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Raising kids in NYC: What you need to know

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Trying to raise your kids in an urban jungle like NYC in a wise and responsible way, you’ll certainly face some challenges. As modern psychology teaches us, we don’t develop our personalities only within our families. The social impulses from the society that surrounds us are just as important. Therefore, as a parent that’s focused on doing the best job possible parenthood-wise, choosing the right place to live is half the puzzle. If you want to raise your kids in a stimulative, multicultural environment, hire the Best Movers NYC you can find and relocate to Big Apple. Needless to say, raising kids in NYC is certainly a viable option. But just like any other, it has some advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages and disadvantages of raising kids in NYC

The great thing about the more densely populated boroughs of NYC is that everything is very close. Pediatricians, drugstores, hospitals, as well as parks, indoor playgrounds, and daycares are usually within the walking distance. From a practical standpoint, that is one of the greatest advantages living in NYC offers to young parents. Furthermore, we all want our kids to become cosmopolitans, people of the world who understand and appreciate other people and other cultures. In that regard, there are a few cities in this world, if any, in which a person can develop a more open-minded, culturally aware approach to life than NYC.

Mother and daughter playing on the bed — NYC parents are focused on doing the best job possible parenthood-wise

On the other hand, living in NYC doesn’t fit into many of the stereotypes we visualize when thinking about idyllic family life. Playing on the grassy lawn, taking long car rides, enjoying the comfort and peace of a big house, you’ll hardly find any of that in NYC. Instead, you’ll find almost 2 million people living only in Manhattan, within barely 23 square miles. Which makes for a population density of almost 71.000 people per square mile! Obviously, all the credit goes to movers Manhattan who obviously did a swell job over the last decade or two. Fortunately, the daily dynamics of NYC is interesting enough to compensate for the fact that so many people are living on top of each other.

Is NYC a reasonably kid-friendly city?

Reasonably yes, but only reasonably. That said, things are constantly changing for the better. As previously stressed, if there’s one thing NYC isn’t in shortage of, it’s the people. NYC streets are literally crawling with people, which can often turn taking a walk with your kids into a nightmare. In addition, taking a break from walking and sitting to have lunch somewhere, chances are that things won’t improve all that much. The sad truth is that most NYC restaurants aren’t suited for families with small kids. Also, depending on the borough, the problem with elevators can be a major headache. If you need to single-handedly carry the baby stroller every time, together with the baby in it, your enthusiasm for taking your baby for a walk will dry out rather soon.

Constantly overcrowded streets are a part of raising kids in NYC — NYC streets are crawling with people, which can turn walking with your kids into a nightmare

Is Brooklyn one of the best boroughs for raising kids in NYC?

Brooklyn used to be tough and gritty some thirty years ago. In the meantime, many Manhattan people were forced to get in touch with movers Brooklyn and cross to bridge, due to Manhattan becoming too tight and too expensive. Consequently, Brooklyn was slowly becoming more refined and classy, and eventually it turned into a slightly less attractive version of Manhattan. In terms of parenthood, apart from great schools, Brooklyn offers many outlets for some great after-school fun:

There are countless sports programs for kids in Brooklyn that it’s literally hard to decide which one to take. From soccer to basketball, fight sports, gymnastics, and even skiing, Brooklyn covers pretty much everything that could potentially think of;
The same goes for the after-school classes, weekend classes, and all other types of additional after-school academic enrichment. From Tiny Treasures NYC, Elite Minds Montessori, to East Midwood Jewish Center, you will find plenty of prestigious Brooklyn’s Eye Level Learning Centers.
Finally, another reason why raising kids in NYC is such a great idea are the day camps, sleepaway camps, art & design camps, or any other camps that are so prevalent in Brooklyn during summer. These are just some of those your kids could enjoy in the New York Metro Area.

Is raising kids in NYC more difficult if you live in Queens?

The answer is resounding no. The reason is simple – Queens is much more suburban than Brooklyn and, in this case, it works to its advantage. The houses are larger, there are more homes with backyards, and the playgrounds are significantly bigger. On top of all that, you’ll find more trees and more wildlife in Queens. If you were already on the fence regarding whether or not you should pack and move to Queens, don’t hesitate too much. Get in touch with some reputable movers Queens and relocate to this family-friendly borough.

A view on Manhattan — There are almost 2 million people living only in Manhattan!

To sum it up, Queens generally has a more family-oriented vibe than any other NYC borough. During the summer, driving by, you will likely see many families barbecuing in the backyard or doing any other form of family outing. Just as you’ll see countless snowball fights in the winter. That’s the essence of Queens, and it makes for great memories, especially if you’re a child growing up there.

The financial connotations of raising kids in NYC

Choosing the right borough and investing enough time to find a proper apartment could save you some money. Needless to say, as kids grow older they demand more space, which means you’ll likely need to change a few apartments before they leave the nest. That fact should also affect your budget planning.

Yes, raising kids in NYC is costly. Therefore, while planning, you should think about how to make the most of your new NYC home. Manhattan, of course, is the most expensive borough in NYC. As for Brooklyn and Queens, it is important to know that Brooklyn is more costly overall. That said, the gap between Brooklyn and Queens is getting smaller with every passing year. Right now, the same apartment in Queens costs around 500 dollars less than in Brooklyn. At the same time, the renting costs have been slightly decreasing in Brooklyn and slightly increasing in Queens over the last few years. Should that continue, the gap between average living costs in these two popular NYC boroughs may get much smaller at some point down the line.