Moving to NY with young children

[2toddlermum]

Hi everyone.

We are likely going to be moving to NY in summer this year with my husbands work. We have two children who will be 3 and 18 months at the time of the move and I was looking for anyone who had moved with young children and had any advice/could share their experience. I am mainly worried about my 3 year old, will such a big move impact him or being quite young will he adjust to a new nursery etc ok? Plan is for them to do x3 mornings at nursery so lots of time with me too! I’m also worried about being lonely so any experiences of how easy it is to make friends etc would be helpful.

We are currently thinking of Brooklyn to live, but open to any other family friendly neighbourhood suggestions!

Thank you!

No direct experience of moving with young child/ baby.

Lots of questions though:
Is your move a done deal?
Will it be permanent?
What sort of visa do you have?
Will you want to work at some point?
What sort of salary will you be living on?
What sort of health insurance does the company offer?
What sort of relocation package and relocation support does the company offer?
Have you made any visits to NY to scout places to live?

There really aren't any nurseries like British nurseries in the US - there are daycare operations and preschools, both of which frequently have waiting lists and can often be expensive.

Where do you live now out of interest? I lived in NY pre children and loved it. But with two small kids I’d consider moving out of the city to a suburb as otherwise you’re stuck in a small apartment in a very urban environment. Make sure you’re near a park if you stay in the 5 boroughs. If you’re planning to be there for more than a couple of years you also need to think about schools.

I did this move with similar aged children and it was great! I found NYC amazing with small children, there is so much to do and people are very friendly. A lot of people seemed to move out of the city to the suburbs when their kids were 8-10 and they wanted more space.

Brooklyn is big so some parts are more family-friendly than others, also unless you are planning on private school you need to consider schools. Elementary school placements are pretty much done by neighborhood so quite predictable.

I hope you know that NYC is really expensive, you’ll be paying more for housing, food, children’s activities and healthcare. Your dh should be looking for a significant salary increase to compensate you for the cost of living.

I live in Manhattan with a 4 year old and a baby.

You should join the British Mums NYC Facebook group and check out this Instagram: www.instagram.com/mumsinnyc?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and find your way to the WhatsApp group.

People are always asking relocation questions like this and you'll get tons of help. Also feel free to DM me if you want! I had my kids here, so I've only ever been a parent in NYC, but I'll be as helpful as I can.

@2toddlermum how did you get on? I'm particularly interested as my partner and I are considering a similar move in a few years. We'd be looking at Brooklyn, but I've so many questions about whether I'd be able to get a work visa, whether that would depend on sponsorship and if I can't what kind of salary should my partner expect to cover the extremely high cost of living. We're in London at the moment.

Don't worry, kids move easily. My dc settled easily. Bit of a suggestion if moving from the U.K. look at taking the Queen Mary 2 instead of flying as they don't limit luggage (within reason) it arrives in Brooklyn.