NYC with Kids :: Age 0-2

Coming to New York City with your little one{s}? Every week I receive dozens questions asking what to do in NYC with kids. Well, I’m finally sitting down and sharing all of my tips and suggestions! After the past 1.5 year we’ve learned what works, what doesn’t work, where to go and where to avoid. So without further adieu, here you go!

Getting Around:

My personal favorite way to get around is to walk. First off all, you get to see more. Second of all, it’s the easiest/cheapest. Although it does take longer. Cayson is usually quite content in his stroller because there is always so much going on in NYC, so he is entertained- even though he is restricted.

Our second favorite way to get around is the subway. It’s often faster than a cab and it’s definitely cheaper. When I’m using the Yoyo stroller I can carry him up and down the subway stairs on my own. Although 9 times out of 10 a stranger offers to help or I ask a stranger to help me carry the stroller up or down. People are SO helpful when they see you approach the subway with a stroller. There are a handful of subways with elevators, but there aren’t tons.

The third option is a taxi or uber. You can request cars with a carseat via the app, although technically speaking {I’m not saying I recommend this} you can take a taxi without a carseat if you are staying off the highway and remain within Manhattan. Usually taxis are so slow and stopping every couple blocks due to lights so the risk is much lower than outside of NYC. If you’re in a pinch or it’s absolutely freezing out keep this option in mind. But again, walking is always my first choice!

Where to stay:

If we were coming to NYC as a family, I would personally choose to rent an Airbnb or VRBO so we could get a proper 1 or 2 bedroom. It makes all the difference in the world being able to shut the door to whatever room Cayson is in so Caleb & I can stay up and chat, enjoy wine/dessert, work or do whatever else we want.  Plus it’s often cheaper than a hotel! I recommend staying anywhere south of 85th Street. You really can’t go wrong if you are near a subway. We lived at E 82nd Street {on the Upper East Side} and my parents lived on W 72nd Street {on the Upper West Side}, and we can honestly say we love every part of Manhattan for different reasons.

As a local, we haven’t stayed in a hotel in NYC in years. But growing up my mom and I did an annual mother/daughter NYC trip, so we’ve stayed all over the place. My favorite hotel is probably Hilton on 6th Avenue because it’s walking distance to Central Park, Rockefeller Plaza, Columbus Circle and so many different trains. I personally recommend avoiding Times Square hotels because the rooms are louder and smaller. When traveling with Cayson, we look for a room with either a large closet, large bathroom {pro tip- you can request a handicap room and a crib usually fits in the bathroom} or an out-cove area we can fit a crib in.

What to do:

For the most part, Cayson just does whatever we want to do. If we have our heart set on seeing something- we do it! But below are a few things your little ones will love doing. T here are also random kids play grounds all over the city!

• Central Park :: We LOVE Central Park. Run around the open lawns, watch the sail boats at the Stewart Little Pond {my unofficial-official name for it}, ride a carousel, rent a bike {with kids seats}, people watch, picnic, row boats, go ice skating, listen to musicians, walk the lawn, play with the oversized bubbles by the Bethesda Terrace & Fountain or just walk around and explore! There is so much to do and see. There is also an amazing kids playground in the southern part of Central Park!
• The Zoo :: Central Park’s zoo is small, but nice. You can walk through the free part, but the paid for part is worth it in my opinion. And Groupon often has discounts! The Bronx Zoo is on our bucket list, but it’s further out.
• Walk the High Line :: This old elevated railroad is now a beautiful park full of wildflowers, plants, art, vendors and people.
• The Children’s Museum of Manhattan :: It’s a 5 story wonderland for kids to explore in the Upper West Side.
• American Museum of Natural History :: Kids will love the dinosaurs, animal exhibits, digging for fossils and more! When Cayson turns 6 we are going to do the sleepover experience there!
• Transit Museum :: Full of vintage subway cars, old maps and a bus you can pretend to drive. It’s located in an old subway station in Brooklyn.
• Washington Square Park :: Another fun place for your little one to run around, play in the playground, splash in the fountain {seasonally obviously}, listen to music & enjoy people watching.
• Bryant Park :: Bryant Park has a large green lawn in the summer and has a skating rink and Christmas vendors during the holiday season. This is another one of our go-tos. It’s also right by the NY Public Library, which is gorgeous and worth visiting!

Where to eat:

So we’ve technically taken Cayson to every restaurant we’ve wanted since he was born. We’ve never been ones to look specifically for a kids menu or to make sure they have crayons or anything like that. The only requirements we have is space & a high chair. We normally just walk down the streets and see what speaks to us. Is there room for his stroller? Do they have a high chair?  During the summer we LOVE eating outside and are always on the search for good restaurants with outdoor seating.

Again, there are SO many good restaurants in NYC and we usually just stop wherever looks good when we are out, which means we often don’t write down or remember the names of the places we eat. But here are few restaurants we frequent:

Brunch

• The Smith {multiple locations} Really good food, fun atmosphere.
• Sarabeth’s {multiple locations} Classic food and yummy brunch.
• Maison Kayser {multiple locations} decently inexpensive & lots of good food {both sit down or grab and go}.
• Norma’s {Central Park South area} SO SO SO good. Just trust me. Go!
• Jacob’s Pickes {Upper West Side} With kids the seating is really ONLY good if you can get a table outside. Inside is really tight, but this southern food is amazing!!!!
• Cafe Medi {Lower East Side} We love their brunch & happy hour. The food, service & ambiance are amazing!
• Root & Bone {East Village} Their chicken & waffles is divine. And they made something custom for Cayson without me even asking when he was about 8 months.
• Route 66 {Hell’s Kitchen} This is one of our go-tos when family is in town because there is space, it’s super casual, has something for everyone, is decently inexpensive and feels super chill having Cayson.
• Just explore & see what looks good! There are literally hundreds of amazing restaurants!

Lunch/Dinner

• Burger & Barrel {SoHo} Amazing burgers and salads! And a decent amount of space!
• Fonda {Chelsea} Great Mexican food. We love sitting outdoors, but have also sat inside.
• Bryant Park Café and/or Grill {on Bryant Park} We love both these restaurants. We eat at the café a few times a summer and enjoy the Grill more in the winter. The food is always good & it’s nice to have a view of the park.
• Route 66 {Hell’s Kitchen} This is one of our go-tos when family is in town because there is space, it’s super casual, has something for everyone, is decently inexpensive and feels super chill having Cayson.
• Cafe Medi {Lower East Side} Yes, on here again. We love their brunch & happy hour. The food, service & ambiance are amazing!
• The Smith {multiple locations} Yep, again. Really good food, fun atmosphere.
• Just explore & see what looks good! There are literally hundreds of amazing restaurants!

Items you might need/want:

These are a few items we pack or use anytime we go out in NYC:

• Backpack Diaper Bag
• Happy Baby Fiber bars, Cheerios or a snack
• Water cup
• Extra outfit for Cayson just in case
• Comfortable shoes :: I’m currently loving these Rockport boots. I got them in black first and loved them so much I got them in brown too! I actually walked 29,000 steps in them one day!

Items we love:

• Yoyo Stroller :: seriously a game changer for us. We stopped using our large stroller and use this one pretty much exclusively now.
• Portable Crib :: This crib is small & light. We really love it!
• Snooze Shade :: If you plan on sharing a room with your little, this is a MUST!!! It’s like a black out curtain for your crib, but it breathes well. We use it for Cayson when traveling if the room doesn’t have black out curtains too. It’s pricey but worth it!!!

on me
boots :: dress old, similar here & here :: jacket old, similar here, also love this one 

scarf old, similar here :: necklaces :: glasses :: bracelet, similar under $40

on Cayson
jacket :: shorts :: shoes

***Thank you Rockport for the boots!