Mile Square Parenting

A Hoboken Toddler Pool Love Story

Kathy Zucker's toddlers have gradually been getting used to the water in several Hoboken pools over the last few years. Their first swim lessons this summer have had unexpected results.

Over the last three years, my husband and I have been gradually introducing our children to the water. We enrolled our daughter in a swim class at Stevens when she was eighteen months old, which was an abject failure; she spent the entire time clinging in terror to her dad and crying about the water being too cold. Discouraged, we put swim lessons on the back burner until the kids were older. When we moved to our current apartment in South West Hoboken, the first thing that jumped out at me about the location was its proximity to the Sky Club Fitness pool. At ages three and one, maybe it was time to reintroduce our kids to the water. After my experience with baby no. 1, I didn't bother with swim lessons. Instead, I took the kids to weekly …

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Kathy Zucker

12:11 pm on Friday, August 5, 2011

The Hoboken High School pool is open for free to the public from 8/8-8/26. Details at http://bit.ly/hobokenpool   more ›

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Sun, Sand & Water at Pier C Park in Hoboken

With her kids out of school for the summer, Kathy Zucker has been looking for new activities to keep them busy.

Raising kids in Hoboken just got a lot better. We have visited Pier C park three times since it officially opened over Memorial Day weekend, and I can unequivocally say it was worth the long wait. There have been some amazing playgrounds opening up recently in NYC like Imagination Playground; Pier C is on par with the best of them. Also? It is geared toward older children; just in time for those of us whose kids were starting to outgrow the playground equipment in Hoboken's existing parks. The playground equipment is seriously challenging. As a former elite national athlete, even I was taken aback by how advanced it is. From the vertical toeholds up a steep shaft that represent the only way to reach the top of the incredibly tall slide …

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Journey

9:59 am on Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Last week my preschooler (who will be 3 in 2 months) mastered the tower up to the big slide. She said it was hard when she started trying, but kept at it. I asked her if it was fun. I then helped her make the connection that hard things can be fun, and hard things become easy with practice.   more ›

Kickoff to Toddler Festival Season in Hoboken

Kathy Zucker stumbled upon the OLG Funfest four years ago. She and her family make a point of going every year since it is such a fun day for the kids.

Hoboken summers are magical for toddlers. From free carnivals and outdoor Pixar movies to Art in the Park, there are a slew of inexpensive toddler activities taking place from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Each year, my toddlers know summer fun is getting underway when we attend the OLG Funfest in Church Square Park. The weather tends to be a bit cool and windy so I pack windbreakers and leggings to chase away the chills. We stock up on carnival tickets at 10 for $13 and then follow our battle plan for the day to pack in maximum fun. With a tiger paint job (two tickets) on my four and a half year old daughter's face, we had our war paint in place to brave the long lines & crowds around popular activities. The pony ride is hands-down our …

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Kathy Zucker

10:24 am on Saturday, June 18, 2011

Family Fit & Fun Day TODAY on Sinatra Drive from 10am-4pm. For details on this & similar upcoming events, check out http://www.hudsonmomexpo.com/calendar   more ›

Mile Square Parenting

Toddler Ice Skating a Hop & Skip From Hoboken

Kathy Zucker has taken her children on numerous ice skating trips over the past two winters; they are starting to enjoy the excursions and become independent on the ice.

After three ice skating trips this winter, my kids are starting to get into it. I grew up skating in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island, so it makes me very happy to see my toddlers demonstrate enthusiasm for a traditional New York City winter activity. During our last trip, my younger child actually spent more than 30 seconds on the ice; a positive development since skate rental fees can really add up. During our most recent skating excursion, my husband and I were thrilled when our four-year-old let go of the railing and started skating on her own. Our general sports strategy is to expose our kids to each one until they are comfortable, and then look into lessons. It is time for skating and swim lessons for our older child, but we …

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Kathy Zucker

11:31 am on Saturday, February 12, 2011

A reader asked about helmets for toddlers; I brought bike helmets for both kids but my little one refused to wear his. Didn't have a problem on the ice since both my kids are very cautious, but for other kids (ie. my daughter's best friend kept wiping out and landing flat on her back) it's a good idea to bring a helmet.   more ›

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Zoo Outings with Hoboken Toddlers

Kathy Zucker's toddlers love visiting the animals at the various zoos near Hoboken. Their favorite is Turtle Back Zoo, although it is nice to have the Bronx Zoo 45 minutes away for when they are older.

Now that the heat wave is as good as over, the late summer weather will be perfect for spending the day at the zoo. Fortunately, there are many toddler-friendly zoos near Hoboken. Over the last three years, we have taken the kids to the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Staten Island Zoo and Turtle Back Zoo. This was the first year we had to pay for admission for my son since he is now over two years old. Our hands-down favorite is  Turtle Back Zoo. It's large enough to see all the exhibits in one day, but not so large that the experience is overwhelming. We spend the day at the snake house, petting zoo, and a number of outdoor animal exhibits where you can get really close to the animals; we were a couple of feet away from a leopard who looked…

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plywood

8:41 pm on Friday, September 10, 2010

I might also add South Mountain Reservation accommodates "bring-your-own" sledding when there is adequate snow on the ground. Informally run as it should be!   more ›

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Planning a Family Vacation on a Budget

My toddlers are finally old enough to take on overnight trips. After extensive research, we decided to take them to Washington, D.C., to visit museums, the zoo and aquarium.

Summer is coming to an end, and my husband and I are finding ourselves in need of a vacation from our busy lives in Hoboken. We haven't taken an overnight vacation in almost four years. And now, with Labor Day weekend around the corner, we're beginning to explore our options.  My children are finally at a point where missing a nap is not the end of the world, and they can be reasoned with (or bribed). So, good news: travel is back on the menu. We have been making lots of day trips to zoos, museums and beaches, but now it's time to start exploring the East Coast. Over the last couple of months, my husband and I tossed travel ideas at each other. We considered his hometown of Chicago to see the Cubs play (airfare costs ruled that one out), …

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Kathy Zucker

10:36 pm on Monday, August 30, 2010

Yes, we definitely will be making this trip again! Spent an incredible day at the Air & Space Museum, the kids have been swimming up a storm every day in the huge outdoor hotel pool, then went to the Lincoln Memorial by moonlight. Absolutely gorgeous, wish we were staying longer but I have business meetings scheduled as soon as I get back so we can't extend our trip.   more ›

Mile Square Parenting

Sports for Hoboken Toddlers

Kathy Zucker wants her urban toddlers to grow up playing sports to get in the habit of being healthy and fit

Raising a child in an urban environment to be an athlete is a challenge. Especially when your town lacks amenities like a soccer field. However, there are plenty of sports available in Hoboken. You just have to look for them. I have already written about my passion for unusual sports like fencing and how Hoboken is the ideal place to raise a child fencer. Athletics are extremely important to me and my husband, for both physical and mental conditioning, and we want to pass those benefits on to our two children. Hoboken has a strong softball tradition—It's the birthplace of baseball, remember—so I am looking forward to enrolling my kids in tee-ball when they turn seven. In the meantime, I am enrolling them in swim classes at Sky Club Fitness…

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Kathy Zucker

9:23 pm on Saturday, May 15, 2010

Great WSJ article on how toddler golf programs are exploding in popularity, but then has a huge dropoff once the kids become teenagers b/c of lack of access to nearby, affordable short golf courses. http://bit.ly/9ACnVq   more ›

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Starting a Family in a Hoboken Two-Bedroom

Kathy Zucker and her husband moved into a Hoboken two-bedroom and had two children. She discovered the many charms of raising a family in Hoboken but also found that their second child arrived with an expiration date on their two-bedroom.

My husband and I moved to Hoboken because it is similar to Park Slope, Brooklyn, one stop on the PATH train to Manhattan, and has an abundance of large new two-bedroom condos with a second bathroom and parking. We moved here to get more space, but once we had that second bedroom, we rarely used it for anything except storage (wedding dress, golf clubs, books, random furniture). When I became pregnant with our daughter, it was imperative to clear out the second bedroom to make room for baby gear. A few trips to Ikea provided ample storage, and we set up a combo baby/guest room complete with queen bed (convenient for all-night feeding sessions).  Our daughter slept in a bassinet in our bedroom for the first six months and then moved without …

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