sonyam

Hi,

My husband and I will be traveling to Italy (Rome, Venice, Florence), France (Paris) and UK (London) with our 18 month old baby daughter in May-June. We will be using a combination of trains and flights to travel between the cities. Could someone please advise us on the following issues:

(1) What is the best way to carry her as we visit the sights? Are the cities stroller friendly? Or should we use some type of a back carrier?

(2) Are the restaurants baby friendly?

(3) Are diapers and wipes easily available?

Any other tips on traveling with a baby will be very much appreciated,

Many thanks

Sonya

basingstoke1

Been there, done that, although it has been awhile. We found a lightweight umbrella stroller to work well. Venice has some steps on the bridges crossing small canals but it would be easy with the light stroller. Disposable diapers and wipes are pretty much universal now. Restaurants? depends, just like here.

nessundorma

Friends of mine with small children have found Rome difficult because there is so much car and motorcycle exhaust at stoller-level plus the absence of sidewalks in many places. Some of them preferred to also have backpack=type carries that kept the children high on their shoulders, in addition to having stollers.

Whatever you do, you will find long stretches without any shade in all the towns you are visiting, so bring along sun protection for everybody.

Italy is extremely baby friendly, and almost any restaurant accommodates even the smallest children. You only need avoid the highest priced ones. My impressions of Paris and London are not the same (I've lived in both places.) In London, however, it's pretty obvious which restaurants are family friendly just by looking at them. In Paris, I think it's harder to tell, although certainly at most bistros and places with outdoor seating, it's not uncommon to see families with small children.

Juji

Hi, we tried traveling with our baby and took the light stroller with us, caddy, but I have wished that we took the larger one that we have just because it is more comfortable for her naps and also for carrying shopping bags and stuff underneath the seat.

As for Car Seat, I have asked and they told me that if we take short taxi rided there is no need for a car seat, but if you are going to rent a car or take taxis for longer trips then you can ask the car rental if they can offer a car seat. I don't see myself carrying her carseat with me it is so heavy.

We are also planning a trip to UK end of May with our 15 month old daughter. We have family there that we are going to visit, and maybe stay with for a couple of days. Then we would like to go around and stay few days in London and few days in the countryside.

I would like to get some advice on a B&B near london and in the countryside that are Baby-friendly, and some advice on where to go other than London with a baby. I've been to England and Scotland a couple of times but I was single and my husband was there once too. But I guess now it would be different going there with a baby.

Have fun

laughingd2

Hi, we took our 11 month old for 3 weeks to Italy and France. She was in the backpack 90% of the time, as we just had too much trouble navigating skinny, cobbled or non-existent sidewalks and paths. Reasonable minds differ - it's just what worked for us.

We found the restaurants very baby friendly, but we weren't going to Michelin restaurants either, just local authentic places. One trick that really worked for us: often she'd be asleep from our travels when we'd hit the restaurant, particularly for lunch. We'd just stand the backpack on the ground next to us while she slept, and in the meantime we'd order the restaurant's version of "fromage blanc" or "formaggi bianco" - which varied wildly from place to place, along with our order. This was something she went crazy for in every place, and then she'd also eat small portions of whatever we were having.

You'll find the Italians in particular will be extremely sweet with your toddler. In fact, they are fairly physical in their affection, which can be surprising if you're not ready for it! They'll pinch her cheeks, rub her head, and even ask to hold her. Go ahead, let 'em - you'll be making new friends everywhere you go.

Have a great time!

laughingd2

Oh, and yes, wipes and diapers are at virtually every store, but don't get caught short-handed between towns or in the afternoon when many stores shut down (more prevalent in Italy and in smaller towns).

Huitres

I have been traveling to Europe with my baby (she is now 5 years old!) since she was 4 months old. No, restaurants are generally not so baby-friendly; not all of the places carry high chairs. If you can, seat her next to you and/or try to get a table towards the back or even on a terrace, that would help with any potential outbursts that may occur and/or messes with food (you just never know!) There is nothing like being the center of amused attention in a restaurant with all eyes on you and child!

Re: diapers and supplies, I brought a small pack of diapers and a travel dispenser size of wipes (in the plastic, sealed bag). If you run out, local area grocery stores and super markets carry Pampers and other U.S. brands, but the prices are high!

Since she is a toddler and walking, I would not confine her (nor your backs) to a back carrier. A comfortable, light-weight stroller (Graco makes one, they sell them at Targets, Walmarts, etc) that can easily fold up and be stowed away on a train, bus, airplane, etc works well. You can put your supplies/provisions in the basket carrier under the stroller and even avoid having to carry a purse and other tote items on your arm(s). You can easily take her with you in the stroller everywhere you have to go and it won't get too heavy for you to push after a day of site-seeing.

travelbunny

Been there done that too...but reasons were family issues. Your daughter may just be starting the "terrible 2s" as you leave so things maybe a little difficult. Try to stay in one place as much as possible with day trips as opposed to changing hotels. I am not sure that a B and B is the best..will all depend on the owners. I would suggest an apartment or appt hotel. The 2nd option would allow housekeeping services ect. It will be very hot in Rome..Please think about parks and playtimes. I don't like the Lido in Venice but it might be a good idea with your little one as there will be a beach. Please ask yourself what you want "to get" from your vacation. If it is a trip to Europe with a lot of family time..ie visits to parks beaches and playground you will do well. If you think your daughter will be happy at the Borghese- forget it (though she may be delighted to be in the grounds of the Borgehese while you and your SO each tour at a different time or quickly together while she naps in her backpack or stroller). I read a newspaper column which gave travel advice depending on the children's ages. The advice for 2-3 was dont. I would agree IF one plans to do the same thing as one did BK; if one looks it as a family outing it will be doable. Put skatterfly in the box. She had a write up on her trip which you might find interesting.

kmflondon

We travel quite a bit with our now 2 and 4 year old and we find that an all terrain stroller with swivel tires works well for us. It is heavier than an umbrella stroller but for days when you are walking and walking it is a dream to push. The umbrella strollers can hurt your back. Also on the backpack carrier - unless you use it a lot at home, I wouldn't do it. I tried a good one out when my son was 7 months and it hurt my back to walk up the street. If you bring a nice stroller, bring a lock for it (we have kind of a rope lock with a combination on it) because you will likely end up having to leave it outside at places such as Tower of London, restaurants, etc. Although a lot of people just leave strollers setting around, I lock mine up on occassion.

Be prepared that very few tube stops in London have elevators for the stroller. You will have to carry it up and down steps at almost every stop. To my knowledge, there are no "handicap accessable" laws in Europe so many places in the US where you would find ramps or elevators you will not in Europe. When I am by myself, I plan my trips in London around which tube stops have lifts but with 2 of you it shouldn't be such a big deal. Don't spend a lot of time looking for the lift - chances are there isn't one.

We travel with one backpack/roller bag and one regular roller bag. That way, you can push the baby and your husband can wear one bag and roll the other. I have a hard time thinking you will get away with less than 2 bags. Don't bring more than 2 if you plan on moving that much. Managing baby and bags in train stations which many times do not have elevators can be difficult.

I was in Rome in January with my double wide Mountain Buggy stroller and had no problem whatsoever. I actually preferred my 4 year old to sit in the stroller while going from place to place because I could assure she would not be hit by a motorcycle or car while walking.

I have never brought a car seat when travelling through Europe. Unless you rent a car, you won't need it. It would be nice to have on a plane, but not worth toting it around everywhere else.

I just posted to someone else to bring a collapsable toddler seat that screws onto tables. Mine is from metooproducts.com and weighs like 2 lbs and collapses to a very small size. We used to keep it in the basket of the stroller but now the kids are too big for it.

We try to do as many picnics as possible as our kids have low tolerance for restaurant meal after meal after meal for days or weeks on end. Sometimes we go to the grocery and get sandwich food, sometimes we get take-away and eat outside or in the hotel room. We keep hoping that our kids will get better in restaurants because we like to sit in restaurants and have a decent meal and a drink but up until now we have been disappointed and have had to lower our expectations of their behaviour. You should get decent enough weather for outdoor eating. I always bring little toys for them to play with at the table such as stacking cups, little people, miniature animals, art supplies, the list goes on. . .

Baths are important to my kids' routines. We bring a rubber drain stopper in case they have to bathe in the shower pan.

You should bring your own supply of baby tylenol/motrin, cold medecine, thermometer because you may not be able to find something you are happy with in the event your kid gets sick and those things do not take up much room.

Bring baby washcloths b/c many European hotels do not provide washcloths.

Your child may be too young but we have a portable DVD player that has always worked well for our older child but the younger one doesn't care for TV as much so really won't watch it. I have been known to pull it out during many plane, train, or long car rides. Sometimes it is worth its weight in gold and they are relatively cheap now. Find one with dual voltage so you can charge it with only an adapter.

I notice you have 5 big cities with lots of sites on your itinerary. While that is fine, make sure your trip is long enough to give yourselves enough time in each city. Packing and moving from place to place with baby and all of her stuff takes twice as much effort at least as doing it for just yourselves. Before kids, we would move freqently and see things at a fast pace, but now we can't do that. If you are planning 3 days or less in each city, think about how you will feel if you don't get to see everything on your list? Would you rather go to more cities, or see what you want in fewer cities. Rome, Paris, and London can all take up a lot of time for people without the toddler. . . Even if you are flying, you can spend the better part of a day getting between the cities. Airports aren't in the center of the city, checking in and out of hotels, security and check-in at the airport - it all takes time. The train is not as bad but slower than a plane.

Good luck. It is hard work to travel with young kids but totally worth it.

missypie

This may seem silly, but make a little WRITTEN list of all of your carry on luggage and all of your checked luggage. Traveling with a baby can be very distracting. A friend traveled with her baby and due to the distraction of getting the baby, the stoller, the diaper bag, etc. off the plane, she forgot one carry on. When she went back to retrieve it, the bomb squad had already dismantled it.

JandaO

You all are better parents than I am.
I would rather not go than to take a toddler on vacation in Europe. They wont remember a thing and will stop you from many things. I dont understand why someone would take a young child.
Blast me if you will...
I want to take my grandkids to Europe but I will wait until they are at least 12.....

danielef

Sonya,

I've travelled a lot with my children (now 4 and 8 eight years old, respectively) ever since they were 5 months old. We chose to use the umbrella stroller, because you can hang things on it, not only carry the baby! Take a small bag of items to distract the baby, but do not take something that is too special; otherwise, if she loses it, she'll cry about it for ages. I've never been to Italy, but in Spain diapers were only sent in huge packages (72 diapers each, for example), and that was quite challenging. But other than that, everything else is just like home.

My only advice to you is: don't plan too much. Leave some time free for changes in your plans, and try to adjust to your daughter's schedule if she gets too fussy. When we went to Spain, we rented apartments pretty much anywhere we went, so that we had lunch on the go and had dinner at the apartment (much cheaper also). We also left some time in the morning for them to have breakfast in peace and watch a cartoon for about half an hour. It gave them some sense of habit, although they could not speak Spanish.

In terms of entertainment, she will get entertained with pigeons, birds and things like that. You can take her to museums, anything. I don't agree with people who say they are too young to travel or that they will not remember. They will have fun because they are with you and your husband.

One last piece of advice: take zip-lock-like bags and put Cheerios and some snack food for her. Those alcohol gels are great to make sure that hands are clean too!

Enjoy!!!