Good morning!

I was wondering how parents negotiate Parisian restaurants with an infant, mine will be 4 months old. The restaurants are often so tight, inside and outside, I'm wondering how people with infants dine out? Can you bring a stroller in? If so, how would it fit in those tiny little bistros? Do parents wear a front pack like an Ergo or a Baby Bjorn and just wear it through dinner? Do they use a car seat attached to a stroller and leave the stroller in the front and just carry in the car seat?

Or do you just not dine out at all with a child who can't yet sit in a seat???

How are the French with babies at restaurants, are they welcomed in or frowned upon? I want to be respectful of the local culture but at the same time we go to Paris partly for the delicious food! I remember laughing at a sign we saw at a restaurant in Glasgow, pre-child of course, that said children were not welcome! LOL Now I don't remember seeing anything like that in Paris but I would like to know what the general feeling is toward eating out with kids. Of course we're not going to take a baby to a nice dinner at Tour d'Argent or some upscale place like that, not really our speed anyway, but I would like to go to a nice bistro or brasserie, something moderate. We're going to have our breakfast and dinners at the apartment but would like to have a nice lunch out somewhere.

The only place I've seen infrants in strollers has been around lunch time in cafes or tea salons. These tend to have more space (if you know one you like, as a local, you know ones which are larger) and there is often more space in the open-air area. I have never seen such a thing in one of those very small bistros. I know what you mean, in some of them it would simply be impossible, that's all, so you just can't go there.

I don't think it's surprising that it would be inappropriate to take an infant in a stroller to some nice restaurant in the evening, I don't know why someone would want to do that, anyway. Generally, I dine late and think it would be strange for adults to be toting infants around at 9-11 pm when dining.

So I think lunch is a good idea. I know some places where I've seen this, but don't know what you expect as they are not what you are thinking of as "nice", probably. They are local budget places. For example, there is a tea salon/cafe right on the NW corner from the Pantheon called Crepes-a-Go-Go where I've seen families with infants in strollers as they have a large open floor space. They serve just typical cafe/tea salon food, though. I've seen this several times in just regular type cafes at lunch time, I wouldn't worry about them so much.

I see strollers all the time at terraces of bistros and cafes. And I've sat next to many of them indoors.

I would think that locals probably do not take such young infants out to dinner - since they would be home sleeping at 8 or 9pm - with a sitter. If you want an early casuale dinner at 6 pm or so I'm sure there are a lot of cafes or brasseries that have room for a stroller and would welcome a quiet infant.

The more upscale the restaurant the less likely an infant will be welcome - and frankly, the less likely an infant will want to be there. Little kids generally don't like sitting through 2 hour dinners in nice restaurants - and unless they're very good sleepers are likely to become cranky if they stay there too long.

We navigated Paris with strollers when ours were infants, though we usually had a baby sling too. It will be pretty obvious where it's possible and appropriate to park a stroller. If you're going in the warmer months, it's not even an issue. Evening if it's raining, lots of cafes have awnings. In cold months it will be harder, but there are always places that are actually set up for kids, like Flunch and Hippopotamus, though you're not going to be doing any fine dining at such places. I think even Paul has room for strollers inside.

I see strollers everywhere. After all, France has the highest birth rate in Europe.

Thank you for the advice!

I guess I should clarify, when I said we wanted to have a "nice" lunch, I just meant tasty food, not necessarily a upscale place! We usually don't dine at high brow restaurants anyway and we tend to splurge at lunch since you can get great prix fixe meals for a great price. With all those yummy rotisserie chickens spinning about, bathing in their own grease on Rue St Antoine, I don't think dinner at home will be a problem

However, one of my favorite places Vins des Pyrenees in 4e is pretty mid range but I just know we would never fit in there with a stroller since tables are elbow to elbow, so unless we use a pack carrier that place definitely wont work although I enjoy eating there when we go to Paris.

We'll be there mid march, Accuweather says the temp is in the mid 50's, however, when I look at the almanac for those dates over the last few years, seems like it's in the mid to high 60's which to me is actually quite warm. However, I am wondering since they've had such an incredibly cold, snowy winter if March will be cooler than usually.

I am planning on getting this cheap travel system just for the trip so if it gets trashed it wont be the end of the world. I typically detest stroller umbrellas since I am tall and the handle bars are so low they kill your back and they don't work well for a 4 month old anyway, so I'm wondering if this size stroller would still be small and compact for going about town and if NECESSARY on the Metro? I like that the car seat pops on the top of it, this seems good for the airport, trains, rather than lugging them as two separate pieces. I did read on someone elses thread on here that the 3 wheelers were a prolem, but hers was much larger than this one.
http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.as...47853&RN=7098&