*cover image provided by Jess Fernandez of Maui Family Photography
We have found Maui to be a very family-friendly vacation destination; everyone we have encountered on the island has been so kind and accommodating. That said, traveling anywhere with a baby or toddler has its challenges so I wanted to share a few learnings with you to help make your trip as smooth as possible.
TRIP PREPARATION TIPS
If you already live in a place where you have access to beaches + pools and have already exposed your little one to them, go ahead and skip this section. 😂
If your little one hasn’t really been exposed to sand before, I highly recommend getting them familiar with the concept a little bit ahead of time. It can be a very foreign texture so it’s worth letting your kiddo play with some form of sand before your trip so they’re not totally caught off-guard by the new sensory experience at the beach. Sophie hasn’t ever played in a sandbox so when we took her to Maui at 10 months old she was NOT keen on the sand situation. 😂 Admittedly, I’m not crazy about bringing actual sand into the house 🥴 BUT I did get Sophie some kinetic sand to play with in her sensory table. While I know it’s not exactly the same as dry sand, at least the texture is there and it’s able to be formed (like you would need for building a sandcastle at the beach) so she got some exposure to “sand” before our trip.
The same thing goes for pools — it may help to visit a local community pool just to splash around in a “large” body of water (as compared to a bath tub 😅) or if you have booked your trip far enough in advance you may even have time to sign your little one up for some introductory swimming lessons (which may also give you some peace of mind while at the pool!).
I also think that talking your little one through what they can expect a few days ahead of time can help them be more prepared, less anxious about any new experiences (such as airplane travel or if you have any boat excursions planned), and set everyone up for success. As adults we take these situations for granted because [most times] we have experienced them before so we know what to expect and it feels pretty routine, but for little ones it can be sensory overload that may feel overwhelming. Talking them through what to expect or even using dramatic play to demonstrate a scenario might be helpful for them.
I also loved the prep tips here from Susie at Busy Toddler, but they seem to be geared more toward slightly older kiddos (elementary school aged). That said, they’re still worth considering because you may be able to modify them to work for your child!
PACKING TIPS
Overall, Maui is a super casual destination so don’t feel pressure to dress up (yourself or your little ones!). A few sundresses and / or shorts + tees will be plenty to get you through your visit. That said, be sure to take any activities into consideration — for example, I know that it can be breezy out on the water so I made sure to pack lightweight windbreaker jackets for Sophie and myself for our whale watching excursion.
Keep their clothing choices light and airy, but pack an outerwear layer if you have plans to be out at or after sundown because it can get pretty breezy at night, especially if you’re coastal! And be sure to pack one or two more outfit options than you think you’ll need, just in case (stains, accidents, etc).
Along that vein, don’t forget your Miss Mouth’s stain treater wipes and Tide pens!
If you’re going to be exploring places like the stops along the Road to Hana, I recommend some good water shoes to protect tiny feet from sharp rocks. Our family loves our lightweight, foam rubber sneakers / sandals from Native, but any water shoes are great.
Pack multiple swimsuits because nothing is worse than trying to put a clingy, freezing cold swimsuit on (except maybe trying to wrestle a wiggly toddler into one 🫠). We had pretty good luck with putting our swimsuits out on our hotel room balcony drying rack and they dried fairly quickly in the Maui sunshine, but I would still come prepared with multiple swimsuits.
I also want to remind you to pack a protective sun hat (that can get wet). When the sun is high in the sky, it can get BRIGHT and sometimes sunglasses and sunscreen just aren’t enough. Boost their sun safety with a hat — I personally love a bucket hat option with an under-the-chin tie to keep it from falling / blowing off.
After this last Maui trip, I highly recommend packing your own swim diapers (a pack of disposable or a couple of reusable ones) if your little one isn’t potty trained yet. On our previous trip we had plenty of success picking up a pack of disposable swim diapers at Target when we landed, but on this recent visit every local store was completely sold out of all brands and sizes of swim diapers… just something to consider.
WARM WEATHER GEAR Recommendations:
Spillproof Sippy Cup
For obvious reasons this sippy is ideal for plane and car rides, and even for meals out. Most restaurants we visited provided children’s cups (with lids and straws), but there were a handful that didn’t and I was grateful to have our reusable sippy cup. Additionally, this is a great option to have with you at the pool or beach to keep your little one hydrated — I feel like that’s a constant battle in warmer climates!
Reusable Snack Bags
These come in so handy and are easy to toss into your bag with your toddler’s snacks for the day (or at least for a few hours. We also love these little snacking cups with closing lids for travel! If your little one will eat pouches (ugh, Sophie won’t!) then these resealable caps are ideal for any half-finished pouches.
Rechargeable Portable fan
The best summer accessory. This small fan has three modes (low, medium and high), can be propped up on a flat surface on it’s little legs like a tripod OR the bendable legs can be positioned on parts of a stroller, high chair, etc. to keep your little one cool wherever you are!
Sunscreen
An absolute necessity. We either fill these TSA-approved travel tubes with liquid sunscreen or bring the solid sunscreen sticks (which kids usually prefer anyway). If you aren’t able to pack your own sunscreen, you’ll want to pick some up at a big box store / grocery store / pharmacy.
Sunglasses
Sophie LOVES to wear her sunglasses and we love that they’re polarized to protect her little peepers (plus, it doesn’t hurt that the cute “Weefarer” style works with all of her outfits)!
LOGISTICAL TIPS
Utilize a gear rental company (such as BabyQuip) for items such as strollers, car seats, booster seats, pack-and-plays, beach toys, etc. to minimize the number of things that you need to pack or bring with you!
However, if you want to bring your own equipment, I’ve previously shared our favorite Baby Travel Items as well as the Toddler Travel Gear that we have and love.
If you need a dark room and your rental space (Airbnb, etc) isn’t going to be dark enough for your little one to sleep, I suggest these packable blackout shades. Everyone also raves about the Slumberpod so that’s another option, but we try to pack pretty minimally so the shades would personally work better for us.
Place a Target / Safeway order for pickup around your flight’s arrival time (for items such as swim diapers, sunscreen, formula, etc), Toddler snacks (puffs, dry cereal, small crackers, pouches, fruit) and while you’re there you can pick up anything you’ve discovered that you’ve forgotten at home (underwear, deodorant, toothbrush, etc). Both stores are located close to the airport so you can easily swing by to pick up before heading to your hotel / short term rental!
What we packed to entertain Sophie on our flights / in restaurants:
on-theme slim story books, an I-Spy coloring book (with a few crayons!), and magic water coloring / painting books. We also always pack Sophie’s tablet that has movies and shows pre-downloaded onto it, but we try to use the tablet as a last resort only because we have found that longer exposure to screens causes her to become disregulated much faster.
TRAVEL TODDLER TIPS:
Reiterating my point in the first section above: Coach your kiddo ahead of time and explain what they can expect during each location / activity, to the extent that you can, and how they are expected to behave in the environment (“We’re going to get on a boat today! Boats float in the water and can make the ground feel a little unsteady,” “This is a place where we use our inside voices.” etc).
Don’t try to cram a ton of activities in every day… it’s nice to have things to do to mix it up every few days and provide a little variety (especially during a longer vacation), but beach vacations should be more about relaxing and bonding as a family! We mostly had pool or beach mornings every day, with excursions every other day or even more spread out.
Keep as many things consistent for your kiddos as possible. I say this in regards to the things you can control (like providing snacks that they love; using a white noise machine like the one they have at home, a sleep sack, and their favorite lovey on hand for naps; etc). There will always be a lot of variables when traveling, but having those comfort items will help keep things familiar enough for little ones.
Keep nap times in mind when planning activities — it’s okay to be flexible if you need to be (i.e. to participate in an activity that has limited availability), but keeping your little one’s schedule as consistent as possible on your trip is going to go a long way for all of you to keep your sanity.
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BEACH SPECIFIC TIPS
KEEP THEM HYDRATED. It’s so easy to get dehydrated in a tropical climate, so I always suggest bringing bottles of water with you, especially if you’re heading out to the beach. These are our favorite spillproof sippy cups.
Be sure to use mineral (zinc oxide) based sunscreens. These are not only safest for babies and kiddos, but also the kindest to our oceans. If you’re buying on-island, these varieties will be your only options, but if you’re packing your own, please be sure to take this into consideration when doing your shopping.
Using a sunscreen stick is going to be the easiest way to apply sunscreen to your little one’s face, but if you’re applying liquid sunscreen, I highly recommend using a dense makeup brush. For whatever reason, kiddos are a lot more amenable to this method than parents’ finger applicators.
If you’re planning to take your own beach toys, bring flexible silicone ones that will smash down and pack easily.
Additionally, Sophie loves her mesh zippered bag for collecting seashells / carrying around her pool and beach toys! This also takes up almost no space in your travel bag.
Sand “pools” are such a BRILLIANT idea, especially for tiny ones at the beach. You can DIY your own by digging a shallow pit, lining it with a shower curtain liner, and then adding buckets of ocean water, but there are also products specifically designed with this use case in mind that may take less effort.
This cool product is perfect for easy sand removal from skin because rinsing with fresh water from the beach shower doesn’t always cut it in getting all of the granules off!
ACTIVITIES
As far as suggestions for things to do on Maui with kids, I found an incredible list here, broken down by age group(!) and it’s super informative.
We kept our activity itinerary to a minimum on this trip as we wanted a relaxing experience (mostly taking it easy at the hotel pool and on their private beach), but we were still interested in doing a couple of special Hawai’i-specific activities with Sophie while in paradise!
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Something that we absolutely love to do while on Maui is to visit during humpback season so that we can go whale watching! This trip we went out with Pac Whale Foundation and it was wonderful — we loved our experience. It’s great for kiddos as they accept passengers of all ages.
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Of course, we had to visit the Maui Ocean Center! This aquarium design is open to the outdoors between exhibit buildings so while it’s not fully enclosed it’s still a great option for little ones on a rainy or overcast day. There is a lot to see and learn about, especially Hawaiian history and culture!
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We mostly stayed on the beaches in front of our resort (Ulua Beach & Wailea Beach by the Wailea Beach Resort) as a matter of convenience, but these beaches were on our list if we had decided to venture:
- Baby Beach: “A reef protects this beach making is calm and gentle for kids to play. There’s also decent snorkeling here.”
- Kapalua Bay: “A large beach that’s great for snorkeling and kid play. No strong breaks or currents here.”
- Napili Beach: “If you have snorkelers, this beach is a must have. The drop off at the edge of the sand makes it a little harder for small swimmers, but the beach play at the immediate shore is fantastic.”
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I know that when you’re in paradise visiting a playground isn’t exactly an ideal activity choice, but if your little one needs to get some wiggles out (and they need a change from the beach / pool) there are plenty of playground options on the island. The Playground Buddy locator app that we use isn’t perfect, but it’s still a useful resource that we’d recommend.
We also suggest a family-friendly hotel with a pool. We stayed at the Andaz on our first visit to Maui and it definitely had a more adult vibe so I don’t recommend that location for bringing young children (teens and preteens might be fine though). However, we have been very impressed by the Wailea Beach Resort. They not only have a children-friendly pool (‘Ohi Pool), but their property also contains a miniature water park (Nalu Adventure Pool) for kids to play at — it’s amazing!
They also offer additional amenities such as…
Keiki (Kids) Club
“Children 5-12 are welcomed to an engaging learning and play facility, created just for them! The bright and cheery space offers a storytelling area with local Hawaii reading books, arts & crafts tables, and learning stations. Advanced 72 hour notice and reservations required.”
Movie House
“Escape the sun [or rain] with a daily movie showings of classics and contemporary favorites. Guests are invited to sink back into a cozy bean bag chair and watch popular cinema hits. Movie House showings are 3x a day (12pm, 4pm, 7pm).”
GameSpace
“A gathering place at the resort, GameSpace is an inviting venue that entertains all ages! From foosball, billiards, and shuffleboard to vintage arcade games and board games, this entertainment lounge is a fun for the whole family.”
Hawaiian Cultural Activities
“From the restorative powers of the sea and saltwater to the cadence of the waves along the shoreline, the ocean guides our cultural approach in all activities. Explore Hawaii’s rich culture through complimentary workshops such as hula, ukulele, lei making, quilting, traditional games, and fireside “talk story.”
*above image provided by Jess Fernandez of Maui Family Photography
If you’re looking for more content around traveling with a toddler, I have shared posts about our favorite travel gear as well as some of my best toddler travel tips & resources.
Admittedly, traveling with toddlers is probably the LEAST restful and relaxing experience that there is, but it’s always rewarding to expose your little ones to new experiences and to create memories together.
I hope this gave you peace of mind about visiting Maui with your littlest family members. I shared a recent travel diary of our trip here if you’re looking for a bit more information!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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