Rome is such an incredible City. So much to see, so much culture, friendly people and yummy food. It is also not a bad place to take a baby a few months into being on solids, as that is when they would start eating harder foods such as pasta, bread etc.
The best time for visiting Rome would be in the spring or summer. July and August months might be a little too hot and humid for a baby though, so keep that in mind. In addition Italy is known for having a lot of mosquitos in the summer as well so I would come prepared with baby friendly bug spray.
Getting Around
- The public transit is good, but be prepared to walk a lot and I would pack based on that. A lot of the tourist attractions are in walking distance and if you love getting exercise and love walking I would recommend doing exactly that.
- Buses are generally crowded and hard to get on with the stroller
- The traffic is chaotic whether you choose to walk or drive, there will be buses, cars, motorcycles, mopeds coming from all directions. So be on the watch out and be careful as they are reckless drivers.
- Best bet would be to use a baby carrier. However, depending on what you have planned for the day it might be a little good to take the travel stroller along as well. Bearing in mind there are a lot of brick & cobblestone streets.
- Another possible reason for brining the travel stroller along though and not just using the baby carrier, is because there are very few baby change tables in public restrooms or restaurants. Therefore you might require that to change your baby on the travel stroller or a park bench.
Baby foods & essentials
- Most of the essential items such as formula, diapers (in Italian ´panolini´), food etc. can be found in local supermarkets or pharmacies.
- For short trips I personally make sure I have enough of everything i.e. nappies, formula, snack foods, food pouches just in case as I am not from that city I would not want to be wandering around for ages looking for an item for the baby. For myself would be a different story. So especially for baby essentials I try to make sure I bring everything along. It would be a different scenario for parents visiting from outside of Europe and are in Europe for longer. 🙂
Baby Friendly Restaurants
- During our visits to Italy pregnant and with baby we have found Italians to be very accommodating and family friendly.
- Breastfeeding in public is accepted
- Not a lot of restaurants have high chairs in case you need them. You might have to hold the baby on your lap or keep him/her in your travel stroller. Similar to our comments about Paris Café´s and Restaurants are narrow so a travel stroller comes in handy for Rome as well.
- Testaccio is an excellent area to find great Restaurants. Highly recommend a few on Via del Portico d´Ottavia
Tourist in Rome
Here are a few helpful details about Rome, other than providing you the usual tourist spots everyone already knows about.
- While Rome is generally quite a safe city I just recommend staying away from the area near Termini Station. Train stations in Europe in general tend not to be the safest.
- Spanish steps and Piazza del Popolo is the shopping district.
- Popular shopping strip is Via Cola di Rienzo. The Prati neighbourhood is a nice chill area with good restaurants close by. It is also not to far from the Vatican.
- In the San Giovanni you will get a glimpse of every day Rome & Testaccio is the best neighbourhood for food & restaurants
- The historical centre is an excellent area if you are looking for hotels, airbnbs to stay as it is close to all the popular tourist sights. You should be able to find many accommodation options no matter what your budget is.
- The usual tourist spots: St. Peter´s and the Vatican, the Fountains, Villa Borghese, Piazzas, Colosseum, the Pantheon è molto gelato.
I hope you find this information useful. If you have an comments or suggestions on things to add please feel free to leave us a comment below, email hello@jetlifebaby.com or via Instagram @jetlifebaby
Buon viaggio Baby!
Happy Travels Happy Baby,
Jet Life Baby.
