NYC with a baby and 3 year old.
kgail11
member
We have only been to NYC once. So keep that in mind with this post!! 
We took DS last May, when he was just over 2... a GREAT AGE. We'd like to go back - but with a 4 month old baby and a now-3 year old. How do-able is this?? We have no grand plans - just some kid-friendly places (childrens museum we went to was AWESOME).. maybe central park.. pizza joints.. shopping.. and quite honestly our 3 y/o just loves looking at the buildings as an activity!
I am worried tho about transportation. Obv we wouldn't rent a car. DD would be in her infant car-seat.. how cumbersome is it to install in a cab (for to/fro the airport - not out and about each day)? We'd wear her, I'm guessing, ... but do we take her off in cabs? Stroller sounds iffy - when we went we kept saying we were SO glad we left the stroller bc of all the foot traffic and how hard it would've been navigating it.
Any tips, from those who know?
Also - how hot is it in Sept? I read it was still warm.. (but it's 112 degrees here in N Texas, so anything below 100 would be FAB!)
Re: NYC with a baby and 3 year old.
OK, native NY-er here!
1) The weather in September is absolutely gorgeous -- it's my favorite month. You'll get clear skies and highs in the 70s and 80s.
2) Some cab companies specialize in having infant car seats already installed. If you're just looking for airport transportation, that might be an option. For cabs getting around town, they might require you to have LO in a car seat, even for short distances, but I'm not 100% sure because I've never tried it. My friend does put her baby in a car seat and then snaps the car seat into the stroller base.
3) Both the stroller and baby wearing have pros and cons, but baby wearing probably gives you the most freedom to move around and a lot of our stores and restaurants are pretty tiny. A collapseable, lightweight stroller is probably best if you're going to be taking the subway or buses (although baby wearing is probably the best bet for public transportation); otherwise a base and infant seat might be necessary for cabs. And don't be intimidated by taking a stroller if you have to -- you'll notice that the UppaBaby and Bugaboo are very popular in NY (and they're hardly small!)
How in the world would we lug a car-seat base around town though?? (if the cab required it) I think we'd babywear for sure.. we love our Ergo.I can really only speak to the weather - it will be WELL below 100 in September. We have only had a couple of days above 100 this summer. My guess would be high 80s/low 90s at worst. It could be humid though, especially at the beginning of the month.
I see tourists (and locals) with strollers all the time. With all the walking, even the older kids seem to want to ride sometimes. I would definitely wear your little one, though. I only took Hannah into the city once and I did wear her in a cab. It made me uncomfortable to not have a car seat and I avoided cabs and walked but I had to take one ride. I know people do it all the time but I did not like it.
Sounds like you have your plan already but I did want to suggest the Central Park Zoo. Your older one will love it!
You wouldn't lug the base, just the infant seat, and secure it using the seat belt method (as opposed to LATCH). Then take the base of your stroller and the adapter (if necessary) and snap the seat into the stroller at your destination.
OR, you can do what the locals do and avoid cabs and just walk or use mass transit instead.
Learn the subway! You can wear the baby (or use the stroller, if you change your mind on that) on the subway without issue, but in a cab you need a carseat. Going to and from the airport wouldn't be too cumbersome since cabs all have the buckles in the backseat, but I can't imagine trying to do the tourist rounds with the infant seat, even if you have a travel system.
September is nice. It can be humid, but August is the worst for humidity. Expect temps in the 80's, maybe high 70's.