• Work With Us

How to Plan a Trip to NYC with a Baby (What to Know)

Written by Becca

Updated on January 11th, 2024

travel nyc with baby

Going to NYC with a baby for the first time doesn’t have to be hard! In our list of local tips, find out what to do and see with your baby in New York City to make the visit easy.

This article may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commissions when you purchase via those links — and it's free for you. It's only us (Becca & Dan) working on this website, so we value your support! Read our privacy policy and learn more about us .

Table of contents

  • Plan how to get around NYC with a baby
  • Things to do in New York City with a baby
  • Tips to help you navigate being in the city with your baby
  • Safety concerns for going with a baby to NYC
  • Should you bother going to NYC with a baby?

When we go to NYC with our baby, we remember that the trip is still about us, and she’s coming along. If your baby is still small, and you want to take that big city trip, I’ll let you in on a few local secrets!

There are some challenges with taking a trip to NYC with a baby, whether for a week or for half a day. Things like taking a stroller on the subway, navigating crowded streets and doing diaper changes in really cramped spaces are just a few.

But on the whole, a trip to NYC with your little one is going to be so memorable! In fact, there are so many things to keep a baby occupied and an equal number of things for you, the parents, to enjoy!

Let’s get into my local tips for having your baby with you in NYC.

Quick tips & main takeaways

  • Pack light! Pare down your diaper bag to the essentials for convenience in tight bathrooms.
  • Have a backup plan: the elevator might be closed for repairs in a subway station you arrive at. Consider that you may need help from a stranger with a stroller going up the steps.
  • Be flexible! Babies are unpredictable and so is NYC.
  • Bring a travel baby carrier (one of the best baby products for travel )!
  • Seek out memorable experiences: NYC has a plethora of parks, landmarks and museums for parents with a baby to enjoy.

Before heading into my list of tips further, bookmark my general guide to what to know before traveling to NYC for your first time!

travel nyc with baby

Plan how to get around NYC with a baby

New York City is known for its incredible public transportation and walkability. Walking, driving, taxis/Ubers, subways and buses are options I use for getting around. But with a baby, things get a little complicated. Check out some specific tips for each way to get your family around NYC safely.

travel nyc with baby

I like to walk EVERYWHERE in NYC. The last time we went to NYC with our baby, we walked 8 miles. Having grown up in NYC as a kid and having lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn as an adult, I know that walking around town is a way of life!

My tip is make sure to bring a compact and lightweight stroller and a good pair of shoes for yourself. Most sidewalks are wide, free of big bumps (on major avenues) and safe.

The more walking you do, the more you avoid folding up your stroller for the subway. I like using a compact stroller in the city, and I use a travel-sized baby carrier. You can see all the photos at my Baby Tula Carrier Lite review .

To see more about our travel stroller of choice, check my UPPAbaby Minu review .

travel nyc with baby

You can drive around NYC if that’s part of your plan. Parking isn’t going to be easy, though. Spots are tight, there are lots of parking rules like “alternate side parking” (ASP) during street cleaning.

Any time we’ve had to drive into the city, we try and find a spot or garage right away to avoid waiting in traffic or stressing out over aggressive drivers. When we went to Coney Island with our baby, we used the Spot Hero app to reserve a spot in a garage (and then met our friends at a brewery with her!).

When we go to Brooklyn, we take our car from New Jersey. If we go to Manhattan, we take the train because of convenience. If you want to drive in from a nearby city in the NY metro area, and or other places on your itinerary, parking garage fees will may expensive and finding a spot can take forever! (Take it from us.)

Taxis and Ubers

If walking, subway or bus does not serve your needs nor destination, check out these details on how to take a rideshare or cab in NYC with a baby.

Taking Uber with a car seat

If you plan to take a taxi or Uber with your infant, note that a car seat is the only thing that would protect your baby from a crash. According to the Uber Blog , UberX can now be hailed in NYC with a car seat for a child 12 months/1 year or older. There is a $10 surcharge for a car seat.

Taking a yellow cab with a car seat

Jumping in a yellow cab with a baby probably isn’t the best idea in NYC, unless you have a ultra-lightweight folding travel stroller (with a car seat) like a Doona . I’m not saying that taxis won’t stop if they see you with a stroller, but something to note is some drivers want quick and fast trips.

If you need 20 minutes to put your stroller in the trunk, and set up the car seat, the driver might not be so happy because they’re losing time to book more rides. Run through how to install a car seat quickly, before you leave home!

NYC yellow taxis are NOT required to have car seats. This is bizarre to me, because a crash can happen anywhere. According to Provost Law Firm , NYC does NOT legally require car seats for children in yellow cabs, so taking a taxi with a baby and without a car seat is at your own risk (I do not recommend it!).

In NYC , the subway can be overwhelming. The challenge is that NOT every station has an accessible elevator. In fact, only the largest stations tend to certainly have elevators, and some smaller stations do, nowadays. “Local stations,” especially those that don’t connect underground from the uptown to the downtown side, will likely only have stairs.

Consider looking for accessible stations with elevators, to plan your trip with a stroller. Or, figure out your game plan for walking up or down the subway stairs with the stroller.

Because we travel together with our daughter, one of us will have her in the baby carrier, while the other one takes our folded travel stroller down the stairs. We like our travel stroller because it can easily fold up and expand without much effort. It makes putting our baby back in the stroller a breeze. You can see more at my UPPAbaby Minu stroller review .

Buses in NYC are wheelchair-accessible, meaning you could take in a stroller that’s too heavy to fold up and lift. All buses in NYC have a lift that would allow a stroller to come up, but that is “IF” the bus is not at capacity.

While taking a baby in a stroller on an NYC city bus is commonplace, you might want to evaluate the risk. The buses are safe, but accidents can happen. In my experience, NYC city buses never go too fast on the roads and stop frequently, which is the positive in terms of safety.

Check out this NYC MTA press release to see more about the “designated stroller areas” debuted in March 2023. It states that a stroller must be in the brake position and the bus aisle must be kept as clear as possible. The program avoids parents or caregivers having to fold their stroller to board the bus, so this is a nice update.

NYC has several different types of ferries, and they’re fun to take with a baby! The Staten Island Ferry is the “best deal in New York” for being free. It only runs from the Whitehall Ferry Terminal (South Ferry) at the tip of Manhattan, to St. George in Staten Island, and back.

Once you get off in Staten Island, I’ll note that there’s not a ton to do, so you’ll want to turn back around and take the ferry the other way; however, the ferry has amazing views of the Statue of Liberty the family will love!

The Staten Island Ferry is wheelchair and stroller-accessible with ramps. Strollers do not have to be folded up! Here’s the ferry schedule .

Things to do in New York City with a baby

If you thought hanging out just the two of you in the city was fun, try it with a baby! Even just sitting down with our baby at our favorite coffeeshop in Chelsea meant people walking by asking how old our baby was. See these best things to do in NYC with your baby.

Hang out in NYC’s parks

NYC’s parks are the city’s green spaces, and I love them so much! My favorite family-friendly parks are Central Park and Riverside Park in Manhattan, and Fort Greene Park and Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

Part of having a baby in NYC means lots of walking and having places to stop and feed, or do a diaper change. In between these baby needs, I like to be somewhere beautiful! NYC parks are open year-round and have everything from ponds and reservoirs, to nature walks, fountains, dog parks and historic landmarks. I recommend laying out a blanket and having some toys to play with while you sit under a tree!

travel nyc with baby

Visit playgrounds

For babies who have started walking or like to play on swings, don’t miss NYC’s playgrounds. You can find playgrounds everywhere! For example, there are 9 playgrounds in Brooklyn Bridge Park alone.

Whether it’s your first or 100th time visiting NYC, your child is always changing, and playgrounds are always exciting. Visit this incredible list of playgrounds at the NYC Parks website. I also enjoyed reading Time Out New York’s list of the best playgrounds in NYC .

Walk around beautiful neighborhoods (West Village)

The West Village is my #1 favorite neighborhood in Manhattan because it is absolutely gorgeous, with its perfect architecture and old streets. We visited street markets with our baby while out walking, and enjoyed shade from all the trees.

The West Village has lots of cafes, restaurants and bars to stop at, as well as boutique shopping. There’s no shortage of families that hang out in the area for all these reasons!

Keep in mind that several historic streets in the area remain paved in cobblestone, which is rough on strollers. Opt for using a baby carrier (and feel free to use my list of the best baby carriers for travel !). The sidewalks are fine, though (you can see them in this photo)!

travel nyc with baby

Visit the High Line

The High Line is a dream for visitors to NYC ! It is an elevated green space and park for walking on Manhattan’s West side. We took the elevator up at one of the Meatpacking District entrances, and strolled our baby in her stroller all the way north to 28th Street, where we exited.

You can see which entrances/exits have elevators for your stroller at the High Line website within NYC Parks. Another resource to check out before you visit is the Visit page at The High Line website . The entire High Line is stroller-accessible and has flat paths and ramps.

My tip for visiting the High Line is to go early in the morning on a weekday so that you don’t wind up among the shuffles of crowds like we did (below) on a gorgeous day in the middle of the afternoon.

travel nyc with baby

Central Park Zoo

I called it one of the best zoos in the US to add to your bucket list in this article in Best Life Online ! The Central Park Zoo is not overwhelmingly big, and it’s the perfect way to start a NYC day trip or bigger trip as a family.

It’s perfectly child-friendly, with its Children’s Zoo, and children under 2 get free admission. At the Plan Your Visit page from the CPZ website, you can see when the daily penguin and sea lion feedings are!

Coney Island

Coney Island is Brooklyn’s playground, with its wide sand beach, swimmable ocean in summer, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs and Luna Park for amusements!

We went to Coney Island with our baby when she was 9 months old, to meet up with friends! This time, we drove (rather than take the train) in from New Jersey. We knew that we didn’t have time to spare to be circling for spots, so we used SpotHero app , which I recommend because it worked out seamlessly.

We walked around Coney Island with our travel stroller and had luck with being able to feed our baby at the Starbucks on Surf Avenue. We spent the rest of the afternoon at Coney Island Brewery , which was baby-friendly! We met another baby the same age during the afternoon hours. It’s a child-friendly place until the night hours begin.

travel nyc with baby

Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market is a large shopping and food hall in Chelsea near the Meatpacking District. It’s a good place to duck into if it is too hot, too cold or raining! There’s excellent food, flat walkways and an elevator to the lower level.

There is a “fancy” changing table in the bathroom in the basement level of Chelsea Market! After a day of having had changing tables and spacious restrooms hard to come by, this one was great. See more at the Visit page at ChelseaMarket.com .

travel nyc with baby

Even more things to do in NYC with a baby

When your baby is young enough to be toted, you can bring your baby mostly anywhere! Check out my list of the best free things to do in NYC to find something for every parent’s taste.

Tips to help you navigate being in the city with your baby

We were pretty scared to bring our daughter to the city, even after living there for so long! A lot of the fear comes from not knowing what to bring or feeling like we wouldn’t be prepared in the event of something unpredictable happening.

Here are some of the tips that I recommend for parents coming in to NYC with an infant.

Keep your essentials close by

If NYC is a trip far from home for you, it’s important to have your baby’s essentials in case of an emergency. Make sure to bring things like prescriptions or hard-to-replace items (loveys or special toys) with a backup, in case one gets lost in a city as big as NYC.

Where to do diaper changes

I find that many “big places” in NYC, especially those large enough to have a wheelchair-sized restroom stall, will have a changing table available. The one time I had trouble was in a restaurant in Chelsea that had tiny bathrooms, and no space in them to change our baby.

Given that it was an off-hour and after the lunch rush, the restaurant let us put two chairs together and changed our baby in a quiet part of the table area. I’m not sure that every restaurant, bar or cafe would let you do this.

Where to stay

My first recommendation for where to stay with a baby in NYC is to stay in an area that’s already very child-friendly. Three local-feeling neighborhoods come to mind: the Upper West Side, Upper East Side and Park Slope (Brooklyn). These are neighborhoods where strollers are common and are popular with young families!

For staying in a hotel, request a crib ahead of time, which is a tip you’ll find in my list of tips for hotel stays with a baby . Keep in mind that hotel rooms in NYC are small, and I mean REALLY small. Most visitors from out of town can’t believe how tight NYC hotel rooms are. They’re just as compact as NYC apartments!

You can bring a travel crib like the compact Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Lite , if you feel like your baby is the most comfortable sleeping in something they know. You can also bring a sheet from home. That’s what we did during a hotel stay with our baby. We put the sheet from home on crib the hotel provided.

For more on NYC’s many neighborhoods, see my ultimate NYC neighborhood guide to avoid those neighborhoods that are loud, crowded or a bit wild on weekends with young folks.

What to pack

I recommend packing light for a day out in NYC. Typically I bring a whole diaper bag with me, but if you can, try a minimalist changing bag like the Kibou . I talk about it more in my Kibou diaper bag/fanny pack review ! Make sure you have the diaper-changing essentials, one spare outfit and some snacks, depending on your child’s age. Going into a tight NYC-sized bathroom with just this little changing bag has been a save.

I have a good packing list at my guide to how to road trip with a baby , and hopefully this helps with some ideas of what to take along for a bigger trip.

What about unexpected needs?

You can find corner stores and a lot of drug stores in every neighborhood in NYC. If you need anything, you’re almost never more than five minutes away from getting it.

When we were in Halifax (Canada), we needed to get a baby thermometer and Dan walked to a drugstore and found it easily. It took less than 30 minutes, and that was a lot by our standards. If you look on a map of Manhattan, there are a ton of Duane Reade (owned by Walgreens) stores. Doing the same thing would take 5-10 minutes at most.

And there are also plenty of CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens pharmacies as well!

travel nyc with baby

See it for yourself !

For a day trip, bring along your whole diaper bag! Bring along some layers for the baby in case the seasons are changing. I’ve been using Nike’s Diaper Bag, which you can peruse the features of in my Nike Diaper Bag review .

For a day trip, we’ll always have both our UPPAbaby Minu stroller and our Baby Tula Carrier Lite .

If you’re taking a family trip to NYC and looking for a day trip escape from the city, you can go as close as the “outer boroughs” or as far as New Jersey, Westchester or Long Island. If you flew to NYC and you don’t have a car rental, look for a day trip that you can get to by train or subway!

I recommend The Rockaways (beach areas of Queens), city views in the parks of Jersey City & Hoboken, a Hudson River escape to Beacon (upstate NY) or hitting the sand at Long Beach, Long Island.

If your baby is small, take them wherever YOU want to go! If your baby is older and has some opinions, going somewhere with things to see is fun. I’d recommend one of the nearby beaches or hiking areas, if it’s summer. If it’s winter, check out a nearby town with cafes and restaurants to dip into, along with some scenic spots nearby.

You can see all the choices in my list of the best day trip ideas from NYC .

Safety concerns for going with a baby to NYC

“Is it safe to bring my baby to NYC?” This might be a question for many parents who have not visited NYC before.

Yes, of course NYC is safe! In fact, I discuss safety for families in my list of safety tips for NYC .

With a baby who is not yet walking, you know where they are at all times, so that part is easy! Regarding emergencies, call 9-1-1. I’ve had to do it several times while living in NYC, as there can be unexpected scenarios you come across. The good thing about being in NYC is that there are always people around to help out, if you should have a health emergency or an accident.

For the most part, NYC is a wonderful place for me to be with my baby, and I love seeing and visiting all the places I recommended above. Just look at how relaxed I am in the photos I’ve shared!

Should you bother going to NYC with a baby?

I think the answer for this question is a solid “YES!” There is so much for a baby to see in NYC, and our baby has been so happy during the times we take her in. There’s a lot for a little one’s senses, from the smells, sounds and sights.

Having a baby with you should not stop you as a parent from going to NYC. You will see so many families on the streets, in the parks and of course, at child-friendly things to do.

My biggest recommendation is to keep realistic expectations in check: things always take longer with a baby, no matter where you go. NYC is no different. Make sure you have your compact stroller ready to go, as well as your baby carrier, and have fun!

Enjoyed our article?

Consider supporting us! We're a 2-person team (learn more about us here) and your support enables us to create quality content. Thank you!

Buy us a coffee

Pin Your Favorites on Pinterest!

Pinterest image from the 'How to Plan a Trip to NYC with a Baby (What to Know)' article on Half Half Travel

You may also like

A black passport holder on a marble table.

How to Get Your Baby a Passport (Guide for Parents)

How do you get your baby a passport? I break down the steps for applying for your child’s passport, from taking your baby’s passport photo to securing a passport appointment nearby.

The Quince child lunchbox filled with baby food puree squeeze tubes and happybaby teether crackers

How to Feed a Baby During Travel (Nursing, Bottles, Formula & Solids)

Whether feeding your baby by nursing and breastfeeding, with bottles, formula or solids, there are lots of products to help with feeding a baby on the go. See my best travel tips for your next trip!

A white crib in the corner next to the bed at the Muir Hotel in Halifax.

21 Tips for Staying in a Hotel with a Baby (Experienced Parents)

How do you survive staying in a hotel room with a baby? From my experience, I list the top tips and tricks for sharing a hotel room with an infant on a vacation.

travel nyc with baby

Guava Lotus Travel Crib Review: Best for a Family Trip?

Is the Guava Lotus a good travel crib to get for a trip with a baby? I review this travel crib and compare it to other popular travel cribs.

A list of baby items laid out on a marble table.

Road Trip with Baby: Essential Travel Packing List & Tips

How do you take a road trip with a baby for the first time? Check out my essential travel packing list for everything your infant needs during a trip.

travel nyc with baby

Baby Tula Explore Carrier Review: Sturdy, Comfy and Supportive

I tested a high-quality, strong and comfortable baby carrier for travel and being on the go. Is the Baby Tula Explore Carrier worthy of the investment? Read my review!

Small profile picture of Becca Siegel

Hi ! We’re Becca & Dan.

We created this blog to share some of the knowledge and experience that we have around travel , remote work , photography and beyond!

We're currently testing out some new merino wool T-shirts.

Join the club

You’ll get emails with our latest articles, tips, advice and so much more! You won't find this content anywhere else!

This website may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commissions when you purchase via those links — and it's free for you. It's only us (Becca & Dan) working on this website, so we value your support! Read our privacy policy and learn more about us .

Among other programs, Half Half Travel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Go Places With Kids Logo

New York City with a Baby- What to Know

This page may contain affiliate links, which means that we may earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

New York City is one of the top tourist destinations in the United States and it’s easy to see why. There is so much to see and do and so many iconic places to visit. And New York City is actually a great place to visit with a baby! It’s easy to get around, people tend to be very accommodating of babies, and there’s lots to keep everyone entertained.

Actually, the baby stage can be a perfect time to visit the Big Apple. At this stage, they are still taking quite a few naps and it’s easy for them to nap on the go. It’s also typically a little simpler to keep them content before they really start moving around. So this is a nice age to get out and enjoy the city with minimal inconvenience.

When we visited New York City with our young baby, we found that it was relatively easy to get around and see the sights, even with an infant along.

Having such a young baby was actually great for this trip because he was content to nap and hang out in his baby carrier while we headed off to explore the city.

Read further to find out tips to make your trip to New York city with your baby a success!

How to get around New York City with a baby

Getting around in New York City is easy and straightforward, even with a baby along!

This is probably not a place where you want to rent a car given that it’s expensive, hard to find parking, and tricky to get around if you don’t know where you’re going. Luckily, the city has a very efficient public transportation system.

One of the best ways to get around in New York City is by using the subway . It’s easy to use, can get you close to most of the popular destinations you’d want to see, and it is often a nicer option than sitting in traffic. And it’s the most cost-effective option.

The subway system can be tricky to manage with a stroller because there are usually lots of stairs to navigate. If you’re going to be using the subway a lot, a baby carrier is a convenient way to transport your baby.

Alternatively, you can also use a taxi or Uber to get around the city.

Uber conveniently allows you to use an app to hail a ride and pay with your phone. And unlike a taxi, you can know the rate for your route before booking the trip.

Another useful Uber feature is the ability to request a car seat for an additional charge, meaning that you don’t have to lug your own seat around.

If you’re taking a taxi, you can hail a ride from the street or have the doorman at your hotel hail one for you. Make sure the meter is running and that you are only charged the metered rate (plus a tip if you had a good experience). The exception is going to and from the airport, which is a fixed rate.

Do you Need a Car Seat in a Taxi in NYC?

Taxis

Legally children under 7 are permitted to sit on an adult’s lap in a certified taxi. However, for the safety of your child, it is recommended that they are secured in a car seat whenever they are in a motor vehicle.

When traveling by taxi in New York City, you are allowed to bring and use your child’s car seat or booster. Make sure that you know how to install it properly so that aren’t caught unprepared trying to secure it in a rush.

There are also a number of car services that can provide car seats or boosters upon request.

And once you get into the city, a lot of the sights are within walking distance of each other, which means there’s a lot you can see on foot.

This was one of our favorite ways to get around because we were able to really take in the sights and get a feel for the city. It’s also an easy way to get around with a baby in a stroller or in a baby carrier.

Make sure to wear some comfortable shoes and map out where you want to go so you know the best walking route to get there.

Tips for visiting New York City with a baby

Bring a stroller or baby carrier.

You’ll definitely want to bring a method of transporting your baby when visiting New York City. The city is actually quite baby-friendly and most places will be stroller accessible.

If you are bringing a stroller, you’ll want to bring one that is lightweight and folds up easily, as you’ll likely be getting in and out of transportation frequently. We love the gb Pockit for travel. It’s one of the most compact, travel-friendly strollers on the market.

Another great option is a baby carrier . Bringing a baby carrier means one less thing to carry and keep track of. And it can be easier than trying to navigate a stroller through crowds or having to find elevators everywhere you go.

Our family visiting New York City- two parents and a baby

On this trip we chose to leave the stroller at home and just bring a baby carrier. (My favorite baby carrier for travel is the Ergobaby . It’s comfortable, easy to get on and off, and simple to nurse in.) In the end we were really happy with that decision. We found it very easy to get around and have one less thing to worry about and keep track of.

Check your Hotel for a Crib

Most hotels will have a crib available for your baby, so you don’t need to bring a pack n’ play with you on your trip. Just call ahead and double-check with the hotel before your trip.

Consider Getting a City Pass

There are so many sights to see in New York, consider getting a city pass to get great deals on popular attractions.

The Explorer Pass is a great option, allowing you entry into multiple destinations for a discounted price. You can pick how many attractions you want included in your pass depending on how much time you have. The pass can be downloaded onto your phone or printed from home.

When you’re traveling with a baby it’s nice to have one less thing to worry about. A city pass has you covered.

What to pack for New York City with a baby

Baby carrier – My most recommended item for traveling to New York City with a baby is a baby carrier . Baby carriers make life so much easier when traveling with young children. Not only is a baby carrier a perfect way to transport your baby with minimal inconvenience, it’s also great for napping and nursing on the go. I would never travel with my baby without bringing a baby carrier along as well.

Nursing cover – Nursing covers are helpful when you’re nursing in public to minimize distractions for your baby. I also use them to cover my baby when they are napping so that they have a dark, cozy environment, which helps them to sleep for longer.

Stroller- If you’re bringing a baby carrier you don’t have to bring a stroller, but it can be helpful to have if you don’t want to carry your baby everywhere. Plan on bringing a stroller that is easy to fold and preferable compact. We love the gb Pockit for travel.

Car seat- A car seat might not be necessary for your trip if you’re planning on sticking to public transportation, but you might want to have the option to use it in a car or Uber (or on the plane). If you do bring a car seat, bring along a car seat travel bag so that you can easily transport it when not in use.

What can you do in New York City with a baby?

What can you do in New York City with a baby? Well, most of the things you would do without a baby!

One of the convenient things about traveling with an infant is that they are fairly easy to bring along, meaning you won’t need to change your itinerary around much, just be sure to take your baby’s needs into account.

While visiting New York City, there is so much to see and do, whether it’s visiting national monuments or exploring museums or tracking down that perfect pastrami sandwich.

Whatever your interests, you can bet that you can find something that will appeal to you in this busy and varied city.

Here are some must-see activities in New York City and tips for visiting them with a baby!

See the city on a Bus Tour

Like most big cities in the US, New York has several bus tour options. We chose to do a hop-on-hop-off bus tour , which allowed us to jump off at the sights that we wanted to see and then catch another bus when we were ready to move on.

And the drivers also narrated what we were seeing and gave us interesting facts on the background of the city. It was a nice way to see a lot of the city and hear about its history at the same time.

This is a perfect example of a place where it’s very convenient to use a baby carrier so you don’t have to keep folding up your stroller and hauling it on and off the bus. If you do bring a stroller, try to bring one that is simple to fold up quickly.

View from the tour bus in New York City- New York City with a baby

Take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty

How can you visit New York City without dropping in on Lady Liberty? And she was as beautiful and imposing as I had imagined!

Plan ahead by purchasing a half-day tour which will give you access to both Libery and Ellis Islands, the Statue of Liberty pedestal and museum, and allow you to skip the lines at the ferry.

Liberty and Ellis Islands are only accessible by ferry from Battery Park in New York City or Liberty State Park in New Jersey. One ferry ticket includes admission to both islands.

At the base of the monument, you can view the original torch and a museum detailing the construction and history of the statue. Entrance to the museum is included with a ticket to the pedestal.

From there, you can work your way up to the pedestal for some nice views of the city across the harbor.

New York City skyline- New York City with a baby

There are lots of stairs and it does get a little cramped at times. If you want to climb to the crown, you must book your ticket months in advance. Anyone climbing up to the crown must be at least four feet tall and able to climb up and down the steps on their own, so this isn’t something you can do with a baby unless you take turns going up separately while someone stays below with the baby.

Strollers are not permitted in the statue, but there is free stroller check where you can leave your stroller at the entrance. I would recommend just using a carrier to save yourself the hassle.

Backpacks and bags are also not allowed inside, but there are lockers where you can store them at the base.

If you’re going during the busy summer months, plan to go as early as possible in the day to beat the crowds. We were there in the winter and the lines were very short.

Visit Times Square

Times Square

While in New York City, you should make time to stop by Times Square. Take some pictures in this iconic commercial intersection with it’s massive billboards and flashing lights. You can also explore some of the popular stores and attractions nearby, including M&M’s World, the Disney store, and the LEGO store.

One of the most popular things to do in Times Square is to see a Broadway show. However, if you’re traveling with a baby this isn’t going to be an option unless you have someone to watch your child as small children are not allowed in the theaters.

Times Square at nighttime is also quite the experience. Flashing lights, glowing screens, hoards of people. It can be crowded and busy, but it’s a cool and unique experience.

The area is stroller accessible, but with the crowds it can often be easier to use a carrier instead.

Head to the top of the Empire State Building

Empire State Building

Going to the Empire State Building feels kind of like a rite of passage when visiting New York.

The 86th Floor Observatory is an open-air deck with breathtaking 360-degree views of the city. You can also pay an additional charge to go up to the observatory on the 102 floor.

If you want to avoid long lines, try to visit early in the day. Children five and under are free with the purchase of an adult ticket . Small bags are permitted, so you shouldn’t have a problem bringing your diaper bag.

I recommend bringing a baby carrier when visiting the Empire State Building. Although you can take a stroller, it will need to be folded on the observation decks.

Relax in Central Park

Bridge in Central Park- New York City with a Baby

Central Park is a spot that families shouldn’t miss when in New York City. The park spans 843 acres, so be sure to bring a stroller or carrier for your baby.

The sprawling park is a nice place to slow down a little and have a break from the fast-paced city. Enjoy a picnic, let your baby take a nap, or just enjoy strolling past the lovely gardens, bridges, and ponds.

Take in the views from the Top of the Rock Observatory

View from Top of the Rock Observatory

The top of Rockefeller Center has one of the best views in the city, offering stunning 360-degree views of the skyline. There are actually three observation decks, on the 67th, 69th, and 70th floors.

If you purchase a ticket in advance you can reserve a specific time slot or purchase a flexible date admission ticket which will allow you to go whenever is most convenient. Children under 6 are free. Strollers are permitted, but they must be collapsible. There are restrooms at the top.

Although you can also get amazing views from the Empire State Building, the nice thing about this observatory is that you get the Empire State Building in the view for that classic shot of the New York skyline. Given the choice between the two, I would recommend Top of the Rock.

Experience the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

A damaged fire engine from an exhibit at the 9/11 Museum

It was very sobering to be standing at the site of Ground Zero. The memorial is a moving tribute to those affected by the events of that day. There is a lot to see and experience at the 9/11 Museum , which provides an in-depth look at what happened on that date in 2001 and the implications of those events then and now.

If you’re going to the museum with older children, I can imagine there would be some challenging discussions to be had. There are brochures available about how to talk to your children about what they learn in the museum.

Visiting with a baby made that simpler, the baby slept while we were able to experience the museum for ourselves.

Strollers are permitted in the museum, although we chose to wear our baby in a carrier.

Be ready for some strangeness at Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

This zany museum full of strange facts and bizarre artifacts will keep you guessing as to what’s real and what’s not. The Ripley’s Believe It or Not! at Times Square is the largest Ripley’s in the world with over 500 artifacts to see.

While maybe not a necessity when visiting New York City, Ripley’s is a fun place to spend an hour or two perusing the interesting exhibits at the museum. The museum is stroller-friendly and easy to navigate with a baby.

Final Thoughts

New York is an iconic city that everyone needs to experience. And making the trip with a baby is totally doable, with a little preparation.

It can be a great trip with a young baby because you can explore while the baby naps or sees the sights from a baby carrier or stroller.

We had the best time visiting New York City with our baby along and would recommend it to anyone considering a visit with a baby. It ended up being a fun and memorable trip for the whole family!

New York City with a baby pinterest pin

Other posts you might be interested in:

Baby Travel Essentials

Rome with a Baby- What to see and tips for success

Singapore with a Baby- What to Know Before You Go

Related Posts:

Xcaret Park Review- Best Attractions and Helpful Tips for a Amazing Visit!

12 Best Things to do in New York With a Baby (2023)

This post may contain compensated links. Find more info in our disclosure policy

travel nyc with baby

With its chaotic streets, towering skyscrapers and neon lights New York is the perfect city for tiny adventurers and we love the variety of things to in New York with a baby. We travelled to New York with baby J when he was 7 months old and together we explored its iconic sights from Times Square to Central Park to its museums and markets. New York is an awesome choice for a family vacation and we’ve put together our guide to the best things to do in New York with a baby!

The 12 best things to do in New York with a baby

Although J was only 7 months old when we visited, New York captured his imagination and the city both engaged and excited him. Our favourite things to do in New York with a baby include:

travel nyc with baby

Table of Contents

1 | Times Square

Times Square is an exciting mix of bright lights, chaotic crowds and colourful billboards and is mesmerising for a little adventurer. Our favourite vantage point is high above the crowds in one of the cocktail bars with a bird’s eye view of Times Square.

Best things to do in New York with a baby tip:  We love the view from the R Lounge in the Renaissance Hotel with its incredible views of the bright lights and yellow cabs the city is so famous for! It’s the perfect spot for a cocktail and milk date and J was enthralled by all the action happening below!

travel nyc with baby

Where to stay in New York with a baby

As we were spending a week in New York we wanted somewhere spacious in a city where hotel rooms are notoriously small! Most hotels provide cribs and are very welcoming to younger guests.

Our apartment-style hotel picks are:

  • Residence Inn New York Manhattan Central Park:  our choice as the best place to stay with a family in New York. We’ve stayed here numerous times and with extended stay suites with fully equipped kitchenettes, washer/dryer and huge living space it’s perfect for families –  check prices now!
  • Q&A Residential Hotel:  spacious full-sized apartments in an Art deco building in the Financial District –  check prices now!
  • Radio City Apartments:  comfortable and affordable rooms with kitchenettes close to Radio City and Times Square –  check prices now!

If you prefer hotel room style accommodation, we love these hotels from previous New York visits:

  • EVEN Hotel New York Times Square South:  spacious rooms in the heart of the Garment District close to lots of Midtown sightseeing and shopping –  check prices now!
  • Hotel Giraffe by Library Hotel Collection:  close to Union Square and Chelsea with a rooftop garden for relaxing afternoons. Perfect for exploring downtown –  check prices now!

Click here for the best NYC hotel prices

2 | Central Park

Central Park is the largest green space in Manhattan and the perfect spot for a fun filled day with a baby in New York.

There are lots of things to do with a baby in Central Park: we love the Alice in Wonderland tea party statue, riding the beautiful vintage horses at Jane’s Carousel, lazy afternoon picnics in Sheep Meadow, the puppet shows at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre and the weekly summer storytelling sessions at the Hans Christian Anderson Statue.

Then there is watching the street performers at the Bethesda Fountain, saying hello to the turtles who reside at the Turtle Pond under Belvedere Castle and catching a nursery rhyme at the Delacorte Music Clock.

travel nyc with baby

If you are visiting Central Park with a baby, make sure to stop by one of the 21 playgrounds dotted throughout the park. The playgrounds are all unique in design, only accessible when visiting with a child and are open from dawn to dusk.

Our favourite is the Tarr-Coyne Tots Playground located on the West Side at 68th Street – it’s aimed at the youngest park visitors and has plenty of sand and spots for crawling and clambering.

The hustle and bustle of the city streets is soon forgotten the moment we enter Central Park and J loves the freedom and space it offers.

travel nyc with baby

3 | Strolls through the city

The ever-changing city streets are perfect for long walks with baby in tow. From green spaces to bright lights to music, art and crowds there is rarely a dull moment on the sidewalks of New York City.

We’ve walked countless miles in the city that never sleeps! J is happy to watch the world go by from his stroller and we loved exploring the city on foot and coming across gem after gem along the way.

Best things to do with a baby in New York tip:  the New York sidewalks are stroller friendly. Our favourite walks include exploring the street art in Soho and the Lower East Side, the river views and open space alongside the West Side Highway, Central Park and the High Line.

travel nyc with baby

4 | Washington Square Park

Washington Square Park is a hive of activity and is usually teeming with artists, musicians, sunbathers, performers, chess players and cute dogs! The dancing fountain is an added bonus in one of the most vibrant spots in the city. We watched the adorable NYC dogs on their afternoon walks, enjoyed some classical singing, listened to Colin Huggins on his grand piano and giggled at getting soaked in the spray from the fountain!  Washington Square Park is perfect for a milk break or some baby downtime and it was one of J’s happiest places in NYC.

travel nyc with baby

5 | Take a museum stroller tour

We loved exploring museums on our travels and some NYC museums even offer stroller tours led by museum experts. The tours are usually held outside of the typical museum opening hours so there’s no need to stress about crying babies or navigating a stroller through crowds. The Guggenheim, the Whitney and the Brooklyn Museum all offer stroller tours. We joined one at the Guggenheim and loved how interactive, baby friendly and relaxed the tour was while us adults enjoyed the knowledge shared by the museum educator who led the tour.

6 | Byrant Park

Byrant Park is synonymous with sunny lunch breaks, intense chess games, open-air movies and the New York Public Library. Byrant Park was once our regular lunch spot when we worked a few blocks away and we’ve adored it ever since. J was fascinated with the contrast of the giant skyscrapers surrounding the open space of the park and loved watching a nearby juggler in his attempt to juggle 7 balls! Of course, we had to take a ride on Le Carousel, Byrant Park’s resident carousel for both mine and J’s amusement!

travel nyc with baby

7 | DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge Park

Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, or DUMBO for short, is another great spot for a baby-friendly visit to New York.

The first stop is on Water and Washington Street: Washington Street aligns perfectly to give a beautiful view of the Washington Bridge with the Manhattan skyline in the background and the Empire State Building framed perfectly by the legs of the bridge.  The nearby Brooklyn Bridge Park is perfect for a picnic and the beautiful restored Jane’s carousel is another treat. We also love grabbing some ice creams at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and watching the boats passing by.

travel nyc with baby

8 | The Staten Island Ferry

J is already obsessed with all forms of transport and was very excited about his boat ride on the Hudson River. The Staten Island Ferry travels between downtown Manhattan and Staten Island and the views from the water are fantastic with Lower Manhattan, the downtown Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty the stars of the show. Best of all, it’s free to ride the ferry!

9 | Walk the High Line

A stroll on the High Line is one of our favourite things to do in New York with baby J. The High Line is an elevated public park and walkway meandering up the West side of Manhattan. It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking district to West 34 th  Street between 10 th  and 12 th  Avenue.

Originally a train line, this beautifully landscaped public park offers some awesome views of New York and is a great escape from the bustling streets below. It’s the perfect spot to indulge in some people-watching and to admire the quirky street art and sculptures along the route. There are also some fantastic views of the Empire State building peeking out above the surrounding rooftops.

travel nyc with baby

10 | Coney Island

Colourful, vibrant and fun, Coney Island is a Brooklyn gem with its beach, boardwalk, arcades, aquarium and amusement parks. The carnival atmosphere is contagious and there is a feeling of days gone by. J loved playing on the sandy beach and was fascinated with all the colours and sounds of the boardwalk and its amusement parks. An afternoon at Coney Island feels like taking a beach holiday from Manhattan and was a definite hit of our baby friendly vacation!

travel nyc with baby

11 | Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market is crammed full of delicious eateries and unique stores and is a great place to while away a rainy afternoon in NYC or to take a break after a walk on the High Line.

Our favourite spot is Posman Books, an independent boutique bookstore with a great children’s corner, indulging in ice creams at L’Arte del Gelato and browsing through the stalls at Artists and Fleas, a marketplace with over 100 vendors selling a mix of vintage and quirky.

Best things to do with a baby in New York tip:  after picking up some fruit treats for J at the Manhattan Fruit Market in Chelsea Market we love to treat ourselves to some lobster at the renowned Lobster Place.

Chelsea Market

12 | Brooklyn Bridge

A New York icon, the Brooklyn Bridge links Brooklyn and Manhattan and walking across the  Brooklyn   Bridge is a must do while in NYC. The bridge is awash with commuters, runners, walkers, cyclists and tourists and there’s a constant soundtrack of car horns, bicycle bells and music blaring from speaker wielding pedestrians! J enjoys a relatively late bedtime and we love catching a sunset with him on the bridge as darkness falls and the city lights begin to twinkle.

Things to do in New York with a baby tip:  we recommend walking the bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan as the views of Manhattan are incredible and One World Trade, the Empire State Building and the Chrysler all make appearances.

travel nyc with baby

For more on New York family travel

Check out our other NYC family travel articles:

  • Navigating  New York with a baby
  • Exploring Central Park with kids
  • Things to do in NYC with toddlers

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Disclaimer:  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Show Them The Globe is a family travel and lifestyle website inspiring you to travel more with your kids.

Signup to our Newsletter

© 2022 All images and content on this website are subject to copyright by showthemtheglobe.com

The 2 Idiots Travel Blog

The 2 Idiots Travel Blog

The Go-To Destination for Travel With Kids and Family Travel

NY with kids

New York With Kids: The Ultimate Travel Itinerary

There are barely any words needed to describe…it’s fair to say it speaks for itself. The life, buzz, music, lights and perfect chaos of the city makes it one of the best to visit in the US. It’ll be easy to want to stay there forever! But until then, we thought it would be useful to come up with the ultimate travel guide for New York with kids.

From the best attractions to visit to most family-friendly areas to stay in, we’ve got you covered. Let’s get started.

Make your next family vacation a breeze

Travel with your kids now and build amazing memories as a family! Get our book, written by parents just like you, that will guide you all the way.

travel nyc with baby

Best time to travel to New York

Spring is definitely the best time to visit New York with kids. The weather starts becoming much more enjoyable from April, and improves consistently until the summer. However, differently to summer, spring has a lot less tourists and crowds in the streets and public transport – making your stay run much smoother. You’ll be able to hop on and off subways with young ones faster and be more comfortable overall.

As you may expect, New York becomes a tourist hot spot in the summer, with good reason. The weather is perfect for spending time outdoors and there are endless events to attend to, especially in the parks. Speaking of parks, Central Park is amazing during the summer –  an easy (and free) reliable option when looking for things to do with kids in New York. However, it does get incredibly busy, making it difficult to juggle kids with huge crowds, noise, traffic, long lines to the best attractions and mountainous prices.

Fall is also an amazing time to visit New York with kids. The changing colors of the leaves make the city glow like none other, and the tourist season starts to decrease…as well as the prices. New York in the fall is romantic and a great to spend with the family. When going to New York in the fall, we recommend taking day trips upstate to truly appreciate its magic.

We all know that New York is fantastic during the winter, especially during the last weeks in the year. There simply isn’t anywhere else in the world where you can find the same fairytale story than with the lights, music and atmosphere of the city. On the other hand, this also means that New York becomes an incredibly popular place to come to – this often gets reflected in its incredibly high prices, heavy crowds, and difficulties when moving around. The weather isn’t on our side either, you can expect snow, and even blizzards.

Where to Stay in New York with Kids

NY Midtown - Where to Stay in New York with Kids

To make the most out of your visit to New York with kids, Midtown is definitely where you want to stay. Close to Times Square, the Theater District and other landmarks like the Rockerfeller center and the Moma. Everything is within a few subway stops away! There are hundreds of dining options to consider, shows on Broadway to watch, and hotels to choose from.

Upper West Side

NY Upper west side Where to Stay in New York with Kids

The Upper West side is one of the safest areas to stay in with New York. It’s surrounded with beautiful green parks, playgrounds and wonderful museums like the American Museum of Natural History to visit with kids. In this area, you can  be sure to always find incredible accommodation options. This neighbourhood is also covered with public transport at every corner, making it easy to get around to other popular spots and attractions.

Upper East Side

NY Upper East Side - Where to Stay in New York with Kids

The Upper East Side is known for its wealthy residences and residents. It’s in the middle of the best museums in the city, as well as the beautiful Central Park and the Carl Schurz Park. Don’t forget to visit the East River! It’s one of the best spots to visit with kids in New York.

How to get around New York with Kids

Subways and buses.

One of the best ways to experience New York is through its public transport. Subways, specifically. New York subways will get you to all the main attractions quickly and efficiently. They run at all hours of the day, and are very reliable. We recommend travelling by subway if you have slightly older kids; New York subways aren’t stroller friendly since they have no stairs, and you’ll be asked to fold them up while riding.

Taxis and Ubers

Yellow taxis are legendary icons of New York. They’re easy to travel with, and you’ll have no problem finding any at any point of the day. In yellow taxis and private hire cars, remember that there are no car seats but kids under the age of  are allowed to sit on the lap of an adult. However, Ubers do come with car seats , just make sure to press the ‘car seat option’ when you order it.

How Much Time to Stay in New York with Kids

To be honest, it’s impossible to say what’s the right amount of time to spend in New York. Some would say that staying there for a lifetime isn’t even enough! But for us, when travelling with kids, staying in New York for a week is more than enough. You’ll have enough time to discover the best of the city by day and by night

Things To Do in New York With Kids

Visit central park.

NY Central park - Things To Do in New York With Kids

Going to Central Park is without a doubt one of the best things to do in New York with kids, It’s a great way to spend a couple of hours surrounded by nature and greenery; a completely different landscape from the concrete jungle New York City has earned with the years. All around the year, there are plenty of things to look out for; concerts, outdoor movie screenings, festivals, bike riding, etc. Personally, we love packing ourselves a simple lunch and taking it with us when the weather is warm. The kids are very easily entertained watching everything that happens around them!

Central Park also happens to be the place to go to for the zoo. We’ve been a couple of times, and must say that it’s always a treat. We recommend coming in the morning since it’s a lot less crowded, and will find it a lot more enjoyable to look around.

American Museum of Natural History

NY American museum of natural history - Things To Do in New York With Kids

To us, The American Museum of Natural History is one of the most ideal museums in the country to go to with kids. There are countless interesting artifacts and exhibitions that kids love to learn about, especially the dinosaur skeletons. Among the many things you can expect to see from the natural world are ancient fossils, a biodiversity exhibition of American national forests, and a vast array of incredible human origins and cultural halls. Here, we recommend visiting the Hall of Plains Indians, it’s one of our favourites – and so much more. There’s also an impressive amount of kids’ activities and programs you can check out such as they offer such as booklets or guided tours; make sure to ask for them at the reception. They can keep them going for hours!

Children’s Museum Of The Arts

NY Children’s Museum Of The Arts - Things To Do in New York With Kids

The Children’s Museum of the Arts is one of our favourite museums to visit when we’re in New York with kids. Unlike other museus, this one allows kids to explore their creativity with original, colorful and creative exhibitions. Many collections and displays are made by amazing intellectuals that combine art, technology and science to create works that are not only interactive and entertaining, but that are also a commentary on our society and way of living. Remember to stop yourself every now and then to truly grasp what the exhibitions are about!

Go to a Broadway show

NY Broadway - Things To Do in New York With Kids

There’s nothing more iconic than going to a Broadway show when visiting New York with kids. There are so many amazing shows to choose from that you’ll probably have a hard time choosing. Our personal favourites to see with our kids are the Lion King, Wicked and Beetlejuice; they’ve got great storylines and are even entertaining for us as well.

Visit the Statue of Liberty

NY Statue of liberty - Things To Do in New York With Kids

When visiting New York with kids, taking a ride to see the Statue of Liberty is a must. The statue is great in itself of course, but the true highlight is actually the boat ride that takes you there. Kids love riding boats in the first place; we recommend saving the trip for a sunny day or even for the sunset for a dramatic view of the skyline.

Since it’s a pretty popular attraction to visit, we recommend allowing plenty of time for your visit, and prepare to wait some time in lines in case you run into them. This means bringing snacks and toys along with you to keep the kids entertained.

Watch a Game At The Yankee Stadium

NY Yankee Stadium - Things To Do in New York With Kids

Whether your kids are into baseball or not, watching a Yankee game is one of the top ways to feel the energy of the city. Make sure to check the schedule for any upcoming games, and definitely don’t hesitate to book some tickets. To make your experience even better, don’t forget to dress in Yankee attire from head to toe! As you may expect, there are caps, hoodies, t-shirts and baseball balls you can purchase at the souvenir shops. You’ll look like  true New York locals! Last but not least, eat some corn dogs as you watch.

Coney Island

NY Coney Island - Things To Do in New York With Kids

Found in Brooklyn, Coney Island is one you’ve seen endlessly in movies. Essentially, it’s a giant entertainment and amusement area that gathers over 50 rides, attractions and delicious food stalls. The most popular places to visit are the Wonder Wheel and Luna Park, so be prepared to see a lot of people and buzz. You’ll run into loud vibrant street performers  and the Mermaid Parade in the summer too, so make sure to keep your eyes open for that. Besides the entertainment and eclecticness, Coney Island carries a lot of history, so we recommend you to do your research so you can take in the full experience.

New York Botanical Garden Edible Academy

NY Botanical garden - Things To Do in New York With Kids

One of the best (yet underrated) things to do in New York with kids is to visit the New York Botanical Garden Edible Academy.  Located at the wonderful New York Botanical Garden, the Edible Academy is an incredible initiative that allows kids to learn everything about growing their own garden, vegetables, and fruits for more sustainable cities. This is super important to us since we truly believe kids have the most capacity to shift the world into a better place, so it’s great to come visit places like this during our travels. What do you think about it? Let us know in the comments!

Empire State Building

The Empire State building, as you may already know, is an incredible skyscraper dating back to the 1930s. It’s become part of New York’s beloved skyline, as well as the one of the best viewpoints to watch the city who never sleeps. It’s one of New York’s most loved and visited attractions so make sure you get your tickets for the observation deck in advance. Our kids love the King Kong story, so coming to the Empire State building is always a huge treat for them.

Rose Center for Earth and Space

NY Rose center for Earth and Space - Things To Do in New York With Kids

The Rose Center for Earth and Space is an amazing museum for kids when visiting New York. It contains a great deal of interactive exhibits about the cosmos, space and astronauts; the perfect place for curious kids. It’s actually located within the American Museum of Natural History, which makes it incredibly convenient if you’re thinking of visiting the museum on the same day. Kids have a thing for space for some reason, so you won’ have to worry about them being entertained for a couple hours…you can’t imagine how much they’ll love coming here.

Things To Eat in New York City

Doughnuts - Things To Eat in New York City

Doughnuts. New York is much more enjoyable when you’re holding a doughnut in your hand, it’s simply a fact. And kids are obviously very much on board with this – we can assure you won’t run into any fussy eaters when you propose a doughnut snack break.

Hot dogs - Things To Eat in New York City

One of the best experiences we’ve had with our kids is eating hot dogs on genuine New York street food stands. There’s just something about New York’s hot dog stands that make them taste so magical! We always recommend ordering some with ketchup, lots of pickles and onions. There’s not a better combination.

Pizza - Things To Eat in New York City

Everyone knows that even though pizzas are Italian, some of the best are found in New York. The city is quite famous for them, so you’ll have a great time trying to discover the best ones in town. As you may already know, there are barely any kids who would refuse a slice of pizza, so you can be sure they’ll enjoy it.

Bagels - Things To Eat in New York City

Bagels are iconic to New York. What goes inside them is really up to the lucky person who will be eating them – from chili sauce, to cream cheese, to egg, to peanut butter and jelly, salmon…the list never ends. What we know for sure, is that your kids will be begging for more.

Cheesecake - Things To Eat in New York City

Don’t ask us why New York cheesecake is so good, we have no idea. What we do know, is that it’s one of the most delicious desserts you must try when you’re in the city. We suggest trying it with berries, strawberries or chocolate sauce; it adds a delicious touch.

New York is simply a magical place, so we hope you love it as much as we do. Let us know about your experience in the city that never sleeps in the comments below!

Related Posts

Taking a family vacation is unlike any other experience in the world. This is a…

Why do The 2 Idiots recommend Shanghai With Kids? We cannot rave enough about Shanghai!…

WHY DO THE 2 IDIOTS RECOMMEND BARCELONA WITH KIDS? Spain is our favorite country, and…

Ready to embark on an adventure with your kids?

travel nyc with baby

Subscribe to our newsletter AND get a free sample copy of our entire book, How to Travel With Kids (Without Losing Your Mind)!

guest

Subscribe to our newsletter for our latest updates AND get a FREE sample copy of our book,  How to Travel With Kids (Without Losing Your Mind) . You will get to sample the 22 chapters in our book and get several FREE chapters w/ no obligation or cost to you!

  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Additional menu

The Family Vacation Guide

The Family Vacation Guide

Aerial night view of Times Square, New York, United States.

New York City Family Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting With Kids

posted by Charmaine Cortes on February 21, 2023 // last updated on February 28, 2023

Across the world, artists in different countries pay homage to their beloved cities in different ways—but none like New York City. With nearly nine million people within its borders, NYC is the most populous city in the world and boasts iconic spots including Times Square, the Hudson River, Central Park,  the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty. 

New York is the global center of entertainment, fashion, economics, and more. But even if it wasn’t, the city is worth at least one visit. 

Of course, you’ll be visiting NYC with kids, so that’s a bit stressful. Not to worry, our New York City family travel guide will help you have the best vacation ever.  

5 Reasons Why New York City Is the Perfect Family Vacation Destination

When’s the best time to visit new york with kids, what’s the weather in new york city across the year, what’s the perfect length of time to spend in new york city, the best things to do with kids in new york city, the best family hotels & resorts in new york city, what’s the average cost of a hotel in new york city, the best places to eat with kids in new york city, the best day trips from new york city that the whole family will love, how to get around new york city during your vacation, the best ways to get to new york city for your vacation, top tips for staying safe in new york city when visiting with kids.

travel nyc with baby

With all the hustle and bustle in this city, you might be wondering whether a New York City vacation is really a good idea. Here are five reasons NYC is the perfect spot for your family vacation. 

Popular Landmarks

Numerous Hollywood movies have been shot in New York, so we’ve all grown up watching the city. Even so, it’s always a delight to see the city in real life. This delight extends to famous landmarks. 

Your kids will feel a similar excitement when they recognize the buildings and places. They’ll love the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Central Park, New York Public Library, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

You’ll also recognize The Plaza Hotel from Home Alone, The Radio City Music Hall from the Godfather, and The Grand Central Terminal from The Avengers. The more you look around, the more places you’ll recognize. 

There are four fashion capitals in the world (formally called the Big Four), namely Milan, Paris, London, and New York. Given that information, it would be a waste to go back without purchasing something. Some may even say it’s impossible. 

The city has every brand you can think of. If you love branded designs, visit Fifth Avenue, Meatpacking District, Madison Avenue, and SoHo. However, if you’re not brand conscious, you’ll have a greater pool of choices.

New York’s Theater District has big-name theaters like Broadway, Apollo, Palace, Shubert, and St. James Theater. The city is home to multiple original productions, like The King and I, Oklahoma, Les Miserables, Hamlet, and more. 

If you can leave your kids at a daycare, visiting this district would make for an epic date night. Alternatively, you can look for family-friendly shows, like The Lion King, Wicked, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Peter Pan Goes Wrong.  

History and Museums

Did you know New York was called New Amsterdam? The Dutch were the first settlers, but they lost it to the English, so it was named New York (after the Duke of York, the mission leader). The city has a long history, and it’s a melting point of cultures. 

You’ll find many historically significant sites and museums while here. If science is more your thing, you’ll find plenty of attractions like the New York Hall of Science and the Museum of the Earth. 

Art’s also a pretty big deal in the Big Apple. If you’re into that, you should go to museums like The Museum of Modern Art, Frick Collection, and Neue Galerie.

Although New York bears the moniker “concrete jungle,” the city still emphasizes greenery. Hence, there are several great parks spread throughout the city. 

Central Park is the largest and most well-known park in the city, so you can start there. After that, you can start exploring other locations like Bryant Park, The High Line, Prospect Park, and more. 

Spring and fall would be the best seasons to visit New York. The weather’s pleasant, and the crowds start ebbing away. Plus, it’s the off-season, so the prices are more reasonable. 

Of course, if you have school-going kids, you don’t have the luxury of choosing the time. In that case, we’d say to visit during the summer. However, you’ll probably have to wrestle with crowds and spend more money on accommodation.

travel nyc with baby

Spring starts in March and lasts till June. The temperatures start in the fifties and go up to the seventies. The weather’s pleasant, and everything is nice and pretty. It’s neither too hot nor too cold, and rain is infrequent and is usually just a shower.

Springs fade into hot, crowded July summers. The season lasts till September, and the temperature starts in the mid-eighties but drops back to the high seventies as the season fades. However, the nights are pretty cool. 

Things start getting colder in fall and dip into the fifties by November. The fallen leaves look beautiful, even if clean-up is painful. Plus, the season doesn’t see that many tourists. 

Winter stays from December till March. The temperatures fluctuate between the thirties and forties. The weather remains cold, and you will see some snow. But the beautiful decorations, Christmas discounts, and Ball Drop can make it worth it. 

We’d say a week. Of course, you can hit the famous spots over one weekend, but it’ll feel more like a speedrun than a holiday. 

So, if you have the time, slow things down a bit. If you do, you can go deeper into the city and keep your itinerary more flexible. 

New York City is a major family vacation destination, so there’s something for everyone. It’s simply a matter of finding things you and your kids will enjoy. Here’s a list of places you can’t miss while you’re here:

Central Park

travel nyc with baby

Central Park first opened its doors to the general public in 1958. The park is spread over nearly eight hundred and fifty acres and features many lawns, streams, lakes, a carousel, skating rinks, and more. 

This park features a zoo that’s home to over hundred and fifty different species, including snow leopards, red pandas, penguins, Japanese macaques, Californian sea lions, and more. The Tisch Children’s Zoo caters to kids and has feeding and petting areas. 

You can book guided tours to see everything including Central Park Zoo. Don’t forget to visit Belvedere Castle, Ancient Playground, Delacorte Musical Clock, and Victorian Gardens Amusement Park.

Madison Square Park 

travel nyc with baby

Madison Square Park is a two-acre area on Madison Avenue. It features three lawns, a playground, and a dog park. This playground is called Police Officer Moira Ann Smith Playground after the female policewoman who lost her life in the 9/11 attacks. It features tire swings, water fountains, and other fun activities. Plus, it’s close to Shake Shack. You’ll also like the Reflecting Pool and the various monuments throughout the park. 

It’s easy to confuse Madison Square Park with Madison Square Garden. But the places are different. Madison Square Garden is an arena in Penn Plaza. The indoor arena hosts different events ranging from sports to music and family events. The name is similar to the park because they used to be located near each other. 

Staten Island Ferry

travel nyc with baby

The Staten Island Ferry is the only one for you to take a boat to Staten Island from Manhattan. You can enter the free Staten Island Ferry from the Whitehall terminal in Manhattan and get to the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island. The boat will have snacks and bathrooms, so you don’t need to worry about being hungry or unable to urinate. 

Remember, you have to get off at the end of every trip. The service doesn’t permit a round trip. However, that’s okay since you can take time to explore Staten Island. 

The ride lasts twenty-five to thirty minutes, and you get breathtaking views of the city and Ellis Island. Try to schedule a visit during the non-peak hours for the best experience.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

travel nyc with baby

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) may not sound like a very kid-friendly place, but it is. The museum has collected art pieces from around five thousand years and displayed them for all the world to see. Of course, that’s a lot of art; you’ll probably need to visit a few more times to see everything.  

The Met has its locations on Fifth Avenue and Margaret Corbin Drive. You can pick up an audio guide at the information desk. These are designed for kids and help them learn about the things they see.

Start your visit with the American Wing and then make your way to other wings like Ancient Egypt. We recommend exploring places the kids like, as this is a great learning experience. When you’ve had enough fun, you can have food at one of the seven on-site restaurants.  

Ellis Island

travel nyc with baby

The Statue of Liberty may be on Liberty Island, but the ticket usually includes Ellis Island too. You can reserve tickets ahead or go to Battery Park to take the ferry and get a ticket there.

When you get to Liberty Island visitor center, grab the junior ranger booklet so you have a guide. When you get to the Statue of Liberty Museum, you’ll need to reserve access if you want to go up the statue. You can reserve different parts, like the pedestal or crown.

Once you get to Ellis Island, explore The National Immigration Museum. Here you’ll see the stories of immigrants and all they had to go through to come to America. 

Rockefeller Center

travel nyc with baby

Rockefeller Center deserves a visit, especially if you’re there during winter. You can see the amazing lights and massive Christmas trees during the holiday season and enjoy skating on the rink. However, only one hundred and fifty people can go on at a time, so your family may have to wait a while.

Once you’re done with the winter fun, you can go up to the Top of the Rock to see magnificent views of the entire city. Other attractions include the Radio City Music Hall, NBC Studios, and Channel Gardens. 

Brooklyn Bridge Park

travel nyc with baby

The Brooklyn Bridge Park is a waterfront park that spans eight-five acres near the East River. The park has six sections or piers and nine playgrounds equipped with swings, slides, water channels, and more. Kids generally favor Empire Fulton Ferry and Jane’s Carousel, so you might want to visit those first.

You can also catch a movie at the Harbor View Lawn. Alternatively, you can let the kids go roller skate or kayaking. Other activities include bird watching, fishing, and more. The park doesn’t impose an entrance fee, so you can go whenever. 

One World Trade Center

travel nyc with baby

One World Trade Center has replaced the Twin Towers destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. The building is home to several restaurants and other places. However, that’s not why you’re here. 

Your focus is on the One World Observatory. The Observatory is on the top floor of the One World Trade Center. Once there, you’ll see complete views of New York City. It’s a fantastic place to walk around and see everything from a different perspective. 

However, the ticket lines can be long, so be ready to wait. If that’s not an option, you can get reservations, but you’ll still have to wait a little while. Another option is to get the Express Pass and cut through the line. 

FAO Schwarz

travel nyc with baby

Yes, FAO Schwarz is in Rockefeller Center, but it’s so great we had to give it a separate place here. This iconic toy store has been in operation for over hundred and fifty years. You don’t just get to shop here. There are many interactive experiences meant to entertain the kids. 

Your kid can style their own barbie doll, design an Elmo Monster, or adopt an FAO Schwarz Baby Doll. You can even build your own racecar. Other attractions include a piano and more. 

Children’s Museum of Manhattan

travel nyc with baby

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan is on the Upper West Side. The kids will get a chance to learn about different cultures, history, and other topics through interactive exhibits. 

Exhibits focus on animals, art, water, voting, and more. Kids have to be supervised, and you can’t take food inside. 

A huge factor in the enjoyment of any vacation is the place you’ll stay . This is even more true when you’re having a family trip. You need to be comfortable and close to all the places you want to visit. It’s a little difficult to find kid-friendly places, so here are a few suggestions:

Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park

travel nyc with baby

You’ll find the Ritz-Carlton Central Park in Midtown Manhattan. The hotel is close to tourist attractions like the Natural History Museum, Rockefeller Center, and more. The luxury rooms and suites come with views of Central Park and the city.

Other room amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi, soundproof windows, a minibar, a workspace, valet, and laundry services. Later, you can relax at the La Prairie Spa or break a sweat in the fitness center. You can also request room and limousine service.

The hotel is kid-friendly, and you can take advantage of the Ritz Kids offer to get a bunch of perks. These include cookies and milk turn-downs along with a special craft pass to CAMP. 

The Muse, New York

travel nyc with baby

The Muse is also in Midtown Manhattan, so it’s near Broadway, Times Square, Rockefeller, and the nearby museums. Guests can access the on-site fitness center and a business lounge. 

They also offer valet parking, complimentary Wi-Fi, laundry service, and a charging station for your electric car. The hotel is child-friendly and offers your kids a care package, including M&M stuff. Other kid-friendly offers include child-sized robes and help to connect you to nice babysitting services. 

The Peninsula New York, Midtown East

travel nyc with baby

This luxury hotel may be expensive, but its facilities and kid-friendly options make it worth every penny. 

Guests can use the Peninsula Spa, Fitness Center, Hotel Indoor Pool, and Vu Hair New York. Additionally, you can request car service and ride around the city in a luxury BMW with a chauffeur. 

Kids get a welcome card and specialized amenities. Plus, if you book the Camp Peninsula package for them, they can get cozy inside the Camp Peninsula tent that the hotel will set up in the suite. They can also participate in a scavenger hunt. 

Loews Regency Hotel New York

travel nyc with baby

You can find the Loews Regency Hotel on Park Avenue. It’s just a short walk away from attractions, like Central Park, Broadway, and Madison Avenue. The luxurious hotel offers an on-site fitness center, complimentary coffee, shoe shine, and Wi-Fi. 

Other services include babysitting, concierge, dry cleaning, room service, and parking. You can request complimentary cribs, baby bath kits, board games, toys, coloring books, and a PlayStation. The best part is you don’t need to pay for the kids if they’re under eighteen.

If you want to relax, you can do that too. Treat yourself at the Julien Farel Restore Salon & Spa. This spa offers massages, spa treatments, hairstyling and coloring, and nail services. 

The Rockaway

travel nyc with baby

The Rockaway hotel is in Queens, but you get to stay near the beach. All the rooms are air-conditioned and non-smoking. The hotel offers housekeeping, laundry, and concierge services. There’s also a seasonally heated pool and snack bar. 

Other hotel perks include the spa, wellness classes, and a complimentary Orange Theory class. You can also visit the Winter Pool House, where you’ll have access to a sauna, outdoor heated pool, and lounge space. The hotel frequently rolls out family packages with activities for the kids, so check for those before you reserve anything. 

The average cost for mid-tier hotels in New York ranges from $200 to $250 per night. However, luxury hotels can charge up to $1000 per night. It all depends on the time of the season, amenities provided, luxury level, and location. Additionally, most hotels don’t include taxes in the quoted prices. 

New York City has loads of great food places, but are they kid-friendly? Your child will need a kid’s menu, a fun interior, and food that looks delicious. Here are a few places that we think would be an instant hit:

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

travel nyc with baby

This Harlem location has been serving good food since 2004. If you love smoked meat, this is the place to be. The menu includes BBQ pork ribs, chicken, and brisket. You’ll also see burgers, sandwiches, wings, salads, and more. The kid’s menu includes sliders, chicken wings, bbq and crispy chicken, mac & cheese, and fried rice. 

Harlem Shake

travel nyc with baby

You can’t leave NYC without visiting Harlem Shake. The restaurant opened in 2013, but since then, it has gotten rave reviews from celebs and publications. The menu includes burgers, sandwiches, shakes, beer, soda, and some specials. The kid’s menu is simple, featuring grilled cheese, mini burgers, chicken tenders, and a few combos. 

Café Un Deux Trois

Located in the Theater District, Cafe Un Deux Trois has been functioning since 1977. This French café doesn’t have a separate kid’s menu, but the fare is simple enough, so the kids will like what they get. The menu changes according to the time of day, so keep that in mind before you go. 

Jackson Diner

travel nyc with baby

Jackson Diner has been giving New Yorkers a taste of Indian cuisine for over thirty-five years. The food is so good that they’ve served various big shots like Hillary Clinton, Harrison Ford, and Sylvester Stallone. The menu includes tandoori meat, curries, soups, salads, biryani, bread, and more. 

travel nyc with baby

Benihana is a Japanese restaurant chain. You get a personal chef that cooks the food in front of you while indulging in some theatrics. The kids will love the experience and can order from a separate kid’s menu.

If you’re coming to town for a longer period, you’ll definitely want to check out some nearby places. Here are a few places you can enjoy with your family. 

Riverhead is almost two hours away from NYC. It’s a small town on Long Island but offers its visitors plenty of experiences.

You can start sightseeing at the Long Island Aquarium. The aquarium houses sting rays, sea lions, turtles, sharks, penguins, and otters, among other animals. 

If you want to go to an indoor attraction, we recommend The All-Star and Safari Adventure. Kids can see how farms work at Garden of Eve and Hallockville Museum Farm. Other attractions include the Railroad Museum of Long Island, Riverhead Raceway, and Martha Clara Vineyards. 

Cold Spring

Cold Spring is in Putnam County, an hour and fifteen minutes from New York City. It is a quaint little village you can tour on the Cold Spring Trolley. Take the kids to Tiny Tots Park and relax while they play in the fenced space. 

You can take a canoe or kayak out on the Hudson River; just rent the equipment. The village also has several art galleries, such as the Buster Levi Gallery and Magazzino Italian Art. Walk along Main Street and see all the shops and places there. This village isn’t wild in any sense of the word, but it makes for a relaxing day. 

travel nyc with baby

Cape May is a New Jersey city, just two and a half hours’ drive from New York. It’s famous for its beaches, and you’ll enjoy being at the resort. The city has sixteen beaches with popular ones, including Broadway and The Cove. 

You can hang out here, and the kids can make sandcastles, or you can go into the water and try swimming and surfing in the sea. Alternatively, you can go on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry to see the scenery and encounter a few dolphins. 

Other attractions include the County Zoo, Point State Park, Cape May Lighthouse, Jersey Shore Alpacas, and Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum. You can also go on a carriage ride through the city with the Cape May Carriage Company.

travel nyc with baby

Norwalk is a city in Connecticut. It’s just over an hour away from New York City. Once there, you can start with the Sheffield Island Lighthouse Tour. This lighthouse has been there since 1868. Afterward, you can go to the Stepping Stones Museum for Children, where they’ll have fun with the interactive exhibits. 

You can also go to The Maritime Aquarium, Sono Fieldhouse, and New Canaan Nature Center. The Sono Fieldhouse offers multiple sports like lacrosse, soccer, baseball, hockey, baseball, and others. 

Philadelphia

travel nyc with baby

Philadelphia is an hour and a half away from NYC.  We recommend starting your visit with the Franklin Institute, where kids can learn about science through interactive kid-centric exhibits. 

Later, you can visit the Please Touch Museum. This kid’s wonderland features Alice’s Wonderland and other exhibits. If your kids love animals, you must visit the Philadelphia Zoo and Adventure Aquarium.

The kids can have fun in Franklin Square, the LEGOLAND Discovery Center, and Sesame Place. For a touch of history, visit the Independence National History Park to see how the Founding Fathers worked for our independence. If you want to witness a hint of magic, visit the Museum of Illusions and Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens.

travel nyc with baby

New York City has an efficient public transit system, so you won’t need to rent a car. Here’s a brief overview:

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)

The MTA regulates the transport system, which consists of buses and subways. You need a MetroCard to get on these. You can purchase this from the station via self-service machines or booth attendants. The card also works with the Roosevelt Island Tram.

New York has its characteristic yellow taxis. You can hail one if its number is illuminated. You can call a cab anywhere, but they’re expensive. Still, it beats getting on the subway when you’re dead on your feet. 

Other Methods

Other travel methods include using your car or getting a rental. You can also rent a bike or take the ferry, but those methods are limited. 

There are multiple methods to get to New York City. You can decide which one’s the best depending on your needs. 

If you’re flying in, you will land at one of these three airports; John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LGA), and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). Once you land, you can go to your hotel by taxi or by public transport. 

There are two train stations in New York City; Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station. Depending on where you live, you can take one of the five rail services that function here. These include Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), Metro-North Railroad, NJ Transit, and PATH (Port Authority Trans Hudson). 

If you want to start the vacation with a road trip, you can use your car. Be sure to use Google Maps and keep snacks and toys for the young ones. If your children are too young, a long car trip might make them antsy so be prepared to take regular breaks.

New York City isn’t any more dangerous than other major cities. However, you need to be careful so you can be safe. 

  • Hold hands with the kids, especially in crowded places.
  • Make sure you get on the subway together and have a contingency plan for if you lose each other.
  • Don’t engage with strangers.
  • Teach your kids to approach the police if lost. 
  • Be careful of pickpockets.
  • Make sure your hotel is safe and leave your valuables there. 
  • Stick to well-lit, crowded areas.
  • Be careful on the subway. Ensure the kids stay away from the tracks and don’t lose them in the crowd.

travel nyc with baby

New York City is a popular family vacation spot. It’s a big city, and one short vacation isn’t enough to do or see everything. Prioritize what you want and try to check off the important stuff first. However, since you’re traveling with kids, you can’t be too strict with your itinerary. If things don’t go strictly to plan, don’t worry too much, and try to enjoy the vacation. You can always visit again.

More about our TFVG Author

travel nyc with baby

Charmaine Cortes

A person floating on a lazy river in a resort with palm trees around on an afternoon.

sleepbaby.org logo

  • Baby Sleep Workshop 💤
  • Privacy Policy
  • Search for...

Bringing Your Baby to New York: The Complete Guide

  • July 15, 2023

Embarking on a trip with a baby can seem challenging, especially if the destination is a vibrant city like New York. However, with the correct preparation, it can turn into a fulfilling experience. This guide offers invaluable information to make your baby’s first New York City visit a remarkable one.

The Advantages of Introducing Your Baby to New York City

Contrary to its image as an always-bustling city, New York City proves to be surprisingly friendly for babies, brimming with numerous parks, sights, and baby-friendly activities.

Embracing the Green Expanse of Central Park

Central Park, with its extensive green spaces, playgrounds, and the Central Park Zoo, serves as an excellent starting point for your NYC adventure.

Engaging Baby in Interactive Children’s Museums

New York City prides itself on housing several children’s museums, like the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. These interactive spaces can ensure your baby is mentally stimulated and amused.

Handy Advice for Maneuvering New York City with a Baby

Optimizing public transportation.

While the subway is quicker, buses provide a more convenient option when traveling with a stroller.

Essentials to Pack

Remember to carry a diaper bag with necessities like diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, and snacks. Dress your baby in layers due to the unpredictable NYC weather.

Why New York is Ideal for Infants

Is new york infant-friendly.

Absolutely! New York City is a treasure trove of kid-friendly parks, museums, and activities that cater to the smallest family members.

Infant-Geared Museums in NYC

Establishments such as the Children’s Museum of Manhattan and the New York Hall of Science provide the perfect environment for babys.

Is New York Suitable for a Babymoon?

Undoubtedly! It presents an excellent blend of relaxation and sightseeing opportunities, making it a prime choice.

Engaging and Baby-Friendly Games to Play in New York City

  • Peekaboo Picnic in Central Park : While savoring a picnic in Central Park, entertain your baby with a lively game of peekaboo using a blanket or picnic cloth.
  • Stroller Stroll along the Highline : Enjoy a relaxed stroll along the Highline, pulling funny faces and making sounds to keep your baby engaged.
  • Animal Sound Mimicry at the Central Park Zoo : Visit the Central Park Zoo and recreate the animal sounds together. This can be an enjoyable and educational activity!
  • Rockabye on the Staten Island Ferry : Appreciate the gentle rocking of the Staten Island Ferry as you serenade your baby with lullabies, all while showing them the magnificent New York skyline.
  • Light Chase at Times Square : In Times Square, draw your baby’s attention to the vibrant lights and colors and observe their fascination.
  • Color Identification Game at the Metropolitan Museum of Art : At the Met, introduce your baby to the vibrant colors in the paintings and sculptures through a simple color identification game.
  • Leaf Play in Madison Square Park : In the fall, allow your baby to experience the sensation of leaves. Gently shake a branch to let the leaves rain down, creating a “leaf shower”.
  • Bubble Pop at Bryant Park : Join other parents and children at Bryant Park and engage in a fun bubble-popping game, a sure hit with little ones.
  • Mirror Exploration at the Guggenheim Museum: Many modern and contemporary art pieces feature reflective surfaces. Encourage your baby’s curiosity by allowing them to discover their reflection in a safe and stimulating environment.
  • Texture Tour at Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Allow your baby to feel different textures by gently brushing their fingers over safe and non-poisonous plants.

Parents’ Testimonials

“Taking my baby to Central Park was a dream. We enjoyed a delightful picnic, and the game of peekaboo we played with our blanket left her in fits of giggles. The cherry on top? The horse-drawn carriages passing by certainly caught her attention!” — Julia, mom of 9-month-old Penelope
“Riding the Staten Island Ferry with my little one was so soothing. The soft hum of the boat, the gentle sway, and the sight of the Statue of Liberty in the distance made for a perfect lullaby session.” — David, dad of 6-month-old Noah
“Times Square can be overwhelming, but my baby loved it! We sat back and played a light-chasing game. Each time a new billboard lit up, his eyes followed the colors and he cooed with joy. I’ve never seen him so engaged!” — Camila, mom of 11-month-old Mateo
“Our visit to the Met wasn’t just for the adults. We turned it into a color game for our baby. Each time we found a new color in a painting or sculpture, we would point it out to her. It was a fantastic sensory experience!” — Rachel, mom of 8-month-old Emma

Smoothly Navigating New York City with Your Baby

Efficiently commuting around the city forms a crucial aspect of your journey.

Do I Need a Car Seat in New York?

The necessity for a car seat depends on your travel arrangements. Although taxi rides don’t legally mandate a car seat, for your baby’s safety, you might want to consider a portable car seat.

Is a Stroller Allowed on the NYC Subway?

Absolutely, strollers are permitted on the NYC Subway. However, it’s advisable to fold them during peak hours to accommodate other passengers.

Can I Uber with an Infant in NYC?

Certainly, but remember that not all Ubers come equipped with car seats, so it’s safer to bring your own.

Savoring New York City with Your Baby

Where should i take my newborn in nyc.

Consider tranquil, open spaces like Central Park, or engaging settings like children’s museums.

Is Central Park Safe for Kids?

Definitely. Central Park is abundant in playgrounds and spacious areas for frolicking, along with the Central Park Zoo.

Is Times Square Compatible with Strollers?

Yes, Times Square accommodates strollers, but it can get crowded, so think about visiting during less busy hours.

Health and Safety Measures in New York

Is new york tap water suitable for infants.

Yes, New York tap water is safe for formula preparation. Its quality is consistently monitored and is of a high standard.

Is New York City Safe for Children?

Generally, New York is safe for children. However, like any big city, it’s crucial to remain vigilant and supervise your children.

Designing Your Visit to New York

What is the ideal time to visit new york with kids.

Spring and autumn offer pleasant weather and fewer crowds, making them ideal for a visit.

Dining with an Infant in New York

New York City boasts a variety of family-friendly restaurants. Ensure to enquire about high chairs and kids’ menus.

Diaper Changing Facilities

Most large stores, eateries, and museums in New York City offer diaper changing facilities. Applications like MomsPumpHere can help locate facilities nearby.

What Duration is Ideal for a New York Visit with Kids?

To comfortably explore the city and its attractions, plan for at least a week.

Useful Mobile Apps for Parents in NYC

There are numerous mobile applications that can simplify your parenting duties while touring New York City.

  • MomsPumpHere: This app helps parents find breastfeeding and baby changing facilities nearby.
  • Citizen: A safety app that provides real-time safety alerts and emergency notifications, keeping you informed of the city’s safety status.
  • Exit Strategy NYC: This app provides detailed maps of all subway, bus, and train stops, along with street maps for the entire city. An essential tool for city navigation.
  • SitOrSquat: This app helps you find clean public restrooms in your vicinity, a must-have while traveling with a baby.
  • NYC Baby: A great resource for finding child-friendly activities, parks, playgrounds, and even restaurants in NYC.

How SleepBaby.org Can Help

Adjusting to the city’s fast-paced nature can affect your baby’s sleep schedule. Try to maintain their regular nap and bedtime routines as much as possible to guarantee they are rested for the day’s explorations.

Ensuring a Good Night’s Sleep in the City that Never Sleeps

Traveling can disrupt a baby’s sleep routine. SleepBaby.org offers resources to help maintain a regular sleep schedule for your baby, even in a busy city like New York. From tips on adjusting to a new time zone to creating a sleep-friendly environment in a hotel room, SleepBaby.org can help ensure your baby sleeps well throughout your trip.

14 thoughts on “Bringing Your Baby to New York: The Complete Guide”

' src=

MillerMommy :

You know, my little one used to have such a hard time settling down to sleep, especially at night. Then I stumbled upon this website, SleepBaby.org . It has been a game-changer for us; I’ve seen my baby fall asleep in under a minute. Life has certainly become more peaceful since then! 💤

Our daycare recommended it—they use it for nap times with the little ones there—and I thought I’d share it with you all. So, if you’re struggling with bedtime routines, it might be worth checking out SleepBaby.org . Wishing you and your family the best on this parenting journey! 🤗

' src=

MommaBear212 : Just read this guide & OMG, bringin’ a lil’ one to NYC seems daunting! 😱 But hey, I found this lifesaver – SleepBaby.org . They’ve got these amazin’ tips on keepin’ baby’s sleep sched on track while travelin’. Must-check for all NYC-bound parents! #Lifesaver #SleepBabyOrg

NYCDadJoe : Haha, thought takin’ my 6-mo to Times Square was gonna be a nightmare. But wait, SleepBaby.org to the rescue! Their advice on portable sleep environments? Gold! Baby slept like a log. 💤 Highly recommend for those bright lights of NYC! 🌃 #SleepWellBaby

CrazyTravelMom : Y’all, NYC with a baby? Thought it was a joke 😂 But SleepBaby.org showed me it’s no prank! Their tips on adjustin’ sleep schedules for city noise & lights? Priceless! Made our Met visit a dream. #SleepBabySavior

ParkStrollerRunner : Central Park with a baby’s great, but the real MVP? SleepBaby.org . Their advice on outdoor naps is spot on. Baby was snoozin’ while I enjoyed the park. Peace of mind? Check! 🌳😴 #CentralParkNaps #SleepBabyWin

SubwayMama : Navigatin’ the NYC subway with a sleepin’ baby ain’t easy, folks. But hey, SleepBaby.org ‘s got tips for calm & quiet on-the-go. Baby slept through the whole ride, no fuss! 🚇💤 #SubwaySnooze #SleepBabyGenius

ArtLoverParent : Who knew the Met could be a sleep haven for babies? SleepBaby.org ‘s noise-cancelling tips were a game-changer. Baby napped while we soaked in the art. Cultured sleep, lol! 🖼️😴 #MetNapTime #SleepBabyArt

StatenIslandFerryFan : That ferry ride can be more than scenic – thanks to SleepBaby.org , it’s now a lullaby cruise! Their sound soothing advice made it a dreamy journey for my little one. 🌊🛳️ #FerryLullaby #SleepWellWithSleepBaby

BigAppleNewbie : First time in NYC with a baby & panicking 😨 But SleepBaby.org ‘s city-specific sleep advice? Lifesaver! From hotel room setup to naptime in the hustle, they’ve got it all. 🍎💤 #BigAppleBabySleep #SleepBabyGuide

LaughingDadNY : Let’s be real, NYC’s noise is no lullaby. But thanks to SleepBaby.org ‘s white noise tips, my baby slept through it all! Who knew? 🤷‍♂️🗽 #NYCSleepMiracle #ThankYouSleepBaby

UrbanMommaGuide : As a seasoned NYC mom, I swear by SleepBaby.org . Their urban sleep strategies are a must for any parent hittin’ the city. Keeps baby happy and lets you enjoy NYC to the fullest! 🏙️👶 #UrbanSleepSecrets #SleepBabyExpert

BrooklynBridgeBabe : Walkin’ Brooklyn Bridge with a nappin’ baby? All possible with SleepBaby.org ‘s advice on stroller naps. Made our stroll peaceful & picturesque. 🌉😴 #BrooklynBridgeNaps #SleepBabyLove

TimeSquareToddlerTamer : Thought Time Square + toddler = disaster. But SleepBaby.org showed me the light! Their tips for sensory balance made it a smooth, sleep-filled visit. 🌟👶 #TimesSquareSnooze #HeroicSleepBaby

NYCBabyWhisperer : Soothe a baby in the city that never sleeps? Yeah, right… But actually, SleepBaby.org proved me wrong! Their methods worked wonders during our NYC escapade. 🌃👼 #SleepingBabyInNYC #SleepBabyWhisperer

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • All Lifestyle
  • Travel Guide
  • All Corporate Catwalk
  • Gift Guides
  • NORDSTROM ANNIVERSARY SALE
  • Meet Olivia

Olivia Jeanette

10 tips you need to know when traveling to nyc with a baby.

Traveling to New York City, particularly if it’s your first time, can be somewhat overwhelming at times. Trying to get out of the airport in a timely fashion is one thing but getting into the city without traffic is few and far between. That being said, it’s an amazing city and worth any hassle. It is also a great place to bring your kids and there is no shortage of things to do. I complied a few tips that will make life easier strolling around our great city with your baby. If you need to help on what to pack on your way to NYC, check out my post here and here are useful tips when traveling with baby!

Here are our 10 Tips You Need to Know When Traveling to NYC with a Baby:

This is up to you. If you take a cab from the airport, you will need a car seat. Once in the city, though, a lot of folks here don’t use a car seat when traveling around the city. It is legal to ride with your child without a car seat. We tend to use it most times because it attaches to the stroller. Completely up to you.

2. Stroller

A must. New York City is actually a very easy city to get around in and quite baby friendly. Bring a lightweight stroller. You will be out and about all day and folding and unfolding the stroller. A big, heavy stroller is simply not practical here.

3. Don’t overpack

Tends to be a good rule most times but you don’t want to drag around giant luggage around this city. Plus, our airports tend not be the most efficient so always carry-on when possible. Check out what we typically pack for Sebastian here.

4. Diaper Changer

This is perhaps our absolute favorite baby gift we received. We bring it everywhere with us. It’s by SkipHop. Wherever we are in city, when we need to change Sebastian, we just lay him down on the diaper changer. It easily folds and clips shut for easy storage. Perfect for running around NYC all day.Changing Stations or lack there of: You will find that a lot of bathrooms don’t have your standard changing station. So be prepared for that. It makes the diaper changer all that more valuable.

There are so many cool parks in the city and nearly all of them have a playground for the little ones. Central Park is absolutely stunning and always a place to go and relax. A few other great parks are Riverside park, Bryant Park (behind the NYPL), Madison Square Park and Washington Square Park. It’s amazing how quiet it can be inside the parks with all the controlled chaos going on right around you.

6. Call Your Hotel

Be sure and ask your hotel for a refrigerator (breast milk), crib and/or a playpen. You’d be surprised, most hotels are family friendly and will have what you need.

You can walk everywhere here and a lot of people do. The city is just a giant grid with landmarks and things to do in every neighborhood. It’s the perfect way to see New York City.

8. Subway, taxi and buses

The subway is always a great option, but if you have a stroller and you’re by yourself, it can be difficult. We typically take a taxi when we’re with Sebastian or we just walk. Those options tend to just be more practical most times. Buses are also great. You don’t have to worry about having a car seat, no stairs and they have air-condition!

9. Go out to eat early

We learned this the hard way. Now that Sebastian is mobile, he wants to put his hands on everything . The best piece of advice I can give anyone, go to lunch or dinner EARLY .  As soon as they open for lunch or as soon as they have the dinner menu available. Yes, you might not have the cool NYC vibe, but you will have an empty restaurant and servers who (most likely) just started their shift. They’ll be in a good mood and happy to help you with all the extra baby stuff us parents need when taking a baby out to eat.

A side note, I’m working on putting together baby friendly restaurants in the city!

10. Ask for help

This should probably be #1. New York people get a bad rap. Most people are very pleasant and more than happy to help. You would be amazed at what you can find out when you ask. We have gotten some really cool recommendations when needed something and didn’t feel like asking our phones were to eat 🙂

Have fun out there and let me know any tips I need to add to the list. Have a great finish to the week!

Shop this style:

More posts you'll love:.

Such a cute vintage like dress Olivia !

These are really useful tips for travelling with kids. We are planning for a road trip to NYC and I purchased a convertible car seat for my baby. Appreciate your work..!!

thabks for sharing

Any specific tips on traveling to NYC during December with an infant? I’m going on a trip with my mom and sisters next month and I am bringing my 5 month old. (My husband had shoulder surgery recently and won’t be cleared to hold/lift her by the time we leave.) I’m a little nervous about keeping her warm while we sightsee and finding places we can go sit while I nurse her. Any advice?

This would be the first time we will be traveling with our kids to NYC..one of ours just turned one…and your post is so handy and to the point…loved it…thank you

Leave a Comment Cancel Comment

Are you in the know, subscribe to the newsletter for weekly behind the scenes content, special sale alerts, and more..

Travel Youman

How To Travel To New York With A Baby

Traveling to New York City for the first time, especially if it’s your first visit, might be intimidating. Getting out of the airport on time is one thing but getting into the city without traffic is a rare occurrence. However, it is an incredible city that is well worth the effort. It’s also a terrific location to bring your kids since there’s never a dull moment. I’ve compiled a list of helpful hints for wandering about our wonderful city with your infant. Check out my piece on what to pack for your trip to NYC here, and here are some helpful ideas for traveling with a baby! This guide on New York with a baby will help you to get the most out of your visit without a problem. Because New York City and its traffic are not conducive to renting a vehicle, the best alternative is to walk, use public transportation, or use taxis when necessary. Here’s a rundown of baby-friendly travel alternatives in New York.

travel nyc with baby

Use taxis for transportation

One of the most convenient methods to move about the city is to take a cab, Uber, or Lyft. However, this necessitates consideration of vehicle seats. It is permissible to ride in a taxi without a car seat in New York, but if you choose to use one, you must either carry your own or book a cab that has one.

Both Uber and Lyft have inexpensive vehicles with car seats, but they’re forward-facing and only for infants over the age of 12 months. Taxis with car seats are available from Black Lane and Kidmoto, although they are expensive. Most taxis and Ubers will accept your car seat if you have one with you.

We carried our own car seat with us and utilized it to go to and from the airport in an Uber. You could even utilize a car seat on the aircraft (which we didn’t do). If that’s the case, here’s a list of airline-approved car seats.

Read: Is Traveling A Hobby? The Ultimate Guide To An Exciting Way Of Life Learn about the Downsides Of Traveling As A Hobby

Use the subway as well

Some people advise against using the metro with a newborn, but we found it to be really convenient. Traveling on the subway with a baby carrier is just as simple as going without one – just avoid rush hour to avoid being jammed in with the people.

We tended to bring the stroller along, which made things a little more difficult. Because most metro stations have stairs and few have elevators, Steve had to lug the stroller up and down several steps while I held Otis. If you have the strength, you can accomplish it, but for a simpler alternative, check out this list of accessible subway stops. However, be aware that the elevators are not always operational. Use the MTA travel planner to plan your route.

Get a high-back travel chair

One of my favorite pieces of infant travel equipment is a portable high chair. Although most restaurants feature high chairs, a mobile high chair comes in handy when dining in your hotel room or apartment. You’ll have to hold your baby while they feed if you don’t have one. With one, though, the baby may sit alone and finish their food while you go about your business. We found it really beneficial for breakfast.

Fabric travel high chairs are available, but they must be linked to a chair and lack a tray, so you’ll need the correct chair and table, which aren’t always accessible in a hotel room. The Summer Infant high chair folds up tiny enough to fit in the stroller if you know you’ll be eating at a restaurant without high chairs or want to use it for a park picnic.

Be ready with baby formula and food

Although there are many stores in New York that offer baby food and formula, depending on the duration of your stay, you may want to pack a small supply of your child’s favorites. In the United States, for example, we had difficulty finding protein-rich ready-made vegetarian baby food.

We fed Otis mostly fresh food, made at home or at restaurants, although a pouch came in useful on occasion. We identified a few decent possibilities. We ordered them via Amazon and had them delivered to Amazon lockers since we were traveling for so long. This is a fantastic method to get necessities that you don’t want to bring on the airline. Before you go, create an Amazon account in the United States. I wasn’t worried about formula since I was nursing Otis in New York. Whether your child is used to a certain brand, check to see if it is available in New York, and if not, carry some with you.

Be ready with the necessities of your infant

When traveling with a newborn, it’s tempting to overpack, so keep in mind that you’ll be able to get everything you need in New York, most likely at any time of day — it’s the city that never sleeps! Bring enough diapers and wipes to get you through the flight, then go out and purchase the remainder.

Playground in New York with a Baby

Steve and I are huge advocates of doing the same things we would have done before Otis came when we travel. Of course, certain activities, such as late-night pubs, clubs, and theater performances, are out of the question, but there are a surprising number of things you can do with a baby in tow.

Infants under the age of one may frequently be fascinated just by staring at the world around them, so take advantage of it while you can before they begin to form views. Additionally, if your kid sleeps in their stroller, they may snooze while you’re out and about. However, since every baby is different and you know your infant best, do what works best for your family – whether that means committing to one hotel sleep or not spending whole days out and about. Do what seems right to you. There are so many things to do in New York, but these are my top ten. I’ve also added a few baby-friendly activities that we heard about but didn’t have time for during our vacation.

Take a stroll across the city

Walking about New York is one of the simplest and most pleasurable things to do. It seems like entering into a familiar movie, TV program, or book since it is the scene for so much art and entertainment. We strolled for kilometers, taking it all in and stopping along the route for beverages and food.

The Lower East Side, Soho, Dumbo, and Williamsburg are some of my favorite areas to roam. Also, at some point, go over the Brooklyn Bridge, which offers some of the greatest vistas of the city. See also this article on the top hikes in Manhattan.

Go shopping in Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market is a beautiful covered market full with wonderful restaurants. Los Tacos No. 1 and Doughnuttery were two of our favorites. Posman Books and Artists, as well as Fleas, are two excellent businesses (a marketplace, featuring lots of different artists and stalls).

Take a boat ride

The New York ferries were previously discussed in the ‘how to get about’ section, but they’re also a wonderful way to explore the sights. Take a journey to Staten Island on the free Staten Island boat or one of the regular NYC ferries.

Visit a play area

New York features a variety of playgrounds, play areas, and play cafés for suitable infant entertainment. For a complete list of play places in NYC and Brooklyn, go to the Mommy Poppins website.

Take a museum stroller tour.

Most museums in New York accept children, but a handful additionally provide stroller excursions conducted by museum specialists. Stroller tours are available at the Guggenheim, Whitney, and Brooklyn Museums.

Go on a carousel ride

Riding one of New York’s iconic carousels is a delightful thing to do with a newborn. The carousel in Central Park is the most traditional alternative, but we also found Jane’s Carousel, a glass-enclosed version on a pier near Dumbo.

Visit one of the nearby parks

When traveling with newborns, parks are wonderful, particularly when the weather is nice and you can spread out a blanket and let your child play. There are several parks to choose from in New York, including the famed and large Central Park, as well as smaller parks such as Washington Square Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Prospect Park, and Bryant Park.

We also like stopping at playgrounds to let Otis try out the swings. There are 21 playgrounds in Central Park alone, including the Tarr-Coyne Tots Playground on 68th Street, which is geared for infants and toddlers.

Stroll along the High Line

The High Line combines walking through the city with visiting a park, yet it merits its own mention. It was formerly a railroad line, but is now a beautifully manicured elevated park. It stretches between 10th and 12th Avenues from the meatpacking area to West 34th Street.

The High Line offers spectacular vistas of the city as well as some amazing street art. Combining it with a visit to Chelsea Market is a fantastic idea.

Visit a baby movie theater

Going to the baby cinema was one of my favorite things to do while on maternity leave. It’s when the most recent films are played at special screenings where you may bring your infant. This implies the cinema is more tolerant of noise, as well as turning down the sound and keeping the lighting low.

Hawks with Babies, held every Tuesday afternoon at Nitehawk, and Alamo for All, held at the Alamo Drafthouse, are two theaters in New York that provide baby screenings. Both theatres provide in-seat eating, which is a unique experience in and of itself.

Take a trip to the Children’s Museum

The Children’s Museum is geared at slightly older children, although there are sections of it that infants may love, such as the soft play, which is ideal for children aged zero to twelve.

Take a tour

Here are several excursions that appear like they’d be enjoyable to take with a newborn. The skip-the-line tickets would be quite useful, and I couldn’t resist include the doughnut tour! And hiring a photographer to commemorate your vacation with professional images of your family would be fantastic.

Look for the best places to eat

When we travel, the only thing we’ve altered about our eating habits is that we no longer go out for evening and instead focus on lunch or brunch. We either self-cater or order take-out in the evenings since Otis goes to bed about 7 p.m. Caviar, Postmates, and Grubhub, for example, allow you to order meals from some of the top restaurants and have it delivered directly to your hotel.

Final words

Now you know how to spend your time in New York with a baby. Keep these in mind and plan your visit accordingly. Then you can end up with getting the maximum returns out of your stay as well.

travel nyc with baby

Proud owner of https://travelyouman.com/

  • ponzoblogs https://travelyouman.com/author/ponzoblogs/ Exploring Myrtle Beach: A Guide to its Hotel Rooms
  • ponzoblogs https://travelyouman.com/author/ponzoblogs/ Exploring Horseback Riding in Myrtle Beach: Your Complete Guide
  • ponzoblogs https://travelyouman.com/author/ponzoblogs/ Experience the Extraordinary at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
  • ponzoblogs https://travelyouman.com/author/ponzoblogs/ The Best Dog Friendly Hotels in Myrtle Beach

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

travel nyc with baby

  • How to Plan Your Trip
  • El Salvador
  • United States
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • South Korea
  • United Kingdom
  • Tahiti and Moorea
  • South Africa
  • Work With Me

How to Visit New York City in the Winter- With a Baby

Visiting New York in winter with kids might not seem like the best of ideas, but the good news is that it can certainly be done. All you need is some planning, appropriate gear and clothes, and some patience. 

If you live somewhere with a mild winter or just plain warm, a trip during the coldest time of the year could be a potential recipe for disaster. But our trip proved otherwise, and here some some tips for you to make the most out of it.

PIN This Article!

new york city in the winter

Just a week before our outbound flight was due the weather forecast changed, and the first snow of the season in New York was expected...on the same day we were landing. This also meant freezing temperatures, and of course all the inconveniences one might expect when doing tourism in cold weather with a baby. At four months old Fedi had never been below 20 C and had never been sick. This was going to be the first big trip of his life, but how was he going to cope with all these big changes?

Kindle Fire 7- Kids Edition Tablet

Up to 7 hours of video, music or reading in a kid-proof case!

Where to Stay in Manhattan

New York is a huge city, but with only three days available we knew we were only going to explore Manhattan, and odds are you probably will too. I had been in New York a couple of years before and visited Manhattan in summer and on my own ; this was going to be very different.

Where Did We Stay?

We initially stayed 2 nights at the Lyric at 70 Pine in Manhattan (previously called Q & A Residential), and have to say it was a fantastic choice. Our son was 1 year old and the room (which was a studio apartment) had plenty of space for all of us, including his crib. Check rates or read my full review .

family hotel wall street

The second 2 nights were spent at the Global Luxury Suites Newport  in Jersey City. These are fully furnished high end apartments on the other side of the river, are way more affordable than hotels in NYC and only 20 minutes away with public transportation.   Check rates or read my full review .

cheap hotel new jersey

You'll have to find accommodation that is be well located, hopefully meet several requirements and is also good value.

The two very different places we ended up staying were great: a hotel in the financial district and an apartment in New Jersey, just across the river. 

Find Top Hotel Deals in New York

new york winter empire state

Remember to book accommodation close to your area of interest, and that most hotels in Manhattan have small rooms!

Traveling with a baby is a completely different ball game, let alone in winter.

You need winter clothes and weather protective gear that are bulky and take up a lot more space.

  • Time outside may be very limited if the weather is extremely cold, so you want to be close to where the action is.
  • There's the baby food you need to have with you at all times and be able to heat quickly if the baby is hungry.
  • You have your own suitcases which take up space too.
  • There's the stroller, cameras, a laptop (in my case)... the list goes on.

What does this mean in terms of accommodation?

When traveling with a baby and are looking for accommodation remember :

  • You need space, the more the better . Tripping over the stroller trying to reach your baby's suitcase while he's crying because there's not enough space between the bed and the wall doesn't sound like much fun.
  • Ideally you want a kitchen . Not only do you save money by eating "at home" but you have access to a microwave, a fridge and other commodities that will make feeding the baby easier.
  • How about a room just for the baby? If you have the TV on or need to cook the noise won't bother him.
  • Other perks may include a washer, dryer...all will come in handy. We left New York with no dirty clothes, for example.

Getting Around

Getting around New York in winter with a baby can be challenging . Even if it's not snowing it can be very cold outside and long distances are a challenge to cover on foot.

The subway may be a solution sometimes, but many stations don't have an elevator, and carrying the stroller up and down the stairs can be tricky. You may be thinking about using public buses, but the strollers are tricky again, and knowing where to get on and off requires some city knowledge.

What did we do?

Despite the freezing temperatures and cold weather we quickly realized that sightseeing on foot wasn't much of a problem for our 4 month baby son . We had him well dressed up in layers with a snow suit and used the J is for Jeep Weather Shield to cover his stroller. The plastic cover not only kept the snow, rain and wind away, but also provided a warmer micro-climate.

new york in winter with a baby

We woke up on our first night to a snow covered city, with temperatures around 25F (-5C). We're using the J is for Jeep cover, which works very well with most stroller brands including our Chicco Bravo

We used Uber to cover long distances that we couldn't cover on foot (Lyft is also very popular in New York) as we didn't want to juggle with the inconveniences of using the public transportation system with the baby.

Had it been summer we may have used it, but if you're traveling with a baby you want to keep things as simple enough. Still, we only needed to use Uber a few times.

And then there's the Hop on/ Hop off buses . When traveling solo I don't really see the point, but once we had our little one I discovered how helpful and brilliant they are. You don't have to worry as much about where you are and can even choose not to get off if you don't feel like it as you'll be driving past the attractions anyhow. 

There are many companies out there, but I used Big Bus Tours   on this trip in New York, we also visited Chicago and other destinations with them and have all been fantastic. 

Winter Travel Essentials for Your Baby

The success of a New York city winter escape with your baby will largely depend on how good your planning is . There are a few essential items I highly recommend you make sure you carry right from the beginning- we used all of them during our trip.

  • R ain cover for the stroller . We have the J is for Jeep Shield , effective and cheap.
  • Hat and gloves for your baby
  • Footed fleece pajamas . Useful while at the hotel and on flights
  • Leggings . Boy or girl, it doesn't matter. They'll keep your baby warm.

Trust me on this one and make sure you bring all of these. You can thank me later 🙂

Visiting New York in Winter With a Baby Does Make Sense

Sightseeing in cold weather is not particularly comfortable, but it can be done. We have plenty of travel experience as adults (which certainly helps) but had none when it comes to babies, and this was our first long trip with ours. It was also the first time we were taking him to cold weather.

The destination itself isn't easy either: New York is huge, expensive, and during winter the weather can change from mild to miserable within hours . Yet our trip went so well that we'd do the same thing all over again if we had a second chance. What did we do?

Manhattan may just be one the five boroughs in New York, but with a population of 1.6 million people it's still immense and the most visited of them all. Getting around requires some careful planning to save commute time and money. The key to our trip was having a flexible plan to follow . It might not make much sense to you, but let me explain.

St Paul's chapel new york

St Paul's chapel of Trinity church. We took a planned break here.

New York has many attractions outdoors, but there are also quite a few that are indoors. Thus, if you're visiting New York in winter like we did spend as much time as possible outside but plan to take specific indoor breaks to 1) warm up and 2) let your baby spend time outside the stroller without the snowsuit . You can also use these breaks to feed your baby, eat, or simply rest while eating great NYC food . If it suddenly starts to rain or snow, it won't feel as if you're wasting your time seeking shelter while the poor weather rolls by... if it ever does. We applied this simple concept during our time in New York, and adapted our sightseeing to the weather with flexible discount passes too.

Make Travel Easy and Save Money 

Many of New York's attraction include purchasing tickets for entrances and tours you might want to join for sightseeing. There's also the hop on/ hop off buses I mentioned before that make travel easy and are very useful when you have a limited amount of time or the weather isn't good.

We all know that New York is an expensive city, and saving money when possible is certainly smart and called for. We used several of these passes and saved over 200 USD!

Day 1: The Financial District & Sunset Hudson River Cruise

We spent our first night at the Q & A Residential hotel , which we strategically picked because of its large rooms and location. It's only a 3 minute walk away from Wall Street and very close to the One World Trade Center, St Paul's Chapel of Trinity Church, the World Trade Center Memorial, the Charging Bull, Battery Park and a few other attractions, all of which we visited during our first day- with some shopping as well.

new york baby

Inside the memorial building

new york in december with a baby

The World Trade Center Memorial

Mid afternoon we grabbed a Uber and made our way to the Pier for the Hudson River sunset cruise . Truth is it was already dark by the time we reached the pier, but even though there was no sunset to be seen it still offers a very different perspective of the city, and made our way to the Statue of Liberty, one of New York's must see attractions.

new york winter baby 8

The Statue of Liberty. Thankfully it wasn't raining as we approached it.

blank

The boat was heated inside

statue of liberty family

Selfie taken with the phone. It was very cold when we took this picture at the back of the boat. Totally worth it though!

blank

Day 2: Times Square, Central Park and Skyscrapers

On the second day we grabbed a Uber from our apartment to Times Square and spent the whole day walking around the area, visiting Central Park (g reat place to explore or take a break with toddlers ) , 5th Avenue,  the Rockefeller Center and the  Empire State Building .  

I do want to point out the security at the Empire State Building was quite rude and annoying . They made us wake up our baby, take him through the metal detector, and separate the stroller into parts that would fit inside the X-Ray machine. Unnecessary.

At the Rockefeller center they simply used a hand held metal detector to do their job with a smile.

central park with a baby winter

We walked around Central Park too. Most of the snow had melted during the day because of the rain.

times square with baby

Times Square

The views from both skyscrapers are similar yet nothing short of spectacular . You may wonder why we went up both instead of doing something else, and the reason was that in each case the visit also served as a break in a warm place where we could feed our baby and take him out of the stroller.

new york winter empire state

The magnificent view of NYC from the Empire State building.

new york winter with baby

The view from the Rockefeller Center

The last activity of the second day was a night bus tour with Big Bus Tours , comfortable and warm for our already tired baby . The buses have plenty of space for the folded stroller and the guide was fun and entertaining, and highly recommend it.

Unfortunately it was during this tour that I dropped my camera. The lens broke and I was not able to take any more pictures of this tour or for the rest of the trip (which was almost done), but I was able to fix it in Spain three weeks later.

Day 3: Shopping

There's always good bargains to be found in the US, so we left our last morning the New York for shopping (think baby clothes and gadgets?). Look for outlets such as Ross, Marshall's or TJ Maxx to save money (but you will need time and patience to find the best deals).

Would I Recommend it?

It is definitely possible and worth visiting New York in winter (December) with kids. It requires some more planning, a lot more clothes and gear, and you need to be willing to cope with the snow and cold weather. 

Our son did very well with everything; the days were long and we were always rushing from one place to the other, but he had fun looking at all the lights and slept often in the stroller.

Once we reached the hotel he would fall asleep soon after and  all through the night, something he had not done before. We made sure we fed him at his usual times, kept him warm, and took breaks to play with him outside the stroller.

Let me know if you'd like any more tips and if you have any questions. If this trip is something you're planning, go ahead and enjoy!

Plan Your New York City Trip

Accommodation in new york.

Booking.com has over 500 hotels in Los Cabos including apartments and resorts. You get free cancellation on most rooms and a best price guarantee. Check prices.

Flights to New York

Skyscanner is a comparison website that searches millions of flights. Once you find your best deal, book directly through the airline (no extra fees).

Rental Cars in New York

RentalCars.com is the world’s biggest car rental booking service that compares all the major brands like Hertz, Avis, and Alamo. Check prices for New York airport.

Tours in New York

Get Your Guide  offers small group tours and activities in New York including tickets to the popular Manhattan attractions.

You may also like

Speed and elegance: car rental in the uae, fun things to do in arequipa with kids, leave a reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

Name * * * * * * * *

Email * * * * * * * *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

this website was so helpful!! especially the leggings tip, my husband loves them!!! i am going to recreate this picture! i can send it to you if you want

Hi., I’m so glad I found your site! We are going to New York in late decor to welcome New year 2018. We are traveling with our baby girls a 5 year old and a 7month old. I’m so nervous and had no idea what to pack for them or where to visit first!

Hi Susana, very glad to read you found the post useful! You’ll be fine, ,just take it in stride and be ready to dress and undress kids when you enter and leave buildings. It will be time consuming but if you know it from the start it will all be fine! Have fun, would love to hear how it goes!

Subscribe to our newsletter now!

  • New York City Tourism
  • New York City Hotels
  • New York City Bed and Breakfast
  • New York City Vacation Rentals
  • Flights to New York City
  • New York City Restaurants
  • Things to Do in New York City
  • New York City Travel Forum
  • New York City Photos
  • New York City Map
  • All New York City Hotels
  • New York City Hotel Deals
  • Last Minute Hotels in New York City
  • New York City
  • Things to Do
  • Restaurants
  • Vacation Rentals
  • Travel Stories
  • Rental Cars
  • Add a Place
  • Travel Forum
  • Travelers' Choice
  • Help Center

traveling around NYC with baby & no car seat - New York City Forum

  • United States    
  • New York (NY)    
  • New York City    

traveling around NYC with baby & no car seat

  • United States Forums
  • Europe Forums
  • Canada Forums
  • Asia Forums
  • Central America Forums
  • Africa Forums
  • Caribbean Forums
  • Mexico Forums
  • South Pacific Forums
  • South America Forums
  • Middle East Forums
  • Honeymoons and Romance
  • Business Travel
  • Train Travel
  • Traveling With Disabilities
  • Tripadvisor Support
  • Solo Travel
  • Bargain Travel
  • Timeshares / Vacation Rentals
  • New York forums
  • New York City forum

travel nyc with baby

If you're bringing an umbrella stroller, this piece from Time Out New York - Kids includes a link to a PDF for a wallet-sized list of subway stations with elevators, but whether the elevator is working at any particular station is up for grabs; that access is a weak link in our otherwise good transit system.

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/kids/articles/features/25428/i-get-around

travel nyc with baby

What puzzles me is the statement about being "stuck" with walking or taking public transportation. If you are worried about the safety of your child (or of yourself), riding the subway or the bus will probably be a vastly safer and more orderly experience than careening wildly through the city streets with a taxi driver whose understanding of American motor vehicle laws may be as tenuous and shaky as his command of English or his familiarity with any area of the city outside of Manahttan. Besides that, over longer distances subways are frequently (and at rush hour, usually) faster than taxis, and always cheaper.

travel nyc with baby

Don't forget our $2.00 un-narrate tours called the MTA city buses!

Buses are a very slow - let's call it "leisurely" - but very good way to get around if you don't want to schlep up and down subway stairs. Kida and adults alike love watching out the windows.

Make sure you fold your stroller before boarding the bus. Yes, it is very awkward, and nearly impossible by yourself if you're carrying something, but many bus drivers won't let you on with your baby sitting in the stroller. (I've seen bus drivers tell women, Ya gotta fold that! before letting them on.)

I agree with GWB - tell us more about where you're staying so we can help you with directions.

But there are no hotels anywhere near there -- are you staying with relatives? (which seems unlikely, because you would not be asking these questions here.) I hope you haven't rented an apartment...

travel nyc with baby

27th and 4th. Definitely no hotels there, really not much around there. Greenwood Cemetary isn't far, but that is a weird place to be staying as a tourist. As GWB stated, I really hope you're not renting an apartment.

We are doing a home swap for the long weekend. It should be OK; these are friends of friends. We'll include the cemetery on our sightseeing list!

Your replies are appreciated... we may meet again when the travel date gets closer and more questions arise!

You are 2 blocks from the R Train subway stop at 25th, so that's one good thing.

The cemetary is actually quite nice, a nice wide open area with nice views. There are also parrots who live there, which is sort of weird but cool

http://www.brooklynparrots.com/

  • Tin Pan Alley ( and other historic markers) 10:32 pm
  • Manhattan to Prudential Center in NJ 8:51 pm
  • Hotel with a city view 8:11 pm
  • How bad are LuxUrban hotels? 6:41 pm
  • Brooklyn - weekend with 92 year old. Recs? 6:11 pm
  • Using big bills in NYC 5:43 pm
  • Suggestions for things to do in Williamsburg with a teen 2:54 pm
  • Marathon Weekend with Kids 12:47 pm
  • Concorde back at the Intrepid 11:56 am
  • Central Park Run today
  • First cherry tree report 2024 today
  • Travelling with one parent today
  • Oyster Bar at Grand Central? today
  • DAY trip from NYC to CT to RI yesterday
  • Train from DC to NYC 4 replies
  • Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2012 25 replies
  • train from New York to Washington dc??? 22 replies
  • Places to visit outside of NYC- (no more than 3 hrs. away) 12 replies
  • transfer between LaGuardia and JFK 11 replies
  • Unique Birthday Ideas 6 replies
  • From Penn Station to JFK 7 replies
  • does 'central Perk' exist?? 13 replies
  • 2 bedroom suites 4 replies
  • best location to stay 24 replies

New York City Hotels and Places to Stay

  • How do I get from the airport (JFK, LGA, or EWR) to Manhattan?
  • What To Do During Layovers?
  • Hotels: Kitchenettes and kitchens in 100+ Manhattan Hotels
  • Hotels: Two queen beds plus a kitchen/kitchenette
  • Hotels: Guests under 21 years old (but at least 18)
  • Hotels: Which ones charge an additional Resort or Facilities Fee
  • Hotels: When is the best time to go for cheaper rates?
  • How Do I Ride the Subway (UPDATED)?
  • Tips, Hint and Suggestions for First Timers
  • SCAMS to avoid in NYC
  • What Will the Weather Be Like During My Trip?
  • How Safe is New York?
  • Where to Eat in NYC
  • Where to eat in NYC - Part 2
  • Celiac in the City? (gluten free)
  • Is There Cheaper Lodging Outside Manhattan?
  • Public restrooms/toilets. Where do you go when you GOTTA GO?
  • Gay Pride Events - June 2023
  • Thanksgiving 2021 in NYC: What to Do & Where to Eat
  • Christmas in NYC - 2022
  • Christmas Day 2021 in NYC: What to Do & Where to Eat
  • What Should I Do on New Year's Eve?
  • What is there to see and do near WTC/SOL/Brooklyn Bridge/SI ferry?
  • What should I know about visiting the 9/11 Memorial and Museum?
  • What Is There to See and Do in Brooklyn?
  • How Do I Get to the Brooklyn Bridge?
  • What Is There to See and Do in Queens?
  • Exploring neighborhoods - where should I go and what should I see?
  • Which is the best? ESB or TOTR or OWO?
  • Which are the significant churches in Manhattan?
  • Hidden Gems in the city - not so touristy
  • How do I get from NYC to the Meadowlands and back?
  • I'm Getting Married in NYC...what do I need to do?
  • Should I Buy Knock-Off Purses?
  • What to Do with Kids and How to Do It?
  • What should we do at night -- especially with kids or under 21's?
  • Places to eat (and drink) with a view
  • Where is the Old FAQ?
  • Trip Reports: Families with Young Kids - Add yours!
  • Trip Reports: Groups of Friends - Add yours!
  • Trip Reports: Families with Teenagers - Add yours!
  • Trip Reports: Couples - Add yours!
  • Trip Reports: Solo Travelers - Add yours!
  • Trip Reports: Families of Adults - Add yours!
  • Trip Reports - VERY short visits to the city.

travel nyc with baby

The Thought Card

Magical Christmas Things To Do in NYC With a Baby – Episode 116

Christmas things to do in New York City with a baby.

Have a jolly Christmas in NYC with your baby! The holidays are a magical time of year. Christmas trees and sparkly lights, meet and greets with Santa, hot chocolate, sugar cookies, and Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas on repeat are some of the things that make this time of the year so special. New York City is already a popular travel destination and the center of many Hallmark movies and classics like Home Alone 2. But during the holiday season, millions flock to New York in December and early January to celebrate Christmas. If you’re planning a trip to New York City during the holidays, I’m sharing Christmas things to do in NYC with a baby. This guide can also double as things to do in NYC in December. 

This New York City travel guide intentionally focuses on Midtown Manhattan, so avoid inconveniences like the subway and Uber. That means bundle your mini me nice and warm with a winter hat, scarf, and glove beanie or a fleece hat and mitten winter set because you’ll be walking quite a bit. Also, in the end, I share a breakdown of how much a day in New York City costs. 

Are you tired of reading? Listen to the podcast episode here or on your favorite podcast player app below.

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podlink

Best Things To Do in New York City at Christmas

Table of Contents

1. Winter Village at Bryant Park

2. stroll fifth avenue , 3. rockefeller christmas tree, 4. lotte new york palace hotel , 5. radio city music hall , 6. times square , 7. grand central terminal holiday fair, one-day nyc at christmas cost breakdown .

Prepare for your New York City Christmas trip by adding these spectacular Christmas attractions to your itinerary.

travel nyc with baby

Visit this European-inspired open-air market daily until 8 pm for shopping, delicious food, and treats. 

At the holiday shops, find candles, lanterns, Vermont maple syrup, hot sauces, jewelry, ornaments, pottery, art, clothing, and more.

travel nyc with baby

A big reason why Bryant Park was on our list of best things to do in New York at Christmas was because of all the food options. Whether you’re looking for something small to snack on or an actual meal, there’s something for everyone here, like donuts, crepes, sandwiches, waffles, fried pickles, empanadas, baos, s’mores, and more. 

I love the variety of cultural foods that reflect New York City’s diversity.  

I recommend stopping at Casa Toscana for their Nutella donuts and hot chocolate. Those donuts covered in powdered sugar melt in your mouth; they are so delicious!

travel nyc with baby

As expected, Bryant Park is very popular and crowded. Exercise patience navigating with a stroller. Also, not all entrances and exits are accessible with strollers, so be mindful when entering and exiting the park.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Danielle | Travel Podcast Host + Podcast Coach (@thedanielledesir)

While Fifth Avenue has a lot of shopping options, and some stores have Christmas window displays, it may be too crowded for comfort when traveling with a baby, so walk on 6th Avenue instead.

When traveling with a baby, the name of the game is safety and ease, right? 

Fifth Avenue was too chaotic and overwhelming for us, especially as we walked closer to Rockefeller Center.

Since we only saw a few holiday window displays, we skipped Fifth Ave altogether.

But if you want to see the festive window displays, check out the light show at Saks Fifth Avenue, right across the street from the Rockefeller Center. 

Where to celebrate Christmas in NYC.

Visiting the Rockefeller Christmas Tree is a quintessential New York holiday experience. 

In 1931, workers at Rockefeller Center pooled their money together to buy a Christmas tree. The men decorated the 20-foot tree with handmade and homemade garlands. 

Rockefeller Center made the Christmas Tree an annual tradition and held the very first tree lighting ceremony in 1933. They added ice skating in 1936. Admission was $0.99 and $0.49 to rent skates. By 1951 NBC televised the lighting of the tree for the first time. 

The 2022 Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center stands 82 feet tall. There are more than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights on the tree, and the star at the top weighs approximately 900 pounds.

I’ve seen the tree many times, and it’s truly a sight to see. 

Avoid the evening crowds by visiting the tree in the morning or early afternoon.

The tree is lit daily from 6 am to 12 am. It is lit for 24 hours on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, from 6 am to 9 pm.

While you’re here, make your way to the Top of the Rock, an indoor and outdoor observation deck set 70 floors above the Rockefeller Center for 360-degree views of New York City.

While we chose not to get up close and personal with the Rockefeller Christmas tree this year, we found a lesser-known one not too far away. 

The outdoor Christmas tree at the Palace may not be as massive as the one at Rockefeller Center, but it is still impressive. The tree is decorated beautifully, and because there are fewer people in the courtyard, you can take some classic and up-close holiday photos with your kids.

December things to do in NYC with a baby.

Ever since we discovered the Palace, it has become a popular Christmas attraction in NYC. This means that you should be prepared to share this picturesque holiday-themed backdrop with other visitors. Moreover, if you are planning to take the perfect holiday photo, it may require some extra time if your little one is not cooperating.

Take photos with the giant presents, ornaments, and nutcrackers. Take photos with giant presents, ornaments, and nutcrackers. Warm up with hot chocolate ($12 USD) or New York apple cider ($8 USD) at the Winter Bar.

travel nyc with baby

By this time, Baby K was looking a little cold, so we decided to go inside the hotel to warm him up and plan our next stop. Inside, the Palace is decorated just as beautifully with garlands and additional Christmas trees, and there’s even a gingerbread replica of the hotel you can admire.

Hands down, the Palace is one of the most beautiful Christmas hotels in the city!

Fun Fact: Across from the historic Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, this 55-story iconic hotel is a Gossip Girl filming location. 

travel nyc with baby

Next, head to Radio City Music Hall, where you’ll find oversized candy canes and bright red ornaments.

This is also where you can experience the Christmas Spectacular starring the Radio City Rockettes.

Read Next : Midtown Manhattan New York City Weekend Guide

Heading to Eight Avenue, stroll through Times Square, where, in a few weeks, millions of people will watch the ball drop. Visit the M&M’s Store, Disney, or the Hershey Store.  

The last stop is the Grand Central Terminal Holiday Fair, the city’s longest-running indoor Christmas fair, featuring artisan goods like holiday keepsakes, home décor, and self-care products. 

Across from the fair, on the other side of Vanderbilt Hall, grab a glass of wine at City Winery.

We ate a quick bite at the Lower Level Dining Concourse before our train ride home.

  • (2) Round-trip train tickets to NYC – $59 
  • Parking at train station – $20
  • North Face winter hat – $40.55 
  • (2) Small hot chocolates and (2) donuts at Bryant Park – $25 
  • (2) Hot sandwiches and drinks at Grand Central Terminal – $20
  • Total Costs: $164.54 

Listen to this podcast episode on Spotify here:

Whether planning a New York City family vacation, a weekend New York City Christmas trip, or a day trip, I hope you enjoyed this guide and are ready to create fabulous memories with your loved ones. 

What are your favorite Christmas things to do in NYC? What are your favorite New York family holiday traditions? 

Share your recommendations by leaving a comment with your thoughts below. 

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Listen to this episode on YouTube.

travel nyc with baby

Danielle Desir Corbett paid off $63,000 of student loan debt in 4 years, bought a house at 27, and has traveled to 27 countries, including her favorites, Iceland, China, and Bermuda. Go here to learn Danielle’s incredible story, from struggling financially and in debt to finding creative ways to earn more and live on her terms. Listen to The Thought Card Podcast , where Danielle shares how you can creatively travel more and build wealth regardless of your current financial situation. Reach out to Danielle by contacting: thethoughtcard (at) gmail (dot) com.

You might also like

Freelance Writing with Terri Huggins

Leave a Reply

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

A how-to guide for finding mistake fares and how to super cheap flights.

  • Skip to main content
  • Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Life Kit

  • Dear Life Kit
  • Life Skills

We asked, you answered: Parent-approved tips on traveling with kids under 2

Becky Harlan headshot

Becky Harlan

Photograph of a baby sitting next to an open carryon suitcase filled with clothing and other travel items, all against a light pink backdrop.

Last month, Life Kit asked parents to share their go-to advice for traveling with babies and toddlers under age 2 as part of an episode we did on the subject. Over 200 folks responded with tips they wish they'd known before taking a big trip with a little one.

Reading through these responses, it became clear there's no magic hack that works for every kid. Some parents swore by sticking to their kid's sleep schedule on a trip, others said their vacation was smoother when they let the usual routine go. Some sang the praises of the overnight flight (so their child would sleep on the plane), others said their child has never slept more than 10 minutes on a plane no matter the timing.

I flew to Japan with my baby. Here's the travel advice that helped me survive the trip

I flew to Japan with my baby. Here's the travel advice that helped me survive the trip

A few pieces of advice held true throughout. A hungry kid is an unpleasant kid, and children are messy. So packing lots of snacks, extra diapers and a change of clothes ranked high on the list of must-dos. Almost 40 of over 200 responses suggested packing extra outfits in your carry-on for your kid and for you. (If your charge spits up, throws up, blows out or spills it will also get on you!)

So here's a non-exhaustive, impossible-to-be-comprehensive, but-hopefully-still-helpful round-up of your top advice for traveling with little kids. These responses have been edited for length and clarity.

What to pack

A stroller that can be stored in the overhead bin. It's a game changer to not have to check clunky strollers at the gate or check-in counters. —Amy P.

A change of clothes for yourself. If the baby spits up or has a blowout, there's a high likelihood that the mess will end up on you too, especially if you're holding them. Also, be sure to bring a bag to put messy clothes in. Reusable waterproof bags are great and they keep the smell in! —Jenna Yount

Extra diapers. You think you will be fine but if something comes up it's not a good situation to be in. —Jeanna Limtiaco

Overnight diapers. Fewer diaper changes in transit makes everyone happier. —Samantha Warren

Snacks. Remember, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration allows for any size baby food [and baby or toddler beverage], so pack those pouches! —Clara W.

Meds you and your kids might need in flight. That includes chewable Tylenol, Imodium, Dramamine, Zofran, ginger chews, Band-Aids and alcohol wipes. —Paige Ellis

A dark-colored bath towel. It's a blanket, it's for tidying up, it's a tablecloth, it's a sun cover, it shields bottoms from hot slides, it dries off swings. It's a multi-tasking powerhouse. —Judith Heise

Consider what may make sense to buy, rent or borrow upon arrival. You don't need to stuff everything into your suitcase. Buy some of your diapers and snacks at your destination. See if you can borrow or rent large, bulky items like car seats or travel cribs from Facebook Marketplace or your hotel or Airbnb. —Jocelyn Newman

How to get through the flight

Get to your gate an hour before boarding. It gives you time to feed your child, change their diapers, have a cup of coffee and fill your water bottle. It can also help your kid let out their energy before they have to sit on the plane. —Shelly C.

Check the airport for family friendly spaces. Use nursing spaces or pods and family restrooms to reset as needed. Check lounges for nursing and play rooms. —Sara Conger

Take an early morning flight. Those are least likely to get delayed, which is important when traveling with kids. —Carina Ochoa

Parenthood Is A Shock To The System. These Tips Can Help You With The Transition

Parenthood Is A Shock To The System. These Tips Can Help You With The Transition

Board with your partner separately. If you're traveling with two caregivers, have one go on the plane first with all the stuff and do the gate-checking of the stroller while the other hangs back with the kids until the last minute. It gives kids more time to run around! —Andrea De Francesca

Get a plane seat for your kid. Even though many airlines allow kids under 2 to fly for free as a lap baby, if you can afford to get them their own seat, it is worth it. It is recommended for safety to have them in a car seat, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and the extra space for them to move around is nice. —Nicole Shelledy

Be ready for motion sickness. We were not prepared for how easily some little ones get motion sickness on an airplane. Have throw-up bags handy at all times. —Tiff Bankhurst

Prevent ear discomfort. Sucking during take off and landing may help relieve ear discomfort. My babies have flown with me from 4 weeks onward and never had a problem as long as they had a bottle or sippy cup or straw to suck on. —Shelly Ransom

Don't plan on them sleeping on the plane. It's great if they do, but if it doesn't happen, you'll be frustrated. —Colleen Mayerhoff

Don't worry too much about your kid "bothering" other people. The vast majority of people don't care, and many have been in the same situation you've been in and feel nothing but empathy for you. As for those who do care, they are not guaranteed a child-free existence in public. Kids are part of society too, and they are also allowed to take up space. —Jenna Yount

Make friends with the flight crew. They're going to help, they've got more experience than you, and they also want the flight to be pleasant. —April Graham

Save the screens for the flight. If you're using a screen, wait until you're on the plane. While you're waiting in the terminal, let them move as much as possible. Find an empty gate and play Simon Says, see who can jump in one place the longest, do animal charades. Let them go wild. —Paige Ellis

Download age-appropriate shows for your child on an iPad. (But know that if your kid is under age 2 they'll mostly just want to push the buttons.) —Chantel Dockstader

Travel hacks

Find a lodging close to a grocery store and a park. It makes it easy to buy last-minute things and burn off their energy easily at a park. —Gillian Molina

Dress your young kids in bright, matching shirts. I once traveled alone when my kids were 2, 4 and 6. We all wore matching yellow shirts so people could see we were together. —Emily Hernandez

If you want to let your little one crawl around , bring a pair of socks that you can put over their hands. Then you don't have to worry about dirty hands afterward. —Shannon Geraghty

Hire a photographer. You'll have photos with everyone in them, maybe get to see some scenic parts of the city you hadn't seen before. Dress up, wear matching outfits, be extra! They're only little once. —Tina Doyle

Helpful mindsets

It's not a vacation. It's a trip. You're just parenting in a new place. Set your expectations accordingly. —Laura Henriquez

The airport/train/bus/car is not the time to enforce the normal at-home rules. Do you want Doritos at 7 a.m. at the airport? OK. Do you want to watch 20 episodes of Blippi on the plane? No problem. There are no rules when traveling. This also makes traveling fun for kids because they get to do something different. —Meg Houston

Build in extra time to do things. It will decrease the chances of you and your child getting into stressful situations. —Cori DeLano

You're not going to get as much done as you think with a kiddo in tow. Think about things like nap schedule, traveling with a stroller, meltdowns, diaper changes. On my most "successful" trip with my kiddo, we planned one big activity a day and left the rest of the day open with some general ideas and left room for flexibility. —Whitney Winters

They might not remember, but you will. —Nina Hartman

The digital story was edited by Malaka Gharib. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at [email protected].

Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify , and sign up for our newsletter .

  • Life Kit: Parenting

Read the Latest on Page Six

latest in US News

Daniel Penny's lawyer 'applauds' DA's decision not to charge NYC subway shooter: 'Forced to defend himself'

Daniel Penny's lawyer 'applauds' DA's decision not to charge NYC...

Teen sends Florida spring break into chaos after pulling gun on packed beach, running through crowd with weapon: cops

Teen sends Florida spring break into chaos after pulling gun on...

Comer moving forward with public impeachment hearing ‘with or without’ Hunter Biden

Comer moving forward with public impeachment hearing ‘with or...

Ailing 750-pound alligator seized from NY home after gentle giant would swim with kids

Ailing 750-pound alligator seized from NY home after gentle giant...

Only 36% of voters approve of 'court jester' Kamala Harris' job as vice president: poll

Only 36% of voters approve of 'court jester' Kamala Harris' job...

Boeing 737 loses external panel mid-flight, lands safely in Oregon in latest plane incident

Boeing 737 loses external panel mid-flight, lands in Oregon in...

Estranged wife of accused NYC subway maniac shot in head during fight dumped him because he was increasingly 'aggressive'

Estranged wife of accused NYC subway maniac shot in head during...

Shein customer shocked to find vial of blood in dress delivery box

Shein customer shocked to find vial of blood in dress delivery box

Florida mom offers $500 for her 18-month-old baby outside an h&r block — finds no takers and leaves kid.

  • View Author Archive
  • Get author RSS feed

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

A heartless Florida mother allegedly tried to sell her toddler for $500 at a bank before no one took her up on the offer and she abandoned the child last week.

Jessica Woods, 33, was spotted loitering outside an H&R Block location in Palatka, Fla., with her 18-month-old daughter when she was approached by one of the bank’s employees.

The employee had recognized Woods as the mother who frequented the area and even used the bank’s restroom to change her daughter.

Jessica Woods was arrested and charged with several felonies after attempting to sell her 18-month-old daughter for $500 in Florida last week.

Woods at one point was spotted hitting her daughter with her elbow and spanking her inside the bathroom, according to a probable cause affidavit viewed by the Daily Mail.

The next morning, on March 5, Woods was found sleeping on an exterior air conditioning unit while her daughter was inside a nearby shopping cart with no blankets.

The concerned bank employee asked the woman if she needed help and Woods allegedly demanded money.

Her demand was not met, but the employee had offered to buy the duo items, which frustrated Woods to the point where she threw her child, according to the outlet.

Later in the day, Woods returned to the bank, where she placed her child on the ground — and the little girl immediately started crawling toward traffic.

The employee picked the child up and Woods asked whether she wanted to purchase her daughter.

“Woods told the citizen she did not need anything but, offered to sell the child to the citizen for $500,” the Palatka Police Department said in a press release. “When the citizen refused to purchase the child, Woods walked away, leaving her daughter behind.”

Woods allegedly hit her daughter while the two were inside the bank's bathroom before her arrest.

The employee brought the toddler inside the bank to clean her up before reporting Woods’ horrid behavior to the police.

Officers brought the child into their care until the Department of Children and Families arrived and took custody of the girl.

“As a result of an investigation, Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Woods charging her with child abuse, child neglect, and abandonment of a child.”

Start your day with all you need to know

Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

Thanks for signing up!

Please provide a valid email address.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy .

Never miss a story.

The child has since been put into foster care.

Woods was located March 7 and charged with six felonies, according to jail records viewed by The Post.

She was placed into Putnam County Jail and booked for selling or surrendering a minor for money or property, unlawful desertion of a child, aggravated child abuse, and three counts of abuse child without great bodily harm.

The charges added up to a bond of $255,000, according to court records.

Woods abandoned her daughter at an H&R Block in Florida on March 5, 2024.

In 2022, a Florida sex offender was arrested when he allegedly tried to “purchase” an 8-year-old girl for $100,000 at a grocery store.

Hellmuth Kolb had been on probation and was banned from having contact with children after trying to  buy a different child in Walmart in 2018 , according to  WESH-TV .

Share this article:

Jessica Woods was arrested and charged with several felonies after attempting to sell her 18-month-old daughter for $500 in Florida last week.

Advertisement

travel nyc with baby

Every product is independently selected by (obsessive) editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission.

kids department

  • The Best Gifts for 12-Year-Olds, According to Experts The Best Gifts for 12-Year-Olds, Accordi…
  • The 7 Best Baby Carriers The 7 Best Baby Carriers
  • 61 Easter-Basket Ideas for Every Type of Kid 61 Easter-Basket Ideas for Every Type of…
  • The Best Gifts for 11-Year-Olds, According to Experts The Best Gifts for 11-Year-Olds, Accordi…
  • 21 Non-Junky Party Favors for Kids’ Birthdays 21 Non-Junky Party Favors for Kids’ Birt…
  • The 12 Very Best Pregnancy Pillows The 12 Very Best Pregnancy Pillows
  • The Best Board Games for Toddlers and Preschoolers The Best Board Games for Toddlers and Pr…
  • How I’d Redo My Baby Registry: With a Scandinavian Baby Nest How I’d Redo My Baby Registry: With a Sc…
  • The Only Toy Gift Guide for a 10-Year-Old You’ll Ever Need The Only Toy Gift Guide for a 10-Year-Ol…
  • How I’d Redo My Baby Registry: With a Smoother Stroller How I’d Redo My Baby Registry: With a Sm…
  • Our Favorite Swaddles (of the 29 We’ve Tried) Our Favorite Swaddles (of the 29 We’ve T…
  • The Only Gift Guide for a 9-Year-Old You’ll Ever Need The Only Gift Guide for a 9-Year-Old You…
  • How Hilary Swank Would Redo Her Baby Registry How Hilary Swank Would Redo Her Baby Reg…
  • The Only Gift Guide for a 7-Year-Old You’ll Ever Need The Only Gift Guide for a 7-Year-Old You…
  • The Only Gift Guide for a 6-Year-Old You’ll Ever Need The Only Gift Guide for a 6-Year-Old You…
  • The 11 Best Bike Helmets for Kids The 11 Best Bike Helmets for Kids
  • The 6 Very Best Baby Swings The 6 Very Best Baby Swings
  • The Only Gift Guide for an 8-Year-Old You’ll Ever Need The Only Gift Guide for an 8-Year-Old Yo…
  • The 12 Very Best Glider Rockers for Nursing The 12 Very Best Glider Rockers for Nurs…
  • The 7 Very Best Face Masks for Kids The 7 Very Best Face Masks for Kids
  • The 13 Very Best Play Mats for Babies and Kids The 13 Very Best Play Mats for Babies an…
  • The 7 Very Best Baby Mattresses The 7 Very Best Baby Mattresses
  • 30 (Non-Candy) Valentine’s Day Gifts for Kids 30 (Non-Candy) Valentine’s Day Gifts for…
  • The Only Gift Guide for a 5-Year-Old You’ll Ever Need The Only Gift Guide for a 5-Year-Old You…
  • The Only Gift Guide for a 4-Year-Old You’ll Ever Need The Only Gift Guide for a 4-Year-Old You…
  • The Best Kids’ Sneakers, According to Cool Parents The Best Kids’ Sneakers, According to Co…
  • The 6 Very Best Baby Sound Machines The 6 Very Best Baby Sound Machines
  • The Best Gifts for 6-Month-Olds, According to Experts The Best Gifts for 6-Month-Olds, Accordi…
  • The Best Board Games for Kids, According to Experts The Best Board Games for Kids, According…
  • The Best Gifts for 2-Year-Olds The Best Gifts for 2-Year-Olds
  • The Only Toy Gift Guide for a 3-Year-Old You’ll Ever Need The Only Toy Gift Guide for a 3-Year-Old…
  • The Only Gift Guide for a 1-Year-Old You’ll Ever Need The Only Gift Guide for a 1-Year-Old You…
  • Strategist Editors on the Gifts They’re Getting Their Kids Strategist Editors on the Gifts They’re…
  • I Want My Daughter to Look Like a ‘Haunted Victorian Doll’ I Want My Daughter to Look Like a ‘Haunt…
  • My Son’s Travel Car Seat Fits in a Backpack My Son’s Travel Car Seat Fits in a Backp…
  • 44 (Under-$20) Stocking Stuffers for Kids and Babies 44 (Under-$20) Stocking Stuffers for Kid…
  • The Best (Strategist-Approved) Children’s Books The Best (Strategist-Approved) Children’…
  • The Best Gifts for New Grandparents The Best Gifts for New Grandparents
  • The Very Best Washable Rugs The Very Best Washable Rugs
  • All the Best Toys for Kids That We’ve Ever Written About All the Best Toys for Kids That We’ve Ev…
  • What Are the Best (Nice-Looking) Cribs for Babies? What Are the Best (Nice-Looking) Cribs f…
  • The Strategist Toy Store The Strategist Toy Store
  • Candyland-Like Plates Got My Picky Eaters to Try Sprouts Candyland-Like Plates Got My Picky Eater…
  • The Best Toy Doctor Kits for Kids, According to Teachers The Best Toy Doctor Kits for Kids, Accor…
  • The 8 Very Best High Chairs The 8 Very Best High Chairs
  • The Best Toy Storage, According to Professional Organizers The Best Toy Storage, According to Profe…
  • The 11 Best Bikes for Kids The 11 Best Bikes for Kids
  • The Best Outdoor Toys for Kids, According to Experts The Best Outdoor Toys for Kids, Accordin…
  • Who Makes These Daisy Kids’ Pants I See All Over Instagram? Who Makes These Daisy Kids’ Pants I See…
  • What Are the Best Kids’ T-Shirts? What Are the Best Kids’ T-Shirts?

The 6 Very Best Baby Swings

travel nyc with baby

In this article

Best baby swing overall.

  • Best foldable
  • Best lightweight
  • Best rotating
  • Best battery-powered

If you’re on the hunt for a baby swing, you’re probably also looking for a way to soothe or entertain a fussy baby . In fact, Melissa Bykofsky , executive editor at pregnancy and parenting website What to Expect , describes her baby’s swing as “a lifesaver in those early weeks .”

Overall, a great baby swing is one with exceptionally smooth rocking motions — the goal is to soothe, not to startle. And because it’s a product for babies, it should also be able to be washed with ease. And beyond that, the right baby swing for you will depend on the quirks of your space. For instance, if your home is small, look for baby swings with small footprints or ones that fold up easily. If your outlets are awkwardly placed, pick a battery-powered swing rather than one that needs AC power. I spoke to seven experts — including a baby sleep consultant, a family-medicine doctor, and a day-care provider — to find the best baby swings. And then I cross-referenced their suggestions against dozens of reviews, and my own testing. So whether you want a lightweight baby swing, a foldable baby swing, or a battery-powered baby swing, I have some great options for you.

Before we get started, it’s important to note that there are some safety guidelines to be aware of when using a baby swing. The American Association of Pediatrics advises against letting babies sleep in them. “Putting a baby to sleep on an incline is linked to higher risks of SIDS,” explains infant- and child-sleep consultant Eva Klein . That’s why you should move your child to their crib or other suitable sleeping surface right away if they happen to fall asleep in their swing. The AAP also says that if the seat can be adjusted to more than a 50-degree angle, it should have a safety harness, and it advises that parents limit the time their baby spends in a swing.

What we’re looking for

Motions and vibrations.

Baby swings are motorized and can automatically move in a range of ways. All of them swing, but some only swing side to side, while others also swing back and forth. Some offer other types of motion, such as bouncing, rotation, and vibrations. A greater range of motions isn’t necessarily better, but it does give you more options. I’ve included swings with a range of motion types.

Entertainment features

There are a variety of entertainment features you might find on a baby swing, including a mobile with hanging toys, sounds, and lights. I’ve included a mixture of swings with low-key entertainment features and those with more elaborate options.

4Moms MamaRoo Multi-Motion Baby Swing

Motions and vibrations: 5 multidirectional motions Entertainment features: Sounds, hanging mobile

When I tested the MamaRoo, I was impressed by how smooth (and almost parent-inspired) the rocking motions were. You can control the motions through the 4moms app — which I found easy to use — or on the body of the swing. It’s nice to have the app option, but it’s sometimes just going to be easier to press a button on the swing itself than get your phone out and open an app.

The MamaRoo has a simple mobile featuring three hanging balls that are black and white on one side and colored on the other. Birth and postpartum doula Shira Sharifi of A Birth Connection likes how they’re suited to both newborns (who only see in black, white, and shades of gray) and older babies. I really pulled at the mobile to see if it would move — it didn’t break or pop off its hinge. The toy balls inside the frame of the mobile pull out easily, but this is part of the design — the balls are safe for babies to play with and machine washable. It also means the balls take just seconds to reverse from the black-and-white side to the colored side.

The MamaRoo is also incredibly easy to clean. When I spilled some milk on it, it wiped off easily with a damp cloth. If you want to get rid of a larger stain, the fabric only takes about 30 seconds to remove from/replace on the frame. You can also remove the fabric from the frame to machine wash it. Overall, this is a good pick for both newborns and older babies — I especially like that you can play your own music on the speakers via Bluetooth. Three of the experts I spoke to (including Sharifi) agree — I’m calling this the best pick overall.

Best (less expensive) baby swing

Graco Simple Sway Swing

Motions and vibrations: Swinging, vibration Entertainment features: Hanging mobile, sounds

The MamaRoo is innovative for sure, but I wanted to include a swing at a realistic price for more parents — and that’s the Simple Sway. Its gentle side-to-side swaying motion is generally soothing for infants. And there are six speeds and two vibration settings to customize the motion to suit your baby’s preferences.

The deep seat holds infants securely, and it has a head support for newborns that can be removed once a baby can support their own head. The hanging mobile has cute star toys and can play ten classical tunes and five soothing sounds. I like that you have the option to plug it into an outlet or run it off five D batteries, as some of our experts note that power cords can be restrictive.

Best foldable baby swing

Graco Slim Spaces Compact Baby Swing

Motions and vibrations: Swinging Entertainment features: Hanging mobile  

This swing is a firm favorite of Bykofsky, who used it to help get through the early days with her son. She and her partner kept it in the dining room, where they could use it to calm their baby while they ate. “Around 5 every night, our baby would cry and only wanted to be held and rocked,” she explains. She appreciated “being able to put him down and let the swing gently rock him back and forth” to soothe him.

The compact design and portability of this swing is a big draw. Bykofsky likes that its carry handle makes it easy to move between rooms, and that it folds to save space when you aren’t using it. However, the portability comes at a price — it isn’t particularly feature-rich. It has two hanging toys but no lights, sounds, or music. You switch between speeds with a fully adjustable dial, so there aren’t a fixed number of speed settings. There’s a low speed and a high speed, and you can adjust the dial to any point between slowest and fastest setting. This gives you more freedom to find a swing speed that’s right for your baby. It’s battery powered, requiring four D batteries.

Best lightweight baby swing

Maxi-Cosi Cassia Swing

Motions and vibrations: 2 swing directions Entertainment features: Sounds, hanging mobile

Family-medicine physician Dr. Laura Purdy recommended this swing to us. At ten pounds, it’s extremely light, and she appreciates how easy it is to move around the house. This makes it easier to get on with your day. “Need to shower? Move to the bathroom. Need to do laundry? Move to the laundry room,” she remarks. It takes four AA batteries for easy portability, but it also works with an AC adapter.

“I also love that it has multiple sounds and songs you can select from,” Purdy continues. It has a total of 12 melodies to help soothe little ones. It’s always a bonus if baby products are easy to keep clean, and she notes that “the soft fabric pieces of the swing can be removed and washed, which is great for blowouts and spit-up.”

Best rotating baby swing

Ingenuity InLighten 2-in-1 Baby Swing & Rocker with Vibrations

Motions and vibrations: Swinging, rotation, and vibration Entertainment features: Lights, sounds, hanging mobile

“I love how it has six speed options and that it can swing back and forth as well as side to side,” says Klein. It also rotates 180 degrees, swings in three directions, and has vibration settings. Klein likes that the recline options mean it’s suitable for newborns as well as older babies (the AAP recommends using the most reclined position for babies under 4 months to avoid slumping and a risk of suffocation).

The mobile features two plush toys and lights that can be turned on and off. There’s also a mirror on the underside for little ones to look at themselves in. Plus, it plays 16 melodies, 3 nature sounds, and white noise to help soothe infants — or connect it to your phone to play music of your choice. It runs off an AC adapter, but it also needs a single C battery if you want to use the vibration function.

Best battery-powered baby swing

Ingenuity Soothe 'n Delight Compact Portable 6-Speed Plush Baby Swing with Music

Motions and vibrations: Swinging Entertainment features: Sounds, hanging mobile

Founder of Adventure Kids Playcare Dana Oliver has used Soothe ‘n Delight in her work as a child-care provider. “I’ve seen how it soothes upset babies and helps to entertain them,” she remarks. It’s foldable, which Oliver appreciates, noting that it’s great to travel with. It’s also battery operated — and, between these two features, it’s easy to move from room to room to soothe your baby anywhere in your home.

It has six speed settings and can be put on a timer for 15, 30, or 45 minutes — although Oliver is quick to note that you shouldn’t leave your baby in a swing for too long. She says they’re only meant to be used for “brief periods when your baby can’t be in your arms.”

Some other baby essentials we’ve written about

Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair & Baby Set

Our experts

• Melissa Bykofsky , executive editor at What to Expect • Eva Klein , baby and toddler sleep consultant, founder of My Sleeping Baby • Dana Oliver , child-care provider, founder of Adventure Kids Playcare • Dr. Laura Purdy , family-medicine physician • Karen Reardanz , Babylist director of editorial and brand • Shandra Scruggs , labor-and-delivery nurse, founder of Simply Birthed • Shira Sharifi , doula, founder of A Birth Connection

The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments , rolling luggage , pillows for side sleepers , natural anxiety remedies , and bath towels . We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.

  • the strategist
  • kids and babies
  • best in class

Every product is independently selected by (obsessive) editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission.

Deal of the Day

Micro sales, greatest hits, most viewed stories.

  • The 15 Very Best Protein Powders
  • What’s Going on With Benzoyl Peroxide?
  • Everything Worth Buying at Madewell’s Insider Event Sale
  • The 13 Very Best Bluetooth Speakers
  • 25 Things on Sale You’ll Actually Want to Buy: From Jockey to Tamagotchi
  • The Very Best Face Moisturizers
  • The 30 Very Best Mascaras

Shop with Google

Shop with Google

  • Share full article

A series of photographs of Charles Lindbergh Jr. at 20 months old, taken by his father.

The Great Read

The lindbergh baby kidnapping: a grisly theory and a renewed debate.

New speculation about the toddler’s death and pressure to force DNA testing of evidence have revived scrutiny of what was known as the “crime of the century.”

Credit... Associated Press

Supported by

Tracey Tully

By Tracey Tully

  • Published March 5, 2024 Updated March 6, 2024

Bruno Richard Hauptmann’s mug shot. The wooden electric chair where he was put to death. A sponge like the one that was dampened with salt water and placed on his head to conduct the deadly jolts of electricity.

Listen to this article with reporter commentary

Open this article in the New York Times Audio app on iOS.

This grim assortment of relics is housed in a small museum in New Jersey , about 20 miles away from where the decaying body of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., the toddler Hauptmann was convicted of kidnapping and killing, was discovered face down in the dirt.

Nearly 100 years ago, the Lindbergh case was known as the crime of the century by virtue of its cinematic details and the boy’s high-profile parents, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, a diplomat’s daughter , and Charles A. Lindbergh, an aviator who had catapulted to fame by completing the world’s first nonstop solo flight from New York to Paris.

In the decades since, as the keepers of the Lindbergh kidnapping archives can attest, public interest in the case has never subsided — nor has skepticism about Hauptmann’s guilt. But a bizarre and grisly new theory about Lindbergh’s potential involvement in his son’s death, and renewed legal pressure to force DNA testing of evidence, have combined to thrust one of the country’s most enduring murder mysteries squarely back into public consciousness.

travel nyc with baby

Hauptmann, a German immigrant who had worked as a carpenter and lived in the Bronx, was executed for the crime in April 1936. His great-great niece, Cezanne Love, and her aunt recently provided DNA samples in the hope that New Jersey’s courts would decide to clear the way for modern science to explore century-old doubts: Was an innocent man put to death? And, if not, did he act alone?

“I personally don’t think he did it,” Ms. Love said, noting that Hauptmann and his widow maintained his innocence , and his alibi, until the end. But if the evidence does link him to the case, “then so be it,” she said. “I want to uncover the truth.”

Charles Lindbergh Jr. was 20 months old when he disappeared from his bedroom in East Amwell, N.J., on March 1, 1932. A wooden ladder, a chisel and the first of more than a dozen ransom notes were found at the house after the kidnapping. The family arranged for a $50,000 payment, but the child was discovered dead 10 weeks later.

The investigation, led by the New Jersey State Police and splashed across front pages worldwide, raged on until September 1934, when a $10 gold certificate from the ransom payment was used to buy gasoline in New York.

Investigators traced the car at the gas station to Hauptmann and later discovered $13,760 in ransom bills in his garage — money he said he’d been asked to hold for a man who died in Germany before the trial.

There were no fingerprints, and there was no confession and no explanation for how a solitary kidnapper might have orchestrated a toddler’s abduction from a second-floor nursery on a rainy Tuesday evening, while five adults and a dog were in the home. Hauptmann was convicted after a six-week trial in Flemington, N.J., and sentenced to death.

A handwritten ransom message sent on a postcard to Charles Lindbergh after the disappearance of his young son demanded $100,000.

At the time of the boy’s kidnapping his father was a national hero.

But history would come to view the renowned pilot who died 50 years ago far more critically. Lindbergh was fascinated with the study of eugenics and was vilified by the media after accepting a medal for his contributions to aviation from Hermann Goering on behalf of Hitler in 1938 — seen by many as a sign of his sympathies with the Nazi regime.

Lise Pearlman, a retired California judge, now speculates that Lindbergh was capable of something even more sinister: sacrificing his son for scientific experiments that led to the child’s death.

“I take advantage of the distance in time to treat the boy’s father as a potential suspect in his kidnap and murder; like all the others on the list, a fallible human being, not a demigod,” Ms. Pearlman wrote in a 2020 book, “The Lindbergh Kidnapping Suspect No. 1: The Man Who Got Away.”

It is a theory that other Lindbergh researchers view with deep skepticism.

Ms. Pearlman acknowledged that her findings were based on circumstantial, yet compelling, evidence about the crime scene, the condition of the boy’s remains and the research that Lindbergh was conducting at the time with Dr. Alexis Carrel, a Nobel Prize-winning surgeon and organ transplant pioneer.

Last February, she shared her theory at a conference held by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, broadening the reach of her views and stoking renewed debate about the crime’s persistent riddles.

Writers who have researched the case just as extensively as Ms. Pearlman said it would be impossible to definitively prove a whole new theory 100 years later. But that has not stopped people from trying.

A former Rutgers University professor, Lloyd C. Gardner, founded a social group decades ago that called itself the State Street Irregulars, a homage to Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series. The group met at the bar of a restaurant in Lambertville, N.J., while Professor Gardner was writing his book on the subject, “The Case That Never Dies.”

“It will never be proven one way or another,” Professor Gardner said.

Push for DNA tests

Barry Scheck, a founder of the Innocence Project, which has represented roughly 200 clients exonerated by DNA evidence, was a classmate of Ms. Pearlman’s in college and in law school and wrote a supportive blurb for her book. The Innocence Project has not taken on the case, but Mr. Scheck said he had provided consultation to Ms. Pearlman.

In an interview, Mr. Scheck said his interest in the Lindbergh case was tied more to the possibility that an innocent man was executed than the identity of a culprit.

“If there is a DNA test that you can do that will shed light on the guilt or the innocence of somebody, particularly someone who was executed, I think the family has the right to get that information,” he said.

His sentiment is in line with many people’s lasting interest in the case and follows renewed efforts to determine Hauptmann’s guilt or innocence.

Lawrence S. Lustberg, a prominent criminal defense lawyer in New Jersey, said Monday that he had joined the effort on behalf of “opponents of wrongful conviction.” He said he was “carefully considering what procedural mechanisms” might be available to “redress what appears to be a terrible, historic injustice.”

There is already an unrelated legal challenge in New Jersey over a request to test the saliva on the stamped ransom envelopes for clues. Researchers have also argued that the ladder and a wooden board found in Hauptmann’s attic should be evaluated using modern methods to confirm that they match.

A Superior Court judge ruled last year against releasing the envelopes for DNA testing, and an appeals panel is expected to set a date to hear arguments on the matter in the coming months.

Kurt Perhach, who has cited the state’s open public records laws in his fight to win access to the envelopes, traces his career as a lawyer to a teenage fascination with the Lindbergh kidnapping case.

“I have felt compelled that there’s something wrong here since I was a boy,” said Mr. Perhach, 46, who grew up about 30 minutes away from the Lindberghs’ farmhouse in East Amwell. He represents a group of people, including Wayne McDaniel, a New York City-based filmmaker, hoping to use information gleaned from testing to explore a new documentary angle within the already well-plumbed Lindbergh oeuvre.

The New Jersey attorney general’s office has opposed the request, arguing that the “integrity of the historical items outweighs any interest in conducting DNA testing that will permanently alter and potentially damage the items.”

A trove of records

In 1981, a former governor of New Jersey, Brendan Byrne, issued an executive order that made all records pertaining to the Lindbergh investigation available to the public for research.

That material — roughly 225,000 documents — is housed in a large room adjacent to the Lindbergh museum gallery at the State Police’s headquarters near Trenton, N.J., and overseen by a full-time archivist, Greg Ferrara.

Visitors are free to open filing cabinets and leaf through original crime-scene photos, the trial transcript, index cards bearing names of potential witnesses, police reports and Hauptmann’s account of his life, which was typed onto translucent paper so brittle it crinkles when handled.

“Much has been said in the newspapers about my life to make me appear as a black sheep,” he wrote. “Why don’t they investigate the true course of events?”

Since then, few cases have generated more independent investigation.

Sleuths, some of them admittedly obsessed by the case, still flock to online discussion boards to trade hypotheses. The kidnapping has inspired dozens of researched books, movies, documentaries and even musicals .

“I got four calls this week,” Mr. Ferrara said, describing the level of continuing public interest.

travel nyc with baby

Professor Gardner, 89, said he once suggested adding a sign above the New Jersey archive.

“Abandon all hope ye who enter here,” he said, borrowing a passage from Dante’s “Divine Comedy.”

“You get into this and you can’t get out,” he said. “It’s so intriguing.”

Del Quentin Wilber heard the same Dante line as he researched a book he is writing about the case for Simon & Schuster.

Mr. Wilber, the Washington investigations editor for The Associated Press, said he had mined hundreds of thousands of records held at the U.S. Treasury Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Jersey archives and several universities.

“It’s still the ultimate American spectacle that draws people to it in this obsessive way,” said Mr. Wilber, who is convinced of Hauptmann’s guilt despite trial flaws that have opened the case to unceasing scrutiny.

“They railroaded a guilty man,” he said.

‘Complicated, flawed men’

One of the most grotesque theories to emerge since the boy’s death is detailed in the book by the retired judge in California.

Ms. Pearlman said she considered the apparent absence of blood in the woods where the body was discovered a smoking gun that proved the boy died somewhere else. Unexplored questions about the condition of the body and items found nearby have led her to speculate that Lindbergh colluded with Dr. Carrel, his friend who worked at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York City, to experiment on his son.

She wrote that the boy, who had an unusually large head and took medicines associated with rickets, would have been seen as expendable to the men, who, as eugenicists , believed in improving the genetic quality of the population. She has concluded that there was a “horrendous probability” that the men removed his organs in hope of achieving a medical breakthrough that might help Lindbergh’s sister-in-law, who had a damaged heart valve.

To reach this conclusion, Ms. Pearlman worked with a New Jersey pathologist, Dr. Peter Speth, who evaluated records from the crime scene and autopsy, which showed that all the boy’s organs other than the heart and liver were missing. At the time, investigators deduced that foraging animals had mutilated the body as it lay in the woods.

Dr. Speth said the apparent absence of vermin on the boy’s remains — and clues suggesting the child’s face and one of his feet decayed more slowly than other parts of the body — indicated that the body had been dumped in the woods well after the abduction and that chemicals commonly found in laboratories had also probably been used.

“Bruno could not have conceived of it and could not have carried it out,” Dr. Speth said in an interview. He called Hauptmann’s execution “a terrible miscarriage of justice.”

The Academy of Forensic Sciences routinely includes disclaimers noting that the research presented at its conferences is unverified, and Ms. Pearlman’s findings have not been subject to peer review. But a screening team would have had to approve Ms. Pearlman’s participation in the conference, and the academy published an abstract summarizing her findings, as is routine, Jeri Ropero-Miller, a scientist and member of the academy, said.

Still, authors who have also studied the crime and its characters extensively question Ms. Pearlman’s book and its extreme conclusions.

David M. Friedman, who wrote “The Immortalists: Charles Lindbergh, Dr. Alexis Carrel and Their Daring Quest to Live Forever,” said he had not read Ms. Pearlman’s book but found the theory about Lindbergh and Carrel absurd.

“They were complicated, flawed men,” Mr. Friedman said. “But the idea that they would collaborate in an act of infanticide strikes me as malicious garbage.”

Ms. Love, Hauptmann’s relative, said she remained focused less on the whodunit than on helping to wipe away a stain that had haunted her family for nearly a century.

Her goal, she said, was to expose the limits of science and justice in the 1930s.

“With the hysteria and the horribleness of the crime, the police wanted to put a nice little bow,” she said.

“But in today’s court system it would have been a totally different outcome.”

Audio produced by Sarah Diamond .

Tracey Tully is a reporter for The Times who covers New Jersey, where she has lived for more than 20 years. More about Tracey Tully

Here are more fascinating tales you can’t help reading all the way to the end.

Saved by a Rescue Dog: He spent 13 years addicted to cocaine. Running a shelter for abused and neglected dogs in New York has kept him sober, but it hasn’t been easy .

An Art Mogul's Fall: After a dramatic rise in business and society, Louise Blouin finds herself unloading a Hamptons dream home in bankruptcy court .

America's Most Hated Man?: Tom Sandoval turned last year’s season of “Vanderpump Rules” into the best in reality TV’s history — and ruined his life in the process .

Inside an N.Y.P.D. Basement: In the office of the Manhattan Property Clerk, evidence and lost items arrive by the tens of thousands . A small band of officers and civilians has to manage never-ending pressure.

India’s Great Curry Clash: A court in Delhi has been asked to solve a bitter dispute between two families who have very different accounts of the origins of butter chicken , a dish beloved around the world.

Advertisement

Have Baby Will Travel

Have Toddler Will Travel: New York City

travel nyc with baby

Wondering how to survive New York City with toddlers?

Here’s our week-long adventure in the big apple….

travel nyc with baby

When faced with the decision of whether to stay at home with my nearly two-year-old while my husband was traveling to New York City on business for a week – it was a no-brainer. I literally started packing before my husband finished the sentence about the trip! Firstly, the thought of a week alone at home with my little guy scared me a little bit, and my 30th birthday was during this time, and who could pass up great shopping? It was time to see if New York City with toddlers was doable.

This wasn’t Liam’s first time on a plane, we had traveled to Cuba in December which, except for giving me a bloody nose on the plane ride home was ok! The flight to New York was only an hour each way (and luckily the hum of the jet engine lulled him to sleep on both flights!)

Here are my trips and tricks for traveling to New York City with toddlers!

Location, location, location.

There really are lots of great New York hotels for families . We ended up staying at 53rd and Lexington which was a great spot. A 10-minute walk to Central Park, the subway, and some great (toddler-friendly) restaurants.

Getting Around:

Getting around the city can prove being a bit of a challenge. We took a coach bus into the city ($12 USD per adult) and once we were there were going to rely on the subway and the good-old heel toe express. We also were armed with our fabulous Quinny Stroller and our baby sling .

Other than walking and the subway we took a double decker bus around the city, with the option to hop-on or hop off at various locations.

The subway can be a challenge to those with strollers, New York City is not as accessible as Toronto, and only certain stations have elevators up to street level.

New York with Toddlers Must-See Attractions:

travel nyc with baby

Central Park :

It really is a magical and huge park, filled with lots of friendly New Yorkers and their pooches. We spent most mornings exploring the massive, 800-acre park. With a carousel, a zoo, a castle, and so much more, you literally could spend a week in there. The cost for the 15 minute ride around the park was well worth it!

Central Park Zoo :

It’s the PERFECT size zoo for a toddler (and pregnant mommy). With polar bears, sea lions, penguins, and more, plan to spend one-two hours here with the animals. And at only $12/adult to get in, it’s a great deal. Stop in next door at the RainForest Café for a snack, of what-else but Goldfish Crackers and some juice.

South Street Seaport :

We (well, I!) decided that a two hour wait for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty was not in the cards. So, we hopped onto the bus and headed to the next stop, The South Street Seaport, and had a blast. This old commercial port for NYC is now a place to see a tall ship, shop at some great boutiques, have a nice lunch, and admire the views of the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s a great place for kids, who can watch the water taxis, helicopters, and all the goings-on of NYC.

Bryant Park :

Right beside the New York City Library, Bryant Park is a clean and fun little park in the middle of the city to have a break, run around, and grab a carousel ride for $2.00. This carousel is smaller than Central Park’s and great for littler ones.

Children’s Museum of Manhattan :

Five floors of wonder! This is the place to be, especially on a rainy day. With activities for all ages from, Playworks, a thrilling space for kids under the age of five.

Go City Kids says that “Preschoolers can feed alphabet letters to a talking baby dragon, play scientist in a sand laboratory, and conjure up some make-believe on a fire truck, city bus, or general store. Babies can play high tech peek-a-boo (parents, older siblings, and caregivers will be as transfixed as toddlers) and experiment with sound, air, and colors. And families can use a computer to create a story, complete with video, and email it home, or to grandma. Every element is engaging for kids of all abilities, and designed with thought and care. Be prepared for crowds and possible a wait to get in (check at the front desk).The third floor ladies’ and mens’ rooms have padded changing tables, with paper rolls for extra hygenic cover.”

Visiting NYC? Find Deals, Compare Rates, and Read Hotel Reviews on TripAdvisor

About the author: Kirsty Sheen-Kernohan is a mom of two and a graphic designer living in Ontario, Canada.

Have Baby Will Travel  is a participant in the  Amazon Services LLC Associates/Influencer Program . If you make a purchase through this site, we may receive a small commission.  Click here to check out our Amazon Store .

  • 5 Tips for Visiting New York City with Babies & Little Kids
  • 5 More Tips for Visiting New York City with Babies & Little Kids
  • A Parents’ Guide to New York City
  • Getting Around New York City with Kids
  • Great New York Hotels for Families

26 Responses to Have Toddler Will Travel: New York City

' src=

Thanks for your tips! They are very helpful as I’m planning a trip for me and my 1 1/2 year old while my husband is at work during the day. We’ll be staying at Times Square on the Bryant Park side. One question I had… did you bring a carseat? I saw that you used all of those other types of transportation to get around having to use it in the city. The only thing I’m questioning right now is getting from the airport to the hotel. Thanks!

' src=

I didn’t actually write this article, but you definitely can bring your car seat to install for those rides from/to the airport. Or, depending on which airport you’re flying into, you can look into hiring a car service that will provide a car seat. It’ll cost more than a cab would cost but maybe not so much that it’s worth avoiding the hassle? Otherwise there are shuttle buses as well – just not always that convenient.

' src=

Great tips! We are headed into NYC for the same situation w an almost 2 yo and really looking forward to it!

' src=

I will be traveling out to new york next month. We land in New Jersey and we will be staying in time square. Im not quite sure about how we will get around with 15 month old, luggage and possible car seat. Is it hard getting around the city with a toddler? Thanks!!!

Hi Savannah! Take the train to/from Newark — I’m guessing that’s where you’ll be landing. You end up in Penn Station and it’s not too far of a walk to Times Square from there. If you’re definitely bringing the car seat, I’d babywear for the walk and put the car seat and whatever else fits in the stroller. Does that make sense?

' src=

Hi – am thinking of a holiday in new york in the summer – 2 adults and 4 kids (aged 10,8,5,2) – is it practical to get around new york – am guessing most taxis won’t take 6 and is the subway practical with a 2 year old in a stroller?

You should have no trouble with the subway–a stroller will pose a bit of a pain but try to stick to a lightweight, umbrella one. Having said that, there are a lot of minivan cabs on NYC streets these days, so it might not be as difficult as you think! I’d book a service for airport transfers and go for it!

' src=

Hi I will be traveling to New York from Scotland with an 18 month. We’ve been to New York 3 times before but just me and my partner. Can we take her on the coach with out a car seat? We want to head up to Woodbury common. We’re planning on taking the train to and from airport and using the subway to get around using a stroller or baby backpack.

Hi Tracey! You can definitely take a coach without a car seat. Have a blast in NYC with your toddler!

' src=

Hello! We are travelling with our 17 months old son to New York for 4 days. Can we take taxies without a car seat? Thank you!

It is perfectly legal to ride in a taxi in NYC without a car seat. If you don’t feel comfortable doing so, you have a number of options for airport transfers, etc. You can book a car that will have one installed, or take transit (depending on where you’re coming in). Good luck!

' src=

Hi! I’m coming to New York landing at JFK with a 2 1/2 year old. I don’t want to take the subway as we land quite late at night and wanted to take a taxi or even a coach (we are staying at the Westin Times Square and i saw there is a bus station nearby?) We also have a 6 year old so there will be 4 of us a pram and 3 big suitcases. Will a taxi take all of us without a car seat or what other ideas are there for a transfer? Any help/advice would be appreciated!! Thanks!

Hi Kelly! There are lots of mini-van taxis these days, so you should have no issue when you land. It’s not illegal to ride in the back of a taxi without a car seat, but you might feel weird about it. Private or semi-private shuttle transfers are an option, you can pre-book and even order one with a car seat installed. That might be your best bet with toddler and a late arrival — you give them your flight details and they will be there to greet you when you land. Certainly that will cost a bit more, but the peace of mind would be worth it. Good luck!

' src=

Thank you so much for this information! I have a two year old and will be about 5 months pregnant when we travel. This is such perfect information and helpful to know it will be a great trip for us!

' src=

Hi!! Visiting NYC .. Have a 5 and 3 year old. My 5 year old will be fine walking but my 3 year old tires easily . I don’t really like lugging a stroller and was wondering if wearing a hiking type of carrier makes sense or a hassle? Thanks for your input! Love the article !

Hi Mai! A hiking carrier might be more bulky and cumbersome than an umbrella stroller, to be honest. Our G-Lite had a carry strap, so when it was folded we could sling it over our shoulder. If your 3yo wants to walk you’ll still have to wear the giant carrier. And the stroller could manage your 5yo in case they want a break too!

' src=

we are travelling to New York in December with a 3 year old and an 18 month. He have a double stroller that is liteweight. How easy is it to get round xxx

It’s a pain on the subways if it’s crowded, but there’s *usually* not too much snow in NYC so you should be good on the sidewalks in town.

' src=

Hi, I’m bringing my 6 month old and want to know if I can use my car seat on the coach trip to Woodbury common as I don’t feel comfortable not putting in a car seat

' src=

Hi ! We r planning to travel to NYC with a 3 year old but we r coming from Asia and have Neva expereineced extreme winters. Do u think it’s a good idea to take kid along for holiday season?

Hi Iqra! NYC in winter is pretty magical. If you have the right coats and boots (and hats and mitts!) you will have a wonderful time exploring the city, especially your 3-year-old!

' src=

hi! wondering if anyone could help with a question- going to nbc with a 18mo and i currently have a bugaboo donkey stroller and a mountain buggy terrain jogging stroller – which would be better to take? they are both big and both can carry a ton of things- and the baby does come with ton of things.. or should i invest in a smaller stroller? my only concern is carrying all the things with the limited space in an umbrella stroller- id hate to spend another 2-300 if its not needed — we are staying near central park, and maybe plan to take the subway once to soho and back – ive been many times, but never with a baby —

Hi Mariangela! I don’t think there is a need to purchase a new stroller. The Donkey is pretty wide, so I might go for the Mountain Buggy–also because it folds up in one piece which might be easier if you need to break it down. However, a decent umbrella stroller can last a long time. When they get a bit bigger they require less stuff (hard to believe, I know!) and it’s handy to have smaller wheels for when they’re not as stroller-bound but need to rest from time to time.

' src=

Hi. I’m traveling to NY this Christmas with a 2 1/2 year old and will be staying near Times Square. should I pack thermal pants for her to wear under her pants or Could a footmuff for the stroller work? Also, should I get a boots or could a sneakers work for her?

Leggings or tights under her regular pants should be fine to keep her warm, but a footmuff for the stroller might be easier to keep her temperature regulated if you’ll be going in and out of buildings. Some kind of thermal boots might be a good idea if you’ll be playing for any length of time in parks or playgrounds. She’ll be miserable if her feet are cold or wet. Bogs are pretty good boots for in and out of wet and cold without being too bulky or heavy. They can be quite $$$ but in my opinion they’re worth it. Have a great time!

' src=

Hi Corinne! Great post. As a Canadian ex-pat living in NYC, I’d like to advocate for spending some time in Brooklyn while in The Big Apple 🙂

So many young families live in Brooklyn, meaning there are so many toddler-friendly sites and activities. For parents wanting stunning picture-worthy views of the Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge Park is a must-see. Plus there are great playgrounds, a water splash pad, a carousel, and great eats! https://thelittlestpassport.com/blog/2018/1/31/tiny-itineraries-brooklyn-bridge-park-and-dumbo-with-a-toddler

Leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply.

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Travel Partners

travel nyc with baby

Additional Sponsors

Kids Scuba Diving at Beaches Resorts

Site Map   •  Privacy Policy   •  About   •  Consulting

Have Baby Will Travel® is a registered Trade Mark ©2007-2023 All Rights Reserved

No charges filed after NYC subway rider shot as passengers took cover and screamed there were babies onboard

A 36-year-old man was shot with his own gun on a New York City subway Thursday as terrified riders took cover, screamed that there were babies onboard and begged for someone to open the train doors so they could get to safety.

While Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Oren Yaniv on Friday said the shooting “was shocking and deeply upsetting,” he added that “at this stage, evidence of self-defense precludes us from filing any criminal charges against the shooter.”

The incident on a northbound A train, which was captured on video, comes on the heels of a string of violent crimes on the city’s subway system that prompted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to deploy a force of 1,000 , including 750 National Guard, to increase security on the transit network.

Videos posted on social media show the unidentified 36-year-old man approaching a 32-year-old passenger and getting into a verbal dispute. The footage appears to show the 36-year-old ranting and yelling and threatening to beat up the 32-year-old.

The situation escalates when the 32-year-old man stands and puts his hands up, according to one video posted on X.

One passenger is heard saying, "there's babies on here." Several riders get up and move out of the way, the video shows.

The two men get into a physical fight and during the altercation, a woman is seen appearing to stab the 36-year-old man repeatedly in the back.

At a Friday morning news conference, police said it looked like the woman had a "sharp object and cut the 36-year-old male with that sharp object."

Video shows the 36-year-old man bleeding and saying, "You stabbed me."

The 36-year-old then walks over to his jacket and pulls out a firearm, the footage shows.

"Get down, all the way down, baby," a female rider says before screaming repeatedly: "Let me out! Let me out! Let me out! Let me out!"

Other passengers scream for the train doors to be opened. As riders flee, gunshots are heard.

Michael Kemper, the NYPD's head of transit, said officers were aware of the videos circulating online.

At some point, the 36-year-old man lost control of the gun and was shot by the 32-year-old multiple times as the train pulled into the Schermerhorn Station, Kemper said Thursday.

Eyewitnesses recorded video showing a man on a stretcher being lifted into an ambulance outside the station.

Police officers were already at the station, Kemper added, and were on the scene in seconds. The 32-year-old man was questioned by detectives Thursday night, he said.

"The investigation into this tragic incident is ongoing," Yaniv said Friday after announcing the Brooklyn DA's Office doesn't have plans to prosecute the shooter at this time.

New York City Council member Lincoln Restler, who represents the area, said on X: "This is a horrible tragedy & deeply unnerving to the millions of New Yorkers who take the subway every day."

Metropolitan Transportation Authority chair and CEO Janno Lieber said in the Friday news conference that the police deserved praise for a swift response

"Transit crime is 2% of the crime in the city of New York, but it has a huge disproportionate impact on people’s sense of safety because they’re in an environment where they can’t move around as easily," he said. 

The shooting came more than a month after surveillance video captured a man allegedly throwing lit containers of flammable liquid at a group of people on a New York City subway platform.

Police are still searching for the man in that incident.

To combat transit crime, more than 1,000 police officers were put in the city’s subway system in February, resulting in a 15.4% drop in crime compared to the same month last year, according to police statistics released earlier this month. 

Robbery dropped 5% and grand larceny decreased 28.6% while incidents of felony assault stayed the same, according to the data.

Meanwhile, arrests in the transit system are up about 45%.

travel nyc with baby

Patrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.

Minyvonne Burke is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News.

After a pregnant New York teacher collapses at school and dies, community mourns

travel nyc with baby

New York public school teacher Courtney Fannon spent of the last moments of her life at school, collapsing shortly after sending her husband a quick text on Friday. 

Fannon spent that day like she would any other day at Kendall Central School, gathering her thoughts and materials before heading home for the day. 

All Kendall Central teachers were on campus that day, completing professional development trainings. The school was closed to students that day, district spokesperson Steve Dawe told USA TODAY Thursday.

Minutes after sending the message to her husband, she was found unresponsive in a school building, Matthew Smith, a close friend of the couple wrote on GoFundMe. 

Fannon, who was pregnant with her first daughter, Hadley Jaye, was transported to a local hospital, where life saving measures began for both mother and daughter. They died later that evening. 

“The world lost 2 beautiful souls, Courtney Fannon and Hadley Jaye Fannon, long before any of us were ready to live in a world without them. They were called to eternal rest the night of March 8th, after a very tragic and unexpected turn of events,” according to the GoFundMe post. 

The funds raised through GoFundMe, about $47,623 as of Wednesday, will go towards covering any final expenses, including medical bills, funeral service costs and keep Fannon’s husband Kurtis afloat for the short-term.

District cancels school Monday, issues statement in wake of Fannon’s death

All Kendall Public Schools were closed to students on Monday, including Kendall Central School, where Fannon taught special education since 2018.

“Courtney was a special education teacher who served her students with passion and joy each day,” according to a message by District Superintendent Nicholas Picardo.  

“When she wasn't in her classroom sharing her love and gift for teaching with her students, she could be found walking our halls with a smile and a friendly hello,” Picardo said. 

Picardo said they were “saddened to share the news,” adding that they would “communicate the details of support for our larger community in the coming days.”  

Counselors were on site Tuesday for any students or staff who needed support during this difficult time, the statement reads. 

“We ask that you please respect the family's privacy at this time. We have shared information via ParentSquare for caregivers who might need a resource for helping children handle feelings of grief.” 

Community comes together to extend condolences, support for the family of the 'special' educator

Smith, who organized the fundraiser on behalf of Kurt Fannon hopes the effort eases some of the burdens left in the “wake of this devastating news.” 

“Kurtis was left to not only manage final arrangements for Courtney and Hadley, but he is living mine, and many others, worst nightmare of having to return to a home, filled with baby toys, bottles, furniture and a finished nursery, that will no longer be filled with the cooing sounds and shuffling of a newborn,” he writes. 

There is an endless supply of good and positive things to be said about Courtney, according to Smith. 

“She was a special education teacher in the Kendall School District and was the perfect person to fill the role. She was loving, genuine and organized in a way that always placed her students ahead of herself, ultimately changing the lives of her students and caregivers, always for the positive.” 

A funeral mass for Courtney and Hadley Jaye Fannon will be held on Saturday, March 16 at 11 a.m. at St. Vincent DePaul Church in Churchville, New York, according to reporting by The U.S. Sun. 

The family has asked people to send donations in Fannon and Hadley's name to Homestead for Hope , which is a “nonprofit inclusive community farm for individuals with and without disabilities to learn, work, live, and grow in nature’s classroom” in Rochester, New York.

“She was selfless and my heart breaks for those that knew her best, as I only had the chance to know her for the last 10 years through Kurtis,” Smith wrote.

COMMENTS

  1. How to Plan a Trip to NYC with a Baby (Things to Do and See)

    Taking Uber with a car seat. If you plan to take a taxi or Uber with your infant, note that a car seat is the only thing that would protect your baby from a crash. According to the Uber Blog, UberX can now be hailed in NYC with a car seat for a child 12 months/1 year or older. There is a $10 surcharge for a car seat.

  2. How to plan the perfect family trip to New York with a baby

    New York City and its traffic isn't a place where you want to hire a car, so the best option is to walk, take advantage of the public transport system or take taxis when you need to. Here's a run-down of the options for New York baby-friendly travel. 1. Taxis/Ubers. Taking a taxi, Uber or Lyft is one of the most convenient ways to get ...

  3. Baby Bucket List: 20 Things To Do in NYC with Babies

    Best Things To Do in NYC with Babies. 1. First Storytime. Head to one of our favorite independent bookstores with sizable children's book collections to pick up Big Apple-set picture books such as This is New York, Knuffle Bunny, and Good Night New York City. Storytimes abound in our calendar, too.

  4. New York with a Baby

    Last Updated: November 20, 2023. Manhattan is one of the best places in America to travel with a baby and should be on everyone's list to visit. While it's busy and overstimulating at times, New York with a baby can be an incredible family vacation. We visited New York when our daughter was 10 months old.

  5. New York with a baby: family travel in NYC!

    New York with a baby tip: we travel with the cabin friendly BabyZen Yoyo+ and an Ergobaby 360 baby carrier. Bring a compact, foldable stroller if possible as it's just easier for navigating a crowded city and busy stores and restaurants. Central Park strolls with the stroller!

  6. New York City with a Baby- What to Know

    Relax in Central Park. Central Park is a spot that families shouldn't miss when in New York City. The park spans 843 acres, so be sure to bring a stroller or carrier for your baby. The sprawling park is a nice place to slow down a little and have a break from the fast-paced city.

  7. 12 Best Things to do in New York With a Baby (2023)

    9 | Walk the High Line. A stroll on the High Line is one of our favourite things to do in New York with baby J. The High Line is an elevated public park and walkway meandering up the West side of Manhattan. It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking district to West 34 th Street between 10 th and 12 th Avenue.

  8. 5 More Tips for New York with Babies & Little Kids

    Getting Around New York with Babies & Kids…. 3. Planes, Trains & Automobiles: Getting to New York is the easy part. But even with children, airport transfers from NYC's three main airports, LaGuardia, Newark, and JFK, are pretty simple and fairly fast. The shortest and cheapest route is to take the bus and subway from LaGuardia, but with a ...

  9. New York With Kids: The Ultimate Travel Itinerary

    Our kids love the King Kong story, so coming to the Empire State building is always a huge treat for them. Website: Empire State Building Address: 20 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001, United States Hours: Open at midday (12:00 PM) Cost: Adult $42 Child $36 Senior $40.

  10. New York with a Baby or Toddler

    Have Toddler Will Travel: Exploring New York City with a Toddler. When faced with the decision of whether to stay at home with my nearly 2-year-old while my husband was traveling to New York City on business for a week, it was a no-brainer. I literally started packing before my husband finished the sentence about the trip! READ MORE

  11. New York City Family Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before

    Across the world, artists in different countries pay homage to their beloved cities in different ways—but none like New York City. With nearly nine million people within its borders, NYC is the most populous city in the world and boasts iconic spots including Times Square, the Hudson River, Central Park, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty.

  12. 5 Tips for Visiting New York with Babies & Little Kids

    Nevertheless, New York City can be overstimulating for adults as well as kids. Have Baby Will Travel focuses on four main tenets when traveling with a baby: Eating, Sleeping, Playing, and Getting Around. Here are five tips for Eating and Sleeping when visiting New York with babies and little kids. Hopefully they will help make your trip a ...

  13. Bringing Your Baby to New York: The Complete Guide

    Traveling can disrupt a baby's sleep routine. SleepBaby.org offers resources to help maintain a regular sleep schedule for your baby, even in a busy city like New York. From tips on adjusting to a new time zone to creating a sleep-friendly environment in a hotel room, SleepBaby.org can help ensure your baby sleeps well throughout your trip.

  14. 5 Best Baby-Friendly Hotels in NYC

    2. Upper East Side. For a slightly more residential experience, look for baby-friendly NYC hotels or apartments on the Upper East Side. The Upper East Side starts at E 59th Street and ends at E 96th Street. Here you'll find luxury shopping, quiet brownstone neighborhoods, and easy access to Central Park.

  15. 10 Tips You Need to Know When Traveling to NYC with a Baby

    Completely up to you. 2. Stroller. A must. New York City is actually a very easy city to get around in and quite baby friendly. Bring a lightweight stroller. You will be out and about all day and folding and unfolding the stroller. A big, heavy stroller is simply not practical here. 3.

  16. How To Travel To New York With A Baby

    One of the most convenient methods to move about the city is to take a cab, Uber, or Lyft. However, this necessitates consideration of vehicle seats. It is permissible to ride in a taxi without a car seat in New York, but if you choose to use one, you must either carry your own or book a cab that has one. Both Uber and Lyft have inexpensive ...

  17. Ultimate Guide to Travel With a Baby: Including Expert Tips

    Traveling to NYC with a 9-month old baby. Traveling with a 1-year-old Baby. Entering the toddler stage and a even slower pace of travel. Once babies reach a year old, they are usually quite active and curious about the world around them. This can be a great age for travel, as your baby may enjoy exploring new environments.

  18. How to Visit New York City in the Winter- With a Baby

    Traveling with a baby is a completely different ball game, let alone in winter. You need winter clothes and weather protective gear that are bulky and take up a lot more space. Time outside may be very limited if the weather is extremely cold, so you want to be close to where the action is. There's the baby food you need to have with you at all ...

  19. How to TRAVEL NYC with BABIES! (New York travel vlog!)

    Come spend. few days in NYC with us and see what it is like travelling in NYC with 6 month old babies!♡Connect with me on INSTAGRAM: @elle_herself♡My recipe ...

  20. Traveling with baby in NYC

    6. Re: Traveling with baby in NYC. It will depend partly on how comfortable you and the baby will be in a carrier for a day's walking six months from now; there is a considerable difference between a four-month and a ten-month-old baby, both in carrying weight for you and in what the baby is willing to put up with.

  21. traveling around NYC with baby & no car seat

    21 reviews. 66 helpful votes. 1. Re: traveling around NYC with baby & no car seat. 14 years ago. Save. Not sure why "unsafe" is in quotes, but yes, cabs & their small passengers are exempt from the car seat requirement. If you're bringing an umbrella stroller, this piece from Time Out New York - Kids includes a link to a PDF for a wallet-sized ...

  22. Magical Christmas Things To Do in NYC With a Baby

    Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes Have a jolly Christmas in NYC with your baby! The holidays are a magical time of year. Christmas trees and sparkly lights, meet and greets with Santa, hot chocolate, sugar cookies, and Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas on repeat are some of the things that make this time of the year so special. New York City is already a popular travel destination and ...

  23. 29 parent-approved tips on traveling with babies and toddlers : NPR

    We asked, you answered: Parent-approved tips on traveling with kids under 2. Last month, Life Kit asked parents to share their go-to advice for traveling with babies and toddlers under age 2 as ...

  24. Florida mom, Jessica Woods, tried selling daughter for $500

    00:57. A heartless Florida mother allegedly tried to sell her toddler for $500 at a bank before no one took her up on the offer and she abandoned the child last week. Jessica Woods, 33, was ...

  25. The 6 Best Baby Swings 2024

    Best (less expensive) baby swing. Graco Simple Sway Swing. $168. $168. Motions and vibrations: Swinging, vibration Entertainment features: Hanging mobile, sounds. The MamaRoo is innovative for ...

  26. The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping: A Grisly Theory and ...

    Charles Lindbergh Jr. was 20 months old when he disappeared from his bedroom in East Amwell, N.J., on March 1, 1932. A wooden ladder, a chisel and the first of more than a dozen ransom notes were ...

  27. New York City with Toddlers

    Central Park Zoo: It's the PERFECT size zoo for a toddler (and pregnant mommy). With polar bears, sea lions, penguins, and more, plan to spend one-two hours here with the animals. And at only $12/adult to get in, it's a great deal. Stop in next door at the RainForest Café for a snack, of what-else but Goldfish Crackers and some juice.

  28. Road trip to New York City baby #roadtrip #travel # ...

    82 Likes, TikTok video from Sasha_British (@sasha_british): "Road trip to New York City baby 😃 🚗 #roadtrip #travel #nyc #bigapple #amputee". Road Trip. Fyp, travel nycblack travel tiktok luxury travel travel trend black girl travel travel videos black girl travel tiktok travel sounds travel viral videosGood Morning New York - Alex Cissé.

  29. Brooklyn DA won't charge NYC subway shooter at this time

    A 36-year-old man was in a critical condition in a New York hospital last night after he was shot with his own gun in a violent and chaotic altercation on a crowded subway train in Brooklyn ...

  30. New York mourns after teacher Courtney Fannon, unborn baby, deaths

    A funeral mass for Courtney and Hadley Jaye Fannon will be held on Saturday, March 16 at 11 a.m. at St. Vincent DePaul Church in Churchville, New York, according to reporting by The U.S. Sun. The ...