gonebabygone

Just a thought, we actually brought a stroller as well only to have a place to put our kids when they were sleeping. It's harder to enjoy a nice lunch when you have to spoon your food over your sleeping baby's head ;-)

GUWonder

I've seen my little relatives travel around Europe on vacation, and they seem to do just fine enjoying doing the tourist things. It's the adult companions that may have more issues as there are always issues to deal with in terms of handling the kids' bathroom needs, food needs and so on.

If you have a baby carrier, you'll be more mobile in various touristy places in Europe than with a stroller -- and I say that even as strollers can be a mixed blessing on vacation in these parts.

A 3-year old on vacation in Italy and doing museums and other historical sites sounds like a more enjoable walk in the park compared to trying to get a 7-14 year-old to enjoy the same. It's the latter who seem more hooked to their electronic entertainment and annoyed by the local circumstances than the 2-5 year olds.

When it comes to carrying stuff, carrying a backpack for goods is sometimes an issue -- not only are they often targeted by thieves, but they may be restricted from being taken in or just be another way to get bumped into by others or to bump into others. A stroller to carry things also has its issues, but those are not so much related to what the stroller is carrying as in that in some crowded places it's hard to move them around so easily and carrying them up and down stairs can be difficult or even downright dangerous.

A 3 year old will likely not sleep or sleep comfortably enough in a baby/toddler carrier on the back, so that's the downside of a baby carrier. A stroller is indeed a good portable bed of sorts. Taking both the child-on-back carrier and the stroller is something that I'd definitely recommend for southern Europe.

Eclipsepearl

I'm in France so we go to Italy a lot. It's a 5 hour drive and we've taken different ages to different places.

My kids love Venice. The canals are a winner! Stroller unfriendly. I recommend staying very centrally.

Florence is not ideal for children. Most of the attractions are geared towards adults. That was a bust for us. What did we do? Husband had to work so put kids in front of the T.V. with a paid movie and I went to see some museums.

Rome is big and crowded but my kids loved it, except for my daughter having a meltdown in the Vatican. I think a lot of you can picture it... Kid screams echoing... It wasn't a high point!

We've also gone to the Lake Region and Amalfi Coast. Perugia was fabulous... Sicily...

I know you're determined to see big cities but with kids, the countryside is so beautiful and rewarding. A true family vacation.

Go see the big cities if you want but IMHO, you're missing an amazing vacation if you limit your visits there.

CDTraveler

A 3 year old ins't going to fit in a baby carrier. The child is what, 30 pounds or so? That means a much larger pack, bigger than the average day pack, which keeps the child in a vertical position. Even if the pack has a frame that allows it to stand while you put the child into it, you definitely can't leave a sleeping child in it due to risk of injury when the pack tips over, either from the child slumping over while sleeping, or if they try to climb out. We had one of those packs for backpacking for my son, and there's no way I would try using it in a crowded city.

When I was in Rome with my niece (age 18 months) her parents had a smaller pack and very quickly stopped using it because it wasn't welcome most places.

GUWonder

I can guarantee you that I've carried multiple three and four year old children on my back in the baby carriers we've had. And given the kids I'm talking about are mostly from a part of the world where healthy kids between the ages of 2-5 years also tend to be bigger than the average Americans of the same age, it is possible to have baby/toddler carriers that carry 3 and even 4 year old kids. Some of these are even tested up to 60lbs, and I'm talking of some that are without the solid frames. And we've used them in major tourist traffic areas during peak times/hours. Worked much better than trying to deal with strollers in places with lots of stairs or way too many people moving way too fast with way too many not looking down enough to notice a floor level protrusion and banging the stroller. Backpacks or kids in back carriers are more likely to be doing the whacking than getting whacked, when it comes to crowded environments and people moving.

PWMTrav

It depends on how much you want to blend in as well. Italians aren't big on wearing their children. It's mostly strollers.

GUWonder

Foreign tourists are generally going to stand out as tourists when doing the touristy things in Rome with a 3 year old. Stroller or otherwise.

It's mostly strollers in all of the OECD countries.

PWMTrav

Like I said, depends on how much you want to blend in. It's not that hard to spot a tourist if you're looking for one, but that's different than effortlessly sticking out as one. Maybe it matters, maybe it doesn't, but that's up to the individual.

PWMTrav

wrong thread!

CDTraveler

Exactly!

That's why kids in backpacks are not welcome many places...

GUWonder

Strollers may not be welcome or don't work all that well at various touristy places where the frame-less child carriers may be just fine.

The backpacks and kids in back carriers are usually not doing the same kind of whacking. It's the backpacks -- not the kids in frameless back carriers -- that are way more of an issue. Also, strollers bumping into people or being bumped into by others is an issue too.

An American doing the tourist thing in Rome with a 3 year old is going to almost certainly effortlessly stick out as a tourist regardless of stroller or back carrier for the child. What are you going to do, duck-tape the American mouth of the 3 years-old child and its parent(s)?

gonebabygone

That's a good point. Same with front carriers that sit on your chest. They're pretty low profile, no bumping risk at all.

mkjr

Funny, Roman's do not seem to give a crap about wearing backpacks on crowded buses.

KLouis

I guess your children must have loved the minimetro. I've not ever seen a child 3-73 years of age that was not amazed by it