I am looking for advice on traveling with an 8 week old baby. My wife and I have a free trip to Paris/London through work and we dont want to let it pass, and lo and behold we are pregant! Our options are:

1. Take the baby.
2. Skip the trip.

We have gotten the green light from both my wife's doc and our pedatrician. This is our third child so we aren't exactly new at this, but we are a a little apprehensive. Does anyone have any advice/experieince doing this?

No, I haven't has such an experience as I don't have kids. But, try to see if the free trip can be changed from a hotel to an apartment and rent an apartment in Paris. Try vacationinparis.com. I've done a report on them entitled "Guenmai's Paris Apartment Rental Experience". You can type it in the search box.
This agency is headache free as you pay in dollars...New Jersey office..and they mail you the keys before you leave home so you don't have to meet a rep to let you in which gives you more arrival time fexibility.
Now, some apartment rentals have restrictions as to kids and the age of kids, so you might have to shop around a bit.
It's going to be hard with a baby as far as eating. I've been going to Paris, almost annually, since the mid 70s and can count on two hands the time that I have seen small kids in a restaurant. I do see them in the department store cafeterias though and there is decent food at both Magasin Printemps and Galleries Layfayette which are next door to each other. Happy Travels!

We've been there when my spouse was 6+ months pregnant & when my daughter was quite young. Much safer after the baby is born (assuming it is healthy w/no problems). Small children tend to open many doors. If you've not had kids w/you over there before, it will be a new experience. At that age it is pretty easy, particularly if she is nursing.

I forgot to mention that the above agency was a suggestion if you're U.S. based. I just noticed , Traveller, instead of Traveler, so you might not be U.S. based. Happy Travels!

We were kind of planning on the baguette and wine type of lunches, but hadn't really thought about dinners. That gives me something to start researching. Good stuff and much appreciated.

BTW - our kids eat in Parisian restaurants all the time although we also do our share of eating in as I like to cook (esp. in Paris !). I really think that is a non-issue, the hardest part will be maintaining & keeping the child on schedule. Our daughter ended up taling naps on nearly every park bench in Paris. So, you'll need to be flexible.

Best medical system in the first world.

I haven't traveled with a child that young, but in my opinion it would be a piece of cake (gateau?)! Have you used a bjorn or a snuggli with your previous children? I would imagine that you could pop your two month old in one of those and be just fine.

This may be too personal, but will your wife be breastfeeding? If so, I would research custom and etiquette in London and Paris. Will she have to use restrooms or go back to the hotel or can she find a private secluded area? If she isn't, I would bring all the formula you expect to use with you. I know they have formula in Europe -- but it's nothing I would want to experiment with at 8 weeks!

I actually think eating will be a breeze. Your baby will probably sleep through the whole thing.

I also agree that babies open doors! Prepare yourself for everyone wanting to coo over your little one. In Paris we once had a waitress pull our child out of his stroller to throw him up and down. Another time while my son was fussing an older woman brought him a pain au chocolate and that cheered him right up!

Go! Have fun!

Ooops -- I forgot one more suggestion.

Will your work be providing your little one with his or her own seat on the airplane? He or she could be a lap baby but if it were me, I would spring for the seat. Safety issues aside, you and your wife will probably be more comfortable not having to hold the baby the whole way! If you decide to get a seat, check with the airline to see if you have the required car seat.

And by the way, Congratulations!

Excellent posts! Thanks for the advice it has been very useful.

I think it would be very easy traveling with a baby that young. we took our 10 week old daughter to montreal and she just slept in her stroller. she was great in the restaurants - either slept or i held her and gave her a bottle. Packing was a bit of a pain (a lot of clothes - even though they are tiny) for spit ups (unless you have a washer dryer), bottles, formula, bottle brush, burp clothes, diapers, aspirin, pacifiers, etc. IF your wife is nursing it would be easier. I was a little nervous about taking a baby that age on a plane because of all the germs (we actually drove on our trip) but I remember asking our doctor who said it was fine. I think you are much less bound to a schedule with such a young baby as they sleep and eat when the feel like it. And have fun buying baby clothes!