Don't default to bus or metro — take whichever is quicker for that hop. The metro is usually fastest; with a stroller it means stairs, but Parisians genuinely help you carry it. Buses keep the stroller rolling and are scenic (line 72 hugs the Seine) but crawl in car traffic (~7:30–10:30am, ~5–9pm); the metro stays faster but is most packed ~8–9:30am and ~5–8pm. Either way, go down with a plan: your line, your direction, and the number of stops.
Metro rules with kids: agree before you board that if anyone gets separated, you all meet at the next stop. Make your child the "metro captain" — tell them how many stops, and let them call when to get off. Download the RATP app to check for closures or strikes before each trip.
Lunch: be sitting down by 12:15–12:30 to beat the crowd — a fed toddler is the whole afternoon.
Goûter: an afternoon snack around 4–4:30 bridges the long stretch to dinner.
Dinner out: arrive right at opening, ~7pm (kitchens open 7–8). An empty room is the kindest one.
Between meals: a boulangerie and a bench. Look for cafés marked "service continu."
Assume any restaurant or museum has a toilet. Most cafés will say yes if you ask politely, especially with a child — go before you leave each stop.
Protect the nap above all — a stroller nap counts. Pair it with a long garden walk or a calm café so it buys you an hour too.
A single missed nap can sink a whole day.
A lightweight, one-hand fold earns its place on narrow pavements, small lifts and station stairs.
Bring it even at 4 or 5 — long days, and a stroller nap saves the afternoon. Pack a bike lock so you can leave it outside a shop, café or museum.
Pack a small notebook and crayons, markers, coloured pencils. Most museums allow markers — but some don't (the Musée Rodin didn't), so keep pencils as a backup.
Paris is full of bookshops selling pens and markers — a fresh set (or a new one you brought and hid) buys real, excited quiet.
When a toddler is truly done, don't bargain for one more thing. Nearest carousel or fountain → a snack → home for the nap.
Ending early on purpose beats melting down at a landmark.
Stock up at a Monoprix or Franprix — snacks, yogurt pouches, water. Bakeries are your best friend: fast, cheap, everywhere — croissant, pain au chocolat or a sandwich at any hour.
Safe default meals: fries, rotisserie chicken, crêpes, plain pasta, croque-monsieur, pizza, chicken cordon bleu. Skip late restaurant dinners — bouillons and brasseries with non-stop service let you eat early. A picnic always works: grab provisions from a boulangerie or market and claim any park bench or lawn.
Garden carousels are everywhere — a euro or two, and the most dependable toddler-pleaser in the city. The Jardin du Luxembourg stacks them: toy sailboats on the pond, a ring-game carousel, puppets, pony rides, and the fenced Ludo Jardin playground (€3, best for little legs up to about 11–12).
Build the day around the toddler's clock — not the map.
This is the survival layer — the part anyone can use. The version built around your child's age, your hotel, your dates and that week's weather is the part we design for you.
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