What areas in Rome are safe to stay for Families

Rome is very safe and very walkable so almost all hotels in the center of Rome would fit this criteria.
Do you have a specific budget or type of hotel/amenities you are looking for? Which sites specifically do you plan to see?

We are looking to see the major sites. We would like to be able to get around to them easy with a 5 year old. I was thinking something close to the Metro?

Colesso, Pantheon, Vatican are the sites.

Sunny,

I find that staying in the area close to Termini station has always been good, especially as it's so very convenient for transportation. In addition to the Metro, there are also buses including the infamous #64 (aka "pickpocket express") and the Red Bus Hop On / Hop Off. Some people may consider the area a bit gritty but I don't mind it at all and it's been perfectly safe.

I would agree with Ken. We have stayed in that area a total of three to four weeks over the years. It is very convenient for all transit because most transit is headed to the station. However, the area is on the edge of the sightseeing area. It would be good hour walk to the Vatican. That would be the furthest with most everything else in the middle. And there are a number of nice, local oriented restaurants, pizzerias in the area.

Sunny,

We've also stayed near the Roma Termini Station and have found it to be very convenient.

We walked to the Colosseum from there since it was all down hill but then took a bus or Metro back to our hotel.

FYI, the Red Hop-on-Hop-off (HoHo) bus is no longer available in Rome.

I also recommend the termini area for easy access to the buses and metro. We have stayed near there several times and have had no problems.

We stayed near Campo dei Fiori and walked to everything.

We stayed next to Largo Argentina with our young child. Great location near Campo dei Fiori and Pantheon. Close to many sites - easy to stroll around. I enjoyed Rome with our child. Relax and enjoy. Rome is very doable with kids.

We stayed at the Hotel Select Garden -- http://www.hotelselectgarden.com/index_eng.html -- very near Termini. That was back in 2009. I just looked at the website, and the hotel looks even better than it did then. In going through the gallery pictures of the rooms, I noticed at least one with a big bed and a single one, so they probably can handle kids.

We took the metro or a bus or walked everywhere. One place we walked to was La Gallina Bianca for dinner -- http://www.lagallinabianca-pizzeria.com/. We sat outside and loved it.

According to their website, the red ho-ho is taking reservations for May 2015.