Toronto with a baby

[FoxInFiji]

We're taking a roadtrip to Toronto with our 8 month old in a few weeks and I have some questions.  Background: We got a great rate at a hotel downtown near Eaton Centre for 4 nights.  Then we're driving to Niagara Falls for 2 nights. 

We're looking at seeing the zoo, CN Tower, Casa Loma, and High Park.  What else would you recommend seeing/not seeing?  Should we go to Toronto Island instead of High Park?  Is Centre Island just for older kids or are there parent w/baby friendly things to do? 

We'll probably buy the CityPass and weekly TTC pass for each of us.  Is there anyway to get a deal on those?

How difficult is overnight parking in that area?  Should we just stick with the hotel parking and pay extra for that convenience?

I figured we'd drive our car to the zoo since it's so far away by public transportation.  Will that be a huge hassle?  Do we need to go early to beat traffic or is it just rush hours we should try to avoid?

What is the best way to travel with the baby on a subway?  DD doesn't like long periods of being in a carrier so we'll need to take a stroller with us everywhere.  I was thinking put her in a carrier and carry a folded stroller (City Mini) so that we don't have to deal with elevators. 

TIA!

[Deleted]

Go to the zoo early. It gets super busy.
There is a new childrens discovery centre. No idea where or how good but my Mommy groups like it.
Subway is fine with kids and strollers. Just avoid 730-930am and 4-6pm. It is packed and chaotic.

Centre island is a lovely place. There are lots of picnic areas, a beach and of course Centreville. Centreville has an amazing splash pad. The rides are good for 2 yr olds and up. There is a carousel. I think I took L when she was 1.5 and we did the carousel a hundred times. And she loved it. Last year at 2.5 was better.

Most of the subway stops don't have elevators but you and your H can lift her down.
I take l all over in the stroller on the subway just not in rush hour.

[Deleted]

Go to the zoo early. It gets super busy.
There is a new childrens discovery centre. No idea where or how good but my Mommy groups like it.
Subway is fine with kids and strollers. Just avoid 730-930am and 4-6pm. It is packed and chaotic.

Centre island is a lovely place. There are lots of picnic areas, a beach and of course Centreville. Centreville has an amazing splash pad. The rides are good for 2 yr olds and up. There is a carousel. I think I took L when she was 1.5 and we did the carousel a hundred times. And she loved it. Last year at 2.5 was better.

Most of the subway stops don't have elevators but you and your H can lift her down.
I take l all over in the stroller on the subway just not in rush hour.

[Deleted]

Sorry for that double post

High park is nice. They have a little zoo and a train that rides aroud the park. But it's kind of far. I would go to centre island if staying at the eaton centre just because it's so much more convenient. And the ferry ride.

[FoxInFiji]

Awesome thanks @hannymaren! Those are some great suggestions. I'll change our plans to Centre Island instead.

I don't know who else to tag from the Toronto area.

[soozy87]

We were just in Toronto. Check out the City Pass - for one price you get to enter Casa Loma, the zoo, CN Tower and 2 museums.

[FoxInFiji]

Jul 14, 2015 15:11:19 GMT -5 @booby said:

high prk is nice, but i think boring unless your kid is mobile and with it. they have great (free!) zoo and an awesome playground.

center island is a good bet and like hanny mentioned, closer to your hotel. i think hlf the fun of centre island is getting there b/c of the ferry ride and then, once on the island, the gardens are beautiful to look at. my other fave activity there is the bike rental. they have bike options that will work well with a baby - i think even their tandem bikes can be outfitted with a baby seat. the BEST PARTS of the island are the residential areas, which are easiest to access by bike.

the restt of your activities sound good. also, there is this awesome food market on front street this summer (this is right outside of union station - you could walk or subway from the eaton centre...it's really close by). tons of food vendors and music and it's apparently licensed to serve booze from wed-sun. i would for sure make a trip over thre.

the children's discovery cetre that hanny mentioned looks amazing. i can't wait to take my kid. they have activities and amenities for the babies too. here: www.childrensdiscoverycentre.com/

there are also a lot of good lunch places and stores in that area. a good place to spend a morning or afternoon.

Thanks!  Yes I've read biking around Centre Island is on a lot of to do lists but I wasn't sure what age we could start putting her in a children's bike seat.  Her head and neck control is strong for her age so I'll have to look into that. 

Oh and I completely forgot about food recommendations!  I figured I'd flag some on Yelp/Urbanspoon/TA places to eat.