Normandy Itinerary Help

You do not want to rent a car in Paris and drive to Versailles. Take the RER train line C to Versailles Château - Rive Gauche then walk to Versailles from there. Versailles is huge and you need a full day to see it all, otherwise, I don’t think it’s worth visiting.
Are you visiting the D-Day Beaches? If not, why are you going to Normandy? I’ve been to both Rouen and Honfleur and was not wowed by either place.
You do need a car in Normandy. Chartres and Versailles are day trips from Paris. Rouen can be too but you want to get an earlier start.

I disagree with MaryPat about Normandy. It's a lot more than the D-Day beaches. Honfleur is attractive but very touristy. Rouen is gorgeous (and has several interesting art-related museums); being larger than Honfleur, it absorbs its tourist load better. Bayeux has the cathedral, the tapestry, the historic center and a very good invasion museum. Other places I liked were Deauville and Cabourg, but I enjoy just walking around, looking at architecture. I got around via public transportation (splitting hotel nights between Caen and Bayeux to facilitate that) and took a one-day tour of D-Day sites. I can't comment on getting around by car.

I have not been to Chartres or Mont-St-Michel. From what I've read on this forum, MSM is not easy to appreciate during day-tripping hours. Chartres I will visit as part of a trip to Paris within the next few years.

nm15.rice,
Just fyi, driving times stated on various sites are, in my opinion, too short. All presume you are on an Autoroute (freeway) and never seem to allow times for gas/food/comfort stops, or traffic disturbances on any roads, large or small. I would factor in extra time as I plan my routes. Also, your Dec. 1 day with the Louvre and another museum with a toddler sounds like way too much pressure for the little one. Many grownups get museumed out after a half day at the Louvre; For a 22 month old that is a lot of time in a stroller. I would spend the other half of that day somewhere outside, weather permitting, to allow for getting out the wiggles. (Days will be shorter in Dec. as well, getting dark early.)
Nov. 30, Montmarte and shopping. I am a big fan of Sacre Coeur, but Montmartre is very hilly, so take that into consideration regarding your stroller pushing. Nov. 29, arrival day. Since you will have checked bags, give your self up to four hours to get to your hotel. You could be out of the airport in under two hours, but at CDG it seems unlikely. Winter daylight hours will shorten the time you have to explore (plus jet lag), so don't beat yourself up if the Arc de Triomph doesn't happen that day.
Versailles is a good day trip from Paris, and I would make it all day. The grounds are beautiful and if not raining your little one could do some running along the paths to get out of the stroller. Your idea of renting a car from this day is good. Just rent it in Versailles and don't return to Paris. (Driving in Paris is NOT fun!) Stay in Versailles that night and head to Chartres next day. That day (Dec. 5) you could head to Mont St Michel after the morning in Chartres. Your subsequent plans are very doable. With your time constraints and winter's limited daylight, I would save Bayeux for another trip and drive to Rouen, a lovely city.
My main caveat is that days will be shorter, so take that into consideration, as well as drive times, check-in and check-out times, and your little one's tolerance for being confined in a stroller for long periods of time. You will definitely move more slowly with a toddler.
Have a wonderful trip, and be ready to pivot if the shorter days or the stamina of your toddler or the weather call for a change of plans.

Bonne chance!

Yeah my worry would be that all these places are going to be very gray at the end of November/beginning of December ...(in addition to the days being short )

One of your questions that hasn't been answered yet is about the car seat. My understanding is that US car seats are incompatible with the fixation points in European cars. You would need to rent one from the car rental company.

I am reluctant to give advice since I have never traveled with a toddler, so I am not sure what is possible and practical. However, we have been to all the places you mentioned, driven a car in France and years ago stayed in Paris around Thanksgiving.
My gut feel is your itinerary is way too ambitious for the time of year and the inclusion of a toddler. My best suggestion is find a convenient vacation rental in Paris and delete any driving trips. Visit easy and local sites (I suspect the weather will be cold and rainy so things inside will likely be your first choice) and see how it goes with the child. If everything goes well and the weather gods cooperate, try day excursions via RER to Versailles or maybe St. Denis.
Simpler is better. Less is More. Make Hubby's first trip to Paris enjoyable and he may even want to come back!

Chris

I don't have, nor have I ever traveled with a toddler. But here's my take.

Walking up MSM is hard on many able bodied people—particularly those with wheeled luggage (does your toddler need a stroller?). Don't get me wrong, I love it there. but mid-day it is a crush of people on a narrow, steep lane leading by tourist shops, then you get to the abbey where it is a fascinating long walk to see the sights. Can your young one handle that? It isn't a village per se that anyone actually lives in, so it is very different than the other towns you mention. You say:

into medieval cities, art, architecture, shop lined cobble stone
streets and restaurants...

For this Rouen and Bayeux are both wonderful for all of these reasons. Both have fabulous cathedrals, both have half-timbered downtown areas and wonderful restaurants, one has the Bayeux tapestry, and the other the wonderful Rouen Museum of Fine Art. I wouldn't do either as a day trip as you will spend most of the day just getting there and back. I have not been to Chartres.

nm15.rice,
We haven't heard back from you. Have any of us been of any help? How are your plans shaping up?

Thanks everyone for your feedback. Very helpful! We have decided to skip Chartres and Rouen and instead go to MSM for one night and base the other two nights in St. Malo, so we are not changing hotels every nightt.