Fun Things To Do With A Toddler In Maui (that you’ll enjoy too!)
Have you ever thought about taking a vacation to Maui with a toddler?
Every year in December we get away as a family to Maui, Hawaii.
It’s a magical place any time of year, but there’s something about escaping colder temperatures for balmy island weather that’s extra awesome. My husband AJ and I both absolutely LOVE being on the island and vacationed there together several times pre-kiddo (probably the last time we could actually define it as a ‘vacation’ in the utter relaxation sense of the word); This is a tradition + place we wanted to share with Taylor and, not surprisingly, she loves it too!
When you add a toddler into the mix, many of the activities you may choose to do on your Maui vacation sans kiddo aren’t going to be appropriate (snorkeling, some hiking, cliff jumping, paddle boarding, etc.), unless of course you have a set of Grandparents or a nanny with you to watch them! You can read more about how to make traveling with a toddler less stressful in THIS POST!
Fortunately, Maui has so many amazing things for toddlers & their parents to enjoy doing/eating/participating in together. You can’t really go wrong!
In this post, I’m going to share with you what we’ve done and enjoyed most the past couple of trips with Taylor between the ages of 1.5 and 3.5 years old, as well as a few travel tips to make things easier for you to relax + enjoy your trip!
TRAVELING TO THE ISLAND
Let’s start with making the trip out to Maui as stress-free as possible – get those chill island vibes flowing, mama! Knowing what to pack and not having to second guess whether you’ve got everything you need to entertain your little one on the flight over & back, and essentials for while you’re there is everything!
For a comprehensive, printable vacation packing checklist for both toddlers and their mamas to streamline the ‘getting ready to depart for paradise’ process less stressful, check out THIS POST!
I recommend saving 2-3 items for the return flight and/or picking up a special surprise souvenir activity your toddler can do on the flight home – novelty seems to hold their attention slightly longer : )
TOP TO DOS WITH A TODDLER IN MAUI
BEACHES
Kapalua Bay Beach
Our favorite area to stay on the island is Kapalua. It’s further north of downtown Lahaina (main shopping, restaurants, and most popular/busy beaches), quiet, and the beaches are super family-friendly. This year we spent all of our beach time at Kapalua Bay Beach, but we also love Napili Bay which is right next door.
Baby Beach:
This beach is in Lahaina. It’s called Baby Beach because the water is calm, warm and wave/undertow free. It’s the perfect beach to introduce your toddler to the ocean if they’ve never been before! I know that when we went to the beach when Taylor was 1.5, she was frightened by the loud crashing sound of the waves at first. In hindsight, I might have taken her over to Baby Beach First.
51 Puunoa Pl, Lahaina, HI 96761
Oh, before I forget, don’t forget to snag your copy of our toddler pool day bag checklist – all of the items are beach appropriate as well and definitely must-haves for a vacation to Maui with a toddler.
NON-BEACH ACTIVITIES FOR TODDLERS IN MAUI:
Maui Ocean Center Aquarium
This is the perfect activity to break up the days spent in the sun and/or on a rainy day when the pool or beach isn’t an option. It’s a small-sized aquarium but definitely entertaining for toddlers!
192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI 96793
Splash Pad + Playground At Whaler’s Village:
A little shopping for mama, and some fun splash pad and climbing time for your toddler in Maui. Whaler’s Village is located right next to Ka’anapali beach. Make sure to pop into Leilani’s for fresh fish tacos (and maybe a grilled cheese for your toddler!).
2435 Kaanapali Pkwy, Lahaina, HI 96761
From November 29th to December 31st the train is transformed into the Holiday Express, complete with milk + cookies and Santa! This is something we actually haven’t yet done, but I’ve spoken to several toddler mamas who say their littles absolutely LOVED it! More info & tickets for purchase HERE.
HOTEL ACTIVITIES
The last three places we’ve stayed in Maui (The Ritz Carlton, our friend Harlanâ’s beautiful beachfront condo in Kahana, and Montage), have all had pools and kitchens which have come in clutch.
Night In
Having a kitchen in your hotel/condo allows for you to save money on dining out (although, that’s my fav part of any trip!!) and have evenings in to enjoy together after a full day of fun in the sun. Grab ingredients for a simple chicken salad and maybe a bottle of wine for the adults, and buttered noodles + chicken nuggets (or is that just my kid’s fav meal?) and enjoy a relaxing night in. If you’re staying close by the ocean, keep your windows open and listen to the waves roll in.
This year we enjoyed watching Home Alone 3 one evening in, and enjoyed playing family charades with the cards I stashed in her activity bag.
Pool Time!
Going to the pool is always a favorite activity of Taylor’s – and I’m never mad about the option of poolside piña coladas either! Some hotels will have toys your toddler can play with, but if not most all the grocery markets or ABC stores have inexpensive pool/beach toys you can buy.
Remember to apply and reapply lots of sunscreen to yourself and your little one when you’re out at the pool or beach.
Paintbox @ Montage, Kapalua Bay
This year we stayed at Montage Kapalua Bay and they have absolutely amazing programs for children. Taylor was able to attend free classes where she learned how to make a lei, dance the hula and play the ukulele (we slept in through this one!). She also received a lanyard and earned ‘merit badge’ pins throughout the week for learning about and participating in Hawaii culture. This was a total highlight for her!
Feed Koi Fish
At 9:30 every morning, Montage has Koi fish feeding. It’s probably technically for guests only, but I bet you could pop over there and they’d give you a scoop! The Ritz Carlton also has Koi Fish and fish food available upon request. If you’re there in December the Ritz has really nice Christmas decor your little one would love to see too!
Count Rainbows!
How can I forget counting rainbows! If you stay in Kapalua, you’ll likely see lots of these. Keep track of how many you see either by allowing your toddler to snap pictures of them, or tallying them up somewhere. MY next move is to surprise Taylor with a small polaroid camera like this one so that she can document whatever she wants to and have the physical pictures to look at!
The coolest one we saw was from our balcony at the Montage –Â a double rainbow that appeared after a brief, light afternoon shower!
HULA DANCING
Luau
I hadn’t been to a Luau in 20 years, but Taylor continually said it was the thing she was looking forward to most, so we made it happen! It’s probably hard to go wrong with a Luau, but the one we attended this year was AWESOME. Feast at Lele, located at the end of Front street in downtown Lahaina, was above and beyond our expectations. From the welcome cocktails/mocktails, a table ON the beach, the multicultural island fare, the service, to the incredible fire dancers – it was a wonderful experience I would recommend for an older toddler or preschooler. If you have a picky eater like we do, I recommend packing an alternate meal or snacks with you for them, as the foods are exotic and likely all new flavors to your little one.
Taylor definitely has a hard time sitting, so we were nervous about a 3 hour show. BUT they broke it up into four different sections with breaks for eating in between which allowed movement time that kept her attention and got her through. At the end of the night she begged us to let her get up on that stage and demonstrate the hula moves she’d learned at Montage! She did pretty well ; )
Children’s Hula Show at The Lahaina Cannery
Another option to see hula that’s free, a shorter duration, and entertaining for toddlers is the Children’s Hula show at the Lahaina Cannery. They perform every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and every Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. at the mall’s center stage. Taylor really enjoyed watching other children dance the hula, but she wanted to get up there and dance WITH them!
1221 Honoapiilani Hwy, Lahaina, HI 96761
FOOD FUN On Maui For Toddlers
Farmer’s Market
You’ll find tons of yummy local fruits & foods to try here (I heard there’s a homemade cream cheese that’s literally mind blowing), and it’s very family friendly. Have fun watching your toddler sample and picking up some delish goodies, and maybe even an iced coffee boost from Badass Coffee which is right there too!
 3636 Lower Honoapiilani Rd, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761-5916
Shaved Ice
This is a given. No vacation to Maui with a toddler is complete without a shaved ice. Taylor loved the cotton candy flavor she tried this year (and the blue-stained mouth to go with it!)Â If you haven’t had a shaved ice, get one for yourself too!
Choice Health Bar
I can’t not mention one of my favorite places to grab a bite on the planet – Choice Health Bar! If you go, you MUST try their Acai bowls (I can’t stray away from my fav, the Green Buzz!). They make a ‘Keiki Shake’ (Keiki means child in Hawaiian) that’s relatively inexpensive and perfect for your toddler to sip on if they’re picky like mine is and likely wouldn’t indulge in an acaii bowl!
I could go on and on about all of the places we love on Maui, but I’ll stop there. You can’t go wrong exposing your lucky little toddler to a place like the beautiful island of Maui. Even though ‘vacation’ isn’t always exactly relaxing with little ones along, you’re making amazing memories together and exposing them to a beautiful culture and island vibe that you can’t help from being de-stressed by.
I hope you find these recommendations helpful as you plan your vacation to Maui with a toddler. Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions, or share with me if you have other places or activities on Maui that are great for toddlers!
XO,
Ashley
P.S. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment here on this post or email me at ashley@taylor-mademama.com