Complete Guide to Visiting The Maldives with a baby, toddler or young children

The Maldives is thought of as the ultimate honeymoon destination, and there is no question that it is! But what about visiting the Maldives with baby? Is it a suitable holiday for families? We never got the chance to visit the Maldives when we were just a couple but when we realised that we were living just four hours away from our Doha base we knew we simply had to visit! And the truth is it was one the best holiday destinations with small baby! In this guide to visiting The Maldives with a baby we round up our top tips and recommendations so you too can enjoy Maldives with a toddler, baby or young family in tow! 

Traveling to the Maldives with a baby – Is the Maldives baby friendly?

In this guide we are going to look into how baby friendly the Maldives is as a holiday destination with a baby. We travelled to the Maldives with 1 year old in tow (talk about a good first birthday!) so this guide is a guaranteed practical guide on travelling to the Maldives with baby!

How to Get to The Maldives with Baby

Everyone traveling to the Maldives with a baby will arrive at Male International Airport! As tourism is the main industry of the Maldives the airport, despite being small is quite well organized. Before customs there is a mothers room forfeiting and changing! Though once you are through there are less amenities.

Everyone will need to transfer to their resort either via boat or seaplane.

For those traveling via boat, the jetty is a short walk away! The boat transfers tend to be for resorts closer to the mainland. This is good for those who don’t want long transfers and want to be closer to the capital but does mean the water around your resort is likely to have more traffic!

If you are interested in finding more Maldives resorts reachable by speed boats then check out this post! 

For those traveling via seaplane, you will need to check in at the main airport and then take a ten minute transfer to the local airport! This is very efficient! Your resort or agent will organize your transfers!

If you decide to go via seaplane please be aware that the noise from the plane is quite loud and pack some ear protectors for your little one for the transfer!

maldives with baby

Finding a baby friendly resort Maldives 

I think this is fair to say for any holiday as accommodation is key but this is amplified on a small island. Finding a baby friendly resort in the Maldives is key! But fear not! Even though the Maldives is most commonly associated with honeymooners there are plenty of Maldives Child friendly resorts

When assessing whether you’ve found the best Maldives hotels for families you will want to consider things like  if there is a kids club – even if like us you have no intention in using it. Presence of a kids club is a good indictator that children are welcomed! Other considerations you may want to take into account when traveling to the Maldives with a baby include the below:

Things to look for to find a child friendly Maldives Resort

• Is there onsite medical cover?No one wants to have plan for illness on a holiday but it happens especially with kids. Consider how far away medical facilities are? Are they on your island? We stayed on an island with a medical centre so if we had needed it we would not have had to transfer back to Male to get assistance?
• Is there a kids clubEven if you don’t use the presence of a kids club is a good indicator that there are child friendly facilities.
• Is there accommodation other than Over water bungalowsThe romantic in me loves the thought of staying in an overwater bungalow in the Maldives, but the parent in me is having cold sweats at the thought. If you are travelling with a very small baby it might be possible but if you are travelling to the Maldives with a toddler then you might want to look into some different types of accommodation. We went for a beach front villa and this was definitely the right call for us given we were travelling to the Maldives with a toddler (newly walking).

Do I need All inclusive in the Maldives with baby? 

Everybody knows that The Maldives can be expensive so consider going all inclusive. It means little ones will have plenty of water to drink and you won’t be worried about costs when we got there. We definitely think you need all inclusive in the Maldives.

Should I book an overwater bungalow with a baby? Is there such a thing as a maldives baby friendly resort?

Pixabay

Though an overwater villa sounds idyllic when you have little ones running around may not be the most practical – consider what types of rooms are available for instance beach view to make for a more relaxed trip for parents! If your baby won’t be walking, however, this might be the perfect opportunity to get an overwater villa! There are lots of Maldives baby friendly resorts and we will pick out a selection in the next section. 

Where should I stay in the Maldives with a baby aka the best Maldives hotels for families.

There are so many choices of resorts in the Maldives

We stayed at Bandos Maldives when we went. A mid-range (for the Maldives) resort! It has a kids club, medical centre and a boat transfer.

You can check availability and read reviews online HERE  

Another family friendly  but a higher end luxury resort is Soneva Fushi

You can compare prices and check availability online HERE

And our final pick is the beautiful and family friendly resort Constance Haleveli.

You can compare prices and check availability online HERE 

What to Pack for the Maldives with infant

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If you are travelling to the Maldives with infant in toddler in tow here is the run down of everything we found useful during our Maldives with a baby stay:

• • Stroller
  • Carrier
  • Usual diaper changing kit plus swim nappies!
  • UV protection swimwear including hat
  • Swimfloat
  • Plenty of Factor 50 sunscreen
  • Hats (Multiples for when they inevitably get wet).
  • Light weight cotton clothing!
  • Koodi or other beach shading for baby

How to keep your baby safe in the sun in the Maldives

• As the temperatures can get very hot in the Maldives try to plan your main outdoor actives first thing in the morning and last thing in the afternoon. We also took our Koodi to make sure she always had shade on the beach!
• Be sure they and you (If you are breastfeeding) stay hydrated
• Be sure to have plenty of sunscreen with you
• Have UV suits for the sun and plenty of hats

FAQS about travelling to the Maldives with toddlers, babies and infants

Should I take a stroller to the Maldives?

Small Island resorts might sound like the place to leave your stroller at home for but we took ours and we were so glad we did! We would use it in the evenings to walk to the restaurant and would use it for naps! I am so glad that we brought it with us!

How Old was your baby when you visited the Maldives?

When we travelled we were in the Maldives with 1 year old! However all our advice would stand for younger babies, and toddlers in the Maldives with 2 year old and up! 

Overall Opinion of doing a Maldives holiday with baby!

Overall we thought that the Maldives with a baby is a brilliant vacation idea. And I know lots of other families agree. We are so glad that we didn’t think it was off limits for anyone but honeymooners and couples.

Have you been to the Maldives with a baby? What are your top tips? 

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