Rosalind Muggeridge

Rosalind Muggeridge spent 10 years working at non-profit museums in London and NYC before transitioning to freelance writing after having kids. She spent 4 years as the events editor at NY Metro Parents. A long-time Brooklyn resident, Rosalind and her family love calling the borough home.

Latest posts by Rosalind

Kidmoto: NYC Airport Car Service With Car Seats, or Even More Than One!

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Wed, 11/21/2018 - 10:00am

If you’ve ever traveled to an NYC-area airport in a car service with a baby or toddler in tow, you’re likely familiar with your options. Either you lug your own car or booster seat along and install it on the fly, you take your chances and hold your little one on your lap for the ride, or you try out a service that offers car seats.

The problem with the last option is that many of the companies offering car and booster seats often arrive with improperly installed seats, a driver who doesn't know how to install them, or an old or out-of-date model. Or, sometimes, no car seat at all. The last time I tried using our local car service, the driver shrugged his shoulders and popped the trunk revealing an ancient car seat that was clearly the wrong size for my 3 year old. And, if you need more than one car seat? Fuggedaboutit.

Enter Kidmoto: a new service in NYC that is striving to solve this dilemma. Catering to those traveling with small children, the Kidmoto app connects parents to a network of professionally trained drivers who provide secured child car seats for safe airport and cruise ship transportation.

Read on for the lowdown on everything you’ll need to know to make your next airport trip a car seat success story.

Drop-In Storytimes for Kids in Queens

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Wed, 09/26/2018 - 10:00am

Check out the super popular Drag Queen Story Hour at the Jackson Heights Library.

Kids in Queens have no shortage of storytime opportunities, with popular library branches, bookstores, and playspaces all offering great choices. We've rounded up the best spots where babies, toddlers and preschoolers can enjoy listening to their favorite books in Jackson Heights, Astoria, Sunnyside, and other family-friendly Queens neighborhoods.

A number of these read-along sessions include crafts, music, puppetry, or even yoga, so it's a great way to pass the morning for parent and babe or caregiver and tot. After the stories are put away, peruse the bookshelves or nearby toys. Most are drop-in events, but we've noted if registration is required. Expect all sessions to be FREE or inexpensive. Read on for our insider's take on Queens storytimes with kids.

Best Fall Festivals for NYC Kids in September

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Fri, 08/31/2018 - 4:01pm

Halloween plus Coney Island equals a perfect fall day for kids. Photo by Mommy Poppins

Kick off autumn at one of September's fun-filled (and mostly FREE) fall festivals in NYC. Annual family favorites abound this month, including top September GoList picks such as the Richmond County Fair and the annual Queens County Fair. For more interactive fun, make sure you hit up the Maker Faire at the New York Hall of Science. There are also plenty of cool under-the-radar events you may not have heard of, including a marine science fest in Tribeca, a sweet honey fest in Rockaway Beach, and Italian fairs in the Bronx and on Staten Island, which are both a lot less crowded than San Gennaro.

So banish the back-to-school blues by hitting one (or more) of these kid-friendly festivals this September.

NYC's First Interactive Museum of Tea Celebrates Tea Culture...and Bubble Tea!

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Tue, 08/14/2018 - 8:22am

Room for Tea celebrates tea ceremonies, the history of tea, and everybody's favorite: bubble tea.

We've already filled you in on the Color Factory, Flow Separation, and Candytopia, and now the summer of the Instagram-ready, immersive art pop-up continues, with the first tea-themed interactive art space in NYC. Room For Tea is brewing, and is set to open in Tribeca on August 28. Read on for an advance look at photos of the imaginative space celebrating the diversity of tea cultures around the world (and especially bubble tea), plus everything you need to know to plan your visit.

Best Summer Festivals for NYC Kids This August

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Fri, 07/27/2018 - 12:00pm

Get your best beach game going at Summer Streets 2018.

Many families flee the city in August for end-of-summer vacations, but it's actually one of my favorite months to be in NYC. With summer staples like swimming, play fountains, and Governors Island, plus hundreds of free summer activities and only-in-August favorites like Summer Streets and Arthur Ashe Kids' Day, there's plenty to do if you stick around.

So we've rounded up a dozen FREE family-friendly festivals happening throughout the Big Apple in August to help you get the most out of NYC with kids during the last month of summer.

50 Free Things To Do with Toddlers This Summer in NYC

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Mon, 07/02/2018 - 4:00pm

Take the ferry (free at certain times) to Governors Island for family activities all summer. Photo by Matt Nighswander

New York City is chock-full of exciting summer to-dos for its youngest citizens. Sure, visiting the sprinklers at your local playground can be enough to make your toddlers’s day, but when you and your littles are ready for some summer adventure, here are 50 FREE things to do with toddlers this July and August.

We've already put together a list of 100 Free Things To Do in NYC This Summer for kids of all ages, but the suggestions that follow are tailored just for little kids. (Looking for additional inspiration? Check out our Summer Fun Guide, Event Calendar, and Free in NYC Guide.)

Free Outdoor Kids Music Concerts in NYC This Summer

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Thu, 06/28/2018 - 12:30pm

The Pop Ups bring summertime music, dancing, and fun to Hudson RiverKids. Photo courtesy of the event

What's better than a spectacular, outdoor, family-friendly, FREE music performance? A whole series of free outdoor concerts for kids! We've already told you about the great concerts in June for NYC kids, and now we're rounding up all the free concerts in July and August, to keep the kids grooving all summer.

There are free concert series for kids in parks, playgrounds, piers and plazas across the five boroughs, so scroll, click, and set reminders with your favorites. With top family bands playing annual series like Madison Square Kids and SummerStage Family Workshops, you're sure to find something the whole family can shake a tail feather to.

For even more free family fun, see our jam-packed Summer Guide and our roundup of 100 free things to do with kids in NYC this summer.

Best June Festivals and Street Fairs for NYC Families

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Thu, 05/31/2018 - 4:30pm

Art-making and performances come to Governors Island for Figment NYC. Photo courtesy organizers

New York City's festival season kicks into high gear in June. The debut of warmer weather prompts a head-spinning number of fantastic fairs, parades, carnivals, and other fetes—more than two dozen.

And we're not talking about street fairs with random tchotchkes. These are favorites we look forward to every year, including Museum Mile, Egg Rolls, Egg Creams & Empanadas, Figment on Governors Island, and Coney Island's iconic Mermaid Parade—all of which made our list of the top annual festivals for NYC families.

So get your calendar; you're going to want to write these dates down. Here are more than two dozen great family festivals for June 2018, most of which are FREE.

Check our NYC Summer Fun Guide for more freebies and great kid and family events and outings, and be sure to click through to our listings for exact locations, times, and additional details.

Rosalind Muggeridge

Latest posts by Rosalind

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