We Took Our 10-Week-Old to the South of France, Provence, and Paris—Here’s Everything I Learned

I’m going to be upfront with you (as I always am!): I was not going to be the mother who stops living her life.

My parents left when our son was about four weeks old, and honestly, I was already losing my mind a little—and I say that with love. There is only so much baby talk I can do before I need to be around adults, in beautiful places, eating incredible food. My husband and I are complete travel addicts. It’s one of our favourite hobbies, and I refused to let becoming parents mean we’d do less of what lights us up.

So when our son was ten weeks old, we packed up (literally everything but the kitchen sink lol), flew first class, and spent two weeks between the South of France, Provence, and Paris.

And honestly it was amazing. Especially in hindsight.

Were there challenging moments? Yes. But those challenging moments would have happened at home too. That’s just life with a newborn. I would far rather be navigating a tricky nap situation in a stunning French village with hotel staff on hand than doing it alone at home between the same four walls. 

A lot of people also told me before we went that if you travel with babies early, it tends to make them more resilient travelers as they grow up. And at ten weeks, he was essentially just a little bean attached to my body. If there’s a best time to do it, that’s it.

I’m not going to walk you through the basics in this blog—car seats, checking them for free, packing a diaper bag—you can Google all of that. What I want to share are the things you probably haven’t thought of. The stuff that actually made a difference for us.

Where We Stayed

Before I get into the tips, here’s a quick run-down of where we actually went, because I know that’s the first thing I’d want to know.

Our first stop was the Maybourne Riviera in the South of France, and I cannot recommend this hotel enough. We’ve now stayed there three times, and we’re going back again this year when our son will be almost one. It’s an absolute oasis, the service is incredible, and I basically just laid by the pool the entire time with our baby. Pure bliss. If you’re looking for somewhere in the South of France, this is it.

From there, we headed to Gordes in Provence, where we split our time between two hotels. La Bastide de Gordes was the one I loved. The vibes were INSANE and the food was incredible.  

 

The other hotel we stayed at in Gordes was Capelongue, Bonnieux, a Beaumier Hotel. I’ll be honest, it was fine, but I wouldn’t rush back to it. The rooms were VERY small, even by suite standards (and not in a major city), not laid out in a way that made much sense, and there wasn’t much to do nearby. The food was genuinely good, and if you want a totally removed, off-the-radar escape with a very young baby, it could work. But it wasn’t really our vibe, and I wouldn’t call it a standout.

And then in Paris, we stayed at Le Meurice. As you’d expect, it was impeccable. The food was fabulous, the service was extraordinary, and there were plenty of other families with children staying there too, which just added to that very European feeling of kids being welcome everywhere. They also had the changing table I'll mention later in this post, which sounds like a small thing until you’re changing fifteen nappies a day and your back is screaming at you.

 

The Flights

We flew first class, and I’d still recommend it if it’s an option for you—you get the seats that lie flat, more space, and better service. But it is not your typical first-class experience when you’re with your newborn. I got maybeeee two hours of sleep on the way there.

The Delta first-class seats are narrow, and I could not figure out how to comfortably sleep with a baby next to me. On the way home, though, I worked it out, and this became my go-to method going forward: 

• Rather than lying fully flat, I had him on my chest or cradled in my arms

• I used pillows to support my arms so I wasn’t holding his full weight through my shoulders

• I had my feet up and was slightly reclined, not flat 

That position got me so much more sleep, and he slept better, too!

Speaking of arm and shoulder support—bring your nursing pillow (this is the one I use) or a good support pillow. Holding a baby for hours on a plane where all the weight is going through your shoulders is absolutely awful. The pillow changed everything.

We also traveled with frozen breast milk and some stored colostrum. The colostrum was specifically so I could give him a bottle when we landed for a little immune boost after being on a plane around a lot of people. For the frozen milk, I cannot recommend a YETI cooler enough. We travel with ours constantly. The breast milk stayed frozen for at least 24 hours. It’s really incredible.

And on the topic of a crying baby on a plane—if you’re worried about what other passengers are going to think, please release that. I was nervous about it before we flew, but once I was actually there with my son, I genuinely did not care. Everyone has AirPods or noise-canceling headphones. The person who’s going to sit there being judgmental about a mother and her newborn on a plane can fly private if he/she is that entitled.

 

The Gear That We Used

 

Natural fibres only (this is non-negotiable in the heat). If you’re traveling somewhere warm, your baby needs to be able to breathe through their skin. Pack cotton, linen, and silk. That’s it. No polyester. And I say this with emphasis: check your baby carrier. A lot of well-known carrier brands are partially or fully polyester, and this is not talked about enough. If your baby is against your body in a polyester carrier in the sun, their body cannot breathe, and they’re going to overheat (as will you!!)

Take your actual stroller, not a travel stroller. I know this feels like a lot to bring, but I took our full Bumbleride (completely nontoxic, which is why I love it—you can read all of my nontoxic baby product recommendations here) because the bassinet is sleep-safe and I wanted him sleeping somewhere familiar at night. Before we left, I had him sleep in the stroller bassinet a few times at home, so he was used to its smell and feel. That made a big difference once we were away. I also wanted the bassinet sitting up against the bed, the way we had it at home and I wasn't sure what set up the hotel would be able to provide.

Don’t forget the rain cover for the stroller. We needed it and f*cking forgot it!!! 

The Rockit stroller shaker. You clip it to the side of the stroller, and it vibrates and shakes. My son has always loved movement—the more you shake this child, the better he sleeps lol—and this thing was incredibly helpful both for overnight sleep and daytime naps on the trip.

Your baby carrier (this is the one I have), with a phone pouch. I realised pretty quickly when I was out shopping with him prior to travels in the carrier that I had nowhere to put my phone, my wallet, or my passport. You can’t always have a handbag on when you’re wearing a baby. 

Skip the diaper bag carry-on on the plane. What I did instead was pack a LARGE (like huge) handheld carry-on that sat on top of my suitcase. Everything I needed for the flight (diapers, his change of clothes, my snacks, my sleeping mask, skincare, all of the essentials) was in there. Anything I probably wouldn’t need mid-flight, like extra changes of clothes for myself, was in my suitcase. 

Two fans. Our son runs hot, and we noticed this before we even left for Europe. We packed two small fans and used them constantly (they were also great when we were on a train ride from SOF to Provonce and. I was DRIPPING in sweat. That's one thing I wouldn't reccomend....a long train ride. Just fly and get there faster, without having to lug your massive suitcases, stroller bag, car seat bag and have aircon). 

UV blocker for the bassinet. Not just a travel thing, but great for summer generally. When the sun was coming in at weird angles, this blocked him from being blinded by it.

Thin swaddles to drape over the bassinet when you’re outside. 

A flat-packed baby bathtub. Ours fit right inside the stroller bag. It was worth it because I wanted to be able to bathe him properly rather than holding him in the shower or getting in the bath with him every night.

A bath filter. Our house is fully filtered, and I wasn’t going to stop caring about water quality just because we were in a hotel. They're skin is far too sensitive for all that sh*t in the water. 

Your own soap, laundry detergent, and dish soap. I wanted to be able to hand-wash anything if needed, and I wasn’t going to use whatever random detergent the hotel had (I love L'avant dish soap and you can use code MONICAYATES for 20% off). We brought our soap with us used a bottle brush with boiling water to clean bottles.

A travel bottle warmer. Even if you’re primarily breastfeeding, this is worth having so that if you want some time to yourself, your husband or partner can step in and give a bottle. We made sure to bring the breast pump too, so I could pump and have milk ready to go.

A cotton play mat. Don’t let your baby lie directly on hotel or carpet floors. You’d be surprised how dirty they can be! 

Baby towels, burp cloths, baby balm, baby oil, baby soap—all of it. We brought everything we used at home. I didn’t want to be improvising with whatever the hotel had on offer. I'm too "non toxic" for that lol 

Non-toxic diapers (aka nappies). Yes, they took up a lot of space, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to switch to a different brand when we got there. Pack what you use at home plus some extra (we use Coterie, which are ultra-soft and non-toxic).

The RMDY Homeopathic First Aid Kit. I cannot recommend this enough. Pack it in case your baby gets sick. I use it myself too—it’s worth every cent and I wouldn’t travel without it. Use code MONICAYATES for 10% off!

Two mini spray bottles in the diaper bag. This is something I do at home too, but it was especially useful whilst traveling. One bottle has Branch Basics solution (which acts as a disinfectant—I use this instead of hand sanitiser, which is completely toxic and wrecks your skin), and the other has plain water. When I’m changing his diaper, I spray his skin with water and wipe with a dry wipe. I much prefer dry wipes and talk about why on my nontoxic baby blog. We also brought one pack of Coterie wet wipes purely for emergency blowout situations—just so it’s there if needed. (Side note: Coterie aren’t 100% nontoxic, and they can’t be. The water content means they need a preservative, or they’d go moldy. I use them only when I have to.)

Pack two outfits per day. This was our first trip with him, and I had no idea how much he was going to vomit (of course, because I packed as though he would go through 3 outfits a day...he didn't ll) or how often a blowout would destroy an outfit.

The car in Nice (a Volvo SUV) was packed absolutely to the brim. European cars are smaller than you think, especially when you add a full stroller. Just factor that in.

 

Day-to-Day Life

The days were genuinely beautiful. We’d relax by the pool, go on little adventures, and explore wherever we were, with the understanding that we needed to be flexible around his naps and that I needed to stay in the shade when he was sleeping on me or in the bassinet outside.

The single biggest thing I had to adjust was my expectation around independent time. At home he would often sleep in his bassinet but whilst traveling, that was few and far between. I had to accept that and get over trying to get ready with him napping just wasn't going to happen and he would be in the carrier whilst I was blowdrying my hair (carefully of course) 

Breakfast was sometimes its own adventure. He’d sometimes not want to lie in the bassinet, not want to be in the carrier, and not want to sit still, so I’d be up walking around with him in the carrier until he fell asleep, and then I’d sit down to eat. Was it always seamless? No. Was I still eating beautiful food in France? Yes.

One thing my husband kept reminding me was to drink water. When you’re out and about, it’s so easy to forget, but when you’re breastfeeding, forgetting to drink enough water is not an option.

And (this surprised me!) he actually slept better on the trip than he did at home, including longer stretches at night. I don’t fully know why, but I’ll take it.

Accommodation

Before we arrived anywhere, I contacted the hotels to let them know we had a newborn. We were bringing our own sleep setup, so we didn’t need a crib, but we asked if they could provide a nappy bin and a change table.

The hotel in Paris provided a change table. This sounds minor until you realise how many times a day you change a newborn’s nappy, and how much your back hurts when you’re doing it bent over on the floor. That change table was genuinely one of the best things about the whole trip. If a hotel can provide one, ask for it.

Also, bins fill up fast with nappies. Way faster than you’d expect. If the hotel has one, great. If not, let it overflow that's why you have housekeeping to help! 

 

Breastfeeding and the European Difference

One of the genuinely beautiful things about traveling to Europe with a baby, and specifically about breastfeeding there, is the culture. Nobody cares, and I mean that in the best possible way.

The only people who ever gave me a side-eye for breastfeeding in public, or looked uncomfortable when our son was crying, were Americans. Europeans didn’t even notice. Children are so woven into daily life there that a baby at a restaurant, a mum nursing at a café, or a pram taking up space in a narrow doorway—none of it registers as an inconvenience. 

My cousin married an Italian, so we’ve had a front-row seat to how differently that culture approaches kids. Italian parents don’t restructure their entire lives around their children; the children come along. They’re part of the adult world, not the other way around. There’s a really good book about this, actually, Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman, which captures so much of the French approach to parenting and is worth reading.

Everywhere we went, people wanted to help. Nobody sighed when we walked into a restaurant with a pram. People lit up when they saw him. As a new mother in those early weeks, when you can feel so raw, exposed, and like you’re just trying to hold it all together, being somewhere that pours into you rather than making you feel like a nuisance means more than I expected. It’s one more reason to go!

Looking Back

Writing this now, when my baby is nine months old, I can see how easy that trip actually was compared to what’s coming. At ten weeks, he went where I went, he slept on me, we had late dinners and it wasn't a big deal, jet lag didn't matter for him beacuse he had no sleep cycle yet anyway. Now he’s about to be almost a year old by the time we travel this summer....send prayers lol

If you’ve been wondering whether to travel with your newborn, let this be your sign. The challenging moments are going to happen whether you’re at home or abroad. You might as well be somewhere beautiful.

For the full list of all of my non-toxic baby product recommendations, read it on my blog here or click below to watch my vlog! ↓