Best Events for Preschoolers in NYC This Winter

We've rounded up fifteen of the city's best winter happenings for the preschooler and toddler set from hot-ticket kid spectacles like Daniel Tiger and Sesame Street Live to a low-key Greenpoint sock puppet show, an always catchy Music for Aardvarks concert and an upcoming Mo Willems exhibit that truth be told, might be more for mom and dad. 

Winter can feel mighty long when you're cooped up indoors with an antsy preschooler. So go ahead and bundle them into that winter gear to hit up these must-do January-March 2016 activities. We promise, we only picked options worth the winter gear struggle. 

Even more family winter entertainment ideas can be found in our Winter Guide or our just released 2016 GoList, covering the best events all year. 

Titanosaur Arrives at the American Museum of Natural History

There are many perks to living in New York City, and now we can add to that list getting up close and personal to one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered on Earth.

A 122-foot-long titanosaur, an herbivore from the Cretaceous period, went on display Friday, January 15, on the dinosaur-packed fourth floor of the American Museum of Natural History—and, happily, it really does live up to the hype. It is massive! Preschoolers to teens will love walking around and underneath the life-size skeleton cast. Read on for more details on this must-see new exhibit, including a video showing its construction.

'Very Hungry Caterpillar' Puppet Show Set to Open in NYC

More than 75 oversized puppets will help bring classic children's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other works by famed author Eric Carle to an off-Broadway New York theater this January.

Jonathan Rockefeller's The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show comes to NYC from Australia where it debuted in January 2015 and continues to tour the country. Rockefeller's adaption stands out with its large, colorful puppets and lively storytelling of a caterpillar's metamorphosis geared specifically to first-time theatergoers, including toddlers and preschoolers. While we've told you about previous NYC productions of this iconic early childhood classic, including just last year, we're excited to welcome a new entrant—especially given its seemingly ambitious scope.

Watch a preview clip of the show below!

NYC Stroller Repair: Where to Get Your Stroller Fixed in New York City

If you've got a baby or toddler in NYC, chances are you have a stroller (or two or three). When my son was young, our stroller got plenty of wear and tear up and down subway stairs, across potholes, and through muddy parks, snowy streets and rainstorms. It also pulled double-duty as a grocery cart, coat rack and, when strapped, a diaper changing table.

While heavy-duty strollers are built to withstand a fair amount of abuse, if you're using your wheels every day, parts inevitably break. Do you really want to trash that $1,000 stroller because the frame bent or the tire popped off? We didn't think so.

For simple repairs like a blown tire, you can try your local bike shop (many handle minor fixes and may even stock standard stroller-size inner tubes and other small parts). But for more advanced assistance, we've found five New York City services that specialize in stroller repair so your family can get rolling again.

Places to Play in Brooklyn Heights: Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pierrepont Playground & Drop-in Indoor Play Spaces for Kids

While the 85-acre, waterfront Brooklyn Bridge Park is certainly the biggest and best known green space in Brooklyn Heights, there are a handful of lovely little neighborhood playgrounds like Pierrepont, Harry Chapin and Squibb Park, which are all located on or near the Promenade. Plus there are some great indoor spots where kids can drop in and play, too, like the soon-to-be-overhauled local library and the New York Transit Museum, which has vintage buses and trains to explore.

We finish up our month-long focus on Brooklyn Heights with a roundup of our favorite places to play both indoors and out in the area.

Eating with Kids in Brooklyn Heights: Old-school Diners, Places to Eat and Play, & Other Family-Friendly Restraurants

Since Brooklyn Heights is famous for being an extremely family-friendly neighborhood, it's no surprise that most of its restaurants happily accommodate children. But there are many local eateries that actually cater to families, like restaurant/play space The Moxie Spot, or longtime ma-and-pa eateries like Clark's, Teresa's and the Grand Canyon Restaurant nestled on Montague and Henry Streets. And did we mention all those delicious Middle Eastern joints on Atlantic Avenue?

Our month-long focus on Brooklyn Heights continues with a roundup of our top ten family-friendly restaurants in the area (though in truth we could have chosen twice as many). Our picks run the gamut from places to grab a quick and casual nosh before or after a stroll on the Brooklyn Promenade to more upscale sit-down dining.

East Village Kids' Stores: Best Toy Shops, Children's Boutiques and Other Family Shopping

We continue our month-long focus on the East Village with a look at the best places to shop with kids in the neighborhood. While there are certainly some wonderful independent children's boutiques and toy stores in the area, including geek emporium Toy Tokyo and one of our favorite kids' consignment spots, Jane's Exchange, there are also "grown-up" shops that are fun for families to explore like punk mecca Trash and Vaudeville and gift bazaars Pink Olive and Random Accessories. Bonus: A few of our East Village kids' shopping picks feature play areas where children can romp while parents browse. Here are our top 14 places to shop with children in the East Village.

Washington Heights & Inwood Family-Friendly Restaurants: 12 Places to Eat with Kids in Upper Manhattan

We continue our month-long focus on Washington Heights and Inwood with a look at our favorite places to eat with kids in the area. While both neighborhoods are known for their hundreds of acres of parkland and fun things to do with kids, neither is considered a culinary hot spot. But there are some delicious kid-friendly restaurants if you know where to look, and many are owned and operated by local families. From a new soda fountain serving up retro treats, to a 24-hour Dominican mainstay to fine-dining with incredible views in Fort Tryon Park, here are a dozen family-friendly restaurants in Washington Heights and Inwood.

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