Rome with a toddler. Good idea or not?

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My DD was 2.5 when we took her to Rome, in Spring. No problems at all. Lots to see, Green spaces abound. Wonderful food. Loads of interaction with doting Italians. We stayed in an apartment near the Spanish Steps. It was good to be central as we had to nip back for underwear changes (toilet training!).

Personally I would use the excuse to go to Rome! You can pace yourself and plan something easy for each day. It’ll be nice to stroll around and eat gelato!

Choose a hotel with a pool and go! I’d buy a cheap 3 wheel off road buggy like an out and about or Bob off Facebook market place.

@CasperGutman Really good point about the need to be as central as possible. If a toddler meltdown does occur a quick trip back to base could save the day!

One tiny word of warning about the Italian love for babies and toddlers. Whilst it’s true, sometimes it can be used as a distraction technique for bag theft etc. But of course, the majority of people are good!

I voted YANBU, but it really depends on how you do it and what you expect to get out of it. If you want to see all the big sights, forget about it. But if you're happy to take it easy, visit a couple of places at a slow pace, go to the park, chill out in a square listening to music and spend plenty of time watching your toddler chewing pizza crusts and rubbing gelato into their scalp, then go for it!

We used to hate city breaks with the children, until we realised two key things. One was to adjust our expectations (see above) and the other was to stay as centrally as we possibly could. Don't be tempted to stay in a nicer hotel if it means you're a half hour metro ride from the city centre. Spend the same on a more basic hotel close to the sights, or an apartment (airbnb etc - I know they can have a bad reputation, but read the reviews carefully and you could grab a bargain).

The time you would have spent commuting to the sights will account for a big chunk of the attention span and energy a young child has for sightseeing. Plus, staying centrally means you can go out for an hour or so, head back for a break, then head out again later.

Good luck!

I went while heavily pregnant and found crossing the road quite scary, if you are walking down side streets you get mopeds hurtling past you and also a lot of people barging past especially in the more crowded bits. I personally wouldn’t want to do it with a toddler for those reasons, it would be a bit too stressful for me.

Go! I went in November with my then 7 month old. I was absolutely blown away by how much Italians like babies/children. Rome is obviously incredible in itself but the attitude towards the baby made for a really pleasant trip.

We also did the beach as a previous poster mentioned. While on that trip we visited Ostia Antica - which is the remains of an ancient city near the coast which I would recommend if you are happy to get the train out of the city.

Yes, but I'd probably leave the toddler at the airport for safety reasons.

I've been out of the country many times.

Yeah but you’d still go though, wouldn’t you? Just to see it.

I honestly loved travelling just with my DH to Rome pre-children, but I am on the extreme end of travel itineraries- I want to see and do everything, walk for 10 hours a day only stopping for meals, etc. So I would have found this trip frustrating with my young children slowing me down 😂 However, if you are more relaxed and not worried if you run out of time to see certain things then go for it!

The Colosseum and Trevi Fountain lit up at night are must sees!

Rome is fabulous with young children - we have been a few times and there is loads of stuff to do with kids. We've stayed in a few places, by the Vatican, by the Park and by the Roman Forum. As a PP said, its actually quite a small city and you can pretty much walk around easily or the metro is good.

We didn't do the more intense and busy stuff - for example, we didn't take them into the Vatican museums in summer but did go to St Peter's square and into the church, climbed part of the duomo etc - there is also a fabulous big park and a castle (actually Hadrian's tomb) which they had fun in.

We also found numerous restaurants (not fancy but for dinner/lunch) where the kids were not just welcomed but completely indulged. In one hotel, the chef went to the shop for strawberries as my toddler had asked for them for breakfast. I would definitely go

Of course it’ll be fine. Do people in Rome not have toddlers? No, of course they do.

you’ll be fine.

Sounds amazing! My advice for all city breaks with kids is feed them basically twice as often as you think you need to. Don't wait for the perfect place to eat - if you need to give them a street food snack whilst walking around and it's out of their usual routine then just do it.

Do you ever use a sling? I'm not saying don't take a buggy, but it might be useful to have a back-up sling with you.

Definitely do it. Lots to see and do.

Why do they think you're mad! It will be an incredible experience for them. I took my son with me everywhere I went since he was a babe in arms. The younger you start expanding their minds the better and they absorb everything. Enjoy your trip!

😆

We've been a few times but my favourite place we've stayed was up near the Borghese Gardens. Ideal for a toddler if they like being outdoors as it's huge so loads of space for them to burn off energy 😊They have boats you can rent on the lake and buggy things to drive around too. We walked into the centre most days / evenings but taxis are pretty easy to find and jump into if it's too much walking for your 3 year old.

Tell us you've never been further than your local Poundland without telling us...

Honestly. The shit some people come out with.

Well, what about if Nero popped up with his lyre? 🔥

When my DS2 was that age I had to drag him screaming to get him out of the Science Museum in Kensington.

Babies are fine really easy, 4 plus is fine. That 2/3 age on holiday i always found a nightmare they are out of routine the temperature is different (not so much rome) the food is different, sleep arrangements are different. They don't want to be in the pushchair. Or this is how my 4 always where and other peoples kids I know where at this age on holidays but maybe your kids are all different and changes in sleep and routine doesn't bother them 🤷‍♀️

Yes, it sounds like a great idea. There's so much to do in Rome that would suit a child, lots of parks, playgrounds, childrens museums. Restaurants will generally do half portions of the main menu for children, and the food is great!
Public transport is cheap and reliable, and you could easily do a day trip out to the seaside if you wanted to.

But I do second the idea of a decent, sturdy stroller, the cobbles can be quite harsh!