Last winter we went to Maui with our toddler, Sebastian, and preschooler, Ariel (nicknames chosen by our oldest). We had direct flights, making life much easier, but over-packed and had two car seats, making travelling not easy. We changed much about how we pack since that trip. I want to share a mix of what we did and what I wish we did. More on where we stayed and what we did in Maui will be shared in other posts.
What to pack
Renting car seats would have been a good option for this trip after we saw that Sixt offered safe looking car seats at an additional cost of only about $100 total for our ten day trip. We checked our car seats as soon as we got to the airport but we still had to get them on and off shuttles and maneuver them in and out of airports. We typically travel with our car seats and have since purchased car seat bags, which help with maneuverability.
We also had one large suitcase, one medium suitcase, one small carry one suitcase, Ariels’s Trunki suitcase, one backpack, and a couple of small bags with miscellaneous items including dinner. It was embarrassingly too much. The small carry on suitcase had everything we needed for the first night and day in case our luggage was lost. We did not want to be in Hawaii without bathing suits. The backpack had diaper changing supplies, appliances like the laptop, and stuff for the flights (kindles and magazines). If we have followed the below list of what we should have pack, we would have skipped one of the smaller suitcases and the miscellaneous bags.
Clothes and shoes per adult
- 3 warm and 2 cool weather outfits (at least 1 of each dressier)
- 1 jacket
- 2 bathing suits and 1 bathing suit cover
- 1 sunhat and a pair of sunglasses
- Running gear
- lip flops and comfortable sandals good for longer walks
- Plenty of underwear
Clothes and shoes per kid
- 4 warm and 2 cool weather outfits (at least 1 of each dressier)
- 1 jacket
- bathing suits
- 2 reusable swim diapers for the toddler
- 1 sunhat
- Water shoes and shoes good for longer walks
- Plenty of undies for potty trained kiddos
- Enough diapers for the first two days
Other
- Sunblock for adults and kids
- Mattress cover for potty trained kid
- Toiletries including preferred kids’ toothpaste
- 1 small backpack per kid with items of their choosing
- Computer, kindles, journal, and magazines
- One snorkel set for the adults (no fins)
- One snorkel set for the older kid (no fins)
- Medicine (daily vitamins, children’s Tylenol, adult Tylenol)
Not included
- Diapers for the entire trip
- Beach mats and toys – may be left behind by past guests and available at the hotel, worth buying there otherwise for a reasonable cost
Settling into Maui
We arrived in Maui pretty late. We picked up our bags and luggage, took a shuttle to the car rental, and drove to our condo in Kihei. We felt lucky with our condo. We had two bedrooms, one with a queen and one with a set of twins. We had a kitchen, dining space, living room, and balcony with a partial ocean view. Especially important to us and impacting our revised packing list was the in room washer and dryer.
We got in too late to do needed kid proofing so we did the minimal amount needed to have the kids sleep in the living room just outside our bedroom the first night. It was a little scary when I awoke to the toddler calling for me and trying to open the front door. Coming from Seattle, we were uncomfortable with none of the furniture being anchored and did what we could to prevent potential deadly falls. The first night we blocked the dresser with the TV with the heavy coffee table. The next day we had to put their dresser in their closet, moved their beds against the wall, and put the toddler’s mattress on the floor.
Our first morning we were exhausted but happy. We awoke to paradise. We discovered our view, our pool, and the nearby beach that was only a walk away. We first went to the beach with just beach towels and had fun discovering the water and sand as a family.
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