Emerson Goes to Paris
Emerson goes to Paris!
Mike and I had the best time taking our girlie over the pond to visit Paris and London this past week. We spent 3 days and nights in both cities and despite the rainy weather in Paris, we had the best time. Below is our full Paris itinerary that I made before the trip.
I am a visual person so it was helpful for me to see our layout this way. I didn’t want to be over scheduled with a baby but dining is an important part of vacation to Mike and me so I started with lunch and dinner reservations and then filled in from there. The nap times were more of a guide for me to understand when Emerson would be tired based on her normal schedule with the timezone change. Obviously, I was aware she wouldn’t be taking her full naps on the go, but the general chunks of time helped me figure out timing for our other outings!
For starters, we do Moms On Call and I cannot recommend it enough. Emerson was sleeping through the night at 7 weeks and we haven’t looked back! Her current schedule is below:
Eat at 7 | Nap 8:30-10 | Eat at 10 | Nap 11:30-1 | Eat at 1 | Nap 2:30-4 | Eat at 4 | Cat Nap 5:30-6 | Bath at 6:30 | Eat at 6:45/7 and Bed.
The main thing we focused on with travel was eating every 3 hours. With shorter naps being inevitable with travel, sometimes bottles came sooner and we would just adjust for the next feed. Example: On Monday in Paris, we let her sleep until 9:30am so while she did not get her normal 12 hours of sleep, she was fine. We fed at 9:30am and planned to again at 11:30am. If she seemed hungry before and we fed at 11am, we just planned the next feed at 2pm. But overall, she was going to get 5 big feedings throughout the day and an extra snack bottle thrown in if need be whenever.
Over the course of a few days, we got her closer to her normal 12 hours at night but she was great if she got less. There was so much going on for her to see that she was occupied after a nap and we didn’t immediately have to feed.
Flights & Travel Stroller: I decided to have us fly out of Lexington instead of driving to Cincy for a direct. In hindsight, direct would have been nice, more for the return than the arrival. My plan was to get girlie to bed in the airport in her stroller and just transfer her to the floor before I could lay our seat back. She took a little bit longer to fall asleep but after some strolling, she was out. When we got on the plane, she woke up for a minute when I picked her up but fell right back to sleep and stayed asleep until I woke her to nurse as we landed in Paris.
For our travel stroller situation, I decided on the Bugaboo Butterfly stroller and was so happy that I did! It lays back (not fully flat) so she can nap better than being upright constantly. The storage was crucial for us and it came with the rain cover which we used almost daily for wind and rain. It also collapses with one hand and fits in the overhead bin on the airplane. That just meant we didn’t have to wait when we got off the plane for the stroller and we could take on more things because of the storage not having to be emptied at the gate.
Flying Must Haves:
Bugaboo Travel Stroller
Charging block (this charges iPhones and the sound machines)
Floor Mat - ours was a gift but it is from TJ Maxx, washes so easily and comfy for girlie on the floor.
Day 1:
I randomly found Welcome Pickups and used them to drive us to Hotel Lancaster from the airport because I could add a carseat for $5. They were almost the same price as an Uber would have been and it gives me peace of mind not having to figure out a ride (and not getting taken advantage of) in a new city with a baby. We were not traveling with the Doona as it is not ideal for her to be in all day from a comfort level. Plus, we were only planning to be in vehicles to and from airports. The driver was so great with Emerson and even gave her a new toy.
Hotel Lancaster was lovely! Their set up for Emerson was adorable with a mini crib on wheels, baby toiletry set, sleep sack and stuffed animal. Of course, the slumberpod came with us. I chose the hotel based on the location near the Champs Élysées. It did seem a bit far (our plan was walking everywhere with Emerson) from everything else we wanted to see when the weather was on/off raining. I would be interested in trying a different location for a future visit but if you like the buzz of being on the famous street, the hotel was great!
L’Avenue was recommended by several people and was definitely a hot spot for a late lunch. They accommodated us with our stroller and for a travel day, she could not have been more smiley with the staff and people around us. My plan was to keep her up as late as possible since Paris is 6 hours ahead and that meant a 10pm dinner with her at Mun. This was also a recommendation and while the website didn’t mention anything about kids, I wouldn’t bring her again. It was just a bit loud and clearly a dark/club-y vibe. It was right around the corner from the hotel and the asian food was amazing. I would have stayed a lot longer and tried more things but I felt a bit bizarre with a baby lol.
We got Emerson to bed by 11:30 pm and planned to just let her sleep in until about 9:30/10 am and it that worked perfectly.
On-the-go Must Haves:
Extra outfit
Gallon Ziplocks for dirty outfit should a blowout happen
Busy Baby Mat (we just have the mini size)
Teether (very into any, but really likes this banana!)
Day 2:
The bar at the hotel was perfect for morning coffee and breakfast as well as drinks before or after dinner since we could use our Wyze Camera to watch girlie sleep. They were very accommodating giving us a wifi network with a password as the guest one didn’t require one. These cameras have to have a wifi network with a password but it is so easy to set up! Best $32 you will spend.
Our friends arrived this day and we met them at Deux Magots for lunch. They gave us a big table with ample space for the stroller. (also ample space to do a diaper and outfit change after a blow out) The Busy Baby mat was so helpful for meals with girlie. It doesn’t stick to every type of surface but smooth or glass surfaces work well. We just interchange toys for her to play with and it keeps them from dropping on the floor. This was an Instagram ad I received so many times, I finally caved.
We had pre-purchased tickets to the Lourve which is a must to avoid lines. Everyone was so accommodating with the baby and stroller. We got to go right in and had no wait. While I had been before, Mike and our friends hadn’t and I thought they needed to see the Mona Lisa and all the craziness that it brings with the droves of people.
We didn’t end of making it to Hemingway bar (bar at the Ritz Hotel) but I heard such good things. It is in a cute area with lots of high-end shops.
Our hotel mentioned babysitting services online and I knew I wanted to enjoy a few later nights while we were there. They use a service called Baby Prestige and I was very impressed. I filled out a whole questionnaire about our requests, if the sitter could order room service, if she was allowed to leave (I can understand this perhaps with older kids during the day going on an outing), how many hours we wanted and more. We had the same cute sitter both nights and no issues at all. We have entered a bit of stranger danger season so I let Emerson see the sitter but then put her down for bed both nights myself. I did feel comfortable knowing I could check the camera if need be but once girlie goes down, she is asleep for the night. If she makes noise, wakes up, etc. we just leave her per Moms On Call. It was more expensive than what we pay normally (about $40 an hour), but worth it to experience a few later nights in a new city. The hotel just charged for the babysitter on our room bill.
Hotel Must-Haves
Hatch (we bring our everyday sound machine from the nursery)
International Travel Plug Adapter for Paris and London (they are not the same!)
Day 3:
Our final full day was the best. We did some morning shopping and had an amazing pizza lunch at LouLou. Reservations are released a week or so in advance and the hotel secured it for us. They did mention that they don’t love babies but leaving her was not an option that day and she was so good. The location was perfect as we planned a private boat cruise that picked us up close by on the Seine river.
I could not recommend this excursion more! Our friends knew people that took the same one and it was such a highlight. Le Bateau Français takes you aboard a luxurious speedboat on the Seine. The captain was fabulous, so helpful with the baby and such a good tour guide. It came with 2 bottles of wine and a charcuterie set up. There were blankets and an indoor cabin with bathroom. The cabin was ideal for a quick nursing session with the girlie and was a great way to see a lot of the sights in one fell swoop!
With dinner being later, we needed to stay awake and found a cute corner cafe with amazing espresso martinis. That night, we left Emerson with the sitter and started with drinks at the hotel bar. I had seen Girafe on Instagram and it was also recommended to me. Our table truly made the evening unforgettable as our view of the Eiffel Tower was the best. They are known for the views but I was not sure how it would be without outdoor access. The food, drinks and overall vibe was so so good and worth staying up late for.
Overall, we had a great three days in Paris with our best girlie! We woke up the next day and another Welcome Pickup arrived to take us to the train station.
More on London here!
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