Paris

"We went to Europe, including Paris, with our son when he was a year old. Paris is great for kids: so many parks and fun public spaces to run around in.

The weight limit for the bassinet is 10 kg, and the person responsible for deciding wether we could have one for our son at almost 25 lbs kindly pretended not to know how to convert lbs into kg. So we had it and it was indispensable. It put us in the bulkhead seats, for one thing, and he actually did sleep in it. The biggest problem getting him to sleep was the light. There are lights all over the place in a plane, including many which don't go off when they turn the lights "off" for the night, including one right over the bassinet (because it's on the bulkhead). We draped some blankets and clothing around the bassinet, and managed to darken his space just enough. But had we known about this problem ahead of time, we'd have brought some kind of more light-blocking blanket and some clips to help rig it.

Like most older cities, Paris is full of steps and curbs, and though people do somehow use strollers there, we never regretted having left ours home and relied on the Ergo. You might want to invest in a slightly more versatile all-cloth carrier like a Mei Tai that is comfortable on a wider range of body sizes if some members of your family don't find the Ergo comfortable."

Paris

"no stroller in Paris! I have been going with now 3 1/2 year old DD for 2 years. The metro is not stroller friendly (all steps, no elevators); cafes, stores, sidewalks are all tight and tough to manuever let alone park a stroller. An Ergo is the way to go! And walking where appropriate. I told 28 month DD we were not taking the stroller when she and I went alone on the high speed train from Brussels -that child walked all over the city without a complaint! I am so glad I did not have it with me, I would have left it in the hotel. Sidewalk curbs usually don't have that graded area, just going down the street would be a pain.

There are a couple good playgrounds, though safety standards are not quite the same as in the US....the one outside the Bon Marche department store(metro Sevres-Babylone) is the best I know for a 15 month old; also a small one in the Marais has a sand pit and a slide, but the structure the slide is on is not safe for a real young one. That one is one block west of the rue du vieille du temple and one block north from the rue Ste. Croix de la Bretonnerie. Have a great time!"

Paris

"We took our daughter to Paris with us when she was 10 months old. Now that my kids are six and four, I'd rather travel with a 10-month-old.

We did not have a seat on the plane, but there was some extra space so we were able to bring the car seat. She slept fine in the car seat. The flight home is tricker because it's in the daytime, so not so much sleep. We always bring stickers, a few crayons and plain paper, and snacks for airplane entertainment.

We did take a small umbrella stroller and NEVER used it. The maya wrap was much easier to manage. The subways are all stairs and no elevators, so I think a stroller would be a hassle. In fact, when we went to Italy with both kids, then one and three, we took two slings, no strollers and no car seats. I like to travel light.

Also, Pampers are international, so pack only what you need for the flight and a day or so. You can get the rest there. We also brought our own baby cereal. My daughter is a good eater, so she ate a lot of fruit, bread and cheese in Paris."

Paris

". We just went, when my son was 23 months.

The bassinet is really for kids up to 6 months, when they can't sit up yet. Based on a friend's recommendation, we got our son a seat. I did appreciate having extra space for him or for our gear. I was surprised that the armrests didn't go up all the way, so I tried not very successfully to prop it up with a book...

On the way out, we left around 8, i.e. around normal bedtime, and he fell asleep after an hour and slept very well. I figured that if we left at 10 pm (which I prefer), he'd be over excited. I'd also recommend using a European airline rather than an American one: they're more accommodating to babies, mostly they let you run around the aisles as much as you want. We got little toy kits from Air France. My son loved listening to the music. The trip was great. I was concerned about the return (and we had a 3 hour delay), but everything was fine.

I also love my ergo, but I'd recommend also having a stroller. Our son doesn't nap in the ergo, but is fine in the stroller. (Also, you look less like a tourist) In London, without a stroller, we had to stop in parcs and let him sleep on the grass (it was summer), or go all the way home. In Paris, we had a stroller, 'twas much better! (I also learned to remember to remove the blankets from a sleeping baby when inside... otherwise you have a cranky, sweaty baby who wakes up:) )

Bring a folding stroller for the bus/metro, with good wheels for the cobblestones/bad roads. Our neighbor emphasized that a sit n' stroll is wonderful EXCEPT on cobblestones. I love our sit n' stroll.

Finally, to be safe, don't gate check the stroller or car seat in Europe. Our sit n' stroll disappeared between Paris and London. And they seemed to have trouble with the concept of gate-checking things..."

Paris

"We traveled to Paris in June with my son who was then 18 months old. I cannot speak about the bassinet as my son is a bruiser and weighed nearly 30 lbs at the time. We bought him a seat and brought his carseat thinking that he would sleep better. He ended up sleeping for only an hour of the overnight flight, but was not cranky and ended up adjusting to the time change much better than either of his parents.

You do so much walking that it definitely would recommend the stroller. I found Paris to be very stroller friendly with the exception of the Metro - here is where the ergo would be ideal. There are no elevators and some of the stairs are really deep. We had much better luck with the buses. I could not believe how child-friendly the buses were - much different than those here in DC. All of the buses than we used had a large middle door which opened wide which made it very easy to get strollers in and out of the bus (with the kid in it). There are also dedicated stroller areas where there is a seat for the adult pushing the stroller to sit. Also strangers were terrific about offering help on and off the bus as well as moving out of the way of the dedicated stroller area.

… The fountains in the Luxembourg Gardens were a huge hit because of all of the children sailing their boats.

Restaurants are not terribly child-friendly and do not expect them to always have highchairs.

We had a great trip. I am sure that you will love it."

Paris

"Paris is not stroller friendly as far as metro goes (and you will be using the metro a lot I am assuming) yet you will need the stroller for walking - so I had the stroller but someone had to help me carry it up the steps (not all stations have elevators or escalators)

Diaper changing while you are out - unfortunately Paris restaurants have very small restrooms - so diaper changing was a big challenage for me.

Apart from that we had a great time and it is definitely nice in that you will spend most of the time outside."

Bulgaria

"We just came back from a trip to Bulgaria with out 8 month old. Although he is younger than your baby, he is 21 lbs and he was able to fit in the bassinet fine with enough space to move. On the way over, it is usually an evening flight so he played for a couple of hours and then fell asleep while drinking his bottle and we moved him to the bassinet where he slept the rest of the flight. However on the way back, which is usually a day flight, he only slept for about 2 hours and was pretty difficult to control the rest of the time. My husband and I took turns holding him and playing with him. Just take a lot of toys/books/snacks and be prepared for a long trip :) Luckily some passengers are very friendly and ready to talk to little kiddos so that entertained my son when he got bored with us.

In general Europe is very stroller-friendly, don't know about Paris in particular but most people in Europe walk or take the public transportation so take the stroller with you. Have fun!"

Paris

"We went to Paris a few years ago when our son was about 18 months. I wouldn't take the stroller- most places (including metro) have lots of steps and no elevators, and the sidewalks are narrow and often quite crowded.

We had a great time, largely because our son was in a phase where he loved to play with little rocks, and there are gravel paths everywhere in paris. It's the little things, sometimes."