Istanbul long layover advice for family with little kids

It's around 13 miles to the center of old town, about an hour by taxi with cooperating traffic. I don't think you can enter the country without a visa and a visa was $20 USD each last time we went. You might get on tripadvisor.com Istanbul forum for more timely and specific advice, especially about hotels. I've never seen any kid friendly options in any of the restaurants but there used to be a McDonalds or maybe more fast food places overlooking the Golden Horn at the Galata Bridge. Good luck.

If you book the correct room in this airport hotel (landslide vs airside), you won't have to get e-Visas since it's technically connected to the airport. Just be sure to book the right room. Otherwise, you will need to get a Visa to exit the airport to go anywhere else, no matter how close.

TAV Airport Hotel
http://www.ataturkairport.com/en-en/shoppingdinning/pages/airporthotel.aspx

I take it you've never been to Turkey before because your concerns sound a bit odd, to say the least. Why would IST airport not be "safe for families"? Turks in general are very hospitable and they love children. Plus, there are multiple levels of security to gain access to secure areas of the airport where you'll be transiting. Yes, it's a very busy airport and you'll see people from all over the world that you've probably never seen before (it's a gateway between the Middle East and Europe/points west with LOTS of through traffic), but there should be no issue spending 6 hours at the airport (and the way back at the hotel). You'll see plenty of families of all kinds at the airport.

Thank you for your advice. I'll check out the website for the hotel. We've done a fair amount of traveling in Africa, and some airports feel safer than others. It's good to know that it's a busy airport because one of the safety concerns is just losing our kids in the crowd, so we'll be careful. But we enjoy seeing people from all over the world, so we look forward to that.

Given that it's a big airport, I assume we can use credit cards safely to make purchases - is that correct? We have been to some airports where they use only cash. Thanks again.

Yes, credit cards should be no problem at the airport, no one expects foreigners to have Turkish Lira in hand (and even if you needed it, there are tons of ATMs everywhere). Try some Turkish Delights at one of the shops. I assume you're flying Turkish Air, which is a great airline. The food is delicious onboard (I've always pre-ordered a veggie meal and it has been excellent).

There are not "tons of ATMs everywhere." Last time I flew through IST, I looked for an ATM. Nearly all of them are landside. I did see one on landing, before the security check to enter the airport but that was all. On my return, there wasn't even one then. Once in the airport, I asked around, finally found what appeared to be the only one and my ATM card didn't work. Apparently only cards for that specific bank were accepted.

We have two long layovers in Istanbul with Turkish Air- one is 6 hours and the other is 15 hours. If we stay in the airport during the layovers, do we need to pick up and recheck in our bags? Or will Turkish Air take care of that for us?

We will be sure to get some Turkish Delights during the long layovers. :) Thanks for your help!