I%26#39;m posting this on the London forum also, but natives and experienced travellers, I need your help:
Obviously I%26#39;m challenged with packing light, for our trip with a baby. In your opinion, am I better off bringing our backpack carrier or a stroller? Which is more practical ~ each has their own pros/cons. I%26#39;d rather not bring both, but I guess anything is possible! :)
BTW, our stroller is a nice %26quot;buggy%26quot; style versus a smaller, umbrella style. What do the locals use?
Any help/observations would be greatly appreciated!
Merci beaucoup!
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I think i%26#39;d say backpack as the metro is hopeless for people with any sort of mobility problem or pushchairs (strollers). Picture yourself having to carry the buggy up and down steps every time you go down into a metro, change lines or come out.
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Thanks. I%26#39;ll really need to think about it!
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I think it depends on the size of your child. I%26#39;d agree that a stroller will be a pain on the metro and there is a lot of stair climbing to do in Paris. However having carried around a two year old all day in a pack pack was pretty tough. So unless you have a very young baby I%26#39;d be inclined to bring both. Or maybe bring the back pack and see about buying an inexpensive stroller in Paris. There might be a place you could even rent a stroller. If your baby is really young I%26#39;d bring a snuggly (front pack).
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Hi Suzanne,
He%26#39;ll be 9 months old then, so too heavy for my front carrier. I%26#39;m thinking more and more about just bringing both. Grrr...
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I have just returned from a week in Paris. I saw many baby strollers and I saw no babies in backpack carriers. Maybe this is because of the time of year it is or whatever. I%26#39;m sure both are used widely. It depends on what you will be doing most of your time there. If I were you, I%26#39;d take both.
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It is true that you see many parents shopping in their nieghborhoods pushing strollers, however they are not using the metro with strollers. It is true that you don%26#39;t see many locals using back packs
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If you can, then bring both. If you%26#39;re going to be on the metro, you can forget about the stroller. I was in Paris with a friend who had a 2 year old and of course we had problems with the metro. The guy working there actually told us off for bringing a stroller in the metro!
Bonne chance!
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Jade,
YIKES!!! Thanks for the reality check.
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I have never been to Paris with children, but as a mother who braved the NYC subway and bus system for many years (lots of stairs and not a lot of helpful people) and travelled extensively with my first child, I will put my two cents in. I would invest in a very lightweight Maclaren stoller that has a shoulder strap so that you can fold it up and put it easily over your shoulder when you go on the metro or bus or into a restaurant(make sure that it is the kind that can recline a bit for naps). It will also come in handy at the airport. (try strollers4less.com -- I%26#39;ve had good luck with them and have owned just about every stroller ever made!) I would not plan on carrying around a 9 month old in a backpack or a sling if you are not used to regularly doing so-- you will become VERY tired VERY fast! They also make backpacks that can turn into strollers, but I don%26#39;t think that they are very comfortable for napping. Also, if your child is not used to being in a backpack or a sling already, it could be a rude awakening for both of you to see the amount of squirming and whining he might do.
I could go on and on about traveling with babies, so let me know if there is any other info you might need. P.S. I grew up in AZ!
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The Graco Citisport, is a snug but compact stroller that reclines and has a shoulder strap.
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