VISITING NEW YORK CITY

If you think NYC seems like the least baby-friendly city in the world, think again. OK, so there are definitely some hurdles you’ll have to overcome (like don’t expect any of the elevators at the subway stations to actually work, or the rush hour crowds to excitedly part for your giant stroller), but if you're planning a trip here and want to bring along baby, there are loads of things to do. Below is a list of the best baby/toddler friendly museums and attractions in town, as well as a some of our more amazing playgrounds. I'm not going to list the most baby-friendly hotels or restaurants, but you'd be surprised at how accommodating almost everyone is when it comes to children here. Listen, I know a baby who celebrated his one-year birthday by eating foie gras at Per Se Salon. I'm freaking serious.

MUSEUMS

The American Museum of Natural History is a no-brainer, especially since it's cool for adults too. The mammal hall, full of stuffed animals from bears to bison, is particularly fun to visit, unless your toddler is like mine and is totally scared of taxidermy. Also, on Mondays at 10:15 and 11am there is story time for toddlers in the Discovery Room.

The Children's Museum of Manhattan is usually overlooked by most visitors who prefer to hit up the Met, Guggenheim and Whitney, but it is a fantastic place for babies and toddlers. There's an entire floor called PlayWorks devoted to kids from birth-4yrs old, and features a talking dragon, a mini deli and fire truck, a giant lite bright, sandbox and a soft play space for crawlers.

Children's Museum of the Arts is more of an interactive play space, down in Tribeca. (A cool neighborhood where some of the city's wealthiest families—and Robert DeNiro!—live.) They offer plenty of hands on classes and storytimes for kids o-5, and you can just drop in on the classes on Mon, Wed, Thurs and Fri from 10:45am-12pm. You can also hit up the WEE art studio anytime during the regular museum hours and play with chalk, playdough, etc.

Central Park Zoo is a must—kids go crazy for the penguin feeding everyday at 10:30am and 2:30pm. Actually, check out Central Park in its entirety. It may sound trite, but there are lots of playgrounds and open spaces for kids to run around it, and you can rent a bike and do the entire loop. (Central Park Bike Rentals offer kids seats.) Not a lot of people know about the free fishing for kids at the very Northern end of the park, at the Harlen Meer. Worth checking out if your kid is a little older.

PLAYGROUNDS

Union Square Playground. A great playground in a great location, and surrounded by tons of eateries and shops. There's plenty of bucket swings, a toddler section, and in the summer, a water fountain and misters. Oh, and the flooring is rubber mats so you don't have to stress about scraped up knees.

Imagination Playground at South Street Seaport Giant foam blocks, mats, wagons and a giant sandbox encourage all sorts of crazy fee play. While you're down here, you can take a ride on a water taxi over to Brooklyn and check out the Pier 6 playground. (One of my favorites.) They have their own mini water park in the summer, a sandbox village, slide mountain, and tons of swings. It also has some of the best views of the NY skyline from the other side of the river. If you're hungry (and don't mind standing on a long line) hit up Grimaldi's afterwards for lunch.

TIPS ON BRINGING KIDS TO NYC

*Taxis don't have car seats but will allow babies being carried in Bjorns and Ergos, etc in the backseat. You have to put the seatbelt between you and the baby though, not OVER the carrier.

*If you have a stroller and are taking the subway, just ask someone to help you carry it down or up. The biggest misconception about New Yorkers is that we are rude. We are in fact totally helpful and for the most part, friendly. (Just don't take up the ENTIRE sidewalk.)

*Don't just bring a flimsy, throwaway umbrella stroller. Bring the sturdiest one you have. You'll be walking a lot, and NY sidewalks can be unpredictable.

*Don't bring a toddler to a Broadway show, even if it's something kid-friendly like Lion King or Mary Poppins. People pay a lot of money to see these shows, and a wailing kid can really ruin the experience for everyone.

I have tons of other ideas/tips etc. on having fun with babies in New York but don't want this post to be overly long. But hit me up if you have any questions on things to do with a young one in the city that never sleeps. (Though hopefully the kids does.)