iKidNY » Cool kids stuff

GIVEAWAY! Kiddie Cruise NYC!

Lara — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:32:58 +0000

I am so excited to giveaway a family four-pack of tickets to Kiddie Cruise, a cruise around NYC for the small set and their parents! I literally can’t think of anything better to do on a hot summer Sunday in New York City. Kiddie Cruise takes care of feeding your kids (and you!) a healthy lunch and entertains them with face painters, magicians, storytelling, live music, raffles, games and more. And as for you, well you get to enjoy spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty and the New York City skyline aboard the Queen of Hearts, a Louisiana-style paddlewheel boat. The boat departs from Pier 40 at West Houston Street on select Sunday throughout the summer. Boarding is from 12pm-12:30pm and sailing 12:30pm- 2:30pm. Tickets are $35 for adults (13 & up) and $30 for kids (12 months – 12 yrs) – under 12 months ride free. Click here to buy tickets.

In order to enter the contest to WIN a family four pack of tickets on a Kiddie Cruise of your choice (pending availability) post a comment on this blog post telling us what fun things you are doing this summer in the city with your kids. Contest ends July 6th at midnight.

Remaining cruise dates this summer are:

July 11th – Princess & Pirate
July 25th – Super Hero & Fairy Princess
August 8th – Princess & Pirate
August 22nd – Super Hero & Fairy Princess
September 12th – Back to School Safari
September 26th- Rock Star
October 17th - Princess & Pirate
October 31st – Halloween

Disclaimer: Tickets for giveaway were provided by Kiddie Cruise.

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!

Lara — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:10:26 +0000

SCORE! The Cooking Channel is hitting the road this summer in an Ice Cream truck and giving YOU free Ice Cream! As if that wasn’t cool enough they are bringing some of the network’s biggest stars along for the ride, and coming to a city near you. You and your kids will be treated to a scoop or two of your favorite Ice Cream flavor and will be able to meet the stars of Chuck’s Day Off, Everyday Exotic, FoodCrafters and more!

The kick-off will be THIS weekend in New York City! Here are the details:

Friday, June 25
12 noon- 4pm
Chelsea Market
75 9th Ave. (between 15th and 16th Streets)
Special appearance by Chuck Hughes from 1pm – 3pm

Saturday, June 26
12:00 pm- 10:00 pm
NYC FoodFilm Festival’s “The World’s First Food Truck Drive-In Movie”
Under the Brooklyn Bridge, DUMBO
Special appearance by Chuck Hughes from 1pm – 3pm

If you are not in NYC and would like to catch the Food Network’s Ice Cream Truck in your city here is the NATIONAL TOUR SCHEDULE:
(Dates and locations subject to change)

June 25-26 New York
July 1 Boston
July 4 Washington D.C.
July 17 Atlanta
July 19 Knoxville
July 20 Nashville
July 23 Cincinnati
July 28 Philadelphia
July 31- August 1 Atlantic City
September 4-5 Los Angeles
September 7 San Francisco
September 11 San Diego
September 19 Dallas
September 21 New Orleans
September 25 Chicago
October 7- 10 New York

Check out www.CookingChanneltv.com, Cooking Channel ‘s Facebook page and Twitter.com/CookingChannel to see the most up to date tour schedule.

Bank Street Bookstore – An Oasis For Little NYC Readers

Lara — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:26:15 +0000

Bank Street Bookstore bills itself as “New York’s best bookstore for and about children”, and they are not kidding. Bank Street is heaven on earth for New York City kids that love books (and their parents too!). A little two-story space tucked away on Broadway and 112th Street, this charming shop reminds me of what bookstores USED to be like before they all became chains. Bank Street caters to kids of all ages and offers rows and rows of carefully selected and well-organized books, games, DVD’s, and countless learning tools for kids. Bank Street’s very best asset is its amazingly knowledgeable and helpful staff. The staff knows the inventory inside and out and are willing to make suggestions or help you find whatever you need.

Bank Street boasts more than 60,000 titles in 17 languages and offers events throughout each month.

Bank Street Bookstore
Corner of 112th & Broadway
(212) 678-1654
www.bankstreetbooks.com

WIN a FREE special event at New York Kids Club!

Lara — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:16:34 +0000

WIN a FREE special event at New York Kids Club! The New York Kids Club, now in its ninth season, is a children’s enrichment center renowned for creative and innovative kids classes, day camps and as a place for creative kids birthday party celebrations. Luckily, there are six locations throughout the city!

In order to enter this contest, please post a comment at the bottom of this blog on which event you would like to win and the location you prefer. The winners will be chosen May 7th. Good luck!

Special Event options:

FRIDAY FUN FOR EVERYONE is an exciting opportunity for families to come together for a fun, social and enriching experience. Held every other Friday from 3:30-5:30pm, Friday Fun for Everyone events feature beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres for adults, and supervised Open Play, special entertainment, and a pizza dinner for children.

PJ PARTY is held every other Friday 6:00-8:00pm, pajama parties are a one-of-a-kind thematic “after hours” celebration for children 2.5 – 6 years and 7 – 12 years featuring gym exploration, art, story, cooking, games, relays, and more. All parties culminate in a disco dance party, and dinner is provided.

One FREE special event will be given away at each location. Here are the six New York Kids Club Locations:

169 Amsterdam Ave
601 Amsterdam Ave
219 E. 67th St.
38 E. 22nd St.
393 South End Ave
182 Henry St.

New York Kids Club
(347-706-4700)
www.nykidsclub.com

Riverbank State Park – A world of fun over the Hudson River

Lara — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:16:58 +0000

Riverbank State Park, located in the heart of West Harlem, is a little known gem to many New Yorkers. This unique 28 acre park sits atop a pier over the Hudson River. Although a bit of an eye-sore at first glance, this park offers many great resources and great views. It includes an Olympic-size indoor pool, an outdoor pool, a covered skating rink for roller skating in the summer and ice-skating in the winter, a large outdoor theater, an amazing athletic complex with basketball courts and a fitness room, outdoor tennis and basketball courts, a full football field with a running track, and a fancy restaurant with views of the George Washington Bridge (with indoor and outdoor seating and jazz some nights) called The River Room. There is also a beautiful carousel for kids but it was being renovated last summer so hopefully it will re-open this year. There are great grassy areas to run around and picnic tables available. Best of all it’s a bargain (most activities are free) – swimming costs $2 for adults and $1 for children 5-15 (4 and under are free), Ice Skating $5 for adults and $3 for children, and roller skating is $1.50 and $6 for skate rentals. No dogs or bikes allowed.

Riverbank State Park
137th-145th Streets on Riverside Drive

City Treehouse – Water and Exploratory Indoor Playspace For Kids!

Lara — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:44:07 +0000

If your family has not yet been to City Treehouse, your kids are missing out. City Treehouse is a treehouse-themed indoor playspace located in the heart of Chelsea where little tykes (18 months to 8 years) can run amuck and learn through interactive play. Kids LOVE the wet area where they can spash around in the sprinklers, nozzles, and jets in this great big lake-like water vortex. There are step stools for littler kids and smockes but most parents don’t bother and just let their kids get wet (I suggest bringing a change of clothes). Just make sure you call ahead because they do rent out the playspace for birthday parties, etc. Also, they never let in more than 20 kids at a time so it never gets too crowded.

I love how unique this place is and it is a great option for indoor fun any time of year. They also have a couple of playspaces for little ones (under 18 months) where they can crawl around and play with some great toys. They offer engaging and creative classes such as music, dance, crafts, yoga, and reading, for kids of all ages some of which are drop in! They also host events such as workshops and concerts so check out the events schedule to see what’s happening.

City Treehouse
129 A W. 20th Street, btw 6th and 7th Avenues
(212) 255-2050
Mon-Sun 10am-5pm

Also, check out our February Indoor Playspace of the month:

The Art Farm in the City

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus – It’s not your ordinary circus!

Lara — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:54:05 +0000

On Sunday, our family attended a matinee of “Funundrum”, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s circus’ latest and greatest three-ring spectacular. It was my 20 month old’s first circus experience and the first time in a long time for my husband and me. It was simply amazing and a far cry from the sawdust and clowns that we remember as youths. “Funundrum” did not disappoint – it was a huge elaborate extravaganza fit for Madison Square Garden! My son, although still young for the circus, loved every minute of the over 2 hour show. The highlights for him (and us!) were the elephants, of course, who are just amazing standing, sitting, or doing tricks, the glow-in-the-dark motorcyclists driving around in a steel cage at high speeds, and all of the dare-devil trapeze artists. The music and theatrics were larger than life and nothing other than “The Greatest Show on Earth”! We can’t wait to go again next year!

For half price tickets through March 31st click here.

Dr. Seuss Meets the iPhone

Lara — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:11:07 +0000

The Dr. Seuss iPhone apps are on sale for a limited time only for $0.99!

For Dr. Seuss lovers of all ages, these apps are interactive – you can either read the book out loud with your child (or have them read it!) or have the app tell the story.

Here are the titles currently available:

Books: The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss’s ABC, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Camera: The Cat in the Hat Edition and The Grinch Edition
Game: Grinchmas!

GaGa for DinDins – The New Toddler Food Delivery Service in NYC!

Lara — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:41:04 +0000

Last week, we found ourselves stuck inside AGAIN as a result of YET another walloping snowstorm. On the worst day of it all, our doorbell rang. It was the kind people from DinDins, the brand-spanking new NYC toddler food delivery service, who braved the storm just to make sure that our toddler was well fed! Boy were we happy they did!

DinDins meals are all homemade, prepared by a cook and a nutritionist (mother and daughter team – love it!), using only the best possible organic (and often local!) ingredients. They do not use any preservatives, additives or artificial ingredients yet their food tastes great!!! Hallelujah! And… they deliver right to your door.

We tried the “Healthy Fried Rice with Eggs, Peas and Corn”, the “Baked Penne with Roasted Winter Vegetables”, the “Cranberry Zucchini Mini Muffins”, and the “Artichoke, Corn, and Chicken Quesadilla”. Everything was delicious! My son agreed to eat rice for the first time ever and was absolutely obsessed with the penne. I myself loved the cranberry muffins and fully admit to “stealing” more than a few bites of the muffins and the quesadillas. Having so many options is crucial, especially with toddlers, when you have no idea what they are going to go for on any given day. With DinDins, you can freeze the food for up to three weeks and have it all right there at your fingertips. Also, the DinDins menu will change often so “we” won’t get bored of any one thing. You can subscribe to their newsletter for product updates and nutrition tips, and also check their menu for what’s on tap. DinDins is committed to being green and uses packaging that is almost all recyclable. And… did I mention it was only $2-3 a meal?

Finally, healthy food for our toddler (something very important in our house) at the snap of my fingers even when mommy can’t (or won’t) cook. As I say, anything to make life easier! Thank you DinDins!

WIN $75 at finn’s finds!

Lara — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:08:47 +0000

I am so excited to share with you finn’s finds, an amazing new online clothing boutique for kids!!! I have to admit I may be a tad bit partial considering it IS named after my Godson, but I SWEAR it is the cutest kids online clothing store you ever did see.

finn’s finds is the brain-child of one of my very best friends, Jennyka Wasserman. After working for 12 years in women’s product development and textiles, Jennyka needed a new outlet to release her passion for fashion. When she was unable to find chic, wearable clothing for her kids, she decided to create a website focusing on unique brands from around the world, which emphasize simplicity, quality, special details, and use of unpredictable colors. Her “finds” hail from Denmark, Holland, France, Australia and the U.S. all by environmentally and ethically responsible partners.

We are so pleased to offer you the chance to WIN a $75 gift certificate to finn’s finds! In order to enter you must post a comment below telling us WHICH is your favorite outfit in the upcoming Spring Collection (shown below) and WHY. The winner will be chosen on March 5th and will be notified via email. Good luck!

Tarte Bathing Suit

I mean, do i really need to say anything about this suit?!? It’s too cute for words. Girls blue bathing suit with tarte print. High quality material, made to outlast your childs playfullness at the beach. Designed by Stella Cove.

Cotton Ruffle Dress

Easy ruffled cotton voille dress. Great party dress, or can be worn casually with a cardigan. Your little one will be the life of the party twirling around in this number! Comes in ivory and black. Designed in Paris, by Talc.

Ditzy Print Romper

European tradition mixed with a dollop of playful charm, nellystella will become the darling of your daughter’s wardrobe. Classic ditzy print made new in this playful silhouette! Great for running around, or throw a cardigan over and voila- a new outfit!

White Cotton Flutter Sleeve Dress

Adorable classic dress with flutter sleeves. Such a simple, easy to wear dress! Perfect for party or play. Designed by nellystella.