Stuck at home with a new baby or a sick kid? Or, heck, you just don’t feel like going outside because it is too cold, too wet, or too hot and humid? Don’t despair, one of the beautiful things about New York City is that you can order-in virtually anything. That’s right – food, household products, toiletries and even a nice bottle of wine can be delivered right to your door, so there’s no need to strap your little peanut into the Ergo or bundle your toddler up in a snowsuit just so you can juggle handfuls of heavy bags plus your kiddo on the way home. The next time you’re homebound consult our go-to list of order-in stores before you even think about putting on your shoes.
Get it Delivered Right Away
Seamless
If you are anything like us, you spent a good part of your pregnancy thinking of all the food you would eat, after you had the baby, that was currently on the do-not-eat list. Now you can eat anything you want, but you don’t want to take the baby to a crowded restaurant just yet. Seamless is here to lend you a helping hand or fork if you need it. Order from over 4,700 restaurants in New York City, online, (that means no problems with a crying baby in the background when you’re trying to place a phone order) and get the meal, snack, coffee, or whatever you’re craving brought right to your door. Food can be delivered as soon as possible or you can schedule a delivery time. What’s cool is that Seamless doesn’t just have regular brick and mortar restaurants on its list. If you’re craving Korean food, you can get it delivered from the Seoul Food Truck. Restaurants set their own delivery minimums, which can be viewed on the Seamless website.
Booze Carriage
When your kid gets sick, his normally cheerful, upbeat mood takes a 180 into whiny monster mode. After a day of dealing with said monster you’d love to relax on the couch with a nice glass of wine, right? Don’t have any? Can’t run out to get any? No problem. Booze Carriage will have your wine, or stronger liquor of your choice, at your door within 60 minutes. They deliver from 116th Street and below in Manhattan, as well as to parts of Brooklyn and Queens. The only requirement is that you must order a minimum of $20 worth of booze, which means you’ll be all set for tomorrow too. Relaxation achieved!
Phone: 646-368-9985
Get it Weekly
Manhattan Milk
No longer do you have to reminisce about the days when fresh-from-the-farm milk was delivered to your house by the milkman. If you live in Manhattan or Brooklyn, Manhattan Milk will bring the fresh milky goodness right to your door. Their milk comes from cows that are antibiotic and hormone free. You can also order organic, cage-free eggs, yogurt, water and juice for delivery. The milkman comes once a week, and trust us, he doesn’t look anything like the white-haired, mustachioed deliveryman of old. You must place a minimum order of $15 in order for the milkman to pay a visit and there is a $5 delivery charge as well.
Phone: 917-843-0727
Blue Apron
Forget tuning into the Food Network and trying to watch, cook and decipher the meaning of the cooking terminology they use all at the same time. Unleash your inner gourmand with the carefully crafted recipes from Blue Apron instead. What does mise en place mean anyway? Each week, Blue Apron will deliver all of the ingredients needed for three perfectly portioned meals, at the cost of $9.99 per person, per meal. All you need to add is salt, pepper and oil, as well as some sort of heating element to cook it all. All meals are between 500 and 700 calories and take around 35 minutes to prepare. For non-meat eaters, there’s a vegetarian option available. Blue Apron has new recipes every week. Past options have included Blackened Tilapia with Cheddar Grits and Pea Shoots, as well as Butternut Squash with Brussels Sprouts, White Beans and Gremolata. We know they sound complicated, but Blue Apron provides step-by-step recipe cards to help you prepare each meal.
Order it When You Need it
Petflow
As anyone who has pets knows, one of the worst parts of being a pet parent is having to lug those huge bags of pet food home from the store. After lugging it into the cart, then the car, then the house, you are well on your way to a herniated disc. Instead of risking lifelong pain, order from Petflow. They carry almost 150 brands of pet products in their store and will deliver them right to you. All orders ship within 24 hours and take 2 to 5 days to arrive. Shipping costs $4.95 per order no matter how big or heavy your order you; go ahead, buy that ginormous bag, you don’t have to carry it.
Phone: 888-316-7297
Fresh Direct
There’s nothing worse than having to deal with the supermarket after a long day at work. Yes you need food, but you don’t want to have to wrestle through hordes of people to get it and then stand on ridiculously long lines to pay for it. That’s where Fresh Direct comes in. You can order your groceries on their website, schedule your delivery time and date and they’ll show up with your groceries in hand. Order a week in advance or the night before. The best part is that everything comes directly from the Fresh Direct warehouse, so no one has felt up your melons or squeezed your mangoes. Want great tasting international food at home without ordering takeout? Fresh Direct also offers 4-minute meals from Italy, France, Mexico and India. You simply heat and eat. Dishes included Salmon with Braised Lentils, Turkey Bolognese Lasagna, and Chicken Tikka Masala. Fresh Direct delivers throughout the five boroughs, but you can plug your zip code into the website to see if they deliver to your specific neighborhood. Delivery charges start at $5.99 and go up to $8.99, based on location and the total cost of items purchased.
Phone: 212-796-8002
Diapers.com
You just had a new baby. Congratulations. But, now that the post-delivery fog has worn off, you realize that you barely have enough diapers, wipes and formula to get you through the week. Never fear, Diapers.com is here. You can order everything you need for a new baby, including nursery furniture and clothes on Diapers.com. If you live in New York City and order by 9:00 am, your products miraculously will be delivered that very same day, as long as the item is in stock; if you order after 9:00 am your order will be delivered the next day. For other areas, they guarantee two-day delivery and shipping is free on orders over $49. And in case you are wondering, yes they do accept manufacturers coupons; you just need to mail them in to Diapers.com in advance of your order so they can be credited to your account.
Phone: 800-342-7377
Are these services lifesavers or what? Have you had experience with any of these delivery services? What did you think?
— Mikaela Walker
Photos courtesy of Tristan Ferne, Wolvenraider and Aktron/Wikimedia Commons
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