4 nights in Sicily in February with 2 small children

In 4 days, you don't have time to see Taormina, Mt. Etna, Siracusa, AND Catania because, with travel time between them, that would equate to less than 1 day each. While that may be fine for very energetic travelers who make the most of each day and can go non-stop all day long, it strikes me as an aggressive schedule if you have two small kids along with you. If you don't "want to bounce around", then you need to cut down the number of places that are "must sees". Siracusa is to the south, while the other attractions are to the north..so you may want to pick one or the other. Catania airport has very good bus connections to both Taormina (less than 2 hours from what I recall) and Siracusa (about 1 hour 15 min). There's nothing inherent about taking a bus that is not kid-friendly unless there are bathroom issues (there is no bathroom on the bus for these relatively short trips). You'll have more flexibility with a rental car but there's a price trade-off. This is a generality, but keep in mind that Taormina is very expensive relative to other places in Sicily (lots of high-end hotels and pricey restaurants and boutiques there) and Catania is a bit gritty and crowded in comparison (if you want to go there then identify what sites you want to see first). Siracusa is very nice and mellow and much more pedestrian-friendly. Mt. Etna is best accessed from Taormina - it's far from Siracusa unless you want a very long day trip. I did not see any tours to Mt. Etna run from Siracusa but plenty of advertisements from Taormina or Catania. Good luck on your trip planning!

Here are a few things to consider:

1) Taormina will be dead still at the end of February. It is very much a seasonal town. Siracusa is going to be offering more for you in February.

2) As you guessed, staying put will be easier on you and the kids. I would, hands down, recommend basing yourself in Siracusa, for the entire 4 nights. There are several apartments in Ortigia that would serve you well.
Try: http://www.casesicilia.com/index_en.html
They are open to kids and Paola will advise you well as to which apartment would be best suited for your family. I am renting one of her apartments over those dates. :)

3) Get a rental car for the duration. When you arrive at CTA in the evening, depending on the time, there is less likely to be public transportation/shuttles to anywhere else but Catania itself.
Parking is good on Ortigia - especially for when you are planning on being there. You can then go and return on your own schedule (and the kids' endurance) in whatever direction for a day trip (like to Taormina, Noto, or Mt. Etna if you're lucky).

4) Expect full winter conditions at elevations - that means snow. You may, but more likely may not, get a favourable window to go up to Mt Etna. So keep a flexible schedule, in case you do get the opportunity to go - but don't count on it.

I was more concerned with the amount of luggage that comes with having two small children and how easy that would be to get the luggage from the airport to the bus etc. We have four adults and two kids so I'm guessing we will have 4 large suitcases and two small suitcases. I guess we are on the adventurous side for traveling with children since they have both already been to Vietnam, Tokyo, Cancun, and all over the US. If we DID stay two nights in Syracuse and two nights in Taormina, do you still feel our schedule is not advisable with the two children?

Diane, this is extremely helpful!! Thank you so much!!

Again, winter in Taormina is not necessarily a good choice.

Syracuse it is!! Would there be any reason to hire a private driver instead of rent a car? Now I just need to find a place to stay in Syracuse that will accommodate us all, Two grandmas that need separate bedrooms and our family of four that include the two small children. I will check air b-n-b etc. If anyone knows someone with a perfect fit, let me know.

looks like casesicilia doesn't have a three bedroom :( I emailed them anyway to see

Would there be any reason to hire a private driver instead of rent a car?
No, there is virtually no traffic between the airport and Siracusa. But what kind of rental car will accommodate 6 people? A van?

As far as places to stay, try www.booking.com. You may need to get rooms separately or look for a large apartment or house rental. There may be some good ones outside Ortygia and Siracusa proper (it may be easier to park there as well)

When I was looking for an apartment, I saw a couple of places where there were two apartments in the same building... you can consider having the grandmas in one space and your small brood in the other. ;-)

This is one such house, with two apartments:
http://www.vrbo.com/815758ha

Yes a van and the four days with car seats will be over $600!! Yikes.

I can't thank you enough Diane, great ideas!

That house listing has a 7 day minimum stay. I would opt for the bus - it's only 1 hour 15 min and right outside the baggage area. It costs about 7,50 Euros (for adults, I'm pretty sure kids would be free) and stows luggage until it reaches Siracusa. If you can roll your luggage for 7 minutes down the street from the bus station, I recommend this hotel (if you elect to stay at a hotel vs. private accommodation or airbnb). It was very comfortable, easy to find and close to both Ortygia and the bus station (I got it for 85 Euros but you have to book early to get the best deals). The major downside is that you won't have a kitchen to make small meals which is really helpful (even for single travelers like me). As a caveat though, I don't have kids so I can't really give good kid-friendly advice. I applaud you for being adventurous and traveling with them at such an early age.

http://www.alfeo.it/

Do you think the bus will still operate at 7pm?

Here's the website where you can find the Interbus schedule. As of now, the last bus is at 8:40.
http://www.interbus.it/

But if you're getting in that late, why not just stay in Catania the first night (near the airport or elsewhere) and head out in the morning once everybody is well rested?

Or just arrange a private transfer on arrival with whomever you will have booked the accommodation.
That's what I did.
IMO, it certainly wouldn't be practical (and a huge waste of time) to organize and move everyone after an overnight stay...

Since you will be going in the low season, do not overlook rentals that stipulate a 7 nights minimum. Contact the owner, as some definitely would consider a 4 nights stay. February is quiet.

Just a question -- why are you going all the way to Sicily for just four days, in February? Are you coming from within Europe, or adding on to part of another Europe trip? Do you have a reason you need to be there -- family wedding or some such? This just seems like a very curious time and length of time to go to that destination??!

We are coming from Tuscany. We will have already been in Tuscany for 6 days with no flexibility of making that portion of the trip shorter since my husband will be in a conference in Barga while the rest of us tour the area. We wanted to visit somewhere other than Rome and relatively warmer for the area so plane tickets are purchased and the rest will hopefully fall into place in the next few days. My Mom had fear that Sicily would be dirty and Mafia ridden lol. I have read that it is wonderful.

Good info on contacting the owner on 7 night min stays to see if they are flexible.

I'm going to check how far the bus stop would be upon arrival in Syracuse from where we are thinking of staying on Ortygia. 6 people walking pushing suitcases down bumpy streets at night in a strange town sounds dicey but who knows, maybe the bus drop off will be perfect.

Ortygia is a great location, there is a big parking lot if you decide to go for the van, or good bus/taxi service to the newer town. An alternative to Taormina would be Giardini-Naxos, at sea level a couple of kilometers from Taormina.

If you skip Taormina, you might consider a daytrip from Siracusa to Villa Romana del Casale. There may be a private driver available, even in Gebruary.

The bus station is just a little over the bridge on the Siracusa side. IMO, too far to walk with your crew. That's when two inexpensive taxis will come into play.
As I mentioned earlier, once you have a place to stay, contact them and ask how much they would charge you to arrange a direct pick-up at CTA. (Specify the # of suitcases and ages of the passengers, so that a suitable vehicle will be arranged for - I assume that you will have your own booster seats with you?)

So helpful, thank you to everyone!

I think we have decided on this place for the duration, we could have four rooms, multiple bathrooms and kitchen ... https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5210309?checkin=02%2F26%2F2016&checkout=02%2F28%2F2016&guests=6&s=QI1v9Srv

I will check out the additional towns mentioned for site seeing.

or actually, I think it is this listing...

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5245576?checkin=02%2F26%2F2016&checkout=03%2F01%2F2016&guests=6