteen years ago my wife and I were in NYC with our three year old daughter. We were able to easily negotiate stairs and accommodate other passengers by using one of those collapsible umbrella strollers and having our daughter walk whenever possible. And at three, our daughter was ';potty trained'; so we didn%26#39;t have to carry a lot of extras - just a spare pair of undergarments and shorts in case of an ';accident.';

As with any other activity involving a toddler how difficult the task will depend a lot on the temperament of the child.

:)

Visiting the city with a toddler?

There are many previous threads on just this question. Here are a few:

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(that one has more threads within it)

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k1529317鈥?/a> tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k87697-T鈥?/a>

My girl is two, and she goes everywhere in NYC. Some thoughts.

Our stroller, and in my mind the best stroller for NYC, is a Maclaren Triumph or something similar - nothing over 15 pounds, but with storage space in the bottom. We always bring three diapers, some wipes, a snack, a drink, a book, and a few small toys in the bottom of the stroller. You know, the usual.

It%26#39;s important that the stroller be light because you will be carrying it up and down a LOT of subway stairs. Two people can do this without too much of a problem.

We go everywhere by subway because it%26#39;s impossible to take the bus with a stroller. You would have to fold the stroller on the bus, of course you can%26#39;t fold the stroller with stuff stored in the bottom, and the whole thing just gets really annoying.

The whole unfolded stroller actually fits in the back of a taxi, and you can take short taxi rides - the car-seat law for some bizarre reason doesn%26#39;t apply to taxis - but we try not to take long taxi rides as it%26#39;s still dangerous without a car seat!

Okay, enough strollering.

The thing about being two is that you basically just like to play. You don%26#39;t really care where you are, as long as you%26#39;re playing. Central Park is paradise. There are a lot of playgrounds- my favorites are the huge one at 60th and 7th and the one with the big slide at 67th and 5th. FAO Schwartz has toys out everywhere that kids can play with, and hey, it%26#39;s a tourist attraction too. The Children%26#39;s Museum of Manhattan has a lot of indoor play area and it%26#39;s near a really cool restaurant for kids, something called ';Pinch and Smac'; which serves affordable yet startlingly gourmet pizza and macaroni and cheese! (I know the owners.)

In fact, staying on the Upper West Side is perfect with a toddler. Lots of families, lots of family-friendly places to eat, access to two major parks, kid-friendly attractions like the Natural History Museum (big kid sees dinosaurs, little kid goes tearing through Hall of Ocean Life with many other toddlers giggling hysterically) etc.

But you know your kid - you%26#39;re going to have to schedule some time each day when she can just blow off steam and run around. This is a great opportunity to see our city%26#39;s many parks!

Avoid Times Square at all costs. Times Square with a stroller is a circle of hell. You will be almost trampled several times a day.

Okay... the circle of hell made me giggle :)

I was mostly concerned with transporting the 2 yo with a stroller, as we always use subways.

I am leery of taking her in a car without her carseat, which is what started this thought process - I%26#39;m perfectly okay taking the train, with DH or alone, but adding in 3 kids, strollers, and all their luggage, I%26#39;m not thrilled with the thought of that.... but nor am I excited to pop her in the back of a car unsecured!

Wait a minute ... 3 kids? Multiple strollers? Now we%26#39;re getting complicated. I thought the kids were 9 and 2?

I%26#39;m not going to lie to you - getting to and from the airport will be kind of a pain. Car services seem to never have car seats (somebody correct me if I%26#39;m wrong), and I draw the line at no-car-seat-on-the-highway, so you%26#39;ll end up on the train. It%26#39;ll be a pain. You%26#39;ll deal. Once you get everything to the hotel you%26#39;ll be fine.

If you intend to go all public transit, don%26#39;t fly into LaGuardia, whatever you do. There%26#39;s no train to LaGuardia, and you end up in confused stroller-folding bus hell. JFK would probably be the easiest, and there are lots of cheap Florida-JFK flights.

The kids are 7, 9, and 18 mos. One stroller - the other two can walk all day long. So, just one stroller, but 3 little people, and a couple pieces of luggage... I took the train to Penn Station from EWR a few months ago, and can%26#39;t imagine fitting us all on, plus luggage, etc... of course, I came in just as people were heading to a hockey game ;).

Just avoid morning rush hour and it won%26#39;t be too much of a problem. Especially from JFK, the AirTrain is never really crowded, and if it isn%26#39;t morning rush, the A and E subways and LIRR all have plenty of space where you%26#39;d get on transferring from the airport. Take it slow, be calm, you%26#39;ll pull it off.

Most important thing right now would be to lock down a nice cozy place on the Upper West Side. Maybe one of those suite hotels or B%26amp;Bs they have up there.

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