NYC with a Toddler

New York City, NY

Flight Time: 5 hours (delay 4 hours)

Trip Length: 4 days

Age: 14 months (lap child)

Our second time to NYC with DMC is my earliest memory, somehow I cannot remember the first which he was not walking. This flight we decided to fly in the evening on a red eye so that DMC would sleep. Even with a 4 hour delay, DMC slept almost the entire flight in my lap. This was also the trip that I realized DMC needs his own seat, its not 'mandatory' till toddler is two years old. But I have had flight staff ask what his age is and if he is a lap child.

One main reason I knew DMC needed his own seat when he slept it was hard length wise to hold him without his legs resting on the person next to us. Even in the window seat with a few extra inches.

We arrived at our hotel around 3am and were able to transfer DMC, for our entire trip he stayed on west coast time. 

TIP: When we travel in the US I attempt to keep DMC on our timezone (Pacific).

We had a great time in NYC, lots of walking. We brought the umbrella stroller which is perfect. We try not to take cabs. So we stay around Timesquare. We eat breakfast at the hotel or go to a local cafe for a quick pastry and coffee, lunch we typically will eat outside of the hotel, and dinner almost always at the hotel or take out.

Hotel: Hyatt Timesquare New York

We stayed here since we were joining the hubs at the end of a work conference for him. The room was small, but fit a crib and gave us enough space.

Kid Friendly Activities:

Central Park Zoo, this was a great family activity. DMC was the perfect age to enjoy the zoo and he was learning animal names as well.

Kid Friendly Restaurant: there are many restaurants to choose from, remember most neighborhood restaurants are small so its tough to bring a sleeping baby/toddler in. Also make a resveration ahead of time so you are not waiting with a fussy baby/toddler.

Babysitting Service: Babysitters Guild, we used this service recommended by hotel and yelp. I would suggest booking a babysitter 1-2 days ahead, especially on a weekend. The sitter was great and very easy to book.