Photography by Shadi Garman
Me: Dress: ASTR the Label Sandals: Nordstrom
Charlee: Dress: Gap Shoes: Amazon (only $10!!)
Hi Friends! I have been wanting to write this post for a while and I am super excited to share it with you all. Now that Charlee is almost 1 year old (OMG!!!) I feel like I have a decent handle on how to navigate the city with a baby. It’s a very different experience having a baby in suburbia vs. a city. Neither one is better or worse, just different! I wanted to share some tips and life hacks and random thoughts for parents of an NYC urban dwelling! Hope you enjoy!
- Best stroller for a city baby:
- First and foremost…when you live in a big city, your stroller is essentially your car which means you will need to invest a little more than those living in suburbia. I have three strollers I am going to talk about. The first is the Bugaboo Cameleon which is the everyday stroller that we have. To be honest, I don’t love it. It is a great stroller in that it moves well and I like some of the features, but the problem is that the basket underneath is small and almost impossible to access!! It’s even harder to access with the bassinet. I had a few meltdowns early on in Charlee’s life because of this ha! That said, now that she is out of the bassinet it’s better. I keep a backpack hanging on the handles and this helps with space underneath. I really wish I had gotten the Uppababy Vista. I have a few friends that have it and say it’s great. It’s also great for taller people because the baby sits up higher than the Bugaboo. The basket is large underneath and the features are exactly the same as the bugaboo.
- I also want to talk about travel strollers. We travel a lot with Charlee and knew we would need something a bit more compact, lightweight and easy to break down than the Bugaboo. We have the Mountain Buggy Nano and we LOVE it. It’s compatible with every type of infant car seat. It also breaks down so small that you can fit it in the overhead compartment on an airplane!
- Navigating the city via car:
- This is a tricky one and to be honest, I had to do a lot of trips around the city, and back and forth to the airport to be able to share this info. A few things about traveling in and around the city in a taxi: It is surprising, but it’s actually legal to hold your child in your lap when riding in a taxi around the city. I am not advocating for this option, but if you are ever in a bind, you are allowed legally to hold your child in a yellow cab. That said, I think the best way to navigate NYC is in a cab or uber using a carseat that can be installed using just a seatbelt! We have the Cybex Anton infant carseat. It’s great because it can be installed into any car using the seatbelt and you don’t have to have the base in the car to use it. Uber and Lyft also offer cars that have carseats in them. They are harder to find though so I always bring my infant carseat when I know I need to travel in a cab.
- Kidpass: MOMS! This has been an incredible find! Kidpass is essentially Classpass for kids classes. You pay a monthly fee and can sign your baby up for kids classes all over the city. I have taken Charlee to swim lessons, music classes and play gym! It’s the most cost efficient way to take your baby to class! They even have bike rentals! It’s a great option! Message me if you want a referral link ;)!
- Local Library Offerings: The local library in our neighborhood has a free tummy time class for babies! You can check on this website to see what your local library offers for kids. All their classes are free and I love the idea of supporting local libraries.
- Best places to eat in NYC with baby:
- Almond :They even make their own organic baby food)
- The Smith : Loud atmosphere and great for kids brunch. They have high chairs! We took Charlee here last weekend and she cried a little but no one could really hear her since it was so loud hah!
- Alice’s Tea Cup: I can’t WAIT to take Charlee here! I actually have gone a bunch of times as an adult. This place is incredibly kid friendly and is adorable as they serve tea and delicious food and baked goods. It’s incredibly adorable and delicious.
- American Girl Cafe: Need I say more?!
- North River Lobster Company: This is the BEST place to take your baby if you want to enjoy yourself but also have an experience during the summer! It only costs $10 to board, and you can order delicious seafood and drinks on the boat! We bring our lobster high chair (they do offer high chairs but I have found it easier to bring my own) and order a bunch of yummy seafood and rose while sailing along the Hudson. We just discovered it and have done it twice in the last two weeks!
- Maman: Filled with kids on a Sat. and Sun. morning. Delicious food and great atmosphere. French bakery but also has delicious food!
- Madison Square Park: I’m biased but I LOVE Madison Square Park. Matt and I had our first date there, got engaged there and our daughter’s middle name is Madison! There are so many babies in the park at all times and it serves as entertainment when Charlee is stir crazy and needs to get out of the house. There is an awesome playground and they have started to open the greens so we go on picnics all the time. They also have shows throughout the summer. You can check that out here.
- Amazon Prime: Just needed to include a shout out here haha! If you are an adult in the 21st century you understand the value of Amazon prime ha! I buy EVERYTHING on Amazon and if you aren’t doing it on prime you’re doing it wrong hah! Here are some of my most recent purchases I made on Amazon Prime:
- Where to Register in NYC: babylist.com & Buy Buy Baby in FlatironI had an incredible experience registering at Buy Buy Baby. I booked a registry appointment and they walked me through the entire store. It was lovely. We also just did the same thing with my sister when she visited and that was also awesome. In addition to Buy Buy Baby, I would also register at BabyList, which allows you to register from any website! It’s a great way to get those items on your list that a larger store like Buy Buy Baby won’t have!
- Workouts with baby in NYC: Ok so if you have been following me for a while now, you know I love BBG and do that about 3 times per week. That said, I have learned of a few mommy and me workouts around the city that I thought I’d share. This blog post has them all listed!!
- Best on the go noisemaker: NYC can be SUPER loud and there are times when I need Charlee to nap when I’m on the go and she is in the stroller. I swear by this Baby Shusher. It drowns out the noise of the city on the go and also sounds like an actual person is saying “shhhhh.” It kind of freaked me out in the beginning but now I am obsessed because it works SO WELL!
Ok, so I know that’s a random group of information but I thought I’d share. Leave some of your Mom hacks in the comments!
xoxo-J