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This week's question:

We are planning a weekend in Paris and bringing our six-month-old baby. Is this a good idea? Does anybody have tips on how to enjoy a break with such a young child?
David Conway

Check out what older kids might enjoy doing in Paris as seen by blogger IVYParis

My wife and I took our honeymoon last year in Paris with our six month old. In the end we had a laugh mostly because attitudes to babies in Paris are laughable. Here's what we found:

- We were turned away from about a dozen cafes and restaurants because we had a pram; most cafes have tables so tightly packed they don't fit in the door

- There is no such thing as a baby changing room - anywhere. We ended up changing nappies on a tiny (dirty) worktop in a cramped toilet in Virgin, on top of a photocopier in the nursing station in the Louvre at shoulder height, and in the pram in Quartier Republique because there are no public baby change facilities. When we asked local parents with babies on the Champs Elysees “Ou est-ce qu'on peut faire changer la couche?” we got stared at as if we were from Mars; “Ohhhh bof, je ne sais pas monsieur, Peut-etre chez Virgin”. Not even the multinational department stores were able to help out - hence the worktop in Virgin. Where do French babies get their nappies changed? I have no idea.

The second odd thing is there is very little by way of lifts or ramps. Getting into the metro with a pram is worth it for the experience. You end up lifting the pram over the automatic gates as they don't open wide enough to let a pram through and often the gates at the side are not manned. They tease you, the crafty buggers. You don't fit on the tour bus either; after the fight to get the pram and family on the first time, you end up sitting on the bus the whole way round Paris, as you don't want to get on it a second time, I assure you.

Saying that, we got well treated in queues - we got to jump the big queue in the Louvre, but we got left standing in a queue for the tourist boat, pushed to the side by nasty people looking for the Eiffel Tower. Plenty of “oohs” and “ahhs”. There are many more beggars in Paris than any other European city (seemingly) but they are generally nice, especially when they see you with the young one, and they don't persist.

What really helped us was the fact that the baby was breastfeeding at the time and that is the handiest way to navigate the restaurants. She took in all the sights and sounds, and the stimulation she got from lights, and noise, and bustling world was amazing. She loved it and once we made the decision to walk - everywhere - life got a whole lot easier.
I'd still recommend it.
Michael Donnelly

Of course you can travel to Paris with a six-month-old baby. However, children are much less welcome in restaurants and cafés than in some other countries. From experience (I'm Irish, living in France), I'd suggest that you find a good babysitter; a grandparent, aunt or uncle who could take the child for the weekend while you really enjoy a break as adults and not as parents and come back refreshed for the next bout of parenthood.
Alan B

We went with our first child to Paris when she was six months old. We found we had planned to do far too many things - so with this in mind, go to Paris, but have a fairly open plan. We ended up just improvising after our first day there, and strolled around (by the way, forget public transport - our buggy was too big to take through the gates in and out of the metro!). We concentrated mainly on finding a good place for lunch and beautiful little shops for cheese, wine etc.

We had a good time but were quite worn out when we got back - but
that's just the way it is with small kids!
Elenor

If at all possible, take a really good, comfortable baby carrier as well/instead of a stroller. Most of the metro system is impassable with a buggy. There are lots of stations with many, many steps and no escalators or lifts, the turnstiles are narrow and impenetrable (you need to find someone to let you through a special gate, and frequently there is no-one available to do that - unmanned ticket office, or a mammoth queue at said ticket office). Assume nobody will help you, ever.

The buses are marginally better, but only with a very narrow buggy, and they are frequently very crowded, ensuring you make enemies and you may not get out of the door before the driver has whizzed off again. (If this happens - and if does even to the unencumbered, yell "La porte!" very loudly as many times as it takes - other people will usually join in and you might be able to get off). Otherwise the transport sytem is excellent and reasonably priced, but deeply buggy-unfriendly. With a small child on your lap you do have priority seating (somewhere down the list after wounded war veterans).

Do not be afraid to enforce your rights in this matter, and any other, forcefully. Parisians do not generally respect pussy-footing. Eating out should be OK (ie tolerated), but high-chairs are rare (if your child is sitting). The stroller that is useless in the transport system might be handy here.

Paris is possible with a baby! I have lived there with one, and travelled there later with another. Getting the transport right is half the battle, which is why I've stressed it so much. My oldest child was constantly tied on to my chest until she could walk - otherwise I'd have gone mad.
HJ K

I took my six-month-old to Prague (OK, it's not Paris) last year just before Christmas. We managed fine, and had a great time. Things that worked for me:

- As you will probably be walking around outside a lot take a cosy hat and a sheepskin/other warm wrapping for the pushchair and your baby will be warm and happy as you push about doing your sightseeing.

- Take prepared food that you know in case you don't find anything suitable to feed your child there. Also take some small cartons of formula milk (and bottles) in case you are out longer than planned/need to calm your baby down on the journey.

- Paris pavements are fine for pushchairs, as is the metro, but it is good to have two adults around to carry the pushchair when necessary. If you ask the hotel to provide a cot for your baby then at least take one of your child's familiar blankets so that their bed still feels and smells the same as normal.

Our baby came with us to restaurants in the evenings and fell asleep in his pushchair, but if you are going to stay in at night, then you will have to work out the night time routine - it may sound weird but I know some people who have put the travel cot in the bathroom to start the evening so Mum and Dad can still talk/watch TV until it is their bedtime too, at which point they bring the baby out into the main room. One concern I did have at all the cafes and restaurants that we visited was the amount of cigarette smoke in the air. Outdoor places with heating lamps seem to be the best option to avoid this.
Heather B

We took our then seven-month-old to Paris last February and had a lovely time. The main sights are quite compact. The parks and museums are all close by to the main stations and as were blessed with gorgeous sunshine - we didn't get on the metro once but explored a different part of the city by foot each day. It was a delightful way to spend a few days - but do watch out for dog poo on pavements and in parks!

Without exception each restaurant we went to was child-friendly and staff were helpful, and people stopped us in the street to admire our girl and talk to us. Sawdays has good, family-friendly hotels listed, many of them central and reasonably priced. Go for it!
Catherine Dearth

We brought our then six-month-old baby to Paris in May and it was a great success. We had a beautiful, spacious ground floor apartment in the Marais and it was perfect for walks down to the Seine and Notre Dame or just hanging around the cool galleries and boutiques of the Marais. We even managed to walk with the pushchair as far as the Luxembourg Gardens which is lovely for babies and parents. One thing that I wouldn't necessarily recommend is Pere Lachaise. Those cobbles were not designed for buggies!

Remember to eat out earlier than the locals so that your little one can get back to bed at a decent time and if he/she does need some attention during the meal you won't disturb the other diners. I have to say that Parisians are very charmed by cute babies and will do their best to help out where they can. One last tip if the baby is bottle fed; it costs an arm and a leg in Paris so bring plenty with you!
Claire G

We did this recently: it was easy enough, and everyone had a good
time. We also did it at six weeks.

- Pack light. Bring as little as you can. Buy nappies locally, don't pack them. If your hotel doesn't supply a kettle you'll need to bring a travel one if you're feeding formula (you can't rely on getting your normal one there, so bring that). If the baby is starting solids you'll need to pack some jars, but you can obviously find the main brands in shops in Paris.

- Slings are wonderful for travelling with. The metro isn't very buggy-friendly at all, so if you can use a sling or baby carrier it makes life much easier.

- Find neighbourhood places to eat in if you can: they're generally pretty relaxed about children. Leave the Michelin-starred restaurants for another trip. We packed a tot seat - the cloth ones that turn an ordinary chair into a high chair - and that was pretty useful and light.

- Don't plan to do too much. You want to stay somewhere close enough
to your interests that will allow you return to base in the middle of the day to recharge.

- Parisians were generally friendly - our son always had someone on the metro making faces at him or waiters adopting him.

Take it nice and easy and just enjoy your weekend away with your child.
Colman

We also have a six-month-old baby and have just completed a round-the-world trip, including six weeks in India. Based on this, my advice is that a weekend in Paris is totally do-able!

Of course, each baby is different, but the different sights and sounds are
good stimulation for the baby, and having as many and varied experiences as
possible with the baby helps them to be more adaptable and you to be more
relaxed.

- Don’t be too ambitious - just choose a couple of sights or things you want
to do each day, which allows you to enjoy Paris, but still gives the baby
time to play, feed and nap.

- Stay centrally (or near to what you want to see/enjoy) so you can nip back if
you’ve forgotten something or want to take a rest - or if the weather isn’t
too good and you can’t be outdoors all the time.

- Don’t worry about taking loads of kit. You’ll be able to buy everything you
need in Paris. On outings though, always take a spare of everything. You may stay out longer than planned and need an extra bottle or nappy.

- Check that where you’re staying has a cot. If not, we can recommend the
Samsonite Pop-up Bubble. It’s a little tent that packs up into a small,
lightweight bag and doubles up as little bed and playpen. Perfect for short
trips.
Emma & Oliver Balch

My wife and I went to Paris with our six-month old daughter back in November 2006. We were also anxious beforehand, having heard that the Paris metro is not as child-friendly as the London underground, and other such stories. However, we did have a really nice time. Our top tips would be:

- Stay in as central a hotel as possible. This isn't as difficult as it may sound, as Paris is a fairly compact capital. The reason is that if you can walk to most places, you'll be fine.

- Avoid the metro and the bus (especially the bus) where you can; France doesn't have the same attitude to ease-of-access as we do in the UK. This applies to certain buggy-unfriendly sights also, such as the gardens around Palais de Chaillot (opposite the Eiffel Tower).

- Taxis around town are less expensive than in London and other UK cities. The drivers are also helpful with folding pushchairs etc., and are generally less averse to having kids in their cars as their British counterparts.

- Galeries Lafayette (the giant, famous department store) has a free-to-use feeding and changing room, where you can buy organic baby food from a vending machine, use the microwaves, change nappies, sit and relax with a lovely view etc.

- Finally, choose carefully where you eat out. It's probably best to avoid the poshest restaurants.

Relax and enjoy it - I'm sure your child will too.
Luke B

My advice to anyone having joined the ranks of parenthood recently is to make the most of it whilst your child can't actually move around on their own. We take holidays every six months or so, and looking back, the first one we took with Jasmine still allowed us to lie in, lounge around, read our books or the newspapers and generally, within reason, do what we wanted to do. After she gained the power of independant mobility, all that changed, and now we discover that she has terrible taste in hotels! As far as she is concerned at 18 months, the more "package holiday" a hotel is, the better.

My advice would be to go somewhere on the Mediterranean, a little hotter now and a much better idea for a six-month-old. Paris is better done in a long weekend whilst leaving baby with grandma and grandad, allowing you to run around Montmartre till the early hours and paint Paris red.
Sam

My husband and I travelled to the US for two weeks with our six-month-old baby and had an enjoyable holiday. Make sure you have adequate travel insurance - our baby had a bad fall in Boston and needed to go to the emergency room for treatment and our insurance covered that. The main thing about travelling with a young baby is: you need to be a meticulous planner. If your baby is breastfed, things will be much easier. I spent an hour each evening washing and preparing sterilised bottles and feeds in advance. I relied heavily on jars of babyfood but did buy some fresh fruit and veg to boil and puree when I had kitchen facilities available.

We were able to access all public transport with a lightweight stroller and carried all baby-changing items and feeding bits in backpacks. Babies are extremely portable at six-months of age. The problem starts when they become more mobile! Have a nice time in Paris with your little one.
Olie C

I lived in Paris for ten years and had my first child there. It is true that the French capital is not particularly baby-friendly (no high chairs in restaurants and tiny pavements making big buggies impossible) but the parks are beautiful to stroll around in and there is almost always some baby/small child play equipment/swings. A comfortable baby carrier is probably the best transport option, seeing as the beauty of Paris is being able to walk everywhere. Then you can also do the museums and monuments with a small person neatly tucked out of the way.

Baby-changing facilities have yet to really take off, but I suspect the major department stores and museums have caught on to the demand. The buses are clean and very frequent making them an excellent alternative to taking the grubbier metro. Paris is now also no-smoking everywhere so your child won't die of passive smoking as soon as you walk into a bar/restaurant. The French are also quite good about breastfeeding in public. The Palais de Tokyo is a huge contemporary art space with a great restaurant and there are always lots of kids there. They may seem to prefer small dogs to kids but to be honest if your child is well-behaved then you can take them everywhere. Have fun!
Becca C

Get a baby carrier/wrap/sling and learn to use it before leaving (try a site like Slingmeet). At this age, they're happy to be carried around and small enough that you can do so easily. Forget about a stroller on the metro.
M

We found Helen Truszkowski's Take The Kids Paris to be a great guide for ta trip with our two-year-old. The advice was practical and up to date. I imagine what the reader is after is advice on where the most child-friendly places are to eat and stay (as his six-month-old will scarcely be aware of what's going on) and this guide has plenty of that type of info.
Dave Huntley