As with all of my daughter’s other trips, I started her first “real” vacation trip with an Excel file for planning. I consider this trip our daughter’s first “real” vacation because it involved all of us taking time off from work (my husband & I) and daycare (our daughter). The other trips were 1) during my maternity leave (via car) and 2) for a funeral. This was the first trip that was multiple days long and for fun!
The first step was deciding when we wanted to go on this trip. I wanted to get through the winter season so I was aiming for a Spring/ Summer vacation. At this time our daughter was still on a 2-nap-a-day schedule so we were considering how that could impact locations. Given that we had done a car trip with her already, as well as a ~1.5 hour one-way flight with her, we were open to going on a longer plane ride for a trip.
We spoke with our in-laws who have visited Maui a handful of times over the years. My husband and I have been to Oahu and Kauai before and thought it would be a great opportunity to visit a new island. We figured traveling with my our parents would definitely be useful given it was a 5+ hour flight and it would be a lot with an 11 month old. In addition, our parents could show us the way around Maui since they’ve been before.
Accommodations
Our in-laws have stayed at a couple of places in Maui, and for our trip they recommended Kaanapali. We stayed at the Aston Mahana at Kaanapali and booked a 2 bedroom corner condo on the top floor. This condo was amazing, with a long lanai and spectacular views (the sunset was to die for). My husband bottle fed our daughter every evening out there.
Sharing one condo with my in-laws was a good way to save money, as well as it made babysitting her easier. We had a spacious living room, as well as the large lanai, which didn’t make it seem cramped at all for 5 of us, even with a baby who spent a lot of time on the blanket on the living room floor.
Packing
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- For travel sleep, we use the Graco pack n’ play for our daughter. We confirmed with the condo that we stayed at that they had a pack n’ play that we could use during our trip. This helped prevent an additional checked bag for us.
- Pack n’ Play sheets (x2): I’m a believer in always having at least one spare. I prefer to have 2 spares, but I didn’t want to go overboard. As such, I packed 2 pack n’ play sheets (1 to use and 1 extra).
- Sleep sacks (x2): Same as the above, I packed 2 Halo sleep sacks (1 to use and 1 extra). The Air BnB had a washer/dryer, but if something were to happen in the middle of the night, there’s not time to do a load of laundry and get baby back to sleep, so a spare is always needed.
- Baby monitor: We brought her baby monitor (+ camera and wrap around stand) so that we could keep an eye on her while she napped and when we stayed up after putting her down. We love our Infant Optics DXR-8 Pro baby monitor.
- Sound Machine: We love our Hatch Sound Machine, and if/where possible we will take with us. We packed a large enough suitcase where we could fit it inside. While we also have the portable sound machine (which we also brought), the regular sound machine is perfect for nighttime sleeping (and lasts all night). I highly recommend bringing the sound machine if you can fit in your luggage.
- Stroller: A stroller is a must, especially since we planned on doing a lot of walking. We walked down the boardwalk lining the hotels near our condo almost over day. Our daughter enjoys her stroller, so it made transporting her easily.
- Portable fan: I brought a portable fan so that we could attach to the stroller in case it got hot. It is a three-prong fan which makes attaching to the stroller (or crib, in case the bedroom doesn’t have a fan) easy.
- Portable sound machine: I brought the Hatch Rest Go in case baby wants to nap on the go — it helps provide the same bedtime sounds she hears, associating her with sleep.
- Diaper Bag: Just a must, always.
- Baby Bottles (x2): I brought 3 baby bottles, and washed them so that there was always a spare.
- Travel cleaning kit: This bottle cleaning brush set has been so helpful to take on vacations, as it comes with multiple brush attachments and is a mini drying rack in and of itself to make on-the-go bottle cleaning and breast pump parts cleaning a breeze!
- Burp cloths (x5): Our daughter was not a big spitter-upper but I wanted to have some throughout the week in case we needed. We did have a washing machine in the condo, so we had the ability to do laundry while we were there.
- Bibs (x8): Our daughter wears a bib when drinking milk out of a bottle, so I packed one for each day my husband was giving her a bottle + 1 spare.
- Blankets (x2): I probably would have been fine with one blanket, but brought two just so I could have a spare. We used a light weight blanket to cover her stroller when the sun was out. We also used a blanket on the plane.
- Wash clothes (x2): We planned to give our daughter baths (or it turned out to be showers) almost every day since we were doing a lot of beach and pool days.
- Breast Pump Bag: For a pumping mom it’s inevitable to bring all the things related to pumping and milk.
- Breast pump: First, I needed to bring my breast pump. I chose to bring my Ameda Joy Plus pump, as I knew I would be pumping at least once per day.
- Bottle collectors: As with all pumping, I had to bring some bottles to collect the milk. I did not plan to bring any milk home, as our daughter wasn’t drinking much breastmilk at this time anyways, and we were supplementing with formula.
- Clothes: I overpacked for clothes, like I always do. I think worst case scenario with baby girl blowing out or spitting up on every outfit. But at the same time, I knew there was a washer/ dryer at the Air BnB and still overpacked. My only recommendation is to make sure you have all of the necessary articles of clothing that you need for your specific destination (i.e., in Maui, it was hot so we needed light weight clothes, as well as swimsuits).
- Toys/ Books: It’s always good to have some toys (and books) on deck to entertain the baby. We didn’t bring any large toys – we tried to stick to small, easy-to-pack toys that we thought would be entertaining for our daughter.
For ease of packing, we ordered a handful of items ahead of time at Target and picked up on our drive to the Air BnB.
- Diapers (x1 bag): We ordered one pack of ~60 diapers that we thought would last us the week. Any leftover were packed in our suitcases on the way home.
- Wipes (x2 pack): We ordered 2 packs just to be safe and make sure that we were covered for the week.
- Snacks: We ordered our daughter’s go to snacks, while also bringing some from home that we could pack in our diaper bag for the plane.
Plane Ride
At the time of the flight, our daughter was under 2 so we could have flown her as lap child; however, given the flight time (~5 hours) we thought it would be best to book her her own seat (and bring the car seat on board). We read that it is is safest for a baby to fly in their car seat, and our daughter actually enjoys her car seat (and can fall asleep easily in it).
We brought our spare newborn car seat on board and it fit great on the window seat. Our daughter probably napped for ~2-3 hours during the flight. We entertained her primarily with food (Cheerios, gold fish, teething crackers, etc.). We also brought a handful of toys with us that helped to entertain her as well. She didn’t have too many outbursts, and really enjoyed having grandma and grandpa sitting behind her.
The plane ride home was similar to the plane ride there. She napped a bit, but was awake for longer on the way home. It is a long flight, but a direct flight is definitely the way to go as it makes travel with baby easier.
Flight Times & Time Zone Differences
It’s also important to consider flight times. We booked an early morning flight on the way there, which worked out great as she had to wake up early and was tired for the flight. On the way home, we did an early afternoon flight, which is probably why she wasn’t as tired on the way home.
The time zone difference didn’t seem to impact our daughter too much. Since we got up early (~4:00am PST/ 1:00pm HST) she was more than tired enough to go to bed at 7:00pm HST, and she only woke up an hour early the first morning in Hawaii. The time zone difference only seemed to hit on the first night at home. We landed in California around 6:00pm PST, and we knew that 7:00pm PST (4:00pm HST) would be too early to put her down. I think that first night we were able to get her asleep around 9:30pm-10:00pm PST and she got back on her normal ~7:00pm – 7:00am schedule within the first couple days back at home.
Beach and Pool Days
Our daughter had never been to the beach before Hawaii so we were very excited to take her down to the beach after we arrived at our Air BnB. I held her in my arms as I dipped her toes into the ocean. For a split second, we thought she liked it, but when her toes touched the water she immediately got fussy. We tried a few more times throughout the trip, and she eventually came around to not crying, but she still didn’t love it (despite the water being a warm temperature).
We took our daughter to the pool multiple times during the trip, and she loved the pool! Whoever was holding her, she would glom onto you and just enjoy being held while her body was in the water. Around this time she started really enjoying bath time, so we think she liked the pool so much because of the confined space (vs the ocean).
We purchased all of the necessities for the sunny days at the beach/pool: a couple of the Rufflebutt swimsuits, a sun hat, sunglasses (which she lost) and lots of sunscreen to prepare for this trip. Our daughter loves being outside and “soaking” up the sun, but with her age and sensitive skin we limit all possible sun exposure/ protect her skin to the best of our ability.
If traveling to Hawaii, I recommend staying somewhere that has a pool. There are beaches all over Hawaii, but I think having pool time with kids is also special (and easier to clean than sand from the beach). I would actually be curious how our daughter would do at the beaches now that she can walk.
Food & Drink
When I go anywhere on vacation I always search for best foods to get. For Hawaii specifically, I targeted finding the best shave ice and acai bowls. Below are my recommendations:
Shave Ice
- Big Wave Shave Ice Company: This shave ice is located in the Westin Hotel, which was a short walk from our Air BnB. There are plenty of flavors to choose from; they even have a secret menu (which you can ask about). They use Roselani Gourmet ice cream and it is delicious. I highly recommend this shave ice.
- Shave Ice in Paradise: This shave ice is also located within walking distance of the Air BnB, and there were lots of flavors to chose from. I don’t recall if this location had an ice cream option, but it was still delicious.
Açaí Bowl
- Maui Fruit Ninja: The most amazing açaí bowls you will ever had. I could not recommend finding this place (as they move to different locations depending on the day—they were within walking distance from our Air BnB for a few days during our trip). While I got a regular açaí bowl, my husband got one in half a pineapple, and it was delicious. Our daughter loved it too!
- Baya Bowls: This food truck was a little bit of a drive away, but well worth it. The peanut butter drizzle on this açaí bowl was delectable. I recommend this food truck if you’re willing to drive around the island to get to.
- Vida’s Coffee: This food truck is located in the Hoopilani Food Truck Park which was 2 minutes from our Air BnB. Vida’s is a delicious breakfast food truck that offers coffee, smoothies, breakfast sandwiches, and açaí bowls. My husband and I got coffees and split the açaí bowl. It was a simple açaí bowl, but delicious; I recommend if you’re located near the food truck park.
- Papi’s Ohana: This place was worth the hype! The cinnamon rolls from this bakery were beyond amazing. Note, you have to line up before they open or you will be in a long wait line. My husband and I (and our daughter) were going to initially wait in line, but I did not think our daughter would be able to wait that long. But it turns out my father in law was able to swing by on his daily walk (and there was no line, and they still had cinnamon rolls!).
Dates
Since we had our lovely parents with us, we were excited to take advantage of some dates while we were in Maui. Our first stop was a happy hour at Merriman’s Restaurant and Bar. We had a lovely dinner there with some delicious drinks. The view is incredible (my photo does it no justice)! I highly recommend visiting right before sunset. As my husband and I were about to leave we were about to walk outside down to the beach area, but there was a random downpour.
We also decided to do a lunch at the Plantation House, which is located at the Kapalua golf course. Our table had the absolute best view overlooking the golf course and the ocean. The food was very delicious, as were the drinks, but the view was the absolute best part of the lunch date. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a casual (yet beautiful) lunch spot.
I think Hawaii is a great place to take a baby. There are ample activities to entertain baby, while also keeping parents entertained. Time zone difference wasn’t too bad for our daughter (I think anything over 3 hours would have been tough with her at 11 months old). The weather and activity level in Maui was the right pace for what we were looking for during a first trip.
Traveling as a couple vs traveling with a baby is definitely a major change, but Maui as our first real vacation with a baby was the best choice for our family. I highly recommend Hawaii if you’re looking for a first trip with a baby!