Best NYC Playgrounds for Babies & Toddlers

Jennie Utsinger:  Imagination Playground is filled with giant foam blocks and other loose parts; perfect for little ones to climb and push around. The wooden ramp along the perimeter is also a popular running track for toddlers!

Jennie Utsinger:  In warm weather, the Chelsea Waterside Park is a must visit for little kids. There's a shallow wading area, and lots of water spouts. The ground is a soft material and there's lots of shady seating under trees and metal umbrellas. There's also a large sandbox and low structures for small kids to climb on.

Jennie Utsinger:  The Pier 5 playground at Brooklyn Bridge Park has a section for little kids and a section for older ones. The toddler playground has a soft surface and lots of colorful structures for toddlers to play on, in, and around. Parents and kids alike can enjoy the view of Manhattan and the harbor while they play.

Jennie Utsinger:  This Brooklyn Heights spot features a large lower play structure on soft rubber for the younger set and a few baby swings. Older siblings can play on the larger play structure. Bonus: this playground is right next to the beautiful Brooklyn Heights Promenade, an excellent location for strolling or toddling.

Jennie Utsinger:  If you live in Carroll Park (or anywhere close by), you play at Carroll Park Playground. Always packed with strollers, the side of the playground geared to the younger set features baby swings, a friendly kneeling elephant sculpture, and a lower play structure perfect for little climbers and sliders. During the summer, a large central area has sprinklers.

Jennie Utsinger:  Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 1 playground is designed for younger children. There's tons of shade, a soft foamy surface, and lots of low structures to climb on and around. The playground also has several baby swings.

Jennie Utsinger:  Named in honor of NYPD’s only fallen female officer on 9/11, this welcoming playground has low, colorful structures for toddlers to play on, and is fenced in for extra security. In the summer, large alphabet blocks squirt water in a little splash park.

Jennie Utsinger:  A small "river" runs through the center of this Riverside Park playground and what baby or toddler isn't fascinated by water? There are also a sandbox, baby swings, and small play structure with a slide. Parents and older siblings will appreciate the bathrooms inside the park.

Jennie Utsinger:  The Toll Family Playground, located in Central Park, is a large playground divided by a central bridge into areas for younger and older kids. There's lots of soft sand for toddlers to run around in and sprinklers in the summer.

Jennie Utsinger:  This shady playground features large and small hippo sculptures throughout the playground for little ones to climb on or around. Toddlers will also enjoy the smaller play structures, baby swings and sandbox. During the summer, the hippos become a sprinkler park.

Jennie Utsinger:  This wooden Central Park playground is a favorite with the toddler set. Built to resemble a frontier town, it has lots of sand, a small slide, and lower structures for younger kids to play on. In the summer, there are sprinklers and a stream.

Jennie Utsinger:  The massive sandbox is the main attraction for little kids in this popular Central Park playground. There are also little pyramids to practice climbing and sprinklers in the summer. Older siblings can play on the adjacent boulders or in the larger sprinklers in the summer.

Juan L.:  Located on the southeast side of Central Park, this playground offers great classic fun to preschool aged children without a lot of the fancy new equipment found in some of the newer Central Park parks. This playground uses nature to create separate playrooms making it feel more rustic and more a part of the park. There is a granite slide, bucket swings, log stools, and lush plantings and rocks. It is the perfect mash of nature and fun for outdoorsy toddlers.

Jennie Utsinger:  Come play on the "river" at John Jay Park on the UES. The large rubber surface provides ample area for toddlers to practice their walking and a sandbox for digging. Before they're big enough to climb on the large boat-like structure, kids will also love playing in the low wooden lifeboat.

Juan L.:  Hidden in the huge and wild nature preserve in Manhattan, Inwood Hill Park on the far upper west region, this playground is withdrawn from the crowd and noise of many Manhattan playgrounds, making it a great spot for younger tots who can't handle the older kids as well. Other great features for babies and tots are sand pits, circular climbing structures (made for tots), and a wooden canoe. The whole family will love the views of the Spuyten Duyvil.