New York City has a lot to offer for kids of all ages. With an ounce of common sense and a pound of adventure, kids can have the time of their lives experiencing New York City.
Taxis can seat four people. Infants and toddlers don't count as long as they sit on an adult's lap. Occasionally you can find a mini-van taxi that will seat up to five people. Taxis do not carry infant or booster seats and children are allowed to ride without one. Most New Yorkers don't bother with a booster seat though some will carry an infant seat for the baby. If you want your child to be strapped into one, bring your own. The trunk in a taxi is huge and a Maclaren stroller will fit inside without having to be folded up.
Subway can be fun as well as a challenge. While older kids will love the clatter of trains and enjoy watching the express rush by without stopping, parents with younger kids may have to negotiate an ancient system with their strollers. There are few escalators or elevators in New York subway stations and the odds are you'll have to lug your stroller up and down the steps. Fortunately, in many places the tracks are just a few feet below street level so the lugging is not extensive. If you are alone and stand around long enough, someone will offer to help. If you have a stroller and want to take it through the turnstiles without folding it, you must use a subway entrance with a manned token booth. A doorway next to token booths (labeled 'Emergency Exit') provides entry for passengers in wheelchairs or people with strollers. Inform the token booth attendant that you wish to use the door, slide your card through the turnstile and turn it with your hand, return to the door and pass through. Looks complicated but it is really quite easy! The fare system allows children under 48 inches tall ride free on the subway, but any kid who looks like a kid can duck under the turnstiles and enter the system.
Bus. If you have younger kids, note that strollers must be folded and carried onto a bus. Buses are a nice, above ground, way to see the city but can be very slow if you're traveling more than a few blocks. Look for "Limited" buses or "Select Bus Service" buses if you're planning to go a long way (for example, the M4 Limited from the Metropolitan Museum to the Cloisters, or the M15 Select Bus Service from South Ferry to East Midtown).
Walking is the best way to enjoy the city. In winter it can get very cold and you will spend more time outdoors than you do at home so dress your children in warm clothes. Layering is the best way to deal with the contrasts between the freeze outside and the warmth indoors. If you have young children, bring your stroller.
(See the New York City pages for general details on the items below. The information here is kid-specific!)
Most children love toys, so go to the FAO Schwarz store at 30 Rockefeller Center (their store further up 5th Avenue was closed in 2015). The prices may be high, though. American Girl dolls also has a store at 75 Rockefeller Plaza and Nintendo is at 10 Rockefeller Plaza.
There are also several companies that have their own stores in the Times Square District, including Hershey's and M&M. Of course you can get much better chocolate in New York, but that doesn't mean your kids won't have fun at those locations.
Well-behaved children are welcome at the great majority of restaurants but may not be admitted to wine bars, due to liquor laws (check in advance). Younger children who are somewhat more boisterous but still basically in control are usually OK at most Chinese restaurants, diners and informal pizzerias with seating, and also at most Korean restaurants, most informal Italian-American restaurants and Jewish restaurants such as Katz's Delicatessen and Murray's. It may be advantageous to come early (say, right at 6, or even earlier if the place is open at 5 or 5:30) for dinner if you know your child tends to speak loudly and might get fussy. Weekend brunches at all but the fanciest places are good for children, but some places require long waits of an hour or more for your table, which is no good for a child and questionable for anyone else, so consider getting reservations for brunch if you can. Kids also usually enjoy dim sum because it's fun to get dumplings and other small plates, but there can be long waits for dim sum, too. You are best off going for dim sum on a weekday morning and arriving close to opening time.
There are few special considerations for children's safety in New York that wouldn't apply to most other big cities, or to Disneyworld. Probably the biggest potential problem is losing each other in a crowd, so take precautions to avoid that. Otherwise, consult New York City#Stay safe.
Related: New York City