No wonder France is one of the prime destinations in the world for holidays. Beach, mountains, culture, food, wine… you name it, we have it! And kids are (mostly) welcomed anywhere.

Most restaurants have some kind of kids’ menu, often serving the universally appreciated steak hache et pommes de terre roti, otherwise known as burgers and chips. But contrary to northern European countries, you will rarely find any special equipment for kids. Over here even toddlers are expected to sit with their head barely reaching over the table for a whole 3 course meal using normal size cutlery and glass cups, and surprisingly, they mostly do. Hotels are similar — kids are welcome but are expected to fit in. That being said, every hotel I have stayed in has been able to provide a cot so there is some kid-friendly equipment.
Another thing that needs a word of warning are the French toilets… A few months ago Courtney visited with her 3-year-old son. We had lunch in a typical Parisian café which served pretty typical café style food. We only discovered, when Courtney tried to take her son to the toilet, that the café still had a once-typical type of toilet: the famous French squatting hole. Her son decided that he could hold it for a while longer.
These types of toilets are getting increasingly rare, but once you are off the beaten track you still find them all over France, especially along motorways. For kids they are a bit scary; I for one was always afraid I would slip and fall in. Also, they flood very easily after you pull the flush, so get out as fast as you can!!!

- Emilie