New York with a one year old
 

I am planning a trip to New York. I've never been to New York and would like to be able to experience this great city with both of them. Is it a bad idea to bring a 1 year old to the busiest city in the world. Thanks in advance for the responses.

Be ready to hear what you may not want to. Comments here are more for adult entertaiment and lots will tell you to leave baby home.
In my opinion, 1 year old has nothing to do and or enjoy in NY.

It is an extremely busy city and I would recommend that if you do bring you 1 yr old bring a small easily moveable and collapsable stroller....I live in NJ and when my husband and I go in we don't usually bring our children but there are many great things to do with kids but not sure if a 1 year old would appreciate many of them (shows, Zoo, museums, American Girl Doll, HUGE Toys' R us with ferris wheel and so on)..if it were me depending on how far you are traveling I'd make it a long weekend for just you and your hubby...that is what we do to get away .... good luck!!!

Traveling to NY with your little on will be no different than anywhere else you have traveled... your focus will be on the child! Your dyas of reading or sleeping on the plane are over... because you will be busy supervising! Your schedule will be determined by naps and needed changes etc... SO if you want to do the tourist thing and see maybe one sight per day...then you'll be fine. If you had planned to pack in as much as possible, you will most likely be frustrated! At least this has been my experience!

Jack, I am sorry everyone has been so negative so far. It won't be the same trip as you'd have with other adults, but it is possible to have a fun time.

Moneygirl is right on one thing--if you'll plan around naptime and don't overschedule, you will be fine. I just returned from a trip with my mom and my 10 month old. We had a lovely time. We planned to do only 2 "big" things a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. By buying tickets online ahead of time to everything we could, we maximized our time. I posted a trip report on here. I'll top it for you so you can see what we did.

Have a nice trip.

Seeing NYC with a baby is certainly possible - but as others have said you will need to have a much less crowded schedule than if it were adults only.

When are you planning to come? If in the winter there are some adaptations youwil have to make.

First - baby transport. You will need a small foldable stroller (for cabs and buses - strollers in the subway are a no-no.) You will also need another means of carrying baby - since if it snows/rains hard the sidewalks are a mess - and poor baby will be splashed constantly.

Also, suggest you stay away from the Times Square area - and other places with especially heavy foot traffic - this is not fun for the child (being surrounded by nothing but knees) and is extremely irritating to pedestrians - who do not love being hit with your stroller - or tripping over it. An area like the upper west side might be best - close to the park for baby outings - and with less crowded streets and more kid friendly restaruants than midtown.

You will want to consider one of those suite hotels with a mini-kitchen - so you have access to food on baby's schedule - and someplace quiet for baby to nap without your having to be silent.

Plan on one or at most two sights per day. Get tickets in advance whenever possible.

Plan on eating at off hours - probably early is better - so you don;t disturb others - or get caught up in restaurant rush hours.

Don;t assume baby is welcome at all restaurants - there are a lot where small children are almost unknown and will not be welcomed - especially a lot of upscale places. (Most restaurants do not have kids menus or high chairs/special seats - so search out some kid firendly places in advance. Menupages.com can help with this.)

A lot of people raise children in NYC - and its certainly possible to vacation with one - as long as you plan properly and adapt to your special needs.

This is just crazy...I took my son 10 years ago when he was 1yr old.

We walked everywhere - from Chelsea (where were staying) to midtown to Chinatown. We shopped a lot. Hung out in parks. Rode the carousel in Central Park. Stopped for coffee and treats everywhere. Rode the Staten Island ferry. Did the Empire St Bldg. And even ate at Patria and Tribeca Grill (plus many small places in Chelsea and Village) without any issues. And to top it off...we went to Wigstock (Labor Day weekend) and had a great time!!!

It's only as difficult as you make it.

Good point NYtraveler made about snow and slush with the baby stroller.

Jack, you can see and do more with a baby and NYC has issues that most other people don't deal with that may make you uncomfortable.

As pointed out, strollers in the subways are a no-no. Cabs don't have car seats. Some restaurants are not kid/baby friendly. I have a close girlfriend who is raising three kids in Manhattan and is having a ball but she is used to city life with small children.

If these things are okay with you, by all means bring the baby.

On the other hand, if you leave baby at home, you'll get to see more. Baby will not remember this trip.

Either way, I hope you have a great time.

One last thing, if you bring baby, get a suite instead of just a room unless you and mom want to go to sleep when baby goes to sleep.

The sleep issue really depends on your baby. My mom and I just returned from a trip with my baby and we only had a hotel room, not a suite. If you need sterilized water for bottles, you can use the coffee maker. The hotel will provide a pack and play. When we would put the baby down to sleep we would turn out most of the lights and step out into the hallway. By the time we'd called home and reported all of our day's fun activities, the baby would be asleep. (and yes we were respectful not to talk loudly on our cell phones in the hallway) We'd quietly return into the room. By that pint he was asleep enough that we could turn on a light or two and the tv (low volume) and stay awake a few more hours. He slept through it all...well... like a baby! :)

But I can see this would be a problem if you don't have a sound sleeper!

New York is definitely doable with a one year old, but it might get tiring for you to walk around and see everythign you want to see. But it's def doable. Might as well make the child a world traveler from the beginning!!

bamakelly -

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who travels with our kids.

If they stay home, how will they ever learn...? Yes...even at a year old.

We went with my brother, sis in law and their 9 mo. old to NYC last August and had a great time. I do agree with the suggestion to get the smallest collapsible stoller you can--makes the subways much easier. We went to the Yankees game and all over the city with her and it was no problem. We did eat dinner early by NYC standards (about 6 pm each night) but ate in some of the best restaurants - Lupa and Balthazar with no problems nor evil looks. In fact the wait staff doted on her. No, I wouldn't have gone to those places with her later but as long as you are willing to work with your baby's schedule and keep in mind that you won't be eating dinner at 8 or later, you should be fine. Plus, Central Park was a great place to let her "loose".

There's nothing "crazy" about giving advice and and information from experience...negative or positive. If we were only to discuss positive aspects of trips/places this would be a crappy place to get information. I haven't read anything here that was untrue or inappropriate. If I was thinking about bringing a 1-year old to NYC I'd appreciate some of the advice that has been given re cabs, subways, restaurants, etc. Its better to know now than to be unpleasantly surprised when he gets here.

I live and work in midtown and on some days its difficult enough to walk across town just carrying a briefcase, I can't imagine how difficult it would be pushing a stroller. The streets can even get much nastier in the winter and during the holidays when so many tourists visit.

If you do decide to bring your child, Central Park and north of 59th street on both sides should be much easier walking around as will be locations south of 23rd.

Agree with most opinions. One which I would strongly reiterate is the dining issue -- try to dine as early as possible. You'll get better service and will have a great dining experience.