Hawaii Packing List for Families with Young Kids

Packing for Hawaii does not need to be complicated. The islands are pretty casual. After countless trips to the various Hawaiian Islands with and without kids, I have never noticed something critical that I forgot to pack and couldn’t buy there. If you forget something, there are plenty of places to pick up what you need. But I get wanting to be prepared and not wasting vacation time shopping for items you forgot to bring, which is why I have put together this comprehensive packing list for Hawaii. This Hawaii packing list focuses on the kids, and what we, as a family with young kids make sure to pack or leave behind.

The islands are all quite different, so think about where you will be and what activities you will be doing. Will you be hiking in rain forests? Visiting active volcanoes? Or spending most of your time in a resort? Your activities and vacation style should inform what you pack.

If you are looking for general packing tips, check out my Packing Tips for Trips with Young Kids.

Clothing for Hawaii

The following clothing items should be on your family’s Hawaii packing list.

Little Boy’s Clothes for Hawaii

• Underwear, diapers, and/or pull-ups
  • If not potty trained, we just bring 1-2 days’ worth of diapers/pull-ups and buy the rest there (more on this below under Baby Gear).
• Socks
• Pajamas
• T-shirts
• Button-up or polo shirts for nicer meals out
• Shorts
• 1-2 pairs of long pants for the airplane and if will be heading to higher elevations.
• Swim trunks
• Swim diapers if not potty trained.
  • You can pick up a pack of disposable swim diapers on the Islands, but I also like to bring a couple reusable swim diapers.
• Swim shirt/rash guard
  • Provides protection from the sun
  • Protects skin from irritation if doing water sports. For example, when boogie boarding, waves will kick up sand that can rub between the boogie board and your child’s skin if he’s just wearing swim trunks and really irritate/scratch up your child’s stomach and chest.
• Hat
• Sunglasses
• Water shoes (ideally closed toe so sand does not get in them and so that they don’t scrape their toes on lava rock)
• Closed toe shoes/sneakers
  • Closed toe shoes are important to have if you will be walking on lava rock (say at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park), going for a hike, or adventuring away from the beaches and resorts.
• Light sweatshirt/pullover
  • If a kid is cold after getting wet, it can be handy to have something warm to put on them. Also, if you will be going to higher elevations (such as Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island), it can get quite chilly up there and you will likely want something warm to layer under a rain jacket.
• Light rain jacket/windbreaker
  • It can rain a lot in certain parts of the Hawaiian Islands, so make sure everyone has some warm weather rain gear. We all have a light-weight rain jacket that can be layered under in colder weather (such as winter in London) and still work in the warm weather. Ponchos also work if you are wanting something smaller and more packable.

Little Girls’ Clothes for Hawaii

In addition to the applicable items listed above, here are some things I would pack for little girls:

• Sundresses and rompers
• Swimsuits
  • For little girls, I like long-sleeve swimsuits for the same reasons I like rash guards. They protect my little one’s skin from sun and sand/water irritating their skin (mostly happens while boogie boarding).
• Light cardigan
  • To layer over a spaghetti strap or tank top for sun protection and warmth.
• Sandals

***A Hawaii packing list tip: really consider the sun.

Depending on the age of your child, you want to consider different ways to protect them from the intense sun. For example, I find that with my babies and toddlers who spend time in the stroller, their upper bodies may be shaded by the stroller’s sunshade, but their little legs stick out and bake under the sun. For that reason, I like to pack a couple light weight pants (footed if a baby) or long-legged sleeveless rompers. Make sure the fabric is very lightweight and breathable.

The older kids who are out of the stroller, on the other hand, have more direct exposure on their upper body (especially their shoulders, chest, and neck/upper back). That is when the rash guards and long sleeve swimsuits are handy. I also try to pack plenty of light-weight t-shirts instead of just tank tops and some light weight shirts with sleeves or 3/4 sleeves.

We also try to get to the beach early and do something else during the intensity of the mid-day sun. The benefits of getting to the beach early are:

1. You avoid crowds.
2. It is not as hot.
3. The winds and water can be calmer.
4. The morning light is beautiful.
5. If you are coming from the mainland USA or Canada, you likely will all be waking up early due to the time zone change and it can be nice to just get the family out instead of trying to keep everyone quiet in your hotel room/condo.

Clothes for Mom and Dad

You know your vacation style best. We generally bring these categories of clothes:

• Tops and shorts
• Sundresses and dressier shirts (think polos, short sleeve button ups, etc.) for dinners out
• Swimsuits
• Swim coverups
• Sun hats
• Sun glasses
• Beach sandals
• Running shoes that can double as hiking shoes, depending on what we will be doing
• Athletic wear
• Golf and/or tennis outfits
• Sweatshirt
• Rain gear

Toiletries

Beyond the usual toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant, here are some things to consider for your Hawaii packing list:

• Prescriptions
• Sunscreen
  • You can buy reef safe sunscreen in Hawaii, but I like to bring the reef safe mineral baby sunscreen that I like for my kids. Products are also generally more expensive in Hawaii compared to the mainland.
• Bug spray
  • Depending on where you will be, bugs may or may not be an issue. But if you plan to take any rainforest hikes, I would definitely make sure you have bug spray on hand. You can pick it up on the Islands, but you may have more selection at home if you are looking for a particular kind or non-DEET options for your little ones.

A note about bugs and other critters in Hawaii:

Hawaii is free of many of the terrifying critters that you will find in other parts of the world. There are, however, some you don’t want to mess with. Centipedes, scorpions, and venomous spiders are a few worth mentioning. If you come across any of these, do not touch them. The chances of seeing a centipede are decently high, so I would instruct your kids who won’t be under your constant direct supervision to leave any critters they find alone. I also would not keep shoes outside, and always check shoes before slipping feet in them. That’s a good practice in most parts of the world.

• Basic first aid supplies
  • For minor scrapes and cuts when out and about. There are medical facilities if you need more medical attention and stores that sell additional medical supplies.
• Consider bringing N95 masks in case of volcanic activity
• Pedialyte packs
  • Little kids can get dehydrated quickly in hot weather. We always travel with few packs of Pedialyte in case a child starts to show signs of dehydration or catches a tummy bug.

Beach Gear for Hawaii

No Hawaii packing list is complete without beach gear! BUT the good new is you don’t actually need to bring much beach gear with you. I would bring a few things, like a cute beach bag and cangas (more on these below) but leave the bulky items behind. There are local rental shops as well as online rental places like Babyquip and Baby’s Away that rent out beach gear. I do recommend you book your rentals in advance.

What to Pack:

• Reusable Water bottles
• Beach Bag
  • It can be rolled up in your luggage or it can be your diaper bag, but make sure you bring something that you will carry items to the beach in.
• Cangas (sarong)
  • If you are not familiar with the Brazilian canga, they are essentially sarongs that can be used a number of different ways but are primarily used as something to sit or lay on at the beach. No more laying on sandy wet towels. Brazillian cangas dry off quickly, don’t hold onto sand the way a beach towel does, and are more beautiful than beach towels. Cangas are not bulky like beach towels and easily fit in a small tote. I brought home a selection of cangas after living in Brazil for 6 months and got my family hooked on them. But you can also buy them online. Cangas are so handy for days at the beach or pool and should be a staple in every beach bag.
• Swim goggles
  • If your toddlers are like mine and don’t like getting their eyes wet, goggles can help. We even went through a period with one of our children when we were wearing them in the bath/shower during hair washing. These are small and easy to pack and you may not find them in the sizes you want at the rental places.

Items You Can Rent:

• Sand toys
• Sun umbrellas and sun shades
• Beach towels
• Beach chairs
• Coolers
• Sport boards (boogie boards, surf boards, etc.)
• Snorkel gear
• Flotation devices

Baby Gear to include on your Hawaii Packing List

What to Pack:

• Car seats
  • You can also rent these through online baby gear rental companies that service Hawaii if you don’t want to check yours or haul them through the airport. Car rental companies may also rent them out. Either way, you will need carseats if you plan to explore much of the Islands.
• Stroller
  • An all-terrain stroller that can handle uneven surfaces and sand will be the most versatile. We often walk to the beach with our stroller so that the littlest one(s) can take naps on the beach. Scooter-board attachments can also make the walk home easier when your older kids are tired and cranky. While you can rent strollers, I have not tried to get through the airport with more than one young kid without one. We always travel with our stroller.
• Diaper Bag
  • Diapers, wipes, and changing pads
    • We always buy diapers at our destination, but I travel with a couple days’ worth to get me through the plane ride and the first day or two at our destination. When you land and are tired or hungry and dealing with cranky kids, you don’t necessarily want to have to go shopping for diapers immediately. The extra days’ worth of diapers that I pack give me a bit of wiggle room in my schedule. I can get everyone settled and happy at our destination and then one of us will go out and get diapers, food, etc.
  • A couple wet bags – one for the dry changes of clothes after time spent at the beach or pool, and one to put the wet swimsuits in.
  • A couple disposable bags to put dirty diapers or soiled clothes in.
• Baby monitor if needed at your accommodations
• Airplane pillows and beds
  • It is a long flight to Hawaii. And a lot of flights home to the mainland USA or Canada are red-eyes. Make sure to bring something to help your kids stay comfortable and hopefully get some sleep on the plane.
    • If your airline allows it, the FLYAWAY Kids Bed works great. It will take up a large portion of your carryon though, and even airlines that have approved this bed may have rules about which seats you can use it in, so confirm that before bringing it!
    • Our kids love the Seat to Sleep® Travel Nest. It really helps the little ones sit more comfortably in their seat and blows up to be quite large so you don’t have to worry about it slipping out from under their heads like a traditional neck pillow does. This airplane travel pillow folds up into a small pouch that does not take much space.

I love my Lanikai cross-body/fanny pack diaper bag. In the bag I can fit 1-2 baby diapers or 1 toddler size diaper, a thin changing pad (comes with the bag), a small pouch of wipes (I use a mini refillable pouch), a small snack like a meat stick or a couple boxes of raisins, a small wallet, my phone, car key, and chapstick. There are a lot of other brands that have similar bags, but this one has worked great for me.

This bag is fantastic for throwing into the larger diaper bag that we tote around and then pulling out if I want to carry around just the absolute necessities. How this often plays out is we drive to a farmers market, store, or tourist site that we will only be at for a short while. We decide we don’t need the stroller and we don’t want to carry around a big diaper bag in the heat. So we leave the larger diaper bag in the car and I just take the smaller bag. If we need a diaper change half-way through the farmer’s market, we can do a quick change and continue on. If it’s a blowout, we have the option to head back to the car or send my husband to grab the backup supplies.

What to Rent:

Most bulky baby gear items that you will need can be either rented or provided by your accommodations. Everything from pack-n-plays to Snoos to highchairs and car seats can be rented through online baby gear rental companies that service Hawaii. That is the case with most destinations. For that reason, we don’t travel with much baby gear.

I hope you have found this helpful. If you are heading to the Big Island, make sure to check out this post Hawaii: The Big Island with Kids. Safe travels!