Beach Vacay Packing List for Babies and Toddlers

Yes, I know - no one is going on vacation right now (and especially not to Hawaii!) But this pause in business and normal life has also given me the time to finish blog posts that have been in my “drafts” folder and on my brain forever - so here’s a post that I hope will help to lessen your stress and make your next beach vacation even more relaxing.

What to pack for your baby or toddler when you’re going on a beach vacation:

1. Sun-Protective Swimsuits and Sun Hats

2. Swim Diaper(s)

3. Baby-Safe and Reef-Safe Sunscreen

4. Sunglasses

5. Slippers (“Flip Flops”) with Back Straps

6. Cute Outfits

7. Feeding Stuff

8. Laundry Stuff

1. Sun Protective Swimsuits and Swim Hats

Hanna Andersson ruffle bottoms + Mauna Kea rashguard + Target straw hat

I like to bring at least two swimsuits for Jules on every beach vacay— that way, if one is still wet from the previous day, you can always dress baby in a different dry swimsuit.

My favorite swimsuits for her are ones with long sleeves and built-in SPF, like the Sunblock Swimmy Rash Guard Suits from Hanna Andersson or from supercute Hawaii-brand Kimi + Li (pictured in header).

Heads and faces tend to get the most sun exposure, so it’s important to pack a few hats! We love the Sunblock Swim Hats from Hanna Andersson, and Target also has super cute straw hats for babies.

tip

We got our daughter used to wearing hats as soon as we started taking her to the beach and pool, and now she just thinks it’s natural to always wear a hat to the beach. She’ll actually remind us to bring a hat to the beach (sometimes moms forget stuff!) and it makes me happy that her little head and face are protected as much as possible.

2. A Swim Diaper (or Two!)

Before your kid is fully potty trained, you will need swim diapers. They’re for catching a poo accident — and no one wants to be the family that requires the whole pool to be drained and cleaned for hours because their kid had a leaky poopy diaper.

Reusable Swim Diapers

Reusable swim diapers are awesome because they’re durable, washable, and take up way less space in your suitcase than a whole pack of disposable swim diapers. We were gifted our first pair of reusable swim diapers by a friend and we liked them so we kept purchasing them. The brand we used was iPlay by green sprouts - they come in both solids and cute prints; plus they’re snug and the smaller ones have side snaps that make them easier to pull on and off.

iPlay reusable swim diaper

Primary.com also makes cute basic swim diapers in solids, stripes, and polka dots for around $10 each! (And you can get 20% off your first order with the code by clicking on the banner ad below).

Disposable Swim Diapers

There are a lot of disposable diapers out there, but the only ones we’ve tried are Huggies Little Swimmers, which worked just fine. (Of course, if you’re staying somewhere like the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, they’ll give you everything you need for a fun day in the sun, including disposable swim diapers, sunscreen, and beach toys to play with).

Tip

Try to get your swim diaper(s) before you get to your destination, just in case they don’t have your size in the hotel gift shop.

L to R: Elta MD, Tubby Todd Play Natural Sunscreen, and Countersun mist spray by Beauty Counter.

3. Baby-Safe + Reef-Safe Sunscreen

We look for sunscreens that are effective, baby-safe, and reef-safe. We’ve tried all kinds of natural baby sunscreen, but our favorite in terms of ease of application and good coverage is PLAY mineral sunscreen from Tubby Todd. It’s SPF 50, lasts for 80 minutes, and contains both Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide, so it’s considered “reef-safe".” If you buy through my Tubby Todd link you get 10% off and I get a referral bonus (everyone wins!)

Note: My favorite sunscreens for myself are Elta MD, which I get from my dermatologist Dr. Summer Chong, and COUNTERSUN mist spray (SPF 30) by clean-beauty brand Beauty Counter.

The only negative about the Countersun mist sunscreen is that they don’t ship to Hawaii (even though they are non-aerosol), so I have to get it sent to friends or family on the mainland to bring home to me. It’s so good though! Note that “spray” type of sunscreens are not good for babies’ lungs, so apply these away from your kids.

4. Durable Baby Sunglasses

Babiators heart-shaped sunglasses. They also come with optional polarized lenses!

We love, love, love our Babiators sunglasses — they are durable, flexible, and provide UVA/UVB protection. PLUS, they come with a replacement guarantee, meaning that if your kid ever loses their shades, Babiators will replace them FOR FREE — you just pay shipping. I love it when brands offer great customer service! We get our Babiators from Nordstrom.com (which also has the best customer service).

We have them in multiple shapes and colors because they are that good.

5. Rubber or Foam Slippers (with back straps)

In Hawaii, everyone wears slippers (“flip flops”): they are appropriate for literally any occasion. (Local guys like my husband even have “formal” slippers to wear to special occasions)

Anyway, our favorites for the beach and pool are cheap, have good grip on the bottom, and come with elastic backstraps. The backstraps are important because it’s hard for little feet to keep the slippers on otherwise: keeping slippers on takes toe strength and coordination that they haven’t developed yet! from Cat & Jack at Target.com.

6. Casual, Cute Outfits for Meals

Even at the fanciest resorts in Hawaii, people dress pretty casually — kids included. But you’ll want to take lots of photos, so make buy something lightweight and cute!

The best things to wear for girls are “resort casual” dresses made of cool, non-wrinkly materials like cotton; and boys will be just fine in a shirt and shorts set.

Also: Bring a cardigan or jacket to slip on just in case it gets windy or cold after dinner.

7. feeding stuff!

Feeding herself poi at Manta at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (we forgot a bib so we were using a napkin lol)

Feeding recs

For babies, bring their bottles + a travel-sized bottle & nipple brush and a drying rack if you have it. Otherwise, a fresh hand towel at the hotel will do the trick.

For kids who are eating solid foods, bring whatever implements they use, like a spoon, fork, and bib.

As for recs, we started with French-brand beaba’s silicone spoons and now use this OXO tot portable utensil set) so that Jules will always have a kid-sized fork and spoon. Before she ate table food well and could order off the kids menu, we’d also bring an ezpz mini-mat silcone plate. At home, she uses a silicone bib, but when we are on the road we use a foldable/super-portable BapronBaby bib that can be thrown in the wash when we get home.

cleaning stuff

We also bring our own dish soap and cleaning implements so that we can wash our bottle/milk cup and utensils daily. Dapple and Babyganics both make baby-friendly dish soaps in convenient travel sizes.

tip

One of the first things we do after landing on another island for vacation is to go to the store and buy milk, yogurt, fruits, and other healthy (or healthy-ish) snacks, which we store in the resort fridge.

8. Laundry Detergent + a Laundry Bag for Dirty Clothes

I’m not suggesting that you hand wash all of baby’s clothes everyday (hello, you’re on vacation!), but you’ll want laundry detergent to wash things like swim diapers, swimsuits, and any clothes with stains you don’t want to set in before you get home - so you’ll need laundry detergent unless your resort has easily accessible and free laundry facilities (like at Hualalai and Mauna Kea Resort).

My favorite has been Dapple’s Pure and Clean Baby Laundry Detergent Strips because they are so portable (we just bring a few sheets in a Ziploc bag and never have to worry about spillage — they dissolve in water) — but I am really bummed because I can’t find them anywhere online to link them here for you! But, it looks like Tru Earth also makes some hypoallergenic baby laundry detergent strips that are equally as compact and portable as the ones I love from Dapple, so I’ve linked that here.

Cloth laundry bags are a staple for every trip we go on. After we unpack, I put the empty laundry bags in the hotel closet (if it doesn’t have a laundry basket), and we fill it up like we would a hamper at home.

Note

Obviously I didn’t list everything you’ll need to pack, like diapers, wipes, pajamas, etc., but all of the Hawaiian islands that you’ll visit have normal stores to get essentials if you don’t want to pack them in your luggage, as well as any emergency medicine you’ll need if your child gets a sudden fever.

Let me know if you have questions or comments - or suggestions for must-haves that I missed! Happy travels! xo

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