Paris with a Toddler

Paris may be one of the most romantic cities in the world and it is a top honeymoon destination for a reason. And I have to say, it is just as magical with a toddler! We spent just over a week in Paris with our toddler in October and had the best time! Was it different from our trips as just husband and wife? Absolutely! Would I visit Paris with a toddler again? 100% yes!

I did tons of research prior to our trip so here is a bit of what I learned and an overview of what we did with Cayson while in Paris.

Where to Stay

When traveling with a toddler, I prioritize two things when looking for a ‘home base.’ First is location. I want to be as close to everything as possible. Because sometimes you just have to pop ‘home’ to pick up something, change clothes or lay your little on down for a nap. Second is space. I really like have a separate space for sleeping and lounging. BONUS points if we can actually get a separate sleeping space for Cayson.

Recently, we’ve been renting 2 bedroom apartments because Cayson is a loud sleeper. But a 1 bedroom with a large closet or something that would fit his crib would work too. Either way, we prioritize having a separate living space. I love being able to put Cayson down for bed and then moving to the living room or sitting area with Caleb so we can enjoy some cheese and wine while we chat about the day.

You can find my hotel recommendations here. I’ll be updating the list to reflect the apartments we rented soon too!

Eating in Paris

Note- if you will be in Paris on a Sunday, buy croissants and any breakfast items the night before, as most of Paris is closed Sunday morning. Monoprix was our favorite market! They are located all over the city!

• Breakfast
  • We went to the market and picked up yogurt and berries to keep at the apartment we rented. Cayson ate this first thing every morning and it guaranteed he started his day with protein. If you aren’t staying in an apartment, you can still grab a yogurt or eggs just about anywhere.
  • We also started each morning by stopping at a local Patisserie for a croissant and coffee. Eric Kayser will forever be one of my favorites.
• Lunch & Dinner
  • We often opted to do an early afternoon snack like a crepe followed by a big late lunch, rather than a big dinner. This not only kept prices down (since lunch is often cheaper than dinner), but also made us less worried about how Cayson would do since people seem less bothered by young kids at lunch then they would be a fancy dinner. Plus, the French eat much later than we do at home, which was often hard for us. For dinner we would either pick up items at a brasserie, market or something we passed along the street.
  • The weather was gorgeous while we were there, so we ate outside as much as we could. Please note, many people smoke outside, so we intentionally sought out restaurants off the beaten path that were less busy or didn’t have people smoking outside.
  • We also noticed most places didn’t have high chairs. We knew this going into the trip, so we just asked for a 3 seater or a 2 seater booth when we could.
  • When Cayson was being crazy, we ordered him pomme frites (french fries) and fromage (cheese). He was instantly content.
• Snacks
  • Cayson loves these protein/fiber bars, these teether crackers and Cheerios in these cups. We packed a ton of these items as back ups, just in case! And of course we grabbed local fruit and local grub as needed!

What to Do

We made a list of all the things WE wanted to do or see and marked them on Google Maps. I then looked around each location for “open” spaces or gardens nearby. For the most part, there wasn’t anything we wanted to “see” that wasn’t kid friendly.

We spent 99% of our time simply walking around. Cayson spent a good chunk of time in the stroller and when he wanted out, we let him. Cayson would walk hand in hand with us on the sidewalk or we would let him run around if we were near a park. We also spent a lot of time walking along the Seine- the sidewalks down their can be very spacious and there is plenty of room for Cayson to “run” around as we chased him. It was so much fun! Below are a handful of spots Cayson loved running around.

• Jardin du Luxembourg
• Jadin des Tuileries
• Jardins de Champs-Élysées
• Parc du Champ-de-Mars
• Jardin du Trocadéro
• Place Dauphine
• Jardin d’Erevan (the gardens near the Pont Alexandre III)

We also worked with two photographers while in Paris because we believe photographs are the BEST souvenir you can bring home! We’ve already printed them and have them on display! I love knowing the photos will last a lifetime! We’ve worked with The Parisian Photographers,  Abramova Guendel Photography & Katie Donnelly Photography! All of them were amazing and we would work with them again in a heart beat! We did one photoshoot at the Trocadero and one at the Palais Royal! Both are such fun locations with a little one! {You can find photos from these shoots here, here, here, here and here}

Dealing with Naps

I was a bit nervous about how he would do in terms of napping on the go, but he did AWESOME! We follow a schedule at home, so before his ‘normal’ nap time we would be sure to find a park or make Cayson walk quite a bit to get him sleepy. Once he was a bit tired, we would put him in his stroller, lay him back and turn on his sound machine. Usually, this did the trick. Sometimes he would just chill and not actually fall asleep. When this happened we would just continue strolling and eventually (sometimes a couple hours later) he would fall asleep. But I believe the best way to see a city is by foot, so this didn’t bother us one bit.

Transportation

We walked almost everywhere. In my opinion, walking is the best way to see a city and in Paris, almost everything is walkable. It might take a while, but you can always stop and grab a coffee, croissant or glass of wine and cheese plate when your feet need a rest! Or find a park and picnic, so your little one can run around while you ‘rest’ your feet a bit.

What other questions would you have about traveling with a toddler?
Or what else would your recommend?

Find more Paris tips here!

on me
blazer sold out, similar here, here and here
blouse sold out, similar here & here
jeans :: shoes, similar here & here

on caleb
tee {$7} :: pants :: shoes

on cayson
tee, similar :: pants :: shoes