Road to Hana - with a 10 month old

[mrsjrd23]

We are taking our first ever trip to Hawaii this October and will be staying for 8 nights on Maui with our 10 month old son and my mom. 
I REALLY want to drive the Road to Hana - always have but know it makes for a LONG day, not even adding in a 10 month old.

Would I be crazy to do this with our son? I don't think we'd be back to Maui for a LONG time.  What are the best places to stop at along the route?  Is it possible to just do part of the road and feel like you experienced some of the beauty of it?

[redheadk]

I haven't done it but I think it would be fine with your DS. Keep your expectations loose, of course, but you can balance naps in the car with breaks to do some light hiking, eat, and relax outside the car. You probably won't make it all the way to Hana but DD always surprises me with how well she does in the car for lengths of time.

[love1999]

I'd give it a shot. You can always turn around and head back if it proves to be too much for him. I highly recommend getting the Maui Revealed book. It will tell you all of the places to stop. You can read it ahead of time to determine where you'd like to stop if you don't want/can't do everything (but still take it with you in the car for the drive). I'd recommend at least the black sand beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park. For a spot to stop to rest or eat lunch (or check the bathroom), we like Kaumahina State Park. Bonus is that your son might enjoy checking out the chickens and cats that call that park home. There is also a short little walk up to a nice lookout there.

[starlily]

I'd give it a try. We did it with DD when she was 6mo old.

[Mushe]

We did it with a 3-month old, and just kept our expectations light. One issue is that it was a long drive just to get from our hotel on the north shore to where the road starts! We started on the opposite side of maui from where we were staying because we anticipated not doing the whole drive, and did an out and back. We stopped a few times for short hikes/walks/lunch, and turned around at the famous banana bread stand. Mmmm, banana bread.

[CloudBee]

Pack a waterproof picnic blanket like this:http://www.amazon.com/JJ-Cole-Collections-All-Purpose-Blanket/dp/B0033OG86K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377620874&sr=8-1&keywords=jj+cole+picnic+blanket

That way you'll be able to let them stretch out, roll around, etc. That's always key to successful travel with us. =jj+cole+picnic+blanket

[aurora]

How comfortable will you be doing short hikes with him? For me, the best part of the road to Hana was walking to all the waterfalls, some of which required rock scrambling (not dangerous, but not something you can stroller). Most were only a few min away so I guess you could also trade off.