We flew to France with our daughter when she was 11 months old, and overall the trip went smoothly. We brought a carseat for car travel there, but checked it for the flight. The flight went well -- a kid can do a lot of exploring in a plane, which makes the time pass much more quickly than in a car, and she slept during her normal hours. We went with a backpack (no stroller) because our daughter liked it better and the places we were going (Paris and the countryside) weren't particularly stroller-friendly (lots of stairs in the city, no paved sidewalks elsewhere). A clip-on high chair was terrific -- there's a brand called "Me Too" which weighs 2 pounds and folds completely flat. It fit on our diaper bag with no problem. It was on the expensive side -- $50 -- but we ended up using it constantly when we were there and a lot when we got home. (It's good for when other babies come over for dinner!) It fits most but not all tables, but we were very happy we brought it. Jennifer

1. We found taking a car seat on the plane to be more trouble than it was worth, if you throw in the cost of an extra seat. We usually hold our daughter in our laps, trading off throughout the flight. That's where she's happiest anyway. Some of the European airlines give you a special (pointless, in my opinion) seatbelt for the baby on take off and landing. You should, however, ask if you can have the bulkhead seat because sometimes they have bassinettes built in for babies. Our daughter slept all 17 hours of a flight to Paris squished into one of those things. Around 13 months, however, she outgrew them.

2. Bring a port-a-crib and sheets. Not all European hotels have cribs for babies and some who do, only give you the crib and a mattress. No linens. At 12 months, our daughter was gettig too heavy for a backback but we used it constantly before then. Some museums wont let you take kids in with a backpack but we always at least tried that route. We also bought a portable baby eating seat which attaches to ant table for hotels and restaurants. Unless you're moving here, bringing an actual high chair seems a bit extreme. A little umbrella stroller is the only one we cart around for vacations.

3. Most of the TIMEOUT guides include a section on Children and babysitting. Some of them also offer child equipment rental. In Paris, there is a mom's group called MESSAGE and they might be able to help you find some baby supplies (www.messageparis.org).

4. The more stars attached to the hotel, the more supplies they are going to have. Remember, a four star hotel in Europe is like a nice Holiday Inn in the US. A Ritz or Four Seasons is your best best - assuming you're a dot.com billionaire. I do't know of any specific baby friendly hotels in any of the cities you mentioned.

5.I never see car seats on public transit. Our daughter sits on the bus and metro/tube in a stroller. London and Paris taxi cab drivers do not require a car seat. Have fun and good luck. Sorent

1) ~Bring the car seat on the plane especially since you will need it in europe.

2) I would bring a lightweight stroller that reclines, possibly a backpack and a portable highchair. ~Highchairs in restaurants are very rare in Europe. ~Most hotels should be able to provide a crib. ~I would call the hotels you are planning to stay at (if you know) and ask. ~If not, bring a pack and play to save your sanity.

3) ~Children can ride in subways and on buses without a car seat but I would definately use a car seat in taxis whenever possible. ~When not possile, I think a snuggly is your second best alternative.

Good luck and have a good trip. G.