Packing List for Hawaii With a Baby or Toddler

Packing for a baby or toddler in Hawaii is a little different than packing for an adults-only trip to Hawaii. Not only are the Hawaiian Islands a long flight for a lot of us but babies and toddlers need more equipment to get there.

I know that packing for babies and toddlers can be overwhelming so I’ve tried to simplify it for you by creating a list of everything you’ll need. This way you can focus less on the to do list and more on your family trip!

The start of this blog post goes through the things that need a little more explanation (or maybe they don’t, but I wanted to give it anyway) and at the bottom is my exact list.

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For the Flight

To keep your baby or toddler entertained on the flight, you’ll want plenty of age-appropriate toys. Here are some of my favorites:

• Painters tape – yes, literally a roll of painter’s tape. Little kids love to stick it around them and it removes easily. I’ve found it’s one of the best ways to keep them entertained!
• Spinners that can suction to the airplane window
• Montessori toy with all sorts of gadgets to tinker with. My son loved this at 6 months and still loves it at 18 months! My 6 month old daughter currently loves it as well. We have gotten so much use out of this toy.
• Sensory toy with crinkle noises and tags to play with
• Definitely bring a toy strap because picking up toys off the airplane floor is tough in small spaces
• This busy board is great for toddlers

Surface wipes if you want to wipe down the snack trays or any other areas

Diapers. Make sure you bring more than you think you need in case of delays, it’s not a fun thing to be out of.

Diaper changing mat for those diaper changes that have to happen in a public place

Car seat – we have the Graco Contender Slim and have had no problems with it fitting on flights on Southwest Airlines. There are a lot of car seats out there that work for travel. The most popular is probably the Cosco because is the lightest weight travel car seat on the market. We didn’t opt for the Cosco because kids tend to grow out of it quickly (it has a weight limit of 40 pounds but kids tend to grow out of it before then due to the one inch rule) and we also found it to be really uncomfortable. Our son does really well in his car seat and we wanted to make sure it stayed that way. We put the car seat in padded car seat backpack for carrying through the airport. I also have an entire post dedicated to traveling with a car seat which will be helpful to you whether you’re checking it or taking it on the plane because there is so much more to say about it than I can fit in this packing list guide.

Snacks – Bring food that you know your baby/toddler likes. I also recommend bringing slightly more than you think you might need. And don’t forget to pack enough for the return flight home unless you know you can buy it on the island.

Milk – If your little one drinks normal milk, I highly recommend bringing it. Before our last trip to Hawaii, we have always found milk available in the airport so we didn’t even consider needing to bring it. Then we couldn’t find any in the Phoenix airport. Even Starbucks wouldn’t sell it to us because they said they didn’t know how to ring it up (we have always been able to buy milk at Starbucks before). It made for the worst flight. So, if your little one needs milk to fall asleep, learn from me and bring it with you.

Tablet and headphones – If you want to offer screen time, don’t forget the tablet. You’ll also need headphones because most airlines won’t allow you to watch the tablet with the sound on. I recommend practicing with the headphones before your trip but you might find out that your child doesn’t mind watching their favorite show with the sound off.

Formula – Even if you plan to buy formula upon arrival, definitely bring more than you think you need in your carry on just in case you have a delay. The last thing you want is to run out of formula on a plane. We always bring about 2 days worth in our carry ons.

Change of clothes. We usually remember extra clothes for the kids but we forget ourselves. Blowouts, spit ups, and getting sick can happen so it’s nice to have something you can throw on for yourself just in case.

Make sure you bring proper travel documentation. You will need documentation proving your relationship to your child. The very first flight we ever took with the kids, we were asked to provide documentation (we used their birth certificates). We’ve never been asked again since that time, but it would be awful not to have them when we needed it.

Stroller – I know you probably wouldn’t forget your stroller, but it’s important to mention. There are so many travel strollers it’s hard to tell you which one to get. We have the Zoe double, which works for us. If you buy a Zoe single travel stroller, it can fit in the overhead compartment on the airplane. We gate check our stroller so we bought a bag for our stroller to help protect it against damage.

Some parents prefer a baby carrier. We also used the carrier in the airport (it was helpful in getting on and off the plane) but our kids are both too little to forgo the stroller.

We just put all of this stuff in the diaper bag and bring it on the plane. I really like to organize everything inside with color coordinated packing cubes or ziplock bags so that everything is easy to find.

Random But Important

Reusable grocery bags – the grocery stores do not have single-use plastic bags so you’ll either need to buy them there or bring your own.

Travel insurance because you never know when someone might get sick or any other unexpected problem. You can purchase travel insurance. Instead of buying travel insurance, I use a credit card that offer travel insurance.

For the Outdoors

Reef-safe sunscreen

Warm clothes if you’re going to be in higher elevations (for example, Haleakala, which is one of the best things to do in Maui!) You may also want some long sleeves for chilly evenings depending on the time of year you visit.

Multiple swimsuits if you’re planning on spending a lot of time in the water. I really like to put my kids in a rash guard for extra sun protection. When they are babies, I also bring a swim hat.

Beach Bag – We actually just used the reusable grocery bags mentioned above as our beach bag to save on space while packing.

Wet bags are great if you’re going to be jumping from the beach to dinner or something like that. You could also bring along plastic bags from home (remember, they don’t really have them on the island) to save money.

We don’t bother bringing beach towels because the place we stay has always had them, but it may be something to consider if your vacation rental doesn’t offer them.

Sleep

Pack and Play – Everyone seems to love the Guava Lotus travel crib. Probably an unpopular opinion, but I just thought it was fine. It did the job, but I don’t know that I think it’s far superior to anything else I have used. We had a standard pack and play to use when we were doing road trips and I liked it just as much; it would be more of a pain to travel with, though, due to the weight. Everyone’s sleep preferences are different. Some prefer to rent pack n plays upon arrival, others trust the hotels to have them available (usually they do, but occasionally they are all rented), and others prefer to bring their own. We have done every one of these options (including getting to the hotel and finding out all of the pack n plays were being used). There is no right or wrong way to do this, it’s completely up to you.

Slumber pod – some people swear by this. We have traveled both with and without the Slumber Pod and for our kids, it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. It is a good idea to bring one if you’re going to be in a tight space (like a hotel room).

Entire Packing List for Kids in Hawaii

Everything above needed just a little more explanation or is something I might not have thought of until I started traveling with kids. But below you’ll find the complete packing list for your Hawaii vacation with kids.

I keep a “Packing List” note on my notes app on my phone that I add to and check off as I go for every trip. I’ve been adding to this note for 2 years now, so I think I’ve thought of pretty much everything. You can buy most of this in Hawaii if you’d prefer, it just depends on your preference and how light you want to pack.

Ultimate Hawaii Packing List for Kids:

Outfits
Long sleeve outfits (if going to higher elevations or for chilly evenings if going in cooler months)
Bows/Headbands
Pajamas
Swaddles
Burp rags
Washable bib
Bathing suit or rash guard
Swim / sun hat
Shoes / Water shoes
Socks
Diapers
Swim diapers or reusable swim diapers
Diaper cream
Wipes
Pacifier
Muslin blanket
Toys for the airplane
Fan to clip on the stroller
Tablet and headphones (don’t forget the charger)
Birth certificate
White noise machine
Pack n Play
Sheet for pack n play
Shampoo
Comb / hair brush
Inflatable tub for bathing
Soap
Bottles
Bottle soap
Travel bottle cleaner
Infant Tylenol and syringe
Reef-friendly sunscreen
Monitor
Car seat
Car seat backpack for carrying through the airport
Baby carrier
Stroller
Stroller bag for protection when gate checking
Snacks
Reusable grocery bags
Beach bag
Waterproof bag
Rain jackets

We flew Southwest to get to Hawaii, which includes two free checked bags per person. Plus you can bring one carry on per person on top of your personal item. We didn’t take as many bags as we were allotted (that would be a lot!) but we didn’t have to pack light. So we did choose to bring a lot from home to cut down on how much we had to buy in Hawaii.

There’s no doubt that Hawaii takes some effort to get to. And traveling with kids is more work than traveling without them. But for us, it is worth it every time. I hope that this list made you feel a little more at ease and prepared. Hawaii is a great place for a family vacation and it was totally worth the effort for us. Once you step foot on the islands, you’ll have such a great time that you’ll forget about everything else.