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10 days in Paris with 16-month old. Advice appreciated!

Bonjour fellow travelers!
Gone are the days of backpacking as a single woman.... Now I am traveling to Paris in July for 10 nights with our 16-month old. We have rented an apartment in the Marias and are getting all of our baby travel gear together. I feel very comfortable with most aspects of the trip but am wondering about a few things...
- Do restaurants typically have highchairs or should I bring a travel booster seat?
- Our sweet girl eats well but there is always a mess of food on the floor when she is done. Are there some more "family-friendly" places to eat that won't get too upset at us about this? Or should we get down all all fours to clean the floor when she is done? Or leave a big tip? For some reason I just picture all of the French babies as much better behaved and neater than my kiddo.
- What is the protocol on taking strollers and babies into museums?
- Does baby ride free on the metro or do we have to buy her a ticket?
- Any recommendations for day trips?

Any other advice would be appreciated! Thank you for your help!
Cheers!

Posted by
17442 posts

Try to find a park with a playground near your apartment where she can play, and meet other children. My sister and her husband went to Paris with a toddler and said the park experience, where they met and talked with parents while the kids played, was the best part of their Paris trip.

Posted by
10633 posts

Living in France when my oldest was that age, we never took him to a restaurant, except the supermarket cafeteria which had highchairs, and noisy brasseries with teens playing video games, which didn't have high chairs. Most of the time there weren't high chairs. In any case, the French adore babies and will make a fuss over her. In the old days, we couldn't bring strollers into museums, unlike the States. Steve might know if it has changed.

Posted by
3313 posts

Our experience corresponds to James'. High chairs are common and most average cafes are quite friendly to kids.

Paris has parks everywhere and also carousels in surprising places. You'll have a great time.