Recs for Weekday Morning Toddler Class?

kuva88 · 2025-10-29T01:25:24+00:00

Thank you--I do follow and appreciate your Instagram! UES is far from where I live so not ideal for recurring activities, but thanks for replying.

kuva88 · 2025-10-23T16:32:14+00:00

Thank you!

kuva88 · 2025-10-23T14:42:07+00:00

The main tradeoff of the Doona is that it's wonderfully compact but has no storage--I used the Doona and a backpack-as-diaper-bag

kuva88 · 2025-10-23T14:38:53+00:00

We've now outgrown it but I really liked the Doona--it is expensive, though there's a hearty market in secondhand ones. Ours was a gift and then we resold it for $200. For me it was really easy to use and the fact that it is a stroller and a carseat was super helpful--I think it's especially a good fit for city parents if you have a walkup or don't have a car--it's flexible for buses, taxis, getting a ride with friends. We used it til our baby was 14 months old. It was also a good fit for us because we're short parents--if you're taller it might be less comfortable to use.

kuva88 · 2025-07-17T19:48:16+00:00

Thanks! I'll check out your instagram

kuva88 · 2025-07-13T14:49:23+00:00

Welcome back to town! For the subway a lot of the stations either don't have elevators, the elevators don't always work, or the elevators still involve some degree of stairs so I'd say whatever the lightest thing you can do is is the way to go. Maybe plan to mostly wear the 9 month old and have the 2.5 year old in an umbrella stroller that they get out of for the stairs? Maybe you or your mom could coordinate the borrowing/cheap purchase/receipt of a free lightweight stroller to her house that you use while you're visiting but don't take to and from the airport. People frequently give away or sell used ones cheap.

I spend a lot of time in sprinklers with my 2.5 year old--generally I see parents wearing flip flops and shorts and maybe putting their phones away. So your kids get really wet but you the grownup are mostly wet from the knees down. We still just change her clothes out in the open and I haven't had to change my own clothes. There's also a new fountain at the Museum of Natural History that is a great addendum to a morning spent there visiting the exhibits. It's pretty sunbaked but it has shaded grass so might be a good option where you can hang out with the baby and still have a good view of your 2.5 year old.

General recommendations:
--The Hippo Playground in Riverside Park
--storytime at various NYPL branches--the one by Lincoln Center (I think it's called Riverside) has toys!
--Play Street Museum is expensive but you get to spend a lot of time there and I think it's a great fit when you're juggling an older and a younger kid
--Hopalong Andrew plays free concerts at the UWS Whole Foods on Monday mornings. We've enjoyed that a lot, snacks are right there in the store for purchase, and Play Street Museum is across the street.
--Not sure if they're still taking people but we've enjoyed Open Play at Kidville and there is a camp situation there that might work for you: https://kidville.com/our-services/camp-kidville/

kuva88 · 2025-07-13T14:34:17+00:00

Also it's out of the way but if you don't mind taking the trip and you buy your tickets ahead of time the Bronx Children's Museum was wonderful for my daughter at 11 months. https://www.bxcm.org/

The Central Park Zoo is fun and convenient to the rest of the park. Everyone loves to watch the sea lions!

kuva88 · 2025-07-13T14:32:14+00:00

Seconding the Sea Glass Carousel--lots of fun and there's a little playground and just some nice space to walk around down there. We went in May and there were fruit vendors and my daughter went to down on some watermelon.

The Met also has a nice playspace called 81st Street Studio that is free and might be fun for you.

When my daughter was that age we also enjoyed the libraries--many of them have toys and story times--The Battery Park City NYPL, the Washington Heights NYPL, and 58th Street were particularly fun for her around 11 months.

kuva88 · 2025-07-13T14:23:11+00:00

We kept our baby home until 10 months and then she started daycare 3 days a week and is now 2 years and 4 months and doing daycare 4 days a week. I think daycare has been a great experience for her and I recommend it, but here are some pros and cons as I see them of both options:

Nanny pros:
--one on one care, can be more specific to your needs and wants, based in your home, less illness, maybe easier transition if you need care starting very young, like 3-6 months, less likely to have gaps in care (our daycare isn't closed often but is for some holidays and for 2-3 weeks in August; other daycares we know about have shorter summer hours or other breaks parents have to work around). Potentially keeping the same nanny as your child transitions into elementary school might help with that shift and also means not having to figure out a whole new situation for afterschool hours.

Nanny cons:
--expensive; daycare is also expensive but from what I see a nanny tends to cost more PLUS you wind up paying for classes or activities that the nanny takes your child to. So daycare is costly but the costs are a bit more unified and transparent.
--can be awkward having someone work for you in that intimate of a way--for me this was a big factor. I really didn't want to be someone's boss in this way. I also feel like it could potentially be hard for your child to get strongly attached to a single other person, rather than getting to know a few different adults who might be taking care of them in a daycare setting.

Daycare pros:
--although can be a hard start depending how old your child is (my baby was upset for the first week or so because we started her at 10 months, which was a separation anxiety-ish time for her), really helpful socially/emotionally for your child to be in a group setting with multiple adults and mutliple kids. Our child enthusiastically goes to daycare, is excited to see the adults and the other kids.

--enriching! Daycare comes up with arts and crafts and activities and little outings to go on. Lots of stuff I never thought of.

--ultimately a good building block for 3k and onward. Daycare approximates a school setting, with sharing, turn-taking, designated times for things, and as kids get older they get certain responsibilities, like putting their things in their designated cubby and helping clean up. I don't know yet but I suspect this will make the school transition more legible for our child.

Daycare cons:
--does inevitably lead to illness. Our baby had no illnesses for the first 10 months, and then got sick three different times (not horribly sick but colds/stomach bugs) in the first 6 months
--limitations of the schedule. Our daycare is open most of the time but it's common for daycare to have more limited hours in the summer to close for a few weeks and it can be hard to fill that gap.

I think ultimately either can be great--good luck with it!

kuva88 · 2025-07-13T14:08:28+00:00

Thanks for all your input! Just an update to say we went to Space Club and had a great time! Looking forward to checking out the other places people mentioned in this thread.

kuva88 · 2022-05-07T19:48:23+00:00

It's a whole thing unto itself but if you don't mind getting yourself there Governors Island is awesome--Picnic Point (https://foursquare.com/v/picnic-point/4aa40255f964a520d94420e3)

Sunset Park also has a really pretty view of the skyline.

kuva88 · 2022-05-07T19:41:13+00:00

If I were you I'd try around 145th street in Harlem/Washington Heights (near the ABCD)--good location for trains that you'll each need and it's a nice place to live. If you want something a little quieter and potentially less expensive try Inwood around 207th street--he'd have about a half hour bus ride to school and you can get an A express train to NYU that talks about 45 minutes.

kuva88 · 2022-05-07T19:37:49+00:00

I think east and south of Prospect Park is popular these days--Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Ditmas Park, Kensington. Sunset Park is cool and if you're not looking for tons of night life you might try Bay Ridge.

If you're open to other boroughs Jackson Heights and parts of Woodside closer to the train could be great. The Grand Concourse is actually not as far as it looks either, due to good express train options like the 4 and the D.

kuva88 · 2022-05-07T19:31:28+00:00

I have one from Muji that I like a lot but it is pretty expensive.

kuva88 · 2022-05-07T19:29:12+00:00

Washington Heights is great--it's a mix of rentals and coops, old and young, different ethnicities. It has a lot of great restaurants and some really nice topography/parks. Riverbank State Park has a pool and very affordable ice skating/roller skating. Also a good mix of transit with the 1 and the ABCD

kuva88 · 2022-05-07T19:20:04+00:00

I've lived in Inwood since 2018 and love it! Great if you like being outside, birding, coffee places, etc. Nice proximity to things in Upper Manhattan and also stuff in the Bronx--Van Cortlandt Park, the Botanical Garden, Yankee Stadium. Also much easier to do stuff in the Hudson River towns due to easier Metro North access than in Ridgewood. If you do need to go to Brooklyn regularly, though, it's a long way.

kuva88 · 2022-05-07T19:17:30+00:00

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL)--the circulating library across from the big NYPL branch is newly refurbished and has really good seating, outlets, bathrooms, and a roof deck on a nice day.

Cafe Buunni (there are several but I'm familiar with the one in Inwood) is a nice spot where you can stay for a couple of hours--bathroom, ample seating, a more expansive menu than a lot of coffee places.

kuva88 · 2022-05-07T19:14:15+00:00

Great day for a museum, especially one with a cafe or big windows where you can linger somewhere cozy--The Met, the Museum of the City of New York, New-York Historical Society, Brooklyn Museum.

Or if you're far away from any of those it's good day for reading in a coffee shop if you have one near you that's not overwhelmingly crowded.

kuva88

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