Worthwhile Activities to do in NYC with Toddlers

I have done New York City a dozen times pre-children; however, this was our first time visiting NYC with toddlers. We stayed in the city for a week, for a wedding and family time with my sister, as well as exploring kid-friendly activities with our family and friends. Similar to most city-trips with young kids, it takes strategy to plan safe transportation and child-friendly activities – but overall, there is so much to do with the family and worth the effort.

We stayed at the Homewood Suites by way of Hilton in Midtown. It was smooth, spacious, and centrally located. It was not super fancy, but the convenience of the location and amenities (i.e., small kitchenette and complimentary breakfast) and relatively affordable cost made it a great choice for our family.  Each morning, I did a morning jog, solo, to a quiet Times Square, and I enjoyed it very much. Afterwards, we would take our kids breakfast to the outdoor area, which had a small swing, and we’d start the day with a few playing and reading books.

It was approximately a 15-minute walk from Bryant Park, a 15-minute walk to Times Square, and a 35 minute walk to Central Park. These were the primary three areas I took the kids daily, all by pushing their Cybex Gazelle double stroller and getting my daily steps in. On the way to each of these spots were bagel, pizza, and Acai/juice spots that I could take the kids too so they could snack while I pushed their stroller. I’m so glad I had their large bibs with me, so they could eat these items without getting their clothes too dirty.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, the homeless person situation in NYC is not ideal; and in most areas, there was exposure to them. It is important to be mentally prepared as you take your kids around the city.

We did a broad range of activities throughout the week (incorporating my friends wedding and time with my sister and her family). Here is a list of the things the kids loved!

Similar to most of our trips, we planned for one ‘big activity’ each day, mixed with some down time to exert energy and eating food that we knew they would enjoy. Either we pushed the kids in the stroller or we let the kids walk. If we were in a large, enclosed place, I sometimes put my younger toddler’ backpack leash (here is a similar backpack leash) on her so that she could roam around, but I could keep a handle on her. She tends to go rogue and run away, so this is a good solution for our family.

To document our NYC trip with my family, and the first time my parents had all three grandchildren with them together, I arranged a photo shoot. As always, I prefer them to be flexible, cost-effective, and a quick turn around.

I used a website called Snappr. I input the details of the time/date/location I wanted and it matched me with 5 options. I selected a photographer with five stars. On the day of the shoot, he suggested a pretty location, in the general location I had suggested. He was proactive and got straight to work. I received the edited photos 48 hours later!! The total cost was $150.

Overall, I’m pleased to have these memories. This being said, if you use this website, make sure to read reviews carefully to ensure the photographer is a good fit for your needs.

All in all, this was a very fun trip for our family! There are lots of things we plan to repeat, as well as new things we will try next time as well! If you need to fly from your homebase to get to NYC, check out my blog post on flying with toddlers and babies.

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