PAULINE DE WITT, FOUNDER OF MUMINTOWN, AROUND PARIS

Pauline de Witt is a modern mama of three young kids, an overbooked husband, and a fulfilled family and social life.  Like all of us, she is trying to find a balance between her personal and professional life. After working 10 years in the marketing of luxury parfums, she wanted to have more freedom and decided to become a mumpreneur. She launched Mumintown, an app changing the life of French moms who now can virtually connect with other mums who share same interests and exchange good deals (see our full story on Mumintown here). Pauline took some time of her super busy schedule to share her favorite kid-friendly spots around Paris with us. 

  • Can you describe the city where you live.

I live in Levallois-Perret, a city very close to Paris' 17th district.  The main advantage of this town is to be close to everything Paris has to offer and yet live in a little village like town. Very lively and family friendly, it offers a lot of kids activities and very good neighborhood shops. The things I miss are bike lanes and green spaces.

  • A kid-friendly restaurant.

I often say that taking the kids to a restaurant sounds good on paper as you won't have too cook or do the dishes, but to be honest it can get quite chaotic and not that pleasant. With young kids especially, it is impossible to have more than a 3 minute discussion, keep them quiet and in their seat, or make them eat something else than pasta or friend. As a result, you often leave the restaurant frustrated. As a matter of fact, we only stick to simple places where food comes fast such as the crêperie L’elfe assis or the Piazzetta pizzeria in Levallois. The meal is fast, the food kid-friendly and we avoid tensions.

  • Your favorite place for a snack ?

I love taking the kids to Ladurée as they love macaroons, of course we don't do that everyday! ?

  • A kid-friendly activity on a sunny day.

We like biking around the Bois de Boulogne and drive little pedal cars in Parc de Saint-Cloud. I grew up in  Saint Cloud, so the park brings back childhood memories.

  • A kid-friendly activity on a rainy day.

We like going to the swimming pool of  Neuilly or Levallois, go to the aquarium of Trocadéro, or go to the cinema. The parc de La villette is also great and close by. Lately we went to the Freestyle de la Villette to discover the street art culture.

  • A cultural activity with the kids. 

We try to take them to museums with family-friendly programs as often as possible. Lately we went to the street art museum  l’Aérosol in Paris. There is also the musée en herbe with great exhibitions for little and big kids.

  • Let's go shopping! Your favorite kids shops. 

I have three favorite shops:  Bleu comme gris to shop for myself,  Les Enfantines for pretty high quality sweaters and Petit Bateau where I buy my kids pyjamas.

  • A kid-friendly hotel you'd recommend to friends.

I would say the Mob Hotel à Saint-Ouen. It is laid back, family-friendly, and makes you feel at home. Otherwise I tell them to rent an airbnb or rent a flat in the center of Paris. It is the best deal for a family.

  • A kid-friendly week end escape.

We like going to la ferme de Gally. Kids love filling up their basket with fresh fruits and veggies they get to pick out. They learn about farm life, and agriculture. This place is a perfect family escape during the week end.I also often go to Giverny to introduce kids to impressionism while walking in Monet's magical gardens. Versailles, with its castle and gardens with its water show is always spectacular too.We also like The domaine de Chantilly featuring a gorgeous castle and kid-friendly activities around the property such as a little train or a maze. You can ven eat real chantilly cream. Yummy!Next summer, I'd like to discover the Moulin jaune, which is a theater-garden in Crécy-la-Chapelle. During the summer, this garden turns into a creative lab where artists show their talents.

  • You favorite spot for family vacations anywhere in the world.

Saint-Briac sur Mer, in Britanny of course! Even if the weather is not always great, it is a perfect family destination where you feel free and happy.  The sceneries are gorgeous and kids can do tones of activities like sailing, tennis, golf, surf… and they always find friends of the same age. 

IN PARIS WITH---, IN THE CITY WITH---France