How To Holiday In Hawaii With Babies - And Still Have A Great Time!

The idea of travelling overseas with one baby is enough to scare anyone, but this family took a vacation to Hawaii with three babies on board.

Two days after coming home from hospital after the birth of her first-born baby, Samantha Elshaug can remember the phone call.  It was her brother-in-law who worked in the travel industry wanting to know if they’d like to go to Hawaii.  The only catch was he needed an answer immediately…and so they said ‘um, yes’.

Samantha along with her younger sister Jacqui and brother Paul, their partners and three brand new babies would fly to Hawaii just six months later.  

“It had already been such a big year, our parents had become grandparents three times over in the short space of three months.  Charlie, Hamish and then a third grandson Quinn were born within three months of each other.  You seriously couldn’t write about it.  And then we’d decided on this crazy idea of us all going to Hawaii together,” Samantha said.

The decision would lead to what they’ve all said was such a memorable experience and something we can all look back on in years to come.

“We do hope the boys all have a great sense of humour and can laugh at all the cheesy photos we took of them on their first holiday,” she said.

The benefits of travelling with other infants soon became apparent as the families were able to divvy up the never end list of travel items they’d need while away.

“We actually sat down and put together a list of all the things we’d need, what we would take and what we could hire.  We then divided all the items between the three families to make sure we weren’t doubling up too much.  After all there’s only so many microwave sterilizers you need on one holiday” she said.

“We also made sure we researched what we could take additionally on the plane for an infant which included strollers, portacots and even a car seat if you wanted one.  We’d made every effort possible to secure the ‘sky cots’ however in the end the airline was extremely accommodating and we had the choice between the ‘sky cots’ and rows with additional seats.  We actually preferred the latter”.   

The experience once the family landed was pretty much smooth sailing.  Certainly not as action packed as holidays gone by, but they made the most of a very unique situation.

“It was a different holiday experience, but we just slowed it down and it certainly didn’t mean we missed out on anything.  The kids all traveled so well and we had some long days, but they were very well behaved.  We simply hired cars with car seats, we went out for dinner earlier, we took turns babysitting of a night so the others could go out and the girls still made sure they managed a shopping day at Waikele and Ala Moana.  

Some highlights of the trip included a trip to Sunset Beach and seeing the massive waves roll in, attempting the pancake challenge at Mac 24/7, experiencing The Cheesecake Factory, the dessert tray at Buzz’ Steakhouse, taking the little boys into Victoria’s Secret shopping, seeing the boys in their matching Hawaiian outfits, the girls shopping day topped off with lunch at Roy’s Waikiki and the Waimea botanical gardens’.

In summary was the trip well worth it’s spontaneity?  Yes it was.  All families made the most of a really special experience in a wonderful location.  Now it’s a matter of where to next?

“We’d definitely be brave to do it again somewhere else, now it’s probably a matter of timing especially with Jacqui pregnant again at the moment.”

“It really was a trip full of great stories and all the more special that three little cousins got to experience it together.  It’s a wonderful memory for us and we’ll enjoy showing them the photos in years to come.”

Hawaii Travel Tips (With Babies):

1. Work out what you want to take and what you can hire on location.  We all took our own prams as that was important to us.

2. Pack your own formula and food that your child is accustom to.  Helps alleviate stress if your child doesn’t adjust to items you buy abroad.

3. Write a list of everything your took on your first trip to keep for future reference.

4. Pack lightly for yourself and concentrate on what your baby needs.  Remembering you can always buy something you’ve forgotten for yourself and are less likely to be fussy if it’s different!

5. If your baby has formula understand the regulations regarding carrying water on the plane.  Make sure you have pre-planned baby’s meals for the plane and have all within an arms reach.

6. Books are a good distraction for baby on the plane.

7. Stick to your home routine as much as practically possible, but not at the expense of missing out on anything as babies really are more flexible than we give them credit for at times.

8. Use your pram or stroller at the airport and yes we could take it right up to when we boarded the plane. 

9. Split the load if travelling with others.  Don’t double up on items if you don’t need to. Share instead.

10. Get your child’s passport organized early.  

Must Have Travel Items:

1. Your camera and video.  If it’s somewhere worth travelling to, it’s worth capturing to look back on and proving to your child you did take them!

2. Samantha loves the Valco Zehpher travel cot for any trip large or small.  So easy to put up in 20 seconds.

3. Baby carrier for when in transit if your baby is used to one. Gives you back two hands for other tasks.