When selecting a vacation for the family with young kids (baby through 5 years old), location is key. We’ve found tropical tops our list . While you can do lots of activities, tours, and events with littles, we feel saving the scheduled trips for they are a little older will more enjoyable for all. But with beach life, the itinerary reads: pool, ocean, nap, eat, repeat. So we decided to pack up the family and head to Maui.
A multiple hour plane flight can be daunting with kids, but there are ways to make the trip smoother. We geared our four year old up for the flight by talking about it the whole week prior. Showing him pictures of Hawaii (from when he went when he was a baby), watching fun shows like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Puppy Dog Pals where the episodes are set in Hawaii and explaining what fun we’ll have once we’re there. We had him pack up toys he wanted to have on the flight, and included a few fun surprises to keep it fresh. Plus I packed him a lunch and brought plenty of snacks. For our nine-month-old, I tried to keep her on her schedule as much as possible planning her feeding times, nap times and play times according to our flight schedule and it all lined up fantastic.
A huge piece of comfort for the kids is familiar items and routine. While there are great travel strollers on the market, we opted to bring our main stroller, the UPPAbaby Vista so this way we had a seat and also the kickstand in case both kids needed to ride at the same time. We used it even more than I had anticipated. Kaanapali is extremely walkable along the strip of hotels and into Whalers Village so we used it for walks, we tilted the seat back and it became the perfect nap spot (and when you have the actual ocean, who needs a sound machine?!), and when it came to dinners with sat the chair upright and wheeled it up to the table for the win!
If you’ve ever taken a tropical vacation to a resort, you know all too well the scout situation for the poolside lounges and how it starts sometimes before the sun is even up. We found an awesome way to avoid the hunt for a spot in the shade by reserving a cabana. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa and they have an Ohana Cabana that fits the whole family. It’s perfect placed on the sand oceanfront but just steps from the pool too. We had comfortable lounge chairs, ample towels, great service and were gifted fresh fruit too. It was the perfect “home base” for the day. We swam in the pool, rode the waves, caught a great nap and enjoyed lunch… plus I enjoyed moved around some of the chairs to create a makeshift play yard which our little one loved!
And speaking of steps to the pool, just to make your trip a little more fun, try matching! We loved these beach looks from Lilly Pulitzer. The cover up combo caused quite a stir as so many people stopped us to compliment our twinning combination.
We took it a step further with our swimsuits too — purple snakeskin protective wear. That’s right! One of the most important tips is remembering sun safety. Fifty million people are treated annually for skin cancer, we want to try to combat that number. This is why we love Mott50. Their swimwear is not only fashionable but it is UPF 50 so we can be confident we will be protected as we play all day.
These are just a few ideas to keep in mind when it comes to planning and taking a family trip. We hope to see you in the tropics soon!
