Toddlers in Paris

March weather will factor into what you will be able to do.

Timeout Paris is a darn inclusive list of possibilities.

https://www.timeout.com/paris/en/kids/best-things-to-do-with-kids-in-paris

Historical data indicate temps will be mid 50s for highs and 1/3 of the days will have rain. Outdoor play at parks will be challenging.

Disney is what comes mind for the 3 yr old.

My kids are 3 and 4 now. I haven’t taken them to Paris yet but they have passports and travel and I’m taking my 4 year old for her 5th. Absolutely ignore the ‘don’t do it’s’. So far my experience has been they like whatever they like at home. The mundane things like shopping and laundry suddenly become fun though. To be honest, at this stage I do what I want to do and let the kids just tag along like I’d do at home. It’s all new to them. If they don’t like it, you will be the first to know!

Every little pocket park and absolutely every larger park in Paris has toys for toddlers. Sometimes it is a sandbox and a couple of bouncy horses but in bigger parks -- Tuilleries, Monceau, Square Batignolles, Butte Chaumont etc there will be lots of age graded playgrounds. And there are a fair number of just plain playgrounds. There is one in Montmartre right behind Sacre Couer and a really nice one just up hill from the Vineyard on Ave Junot, across from the square with the statue of the man walking through the wall. There is a small one on the side of Notre Dame and another as you walk across the Ile St. Louis to the right bank. You should be able to find lots of occasions for short play breaks.

There are also lots of carrousels scattered about -- some traditional horses, some little cars and spaceships and in the botanical gardens near the zoo there is an endangered species carrousel.

The Louvre allows in and out all day on your ticket so you could take a break -- or parents could take turns with the kids in the Tuilleries while the other looks at the art.

We had quite a bit of snow last March. If this repeats in 2019, your Texans might enjoy it.

I agree with Leslie and Janettravels... Paris is a good idea no matter how old one is. I left my daughter at home once, when she was 1 year old, as a reward for being pregnant so we could ski. We felt as if part of our family was missing that whole week. Take your kids. You'll have a great time.

Just be aware that some of the kid's play areas in the Jardin de Luxembourg are not free - fine, as long as you're prepared. Even riding the swings costs!

we took our then 18 month old to Italy two summers ago and we had a blast!! We can't imagine leaving them at home!

hi nicole
your kids will have fun and so will you guys. don't know about weather in march, dress warm. a good day maybe a picnic in the park. we walked thru luxembourg gardens, lots of kids running and playing, carousel, sailing boats in the pond, playground area.
check withlocals.com which has a few kid friendly ideas and kids are free with an adult.
how long will you be in paris and have you booked your room?
aloha

The only pay playground I am aware of the one in the Luxembourg Gardens, but I believe it is closed for renovation indefinitely now or soon. IN the Tuilleries the trampolines are pay, but the playgrounds free -- the pony rides and toy boat rentals cost. In Monceaux the playgrounds are all free -- I think there are 4 and they are age graded -- but the carrousel costs (as do all carrousels). In Batignolles they have several pay options but the regular playground of which there are 2 or 3 are free. In Parc Bercy there is a traditional carrousel as well as playgrounds. Most larger parks also have refreshment kiosks. But the little pocket parks are here and there all over Paris and they almost always include a small play area for toddlers with bouncy horses at least.

Kids that age don't care about art or history. They just want to play. A playground, food on a regular basis, that's what they want. Just don't expect them to have any memories of the trip.

You might have a little fun by recreating some of the Madeleine pages. An old house in Paris that was covered in vines, etc. They won't remember the trip but you can show that they were there when you read Bemelman's books.

love that idea, Karen

We took our daughter to Paris when she was 3 and again at age 5 ; she is still 5 so both were recent trips.

On the first trip when she was 3 we took her for a daytrip to Disney which she loved and is really easy to do via high speed train from downtown Paris. Can be back in the same day.
Jardin de Luxembourg is really nice but a big place so you do need to stroll them to see it (the 3 year old will not be happy to walk around it all) ; there is a great looking playground there but we went this year with our daughter and it was closed. Not sure why and kind of disappointing.

A stroller for both ages is a must ; you can do some good walking / site seeing while they nap and I cannot imagine visiting a city with a 1 and 3 year old without one or without them napping.

While Paris less so than other places in Europe ; in general Europeans are more tolerant of children's behavior and adore little ones.
For restaurants I usually like to gauge the feel of the place as some will be very children friendly while others will be less so. Outdoor cafes are usually a good choice but in March maybe not and also smoking is typically allowed in the outdoor seating areas which you may not want your children around.
If you really breakdown there are McDonalds at what feels like every other block (not recommending it just saying I know it can solve a problem)
There are also a few side benefits we found out for example we got to skip the line at the Lourve with a stroller and enter in the handicapped line and entrance since we had a stroller.

Riding the top level of the tourist hop on hop off busses she enjoyed but in March could be cold and with 2 little ones / 2 strollers could be tough to manage the steps. Also the boat ride down the Seine she liked.
Her one memory from age 3 was seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle (happens for 5 minutes every hour after sunset for a couple of hours)
Other than that she pretty much has no memory now of the trip except for the Eiffel Tower and this year she again loved every second she could see it.
Before this year's trip we watched with her a few times the Disney movie Hunchback of Notre Dame so she enjoyed seeing the inside of the cathedral this year and the other scenes from the movie and same thing with the movie Leap (called Ballerina outside of the US) ; Leap takes place mostly at the Palais Garnier building so my daughter loved going there and practicing ballet moves throughout the surprisingly un-crowded and beautiful building. My wife bought a music box at the gift shop there, which is the same type as in the movie and accordingly to my wife she had been looking everywhere for one and they were impossible to find online in the US so was quite pleased.

My general rule of thumb is children at that age will not interested in the sites you want to see but that does not mean you should not take them along. At home they are likely not with you as often, anytime spent with mommy and daddy makes them happy ; don't be too concerned with working in play time type activities/locations.

Many small restaurants are not family-oriented, although they are likely to do their best as long as the kids don't run around like it was a playground. The exception is Sunday brunch when families, including grandparents, make the meal an event. But Paris does have indigenous fast-food operations. Burgers at the Monsieur Frog chain could work since the parents can sample the British-style craft beers. https://www.frogpubs.com/frogpubs.php