I’m currently sitting in the dining room of a big, bright house with a gentle breeze blowing through the louvered windows. I can hear roosters crowing and birds chirping, while I share a bowl of fresh-from-the-farmer’s-market tomatoes with my 2-year-old. My baby is sleeping in the next room after an exhausting morning of playing in the sunshine.
I am in love with Kauai. This place is a family’s paradise!
Here are the top things to know if you want to visit Kauai with a toddler or baby!
Kauai is a seriously chill place.
All of the Hawaiian islands are amazing, and each one has its own unique vibe. If it is your first time to the state, consider Hawaii island hopping to get a sense for the differences between a few of them. (My personal second fave is Maui!)
Kauai is not the most popular destination for tourists, and that is part of what makes it so great. The beaches on Kauai are not overly developed. The towns are just that… towns. You can find great restaurants and small places to shop, but there are no massive, destination-style malls.
The vibe on Kauai is decidedly laid-back… the whole place feels like a surf town. Even Princeville in the north, which is the ritziest part of the island, feels significantly slower-paced than tourist-favorite places like Waikiki or Lahaina. So is Kauai kid-friendly?
This chill atmosphere and calm vibe makes Kauai with baby or toddler a perfect combo. It just might be the best Hawaiian island for families!
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Not all beaches are safe for swimming.
Some are always unsafe. Some are sometimes unsafe. Some are generally safe, but probably not for a toddler.
But don’t worry! There are a few beaches on this island that are perfectly suited for your little ones.
Poipu Beach
Located on the south shore, Poipu is a dream come true. It has a shallow protected area with very gentle waves, perfect for wading in with toddlers. There is parking, a lifeguard, a small playground and great big grassy park, and some shade – making this one of the most kid friendly beaches in Kauai. If you’re lucky, you’ll even run into one of the turtles or monk seals who live there! Just be sure to give them their space.
Check out Brennecke’s Beach Broiler across the street for a delicious meal while you’re there.
Anini Beach
Located on the north shore, Anini is a lovely beach with a lot of space to spread out. 3 miles, in fact! While not as protected as Poipu, we still found the waves gentle enough for our toddler to swim in – with one of us right there, of course.
I loved the easy parking, tons of trees to find shade under, and perfect breeze.
The beach is a little bit rockier than Poipu, but nothing that stopped us from enjoying it.
Lydgate Beach
This beach is perfect. There is plenty of room to spread out around 2 protected swimming lagoons. One of the lagoons is for little kids, while the other is just a little bit wavier. The depth of the smaller lagoon never got deeper than my thighs, making it a great option for my toddler with her floaties on – she could always at least touch with her toes, giving her confidence and control.
The sand here is very nice, with just the occasional rock. The water is fairly calm in the larger pool, and very calm in the small pool.
We again had no trouble parking here, and loved seeing families utilizing the grills! Check here for my full review of Lydgate Beach park! If you are visiting Kauai with toddlers, you can’t miss Lydgate.
Another huge bonus of Lydgate is the amazing playground that I mention below!
Also try…
Tunnels Beach and Ke’e Beach are both north shore beaches that are often recommended for young children. We didn’t get a chance to try them out because of the road closure north of Hanalei. But if you’re going after the road re-opens, consider looking into those as well!
This is not to say that no other beaches will work, but these are the most baby-friendly beaches on Kauai.
Stock up on in-season produce.
There are farmer’s markets that pop up all over this island throughout the week. Take advantage! Pick up some local, fresh produce to snack on during your stay, grab a juice or smoothie, maybe a handmade craft, and have lunch at one of the many food trucks.
This website has up-to-date information about when and where you can find the farmer’s markets.
The grocery stores are pricey – hey, it’s an island! But there is a Costco right there in Lihue, 10 minutes from the airport, with prices that are pretty reasonable. Stock up on whatever you can’t find at the farmer’s market there!
The resorts are great, but also consider an Airbnb.
Kauai has some gorgeous resorts, no doubt about that. And if you are a resort-style traveler, you will absolutely find one that you love!
For traveling with my family, I really like staying in Airbnbs. I like to have space to spread out, the peace of not worrying if my baby cries at night, and the amenities: a kitchen, laundry machine, and often times beach toys and baby items.
For this trip, I wanted to experience both. So we stayed the first 9 nights in Airbnbs – saving a ton of money – and the final 5 nights at a resort. Best of both worlds!
One of the Airbnbs that we stayed in was actually in a complex that had the same units available as a “villa”-style hotel… for double the price that we paid for the privately owned Airbnb. It pays to shop around.
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Breastfeed comfortably.
Hawaii is, from a legal standpoint, very breastfeeding-friendly. More generally, you can feel the importance of family in every aspect of Hawaiian life.
You are well within your rights to breastfeed anywhere in Kauai. If you are comfortable doing so uncovered, there is no reason not to. As with anywhere, there is a possibility that someone may get offended, but Hawaii generally has a pretty breastfeeding-positive culture.
I’ve been breastfeeding in public for this whole trip, and I do not use a cover. I try to be discreet – cover with my shirt, latch quickly, etc. – but I do not hide in a bathroom or under a blanket. I’ve had nothing but smiles and friendliness from the people here
Sunscreen and bugspray are a must.
It’s hot, and there are lots of bugs. Welcome to island life.
While being here, we haven’t really encountered the big, tropical mosquitoes that we’re used to in equatorial climates. But that does not mean we haven’t been bit! The bugs here are small, stealthy, and can get you all up and down your leg without you noticing.
Some areas are worse than others, and it will depend on the weather. Bring along spray or wipes every evening just in case!
This is my favorite sunscreen for babies. It’s a mineral-based sunscreen, so it goes on kind of thick, meaning it takes an extra minute to rub in, but it protects significantly better than any spray I’ve ever used. I also think it feels and smells way better once it is rubbed in.
And most importantly, my babies have never been burned while wearing it, and it has never stung either of their eyes. It’s also safe if it ends up in baby’s mouth (definitely guaranteed to happen), and it is reef-safe.
Rent a car.
There are very few places that I really recommend that a car is necessary, but this is one. There are so many cool places to explore on this island, and even if you’re staying at a resort with transportation, you’ll want some freedom to get to know the island better.
If you’re staying somewhere that has beach gear (like every Airbnb on the island, hopefully!), load that car up and explore up and down the coast! Each of the three accessible shores is unique, and you should spend – at the minimum – a day in each.
It takes less than an hour and a half to get from Poipu in the south to Hanalei in the north, and you don’t want to miss Lihue or Kapaa along the way.
Hire a babysitter and enjoy the romance of Kauai.
This has made such a difference for our enjoyment of this trip! There are a lot of different ways to find childcare when you’re traveling, and I highly recommend that you find a little time away with just your partner – or yourself! – while on vacation.
While there are many things to do on Kauai with baby, there are also amazing things that are just for adults.
We researched babysitting services here on the island before we came, and decided on ChildCare Kauai. They set us up with a fabulous sitter for 4 different occasions for our stay.
We were so glad to have the same sitter each time, and our 2-year-old started asking for her by name! This gave us time to do some adult things that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to: take a helicopter tour, a ukulele class, eat a fancy dinner, and have a drunken bicycle ride along the coast in Kapaa! (All things that I highly recommend, by the way.)
Spend an afternoon at the playground at Lydgate Park.
Remember the awesome Lydgate Beach that I mentioned before? Just across the street, still within the same park, is the Kamalani playground.
We weren’t able to do the beach and the playground on the same day, because our girls were just too tuckered out. But it was 100% worth it to make a trip to Lydgate just for the park. My toddler spent hours running around this maze!
I have never seen such an intricate – or Gothic – playground. And I’ve seen some cool playgrounds around the world. There are so many little nooks and crannies to run, play, and hide in! There are nice, shaded areas for relaxing, as well. This was definitely one of the best things to do in Kauai with a 2-year-old, hands-down.
We had to drag my daughter kicking and screaming from this playground! That’s a good sign.
Find an easy hike to get a little more time in nature.
There are tons of hikes on Kauai, but most of them are not toddler-friendly.
We were lucky enough to have a local – our Airbnb host – give us a recommendation for a hike nearby to the Ho’opi’i Falls. We did not bring a baby carrier on this trip (as we had our trusty Veer cruiser instead), so we had to carry the baby while the toddler walked.
It was the perfect little hike for us. We only went to the first waterfall, and it was just challenging enough to be interesting for our toddler without being too much work to carry the baby.
Be warned that this hike can really vary depending on the weather, according to our host. If it’s rained much recently, it’s possible that the hike might be too slippery!
Learn a few Hawaiian words.
You’re not going to encounter anyone who doesn’t speak English, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t hear a few Hawaiian words! You need to know these to really get along:
- Keiki = kids. You’ll want to ask for the Keiki menu!
- Aloha = essentially hello and goodbye. (I’m betting you knew that already.) The true meaning of Aloha is more nuanced, though, and means love, compassion, etc.
- Mahalo = thank you. Try mahalo nui loa (thank you very much) to really impress.
- Ohana = family. An important word in Hawaii!
- Shaka = a hand gesture signaling approval, solidarity, or good intentions. It’s a fist with the thumb and pinky finger out, and then a light shake. Think “hang loose”.
So that’s it! Everything I can think of that you should know before visiting Kauai with a baby or toddler. To me, having been to several of the islands, I truly think that Kauai is the best Hawaiian island to visit with a baby, because it is just so easy and low-key… just what a parent traveling to Hawaii with an infant needs most. I can’t think of many places that I would rather be right now!
Have you been to Kauai? Did you love it as much as I do? Let me know in the comments!
Want to leave all the gear at home?
Did you know that you can rent baby and toddler gear in destinations all around the country and internationally? For rentals in the US and Canada, the industry leader is BabyQuip. You can find them in over 600 locations, including Kauai ! They have incredibly high standards for product quality and cleaning, and you get the peace of mind of having big (or small!) items delivered right to your destination doorstep.
to pin for later:
Originally posted May 2019. Updated April 2022.
29 thoughts on “Kauai with a Toddler or Baby: Know Before You Go”
kuaui is the only hawaiian island i have never been to – and my kids are now 7 &10 . but these are great tips! I’d like to go someday soon, combine that with Oahu. We did Maui and the Big Island back in 2016 (three weeks) and it was amazing
That sounds amaaaazing. I loved Maui and liked Oahu, and would like to do the Big Island at some point, too. But Kauai is just right up my alley!
Those beaches look like an absolute dream! I’d love to visit Kuaui one day.
I can’t imagine more perfect beaches, honestly. I hope you make it there soon!
I ĺoved this article! I don’t travel with little ones but reading this I felt ĺike I was in Kauai with you. All or the beaches looked lovely! I wanna go now!
Kauai is absolutely spoiled with perfect beaches! And you would have so much more that you could do traveling without little ones!
Hawaii has always been on my Bucket List, it’s a bit of a hike from Australia though. It looks gorgeous and really family-friendly. I love how you’ve got turtles and humans all going about their business on the same beach #nothingtoseehere! Looks like the kids had a great time.
Sometimes I wish that we lived in Australia because you’re so much closer to many of the places that I want to go! But we’re just a 5-hour flight from Hawaii, which I am so thankful for. Those turtles seemed completely unfazed!
You are very brave to travel with small kids, it seems to require a lot of organisation! But this is a great post because I’m sure many parents would find the task impossible… Kids or no kids, Poipu Beach looks amazing with its crystal clear waters… I am also a big fan of staying in AirBnb, I really love the freedom it affords travellers and it’s nice to meet the local owners when you can. It’s a great way to get some good travel tips!
Thank you! I don’t want to give up traveling just because I have young kids, and I don’t want to miss out on time with them either, so… only one option! Gotta learn how to travel with them!
I still haven’t been to any of the Hawaiian islands! What are awesome place to take your kiddos. I’m with you, AirBnBs are so great! That’s what I usually use to, regardless of where I go. They just seem more authentic and unique than a hotel or resort.
Yes! We always stay at least part of the time (usually the whole trip, but that depends where we are) in an AirBnB. You can’t beat staying in a local home!
Lydgate Beach really does look quite perfect. Safe for the kids but still interesting enough for the grown ups too. And that water! Love your cart too btw – very practical.
Yes, Lydgate was just perfect. That’s the Veer Cruiser – we love it! Don’t know how we survived before it, haha.
I do not know Hawaii yet. So far, it was not really on our wish list, but you made me feel like the island. However, we would leave our baby (now 25 years old) at home 😉
Haha! Your baby is never too old to bring to the beach. 🙂
Such beautiful waters. It really looks like a great place for families with young children. Very useful advice here.
Thank you! Yes, Kauai is just gorgeous!
I’ve never been to Kauai, but I heard it’s beautiful. Thanks for this helpful post. Even though my kids are way older than toddlers now, some of these tips are still applicable to us. We love visiting playgrounds when we travel too.
I’m so glad you found it helpful, even for older kids!
Kauai is gorgeous and I instantly fell in love with Lydgate beach. You made it sound so easy to travel with kids. Finding babysitter is a great idea when you want some time off and romance with your partner in the beautiful Kauai.
Thank you! Yes, I’m a big believer in taking time with just your partner when traveling!
How do you travel with the kids from the airport to your location. We are traveling to Oahu and Kauai in April and conflicted if I need to bring carseats or not. Ou toddler will just about be two but we are bringing his for the plane. my 4 year old im not sure about.
That is such a complex question to answer! In fact, I have a whole article about it: Transportation on Vacation: How to Get Around When Traveling with a Baby or Toddler If you bringing the toddler’s already for the plane, then definitely plan to use that, of course. For the 4 year old, you could check out the RideSafer Travel Vest. That is our preference for that age range. 🙂
What time of year did you go to Kauai? We were just there and unfortunately Lydgate was closed due to a deceased whale onshore and it was often rainy. Poipu was beautiful but a bit rocky. We want to go back but are debating between Kauai or Oahu because we liked the beaches on Oahu a lot (Kailua, Lanikai). But I’m thinking maybe because we didn’t get to see enough beaches on Kauai to compare them to! Or maybe Kauai is better in the summer?
Oh no, bummer about the whale on Lydgate!! We were there in May and it was pretty perfect weather for us. Just a bit of rain for short periods on a couple days. We’ve been to the various islands quite a few times, and it is always so hard to choose because they all offer so much. I tend to favor Oahu with older kids, actually, as there is so much to do. But Kauai is just so perfect for getting away from it all and enjoying a nice, quiet vacation with lots of nature. It would still be my top choice with a baby. But only if the weather cooperates! 😉
I just stumbled on your blog and I loved reading this. I was born and raised here on Kauai and I basically grew up camping on Anini beach twice a year with my family. I was happy to see Lydgate on your list – we used to take field trips to that park in elementary school! Also, if you go further down the beach (you can take the walking path as far possible on the right – if you’re facing the ocean) there’s another playground called Kamalani Kai. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for writing about Kauai with such respect and Aloha. Hope you get to come back again sometime and have more adventures soon!
Thank you so much for this! There is no greater compliment than having a local say I’m getting it right. 🙂
Your mention of learning a few Hawaiian words is not only a helpful travel tip but also highlights the cultural respect you have for the destination you’re visiting.
Overall, your comprehensive guide is an invaluable resource for families planning a trip to Kauai with their little ones. Your enthusiasm and personal insights make this article an engaging read, and I’m sure many parents will find it incredibly valuable as they plan their unforgettable Kauai adventure! 🌴