We took our daughter to Hawaii last year when she had just turned 3. She liked the beach but not the ocean except for some wading with the turtles. She much preferred the pool. However, because she is older then your son, we were able to do other adventures like the botanical gardens and the zoo and she enjoyed that. We did the condo thing and that helped a lot. We had 4 tv's in the condo so she and her older sister (11) and grandma could all watch something different if they wanted to. Naps were somewhat erratic, but she generally slept some each day. She got up very early, although we live in Oregon so the time lag wasn't too much. Our best time of the day was up till noon then 4 till dusk. We would pick up some plate lunch food then hit the beach at 4 or so and stay until sunset. Mornings were breakfast at the condo, farmer's market, beach walking and maybe a little shopping before it got too hot at about 11 or so. You will not be able to spend all day at the beach. It is just too hot and they get too bored and cranky. Also, as an afterthought, we brought our own carseat along on the plane and that way it was familiar to her and we needed it for the rental car.

Hi, we are in a similar situation, looking to plan a trip to Hawaii (Kohala coast, BI) with a 19 month old. My parents are joining us on this trip so we will be 4 adults + 1 toddler. Our dilemma is where to stay, hotel or condo ? So far I have researched both. The condos I've seen online look great (with the info that's provided); the convenience of a kitchen and extra living space is very attractive too. My main concern with condos is their location. I mean, how far to the beach ? A drive, a 15 minute walk through the development ? I guess I am imagining beach front would be the most convenient, and that's not always possible with a condo. Hotels, on the other hand, like the Hapuna Beach Prince, offer an awesome beach and pool right there, which would be ideal. However, the living/sleeping arrangements (in one room with a toddler sleeping in a crib), is not. So for the time being, I'm pretty much undecided. Any input from others with similar family arrangements would be wonderful. Thank you Fodorites !

I think our toughest trip with our son was our trip to Hawaii last year when he was 17 months. He slept better than the first time we went with him when he was 6 months old but he was a real handful. He didn't want to go in the pool for very long, didn't want to hang out on the beach. He did want to run around do his own thing and make us chase him the whole time. It was very unrelaxing to say the least. He has always been very energetic though, if your son is laid back it should be easier. If not, get ready to stay on your feet alot during your vacation. We are going back next month with him and this time we are doing the condo thing instead of hotel. I want to make sure he has plenty of room to tire out there so we don't have to chase him around outside the whole time. One thing I've noticed about him this year is he likes to sit in one place and play for a change. We've taken him to the beach here in Seattle this summer and he was better with playing in the sand. I guess it's an age thing. We also like to use a babysitter more and more when we go away so we at least have some down time and can enjoy our time in Hawaii no matter what.

One more piece of equipment you should get is the SPF swim shirt. Actually, for a toddler, you can get little jumpers or body suits. They used to be a little hard to find but now they seem to have them at Sports Authority and Target (in season, anyway). I did a quick search for swim shirt toddler and came up with lots of hits. My entire family wears these shirts when we are out on the water or at the beach. They are the equivalent of SPF 50. Just be sure to put on sunscreen up under the edges. My fair daughter ended up with a burn at her waist because the shirt wasn't quite long enough to reach the bathing suit bottom. My other piece of advice is to be very clear on who is watching the baby. You get into trouble when you assume that because 2 parents are there he's being watched. Have a great time!!

If your son likes stroller walks, see if you can rent one of those beach strollers when you get there, the ones w/the big tough wheels and the sun hood (some have sunhoods on side too, so baby can see out ahead and off to side but be protected from sun/wind on the side). We had one and always took it w/us for beach vacations or rented one. That way when baby gets tired of playing, you can take a long walk on the beach w/him in beach stroller adn get some exercise yourself, and it will help you get from where you are staying to the beach.

If you are in a hotel I am not sure what you'll do w/the beach stroller, maybe lock it up at the bike rack or something, but they should have some way of dealing w/it for you.

Our granddaughter hates the beach at 19 months, which is too bad because we live on Nantucket and her other grandparents have a house on the Outer Banks.

The most important thing to remember is the danger of skin cancer. See a discussion of the issue with hints from a pediatrician at http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_sunburn_hhg.htm, and you might discuss it with your own pediatrician.

We get our sun clothing and most importantly, the swim shirts (and they have baby sizes) at this place- they were pioneers in the area and we love their fabrics and clothing, and have ordered from them for 20 yrs.:

http://www.sunprecautions.com/cgi-bi...NAME=_home.htm

To blazewa,

Try splitting your stay between a condo and a hotel. A few days dedicated to the beach at a beachfront hotel followed by a stay in a condo for more space, use of a kitchen etc. Then you have the best of both worlds or at least you'll be able to work out what's best for YOU.

To blazewa,

The company that publishes the Revealed guidebooks, wizardpub.com, has a nifty section on their website with aerial views of resorts and condos so that you can see the proximity to the coastline.

Both of my kids would stay on the beach all day (& all night) if we would allow it. Both have been going since they were (literally) 6-8 weeks old & we go to varoius beaches probably 6-8 times a year (we live in NC). In fact, I can't even let me 4 year old see the ocean until we get everything out of the car or she will be in it. My son is about the same age as yours & he loves it as well although he didn't start liking the water until he was about 1 year old. As w/anything else, the sooner you start them at something, I believe, the better/quicker they adapt.

Please forgive the typos, I apparently have very fat fingers today...