Taking a 3 year old to Hawaii for birthday (renting, condo)

[ABQConvict]

OP, don't listen all these folks. I am getting my 3 year old a Dodge Viper. There isn't really a good place to put a car seat in it, but he can go in the garage and look at it. (No touching of course. I don't want grimy handprints all over his baby.)

[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by ABQConvict

OP, don't listen all these folks. I am getting my 3 year old a Dodge Viper. There isn't really a good place to put a car seat in it, but he can go in the garage and look at it. (No touching of course. I don't want grimy handprints all over his baby.)

Damn - Maybe I can adopt a kid? Or can you buy you 16 lb cat a car?

[ABQConvict]

Originally Posted by lvmensch

Damn - Maybe I can adopt a kid? Or can you buy you 16 lb cat a car?

I don't know if you can buy your cat a car, but I bought my dog an Xbox and a big screen TV.

[GracieKarm]

Lol!!! ^

I think I am going to buy my cat a laptop!

[ginmqi]

Originally Posted by LLCNYC

Why? A 3 year old doesn't know Hawaii from down the road.

Probably because it's about the parents and not the kid.

edit: Alright for something that's useful, get the Hawaii Revealed series of guidebooks by Andrew Doughty.

[Enyo]

He's 3 so it doesn't matter. Plan the trip according to what you want to do.

[Kayekaye]

I vacationed to Hawaii many many times with my child since she was two or three. She did very well, loved it. I had no trouble at all. Starting with our 11 hour flight her are some tips.

I got 10 cheap toys and pr books from the Dollar store, wrapped up,each one. Didn’t tell her about them, took one out every hour, let her play with it, then gave her the next one and took away the previous one. That kept her attention the whole way there. I did that for my nephew who was 10 years old too and it worked great for his boredom, puzzles and games for him.

During take off and landing pay attention to her ears, gave her chewy candy and drinks to keep her ears open, worked great. No gum at that age because she didn’t chew. Really work at that, ears plugging is so painful in kids.

The bulkhead seats are great for extra room and some even have a sturdy hanging bassinet that helped on the return night sleeping flight.

Sun saftey. The first day or two try to stay out of the sun, it’s so strong. Others use sunscreen, I didn’t have to, one she was dark skinned French heritage and has never burned once and two she is allergic to it. But use a hat always even while walking around. Use sunscreen.

I used an umbrella stroller because they travel so easily, sometimes they will store them in the cabin upfront and you don’t need to baggage them. They are so lightweight to take in out of the car and into stores and restaurants.

Pretty much whatever you want to do she will do, it’s so much eye candy for the kids. Three is kind of hard to schedule too much activity in the afternoons, try mornings for that. Sunrise comes early and it beautiful. But pay attention to nap time if yours nap. Nap at the beach with an umbrella and big towels, the waves sound is great for lulling them asleep. Don’t schedule tours, shopping and dinners during nap time, usually after lunch. Keep your drinks and snacks at hand. Bedtime is easy too as they are pretty worn out from all the activity.

Just some common sense and your trip will be wonderful. I’ll never forget my daughters first trip. We arrived late, around 7 pm to our rented home in the hills and she had fallen asleep so I carried her in. As I stepped in she woke, looked around and said! “So beautiful!! Are we in heaven?” Pretty much honey haha!

[scgali]

Definitely Aulani on Oahu. That is great for kids!

[Enyo]

Originally Posted by scgali

Definitely Aulani on Oahu. That is great for kids!

No one should pay Aulani prices for a 3-year old. All they need is access to a pool and/or a beach to enjoy themselves.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Enyo

No one should pay Aulani prices for a 3-year old.

Agreed, considering the parking lot view typically runs north of $400+ per night