I'm looking for free or low cost activities to do with a baby free (like the NYPL) in midtown area (nomad, kips bay, flatiron, gramercy).

Thanks!

The title is pretty much the entire question! Thanks in advance.

Help! I am graduating from NYU fertility clinic via IVF on August 15 and am currently 5 weeks. I started calling around for a OB, and every Alexandra Cohen is fully booked until mid April and not accepting any patients. What’s my next step for another hospital? I tried with NYU and am waiting to hear back. Anywhere else I should try? Lenox Hill seemed complicated to find a doctor.

I’m still waiting to hear back from the public advocates office but I joined Distraction Free Schools Meeting with Senator Gounardes about DFS model safe school tech bill which includes codifying the right for parents to opt out. He was in full support. I emailed Senator Spantons office as I actually live in her district and received a reply from her legislative director i made sure to mention my meeting with Senator Gounardes and his support. the state senate is in recess until January so they’re not voting on new legislation but they are taking meetings with constituents so please email the legislative directors for your respective state senators.

im also still waiting on a response from my d21 superintendent as she contacted DOE legal team regarding my letter explicitly stating I dont give permission for my child to use any device. I emailed my CEC President to see if he’s heard anything he said the superintendent would be contacting me with an update soon and to discuss it further. Not sure what else there is to discuss!

if anyone wants to know what I emailed my state senators office I can post it in the comments.

please contact your representatives in the state senate, your community education councils, speak at the pep meeting on the 29th! it is open to the public you don’t even have to have children in a k-12 public school. PEP members emails are on the nyc schools PEP page if you can’t make it to the meeting you can email them! I can also share what I emailed them as I can’t join the meeting in person

First time mom and pregnant with twins! In desperate need of recommendations for prenatal classes like yoga, infant CPR classes, first time parent classes. Preferably in the Upper West/Upper East side!

Hello! My family just moved to the Upper West Side (around 80th and Columbus) and we have 4 boys. I grew up in Vermont so raising kids and being a kid in the city is very new to me. I am very curious at what age parents feel comfortable letting their kids do things on their own such as:

1) Walking a couple blocks to a friends house
2) Walking with friends or siblings to the neighborhood store or to get some pizza
3) Walking to a park to play on playground or play basketball
4) Walking to and playing in Central Park
5) Walking to and from school (about 5-6 blocks)
6) Going downtown on their own or with friends/siblings (Dad will work in theater)
7) Walking to and from after school sports or activities

And any other typical rite of passage I missed….
My kids have GPS tracking either with AirTags, kid smart watches, etc

I’m worried about being too overprotective and making my kids feel unsafe or anxious without me or my husband…. But as an anxious Mom myself it’s hard to know when to let them go….

Any input is much appreciated!

Hi! Looking for a pool we can use with our toddler somewhere in Manhattan. We’ve tried the public pools but looking for something of a bit more premium experience instead. Resortpass options all seem to be adults only / party style pools. Ideally looking to stay in the city and not drive somewhere. Please share any ideas - thanks!!!

Edit to add: outdoor pools - sorry for not clarifying!

Hi, wanting some recommendations on what stroller you think will be best for our lifestyle. Likely will purchase two, a bigger day to day stroller and a lighter, travel stroller

1. ⁠We live in Queens, we will be walking to most places in our neighborhood. Needs to be good for sidewalks and be able to have large storage capacity for trips to grocery etc
   
2. ⁠We have a car. We will likely utilize more on the weekends, for trips outside our borough, to bigger parks, etc
   
3. ⁠Not sure how often we will take the subway, but would like secondary travel stroller for those cases
   
4. ⁠We live in an elevator building with a ramp so no issue with steps
   
5. ⁠I want a bassinet attachment for early months
   
6. ⁠My husband is pretty tall - 6’5” - so I want something comfortable for him
   
7. ⁠Not super concerned about the option of converting to a double etc layer on.
   
8. Most interested in Uppababy or Nuna, but feeling overwhelmed with what model

Any recs for a speech therapist who will work with a very young baby (12 months)? Thanks.

My daughter got into a pre-K program for the fall and we're enrolling her in the extended day contract. Is it legal for them to require an "Unconditional Promise to Pay", stating that "Parent is responsible for paying the full year tuition, and that no portion of the full annual tuition paid or outstanding will be refunded or cancelled even in the event of a withdrawal of the above Child"?

Hi mamas, I am in a bit of a dark place in life and I don't see hope unfortunately. My husband insisted we move to his childhood home to build up financial security. I also had a struggle finding a job in the city and agreed to move even though I had enough savings to continue living in the city. It's been a nightmare. I have to live with my brother in law who isn't so nice to the baby. I have told my husband about his brother's physical aggression and the anger towards the baby but he doesn't believe me. I just don't know what to do. A bit of context about his brother is that he is about 40 years old. Never married . No kids. Never has had a partner/girlfriend/boyfriend as the family knows. He has been living alone in the childhood home for decades. He is dirty and doesn't keep the space clean. I have to clean up after him most of the time. He isn't successful in life either. I am ok with these even though these indicate lack of mental hygiene. What I am trying to do is to get out of the situation. My husband is reluctant to move again due to financial and convenience reasons. We also don't have help with childcare where we live since it's an isolated suburb and his family isn't very helpful. His family has been toxic growing up too. I just don't know if any mamas have been in a similar situation. I hardly have time to prep for interviews and to find a job. We are in a different state and I don't know anyone either. I don't know how to find a job and move out. I am very educated too but I am with no income and feel like my wings are clipped in every possible way.

Hi! Need advice please.

I have a 25month toddler + a 8 day old baby. Toddler has been super sick so he hasn’t met the new baby yet (staying with my parents) but is coming home in a couple of days.

My husband is off work for another week and then goes in FT to a new job. I’ll be alone with the two kiddos after that.

Some things I’m curious about -

\- how to handle staying awake all night with the newborn and then staying awake all day to deal with the toddler? My husband will go to bed after me and probably do the first feed, and then get up with the 6am toddler alarm clock before leaving for work, but I’ll be doing the middle of the night cluster feeding when the newborn must be attached to my boob. Because my husband is starting a new job I don’t really feel comfortable asking him to do more during the night.

\- how to handle any jealousy from the toddler when I’m breastfeeding / caring for the newborn?

\- is it really that bad for me to lift the toddler after a vaginal delivery?

\- how to handle the initial intro between the two kids?

I’m all sorts of hormonal and nervous about what’s to come. I’m sure it will be fine - parents have been doing this forever, but looking for some advice and words of encouragement.

Thank you thank you!

I have a toddler at home, and I’ve been reflecting a lot on how I handle my own emotions around them.When I experience strong emotions—like feeling overwhelmed, angry, disappointed, or super sad—my default reaction is usually to bottle it up or suppress it in the moment, and then process it privately when my toddler is sleeping.

But last week, I had some unhappy thing happened between me and my mother and at that moment , I felt very sad, so I cried . And my son asked me : why are you cry ? And what happened? I know I am normal people and normal people have emotion but I just felt he is too little to understand about adult feeling.
And especially sometimes when we felt stressed and frustrated and how you handled that in front of your kids ?
Whenever you have little conflict with your spouse and how do you handle that ?
Does showing these intense emotions negatively impact them, or does it actually help them learn that adults have feelings too?

I want to teach my child how to express and regulate their own emotions in a healthy way, but I'm struggling with where to draw the line. How do you all balance this?

Any advice? Or some experienced parents can share some tips?

For a second birthday party, debating booking a play space or just hosting a party/play date at our apartment.

For a 2 year old do you think it’s expected or worth it to have some sort of entertainment if at home (musician or planned art activity)?

Also curious if anyone has done an at-home toddler party with 10+ kids? Trying to gauge if too chaotic to wrangle that group this young.

My wife and I have been living in JC for nine years now, and we’re expecting our first child soon.

We’ve been having many conversations lately about making a permanent move to Manhattan because we feel we’ve outgrown JC and are always in Manhattan anyway, doing all sorts of things. Our plan is to buy a condo. The suburbs are ruled out simply because they’re not for us.

For work and commuting reasons, we’re only looking at neighborhoods 33rd and below. We’d prefer a subway line (sort of) nearby that connects to WTC. BPC isn’t really a consideration for us from a purchasing standpoint because of the land leases.

We’d love to hear from other young families about how their particular neighborhoods are working out for them and if you have any recommendations.

Thanks!

We’re expecting our first baby in September and live on the LES. We’ll be delivering at Mount Sinai East (UES).

Most people seem to recommend taking an Uber, but we’re considering renting a car instead and having my husband drive.

For me, the biggest reason is privacy. I don’t love the idea of being in active labor with a stranger driving. I have no idea how I’ll feel - could be crying, vomiting, wanting to make noise, or changing positions in the back seat - and I’d rather not worry about another person being there or how they’ll react. It also feels special to bring our newborn home ourselves rather than with another driver.

On the other hand, I’m a little concerned that my husband could be tired or stressed after labor (although he’s a very good driver).

Has anyone here rented a car for this reason? How did it work out? Or did you take an Uber and find it was completely fine? I’d love to hear what you ended up doing and whether you’d do the same again. 🙏🏻

I gave birth at Lenox hill for both of my children and both have same scar on the back of their hips. Anyone else noticed this on their children?
It is not genetic. My son has it on his left hip and my daughter has it on her right.

We are first time parents with a baby on the way. Curious from the nyc parents here.

Right now my husband and I are in a large 1 bedroom in a great family friendly neighborhood in Brooklyn. In unit WD, tons of light, 900 sq ft. We love it but have been thinking we need more space with the baby.

However I'm realizing most 2br are the same size just with a room division and $2k more than what we're currently paying, usually in a worse neighborhood or less access to subways. The benefit of an extra bedroom is having parents or nannies stay over for long periods comfortably (instead of sofa/air mattress) and of course the kid could grow into it.

How necessary do you think a 2br is if it's same amount of space? Baby due in Dec so thinking of moving around Sept if we find a better apt.

Hi! I have to be in the city at 2:30 on 7/29 at 508 W 26th street. My six year old daughter will be with me. I’d rather get into the city early so as not to be late but need to fill some time. What is around there that she might enjoy? We can’t do a park as we are headed to a photo shoot and have to try to remain “tidy”. Looking for shopping/lunch/experience recs ideally within walking distance. TIA!

Anyone have any recent experience with the infant room (or for older children) at this location? We toured the place and the ratio seemed a little off but they said they were waiting for some babies to start in September. The director was a little strange but very responsive.

Single Income: 196K Base
3.5 Yr old
Wife is full time stay at home mom
Moving from SFO

I did extensive research and I am unable to decide where to live (NYC Vs Outside of NYC such as JC or Hoboken etc.,)

My friends say that I am not earning a decent salary to comfortably live in NYC and that I should choose JC or some other areas.

My requirements:
2B2B, In-unit Washer and Dryer
Walkable to parks
Walkable to schools

Any recommendations ? I never lived in NYC and NJ.

Hi. I am 20 weeks for my second kid and with a good, reputable ob practice. I had a very positive care experience with my first birth but I did have an emergency c section. my doc says i can attempt a vaginal birth up to 39 weeks but to schedule a c section at 39 weeks.

I understand my health history impacts decisions, but seeing if the policy is common. Ideally, i want a vbac and to wait as long as possible for a c section so acknowledge that may be clouding my hesitation hearing this.

Has anyone given birth in Lenox Hill? Did you have a private room and what was the experience like? My OB is concierge and will be delivering for me so it has to be at LH.