But we had so many questions. How would we get around with babies? And where should we take them? I knew we wouldn’t be attending Broadway plays or the ballet or concerts as we had previously. What would we do? How would we feed them? We asked friends, did research, talked and planned, and as a result, had a wonderful experience. Here’s how.
ON THE AIRPLANE

Steve and I passed Jake back and forth, depending on his preference, but didn’t allow him to stand in the aisle. He enjoyed being able to touch the ceiling, feel the air from the vent blow on his face, and pull down the window shade. (Steve had to pull it up.) I tried turning the light on, but it shined in his eyes, so I turned it off. When the flight attendant offered us a drink and snack, she gave Jake two plastic cups and showed him how to tap them together, bottom to bottom. For breakfast, we placed Puffs ™ cereal in a cup, one by one, for Jake to pick up and eat. He also ate an organic food pouch with a built-in straw, which was easy to consume. See an example here.
We looked at an Indestructible, ™ wordless book called “Mama and Baby!” one that Jake could not tear or destroy. He teethed on Sophie the Giraffe ™ but wasn’t interested in the clip-together teethers I had brought. For a short time, Jake was enchanted by the fact that Sophie “disappeared” when I placed her inside a cloth bag. We held and cajoled and entertained Jake for two hours—and then he went to sleep. Actually, the plane trip went better than we had imagined.
Nick and Emily were in the row behind us with Toby, so we kept peeking back at them to see how Toby was doing. They did many of the same things we did: fed him, pointed at things out the window, let him look around (but he wasn’t as interested in the ceiling as Jake was). Nick changed Toby’s diaper using the fold-down changing table in the airplane bathroom, which I didn’t know they had. Toby fell asleep for a good amount of time. There were no tears on this flight.
TRAVELING IN THE CITY
The umbrella strollers used for Toby and Jake folded up for easy storage on the bus, in a restaurant, and the hotel. Emily and Nick had considered buying a double umbrella stroller, but decided two separate strollers would be easier to maneuver and store. We all took turns pushing. We either walked or took buses. Thankfully, we only got caught in the rain once early in our trip. The weather was comfortable, around 80 degrees, and sunny the rest of the week.
KID-FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS
- HB Burger (Heartland Brewery): 127 West 43rd Street, New York, NY
- Caffe Linda: 145 East 49th Street, New York, NY 10017
- Go Noodle (Delivery): 1069 1st Ave, New York, NY
- Ray’s Pizza (Delivery): 811 Lexington Ave, New York, NY
- Fresh Delish (Take out): 1167 2nd Ave, New York, NY
- Pot Belly Sandwich: 19 West 45th Street, New York, NY
- Pret de Manger: 62 West 45th Street, New York, NY
- Chipotle (Take out): 25 West 45th St., New York, NY
- Ritz Diner: 1133 1st Ave, New York, NY
- Marche Du Sud: 1136 1st Ave, New York, NY
KID-FRIENDLY PLACES
OUTSIDE
- Central Park: Spans 5th to 8th Ave and West 59th through 110th
- Rockefeller Center: 47-50th Streets and Avenue of the Americas
- Times Square (best not on the weekend when the streets are too crowded to move): Between Broadway and 7th Ave and West 46th and West 47th Streets
- St. Catherine’s Park (playground with baby swings, slides, etc.): Corner of East 67th and 1st Ave.
- Aerial Tramway to Roosevelt Island and bus around island: Roosevelt Island Tramway Station (Manhattan Side) East 60th and 2nd Ave
- Bryant Park: 6th Ave between West 40th and 42nd Streets
INSIDE
- Metropolitan Museum: 5th Ave between 80th and 84th, New York, NY
- FAO Schwarz Toy Store: 767 5th Ave, New York, NY
- Bed Bath & Beyond (with Buy Buy Baby to stock up on supplies): Several locations. We went to the 1st Ave location near East 60th