Kauai with Baby
Plan ahead on your trip to Kauai with baby and have an actual vacation!
Traveling with Baby can seem like a daunting idea, but with a little planning ahead, Kauai is a wonderful destination for you and your keiki (child). Here are a few tips so that your trip can be an actual vacation!
Think ahead when booking your accommodation. A few key amenities can make your trip easier and less stressful. Amenities to look for in your accommodation:
Amenities to look for in your accommodation:
An extra room: Extra space for baby helps naptime and bedtime be peaceful and quiet—and you can get some quality time with your spouse too! We’ve even seen pak-n-plays set up in an extra (unused) bathroom.
Small kitchens or kitchenettes: Make meal and snack time easier for your little one and clean up will be easier with a dishwasher.
Washer/dryer: Save on packing extra clothes, make clean up easier and you don’t have to deal with the mess when you get home.
Ask hotels what they offer: Many have portable cribs, diaper genies, and other helpful items. St Regis offers baby food on their room service menu—but their rooms are very small and their pool is NOT baby friendly.
Hotels with multiple rooms and/or kitchenettes:
North Shore: Hanalei Bay Resort and Westin Ocean Villas
East side: Waipouli Beach Resort and Kauai Beach Resort
South Shore: Koloa Landing, Kiahuna Plantation Resort
Westside: Waimea Plantation Cottages
Know Baby’s preferences.
Does your baby mind the car? If you know your little one hates to drive, you might consider staying somewhere more on the beaten path. Places like Ha’ena on the extreme north shore are 15 minutes drive to the nearest grocery store. Towns such as Hanalei, Kapaa and Wailua are more compact and easier to find to amenities—sometimes even walking/strolling distance.
Will you want to take baby in the water? Keep in mind the north shore beaches can be rough in winter, while the south shore can have more waves in the summer. Anini beach is usually a sheltered area to swim with baby on the north shore. Baby beach in Poipu is a great spot on the south shore. If you would prefer to introduce your little one in a more controlled environment, be sure to ask your hotel about their kiddie pools.
Hotels with shallow wading pools for babies:
North Shore: Hanalei Bay Resort
East Side: Waipouli Beach Resort and Kauai Beach Resort
South Shore: Grand Hyatt
Hotels with slides and kids pools for older children:
North Shore: Westin—with fun turtles and a small slide!
East Side: Waipouli Beach and Kauai Beach Resort
South Shore: Grand Hyatt—the best slide on the island
Will your baby’s sleep schedule change? Depending on how far away you’ve traveled and how long you’re staying on Kauai, you may want to switch baby over to Kauai time. We’ve found that some families like to keep Baby on their home time zone and go to bed early and arise with the chickens. You can make the best call—we’ve seen it done either way.
Decide how much stuff you want to bring. Some parents love having all their tried and true gear. Others would rather travel lightly and rent when they arrive. Many of our clients enjoy using a baby rental service so they don’t have to pack and unpack all of baby’s gear. We recommend Babylicious http://www.babyliciouskauai.com/ or Kauai Baby Rentals www.kauaibabyrentals.com. You can get strollers, high chairs, carriers, cribs, pack-n-plays, toys etc. all delivered to your accommodations.
Note the change in weather. Kauai can be very warm and sunny—be sure to bring plenty of portable shade, sun protection and sunscreen for babies 6 months and older. As sitters, we try to organize the day so that Baby can be inside and protected by shade during the hottest hours of the day.
Plan ahead for childcare. Enjoy a night out with your spouse—maybe your first real date since Baby joined the family?—or plan a special activity or beach day. Many babies don’t like be carted around to hot beaches and it can be challenging to organize a day around nap schedules. Maybe you’d like to plan a special activity with an older child or splurge on a helicopter or boat tour. Let us help! We recommend booking ahead of time so that we can make sure to have one of our “baby experts” available for your family.This is especially true if you’d like to book one sitter for multiple sits or you’re traveling during the summer months or the winter holidays—our busiest season. We can even offer night-nurse services if your little one isn’t sleeping through the night. Get the rest you need to enjoy the vacation you deserve! Book a professional sitter with Kauai Babysitting Co and have an actual vacation.