Travel Itinerary for a Trip to New York City with a Toddler

Prior to leaving for our trip to New York, I was excited but seriously stressed about how Parker would do on his first plane ride but, true to form, he took it all in stride and there was no crying or meltdowns. Hallelujah! We lucked out on our flights there and back and Parker was able to sit in his own seat. Thanks Delta! Having the extra space was a definite perk and little man had a fun time chatting with the people around us and looking out the window. Believe it or not, he actually clapped when we touched down at JFK. Once we landed, the car I booked with GoGreenRide (equipped with a carseat) picked us up from the terminal and transported us to the Affinia Shelburne which is located in the neighborhood of Murray Hill, close enough to walk to many of the big attractions but far enough to avoid the major traffic and noise. There was also a great gourmet market around the corner where we were able to conveniently pick up Parker's almond milk and a Walgreen's nearby where we bought a pack of diapers (we only packed enough for a couple days and opted to buy more when we landed to save luggage space). The Shelburne also has a mini-fridge available in every room. 

The tips I found online for traveling with a baby came in really handy! I'm so glad I did my research and compiled a list here. We purchased the New York Pass to save money on all the places we had planned to visit. The only real issue we ran into was getting Parker to eat. I guess it was unrealistic for us to expect him to eat all the random new food at the restuarants we went to. After 3 days of him barely eating anything but snacks, we took my friend Raina up on her offer to let us stay at her apartment in Chelsea. Having access to a kitchen seriously saved our trip. Late Wednesday night, we checked out of the Shelburne early and caught a cab to Raina's. How perfect was it that her apartment is around the corner from a Whole Foods and Buy Buy Baby? It doesn't get much more perfect than that. Thanks again to Raina and Ethan!   

We visited so many places and traveled by cab, subway and on foot all over the city. Parker did a great job taking naps while we were on the move. He even picked up a few new words on this trip including bus, beep beep (for the continuously honking taxis), truck, airplane and birds (for all the pigeons). I can't wait to go on our next family trip now that I'm over my fear of flying with a toddler! Now it's time to go through all the photos and share them with you. 

One of the essential planning tools I used for this trip was the itinerary planner on Minitime.com. Minitime is a great website that allows you to plot out your day and gives suggestions to kid-friendly things to do. They also have a mobile app so you can access your itinerary on the go. Above is our itinerary for the trip. I hope it helps any mamas who may be planning a trip to NYC soon!

PS
For more NYC travel inspiration, visit the comprehensive list of things to do in NYC with kids from Seven Suitcases.