Paris with a baby: tips from a local
With 4 kids, all 5 and under, I’m sharing my top ten tips on how to do Paris with a little one by your side. Spoiler alert: it was a lot easier than I thought.
My first four years in Paris were baby-free. I always thought that having a baby would mean goodbye to the days of sipping wine on outdoor terraces and waiters being more annoyed than they already, often, are. To my pleasant surprise, I was so wrong. Paris is baby-friendly if you’re prepared. Read below for my tips on baby-friendly life in the City of Lights.
Always have a changing pad—and get comfortable changing diapers in the stroller or on a park bench, the grass, etc. Restrooms with baby changing facilities are still relatively rare, so bring a portable changing mat. It will allow you to change your baby almost anywhere. That said, shoutout to Café Judy, which has a great baby-changing set-up.
Always have hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes. All kinds of germs are floating around with all the buses, metros, or door handles.
An agile, lightweight stroller that you can easily fold is best for day-to-day life. Space is always limited in Paris (on the streets, shops, restaurants, and hotels…). We are obsessed with our BabyZen YoYo stroller (along with every other Parisian). We just have our YoYo, but I’m in an English-speaking moms group on Facebook, and some moms have one more spacious stroller and another small, inexpensive stroller for when they have to take the bus or metro.
Keep a baby carrier on hand, or ditch your stroller and just put the baby in the carrier. When running a quick errand or even for an afternoon at the park, I often leave the stroller behind and put the baby in the pouch. Also, you will not be allowed to visit certain tourist attractions, like the Eiffel Tower, if your stroller won’t fold up, so that’s a great time to use your baby carrier.
Use Caocao or G7 when ordering a taxi. I love Caocao because it’s London black cab style, meaning you can roll your stroller on in. The app advises to order at least two hours in advance. Otherwise, via the G7 app, you can request a car seat. You have to pay a small fee to order in advance, but it’s worth knowing you can cross town or head to the airport without having to haul your car seat (or go without entirely, which some people do). The wait time, however, can be longer since not all G7 taxis are equipped with car seats, so order in advance if you can. Going to and from the airport, we prefer to book with Babycabs because you can request multiple car seats. With G7, there is usually one car seat and one booster seat maximum.
If you do bring your own car seat and book via Uber or another ride-sharing app, call or message the driver in advance to let them know. That way, they can look for a space to pull off to the side and put their flashers on while you install it.
If you need to take a taxi at a moment’s notice, know that you can board a cab (not an Uber or ride-sharing service) with a baby on your lap. We had to do it a few times for short distances. Just make sure you have baby facing you (like you would for burping them), so you can hold their neck and head, saving it from swinging back and forth if the driver breaks abruptly.
The Paris metro and train network can be challenging to navigate for parents with strollers or people with a physical disability. Many stations don’t have elevators or escalators, which means climbing up and down dozens of steps. It can be stressful but dangerous, especially during rush hour when trains are full of locals rushing to work and pickpockets stalking victims. For more information about the accessibility of the Paris metro and train stations, click here. My favorite transportation method in Paris has always been walking (or the bus).
For meals, this isn’t a new concept, but eating during off-times is. You’ll have an easier time finding a table with space for the stroller. That being said, I’ve had all meals of the day during peak times with my little one in tow, and restaurants have been accommodating. Also, be smart about the restaurants you visit with your baby. Bistros and cafes are typically fine, but if it’s trendy or you need a reservation, those are signs that maybe it’s best to leave the little one at home and save that place for a night out without bébé. Finally, don’t be surprised if your restaurant of choice doesn’t have a highchair. Baby on the lap has never bothered me, but if you want to be 100% certain your little one has their own spot, bring a portable high chair or call in advance to see if one is available at the restaurant.
Have a light towel or blanket to put over your stroller when sitting on an outdoor terrace. People smoke, and you want to keep baby protected while still enjoying cafe culture. It also prevents the cloth part of your stroller from smelling like cigarettes when you leave.
Cover photo credit: Julia Romanovskaya
Strolling around the 5th with Nico in the baby carrier
Taking in café culture with the little one on my lap
No high chair, no problems