Getting Around the City

Photo courtesy of Graco

I can’t seem to get my car seat fitted right. Can anyone help me?

Call 311 and make a free appointment with a city-sponsored technician who will inspect your DIY installation job and correct any mistakes. To avoid those straps and buckles altogether: Call in a professional. Emily Levine, the Car Seat Lady (Emily@thecarseatlady.com), will properly install yours for $60. Ask about the $20 discount for twins.—Sophie Friedman

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Photo courtesy of McLaren

What’s a good stroller for...

...hauling up and down subway steps?

The Maclaren Volo ($110) is startlingly lightweight (only 8.6 lbs), yet eminently stylish. When you’re afraid to remove your sleeping infant from the stroller and you’re staring at the steps to your four-story walk-up, you’ll be very grateful.

Photo of Inglesina

...folding up quickly?

When you need to collapse your ride ASAP—to toss it into the trunk of a taxi, say, or stash it in a restaurant’s coatroom—the one-hand, pull-up-and-go mechanism of the Inglesina Zippy ($340) is hard to beat. It doesn’t even require you to bend.

Photo courtesy of BOB Ironman

...rolling over uneven sidewalks?

To really handle the rough terrain of the concrete jungle, you need a true power vehicle like the BOB Ironman stroller ($350). We’re talking real inflatable tires and a three-inch shock absorber suspension system. Take that, cobblestones of Dumbo!—Christopher Healy

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Photo: Maria Valva

Do I have to lug around a car seat for every taxi or car-service trip I take?

That’s your call. According to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, state-mandated seat belt and child safety-seat laws do not apply to passengers of the yellow medallion taxicabs or other for-hire vehicles regulated by the TLC. So infant seats are optional. If you do want to bring your own seat—a habit the commission wholeheartedly encourages—the driver is required to let you install the seat in the taxi. But as long as you’re comfortable with it, you’re free to snag a cab across Manhattan with baby snug in his sling.—Christopher Healy

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Photograph by Maria Valva

What’s my best bet for finding a changing station when I’m out and about?

You can pretty much always count on Barnes & Noble (and wherever you are in the city, you won’t be far from one). The bathrooms are clean, easily accessible and feature water fountains at a child’s height—which can, of course, necessitate another trip to the bathroom. Old Navy, almost as prevalent, has well-kept restrooms that are usually line-free, with a disco soundtrack to boot. And if you’re in the vicinity of ABC Carpet & Home (888 Broadway at 19th St), you’ll find complimentary diapers in the second-floor bathroom.—Sophie Friedman

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