is you rlittle one too big for a sling? the buses and subway are fab..i think much better than here and people are more helpful..i lived in manhattan for two years so should know
thanks bambi06 he is almost too big for one!! it hurts my back - even though i have the extra support one, but ive been practicising ready for this trip
my dad will be with me for some of it so he can carry him
every time ive been to new york im lazy and just jump in cabs, partly cos i still havent sussed out the grid system (pathetic i know_) i guess i'll just have to get my head around it this time
Hi, we just got back from New York with our 13-month-old DS and children under 7 can sit on an adult's lap in the back of cabs - no need for a special car seat. We mostly walked everywhere but when we had to use cabs we didn't have any problems at all - drivers waited patiently while we folded up the stroller and even my mum's wheelchair and loaded all our stuff in the boot. In fact everyone we met was really nice and helpful(not like London!)
We didn't use the subway because of the wheelchair (and because we didn't really need to).
If you're really worried or have loads of stuff you can do what we did and book a limo from the airport, but you'll be absolutely fine using cabs.
We used this company, as recommended by a mumsnetter:
http://www.carmellimo.com/
It ended up costing about $170, including the obligatory tip. You can pre-pay by credit card but we paid the driver cash. They monitor the flight arrivals so you don't get charged waiting time if your flight is delayed. I think a normal cab from the airport to Manhattan costs a flat rate of $45.
It was great to be met off the plane and not have to worry about finding cabs, especially with a tired baby, lots of luggage and a wheelchair! The limo was great, pretty tacky (of course) and the driver took us on a bit of a tour (although the rush hour traffic was terrible).
I currently live in NYC with 4 children (one is 9 weeks old) and both bambi and littlestar are correct! We had all of us in a taxi van last week when our train didn't get back from Washington until midnight. I wouldn't dream of doing it without a carseat normally but we were desperate with 3 sleeping children...
There are less expensive limos. What airport do you land at?
I do have a carseat that you could borrow for your stay if it would help.
That's such a shame, but there's no point going on a big trip unless you feel completely happy and confident. Don't let it put you off completely though, as both trips we've done with DS have been really good fun (completely different from the holidays we had before he was born, but enjoyable in different ways). And I'm one of the world's worst worriers so if I can do it, anyone can!
