Best Things to Do in Maui with a Toddler

Maui is our Hawaii sweet spot when traveling with a kiddo. It has the best mix of toddler-friendly activities and incredible local restaurants, but without feeling too crowded or too urban. We love the variety of things to do in Maui with a toddler that the whole family can enjoy, from calm beaches and easy hikes to exciting wildlife experiences. There’s a perfect balance of relaxation and adventure, so it’s the ideal stress-free vacation destination when traveling with toddlers. If you’re planning your next family vacation to Maui, bookmark this list and check researching activities off your to-do list!

Baby Beaches

Keiki beaches, or baby beaches, are beaches with calm or no waves that are perfect for little ones to splash around safely. Spending a morning at a baby beach is one of the easiest things to do in Maui with a toddler. Our kiddo loved the really calm beaches when he was just learning how to walk. And now that he’s a little older, the baby beaches with gentle waves are perfect for him to get that taste of excitement without knocking him over. Maui has some amazing baby beaches. Lahaina Baby Beach will always be our favorite, but we also really enjoyed Keawakapu II Beach Park. It’s right in front of the Wailea Ekahi Village condo resort, which has direct beach access and which we absolutely loved staying at.

I would highly recommend finding a hotel or condo with direct access to one of these calm baby beaches. Having a beautiful calm beach just steps from our door saved our vacation on those toddler “no” days when the thought of strapping our kiddo into a carseat felt impossible.

Kapalua Coastal Trail

The Kapalua Coastal Trail is an easy paved scenic trail that connects Kapalua Bay to DT Fleming Beach Park. The trail meanders along the coast and through the Montage Kapalua Bay, with stunning views of the ocean and lava rock formations. The nice thing about the trail is that the views are stunning all the way through, so you can walk as long as you like and turn back whenever, without missing out on any of the scenery. We walked until the lava rock formations before turning back.

Maui Tropical Plantation

When we visited Maui with the grandmothers, we had to sprinkle in some other activities when they got tired of the beach. And what better for older ladies than a garden! The Maui Tropical Plantation is a working farm and botanical garden that celebrates the lush, tropical beauty of the island. Visiting the garden is free, and there was plenty of space for our kiddo to run around and burn off some energy. To see the rest of the plantation you need to buy tickets for the 40 minute tram ride that takes you on a guided tour around the plantation. We skipped the tram because of nap time. Instead, we browsed the market store for locally grown fruits and locally produced snacks and crafts to bring home.

Iao Needle Hike

When we need a break from the water, we look for a little hike. These days, easy hikes with low effort and high scenic rewards are our jam. As you drive up to the Iao Needle, the air gets cooler, and the scenery turns even greener. The Iao Needle is a short paved hike up to a viewpoint, with some detour paths that lead down to the river. It was an easy walk for our kiddo, and promises of tossing rocks into the river kept him entertained and happy. We spent about an hour here.

Dolphin or Whale Watching Boat Tour

One of the best things about traveling with kids is seeing the world through their eyes. Everything is so much more exciting because they’re experiencing it for the first time. Seeing wildlife in their natural habitat is just one example of that. Boat rides are already exciting for toddlers, but throw in animal sightings and they’ll be talking about it for days. It is one of our most memorable experiences out of the things to do in Maui with a toddler.

We went on a dolphin watching tour with PacWhale Eco-Adventures and loved it. While we didn’t see any dolphins, we were surprised with a whale sighting despite it being very late in the season. Not only did we see the whale dive, we also heard the whale song clearly from the ship. What I love about PacWhale Eco-Adventures is that there are naturalists on board. Even the naturalists were astounded by how loud the whale song was, and they dropped the underwater microphone so we could listen to the entire song and watch the whale surface again. It was a truly magical and once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Maui Ocean Center Aquarium

The Maui Ocean Center is a good option when you’re looking for things to do on Maui with a toddler on a rainy day. Though there are some outdoor portions, most of the aquarium is indoors. We spent about 1.5 hours here learning about the different marine animals around Hawaii. What makes this aquarium particularly special is the sharks, turtles, and baby hammerhead sharks, which are cared for here before being returned to the wild. I have never seen a hammerhead shark before, and seeing the little baby ones was a unique experience.

Free/More Affordable Hula Shows

While a luau is one of the more popular things to do in Maui, it may not be the best thing for a wriggly toddler. Toddlers can have the attention span of a squirrel, so sitting through an entire luau can be tricky. And considering how expensive they are, we didn’t feel a resort luau was cost effective with a toddler. Luckily, there are some free or more affordable hula shows where we can get a taste of the culture without having to commit to an entire night.

• Shops at Wailea: free Polynesian show on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-6:30pm
• Queen Kaahumanu Center Kahului: free Polynesian show every 4th Sunday from 1:30-2:30pm
• South Maui Gardens: weekly hula show from 5-7pm. No food included, but it is easy to grab your own dinner at the many delicious food trucks in the garden. Not free, but at $100 per person it is at least half the cost of a usual luau. Kids 3 and under are free.

Eat Shave Ice

On a hot day, there’s nothing better than some soft, fluffy, refreshing shave ice. I really appreciated that many of the shave ice places we visited had natural dye-free syrups for the kids. And of course don’t forget to top it off with a snow cap! It’s hard to find good shave ice on the mainland, so we try to visit as many as we can when we’re in Hawaii. Needless to say, this is one of the things to do with a toddler in Maui that doesn’t take a lot of convincing.

Check out our favorite shave ice places and family-friendly restaurants in Maui!

Farmers Markets

I love browsing farmers markets to find some locally made souvenirs or local snacks to bring home. One of my favorite finds from the Ko Mahi’ai Makeke South Maui Ohana Farmers Market is a whimsical illustrated print of a dog that looks just like ours dressed in a Hawaiian outfit. We also found some yummy local dried fruits and Hawaiian teas at the Farmers Market of Maui in Kihei.

These are the farmers markets near where we stayed in the Wailea area:

Wailea Village Farmers Market

• When: Tuesdays 8am-11am
• Where: Wailea Village
• The goods: a small market in the courtyard of the Wailea Village with local fruits and jams, and more handmade crafts and jewelry.

Farmers Market of Maui – Kihei

• When: Monday-Saturday, 8am-4pm
• Where: In the same lot as Sugar Beach Bake Shop and Ululani’s Shave Ice on South Kihei Road.
• The goods: lots of local fruits, teas, and baked goods. More like a co-op farm stand with produce from different vendors on the island all in one place.

Ko Mahi’ai Makeke South Maui Ohana Farmers Market (Kihei)

• When: Saturdays from 8am-noon
• Where: 1819 South Kihei Road, behind the Regency Kihei Cinema
• The goods: local fruits and jams, local jewelry, live music, and the cutest dog illustrations!

South Maui Gardens Food Trucks

The South Maui Gardens Food Trucks is the most beautiful food truck park I have ever seen. You won’t find food trucks parked in a dusty lot here. Instead, the food trucks are nestled in a lush garden, with plenty of picnic tables to spread out. And the food trucks serve up some AMAZING food. We liked it so much we actually went back three times during our one week trip. Once to Kitoko, again for Thai Mee Up, and the last time for Aloha Prime Eatery. The South Maui Gardens also holds a weekly hula show, which would be a more lowkey and affordable option for younger kids who may not have the attention span for a resort luau. Just remember to use some bug spray if you are a mosquito magnet! This was one of the few places that I was bitten by a mosquito on this trip.

Maui Activities to Skip with a Toddler

Maui is full of adventures, but let’s be honest – not all of them would be as fun with a toddler. We did enjoy these activities before having a kid, and they are definitely things you should do! But maybe wait until the kiddo is a little older so that it can be a good experience for everyone.

• Haleakala: even though your kiddo may be waking you up before dawn because of the time change, it’s still not worth it to make the harrowing dark drive up to Haleakala to catch the sunrise with an unpredictable toddler strapped in the carseat.
• Road to Hana: there are some amazing hikes and waterfalls on the Road to Hana. But the drive can be treacherous and the last thing you need is a howling toddler in the back while you’re concentrating on these curvy one lane highways.
• Molokini Crater snorkeling: amazing snorkeling here, but most of the snorkeling boats have an age minimum.

Kid Essentials You’ll Be Glad You Packed

• Sound Machine: If you’re sharing a room with your little one, a portable sound machine can be a total lifesaver. Because of the time difference and earlier bedtimes, kids are more likely to be asleep while there’s still noise around. A sound machine helps drown out outside sounds and keeps them sleeping longer.
• Pack and play sheets: Even if the condo/hotel has a pack and play, they may not always have sheets to go with it. We always bring our own. It’s even better if your kiddo has slept on the sheets recently, because then it smells like home and can put them to sleep easier in an unfamiliar place.
• Slumberpod: The Slumberpod worked wonders for us when our kid was smaller. Once he turned 2 though, being zipped up in the Slumberpod seemed to scare him more if he woke up in the middle of the night.
• Hip seat carrier: We love our hip seat carrier with convertible straps! It’s so much easier to move around beaches and carry beach gear when our kid is strapped to us rather than pull a wagon or stroller through the sand. The hip seat is also much more comfortable for him to nap in if we’re taking longer walks or hikes because he can actually sit rather than being suspended. We especially love ours because it’s hands free, and can be worn in the front or back.
• Oxo Tot 2-in-1 travel potty: I bring this potty seat everywhere. I love that it can be a standalone potty that you can use with any old plastic bag. And you can put it on top of a regular toilet to make it easier for kids to sit.
• Long sleeve rash guards: If your kid hates putting on sunscreen (as mine does), then a long sleeve rash guard is key for protecting them from the sun. Choose neon yellow, neon green, bright orange, or hot pink for maximum visibility in the pool.
• Sun hat with neck cover: A wide brimmed sunhat with a neck cover is so useful for a bit more sun coverage. Especially on the back of the neck, where we always forget to reapply sunscreen!
• Water shoes: Our kiddo got a blister once after walking in wet rubber sandals. So now we make sure to bring the water shoes that are made of neoprene.
• Kid’s reef safe mineral sunscreen: Walmart and Target on the island usually has adult versions of reef safe sunscreen. However, we brought our own mineral sunscreen for our kiddo when he was smaller and had more sensitive skin.
• Travel entertainment: Our go-tos are one new book (seek and find books or lift the flap books last longer!), Water WOW coloring books, sticker books (the ones from Daiso are amazing and cheap), a drawing pad, and mini magnatiles.
• Water bottles: We like the stainless steel ones.
• Health kit: I always bring a thermometer and Children’s Tylenol. If your kid has any allergies, definitely bring Children’s Benadryl. It’s easier to have it on hand when you need it. I also bring hydrocortisone 1% cream to Hawaii because I always get mosquito bites!

Find everything you need to plan your Maui family vacation in our Maui with a Toddler 7 Day Itinerary!