Parisian Parentals

I jutted into traffic to protect Dancer Friend's new little bundle in his stroller as we crossed the busy Paris streets near Canal Saint Martin. J was born just two months ago and DF was braving a trip into the city alone for the first time.

After a thirty-minute set back due to projectile baby spit up, she had finally found a parking spot, put the stroller back together, texted me that J was screaming, but that she was still going to try and power through.

Courageous is what I call that.

We met on the corner of the quai and quickly assessed that her first suggestion of Ten Belles, the most adorable café on the planet, but also the smallest, would not be suitable for her tank-sized stroller. We'd need a bit more of that precious Parisian café real estate if J was to join us.

Close, but no cigar.

We finally found La Marine, just across the canal, and poked our heads in to analyze the situation. Could we fit a stroller in there? We decided yes, and pushed the baby tank through the miniature aisle between tables, parking J in a corner we deemed "out of the way".  Our tarte tatin and café crème arrived and then J decided to poop.

I looked at DF with big eyes - ummm ...what do you do now? Where do you change him?

Again, we thought about it...if there's no changing table in the closet-sized WC, how rude would it be to change him right there in the restaurant? And more importantly, how smelly? What if we offered everyone hand sanitizer right after? Maybe I could create a distraction? Would they even notice?

DF reminded me that then she would have to do something with the dirty diaper, which is when I suggested she change him outside. But she told me it was probably cruel to change a baby outside in the wintertime.

Ohh riiiigghht. That's why she's the mom.

And so, as all Parisian parents must do, DF had to make a crucial decision: to change, or not to change? 

Thankfully, J was a good little sport, realized he probably shouldn't have decided to poop while out in the city, and stuck it out like a champ for the majority of our coffee time. Parisian parents be warned - La Marine is not the place to take a kid in diapers unless it's warm outside!

Is it just me or is my friend the bravest woman on the planet? She drove a 2 MONTH OLD, BY HERSELF into PARIS, PARKED A CAR in the city on a SATURDAY, put together a TANK stroller, breastfed in public, and had to make a decision that no mother should have to make only two months in. 

She deserves a medal.

Step it up Paris - it's no wonder the families are fleeing to the burbs!