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Maldives With A Baby; Tips, Advice And Everything We Learned

Before becoming a parent, I genuinely thought the Maldives was somewhere you visited on your honeymoon, drank cocktails all day, took photos of your overwater villa and generally did as little as possible. And actually it still is that! But it never occurred to me that it could also be an amazing family destination.

After spending eight days there with Jaa and Aidan, I can confidently say the Maldives is one of the easiest luxury destinations we’ve travelled to with a baby. You’re not constantly changing hotels, sitting on buses for hours or dragging a stroller through busy cities. Instead, you arrive at your resort, unpack once and spend the next week living a very easy life. Between the calm beaches, family-friendly staff, private pools and endless fresh food, it turned out to be far easier than we expected.

And also, the hotels were much more baby-friendly that we had expected. I’d have no hesitation to go back. As long as we choose the right places! This blog post, I hope will help anyone considering Maldives with a baby, it certainly would have helped us! SO let’s see:

Flying To The Maldives With A Baby

I’ll be honest, the flights were probably the part I worried about most. Aidan was one year old and, like most one-year-olds, had absolutely no interest in sitting quietly for hours while his parents enjoyed a peaceful flight. No chance mate.

Fortunately, we flew from Bangkok, which is only around four hours from Malé. That made a huge difference. We packed plenty of snacks, downloaded cartoons, brought toys and accepted that one of us would probably spend most of the flight walking up and down the aisle. The reality was much easier than expected. He slept 80% of the way thank god.

The seaplane transfer was another thing we worried about unnecessarily. In reality, Aidan loved it. The noise (which we thought might scare him), the views and the novelty of flying low across the islands kept him completely fascinated.

• TOP-TIP. If you’re also doing this flight from Bangkok, airasia is cheapest. AND if you do AirAsia, book the hotseats. No-one else wants to pay the extra money (that’s why they’re suffering in airasia), so you have multiple rows to yourself. So Aidan ended up like this both ways!

Choosing The Right Maldives Resort

If you’re travelling to the Maldives with a baby, I honestly think the choice of resort matters more than almost anything else. Most resorts are designed almost entirely around honeymooners and couples. Others do a much better job of catering for families.

For us, splitting our stay between Siyam World and Sun Siyam Iru Fushi turned out to be the perfect combination. They offered completely different experiences while both being excellent for families. One was all about activities, entertainment and keeping everyone busy. The other was about slowing down, relaxing and enjoying the traditional Maldives experience.

• TOP-TIP. If you’re going with a family, or a baby, all the Sun Siyam brands are SUPER friendly for all your needs. Especially Siyam World.

Why We Started At Siyam World

Starting at Siyam World was one of the best decisions we made. The place is basically Disneyland for people who like luxury resorts.

There were waterslides attached to overwater villas, a floating water park, go-karts, horse riding, a farm with animals, endless restaurants and a fantastic Kids Club. Every day there seemed to be something new to discover. Even though Aidan was still very young, he loved seeing the animals, splashing in the pools and exploring the island.

For parents, the all-inclusive package was also a game changer. Knowing food, drinks and activities were already taken care of removed a huge amount of stress and allowed us to simply enjoy the holiday.

• You can read my Siyam World Review HERE.

Why We Moved To Sun Siyam Iru Fushi

After four days at Siyam World, moving to Iru Fushi felt like changing gears entirely. The transfer took only a few minutes by boat, but the atmosphere was completely different.

Where Siyam World is energetic and packed with activities, Iru Fushi is calm, relaxed and incredibly beautiful. The beaches felt even more impressive, the pace slowed down and we found ourselves spending much more time simply enjoying the villa, the beach and each other’s company.

For a family trip, the combination worked brilliantly. We got the excitement and activities of Siyam World first, followed by the relaxation and luxury of Iru Fushi. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.

• You can read my Sun Siyam Iru Fushi Review HERE.

Beach Villa Or Overwater Villa With A Baby?

This was probably the biggest surprise of the trip.

Before becoming parents, I would have chosen an overwater villa every single time. They’re iconic. They’re what i dreamed about when I imagined the Maldives.

After travelling with Aidan, though, I can see why so many families choose beach villas. Our Family Deluxe Beach Villa with Pool at Iru Fushi gave us more space, more privacy and direct beach access. Aidan could play outside without us constantly worrying about stairs, decks or deep water.

If it’s your first trip to the Maldives, I still think you should experience an overwater villa at least once. But if you’re travelling with a baby, don’t overlook beach villas. They might actually be the better option.

• PS Much less chances of drowning from a beach villa, than an overwater bungalow. Pics are cooler at the overwater bungalow though…

What To Pack For A Baby In The Maldives

The biggest lesson we learned was not to overpack. Most luxury Maldives resorts are incredibly well equipped and can help with almost anything you forget.

That said, we were very glad we packed plenty of sunscreen, swim nappies, basic medicines, snacks for flights and enough toys to keep Aidan entertained. We also brought a lightweight stroller, which was useful in airports but barely used once we arrived at the resorts.

The Maldives is one of those places where babies spend most of their time either in swimwear or asleep, so don’t overthink it.

• TOP-TIP. Mossie spray and nappies. And suncreen to avoid the awful prices at the resort! Eevrything else you’re covered. (and milk if you’re not breastfeeding of course).

Feeding A Baby In The Maldives

This turned out to be far easier than we expected. Both resorts had plenty of fresh fruit, pasta, rice, vegetables, bread and simple foods that worked perfectly for a toddler. The restaurant staff were incredibly accommodating and often went out of their way to help. One morning the chefs even made turtle-shaped pancakes specifically for Aidan.

We never once struggled to find something suitable for him to eat. If anything, the bigger challenge was stopping him from trying to steal food from our plates.

• Rest easy mums! Jaa was super worried about this. Legit turned out to be not an issue in the slightest.

The Things We Worried About That Didn’t Matter

Looking back, most of our biggest concerns turned out to be completely unnecessary.

We worried about the flights. Fine.

We worried about the seaplane. Fine.

We worried about finding food. Fine.

We worried about nap schedules. Fine.

We worried about whether a luxury resort would welcome babies. Very fine.

The reality was that both resorts deal with travelling families every single day and have systems in place to make everything easy.

The Things We Didn’t Expect

What surprised us most was how much the staff adored Aidan (or at least were very good at pretending to!). I had heard the staff at Siyam World were famous for this, and it’s true@

Everywhere we went, restaurant staff, housekeeping teams and resort employees stopped to say hello, wave at him or play with him. He became a minor celebrity by the end of the trip.

We were also surprised by how easy the overall experience felt. Before becoming parents, I’d convinced myself that luxury travel and family travel were somehow incompatible. The Maldives proved the opposite.

Our Favourite Memories From The Trip

• Watching Aidan see dolphins for the first time.
• Turtle pancakes at breakfast.
• Exploring the farm at Siyam World.
• Flying down waterslides into the ocean.
• Sunset drinks while live music played beside the beach.
• Eating far too much ice cream at La Cremeria.
• Planting a tree together as a family.
• Relaxing in our private villa pool while Aidan played nearby.

Those are the moments we’ll remember long after we’ve forgotten which restaurant served which cocktail.

How Much Does A Maldives Holiday With A Baby Cost?

The honest answer is: less than you probably think, and more than you’d like! haha.

Our flights from Bangkok were surprisingly cheap, around $200 each with AirAsia. Accommodation is obviously the biggest expense. Depending on the resort and season, expect anywhere from $400 to $1,500+ per night.

My strongest advice is to seriously consider an all-inclusive package. Once you start adding meals, drinks and activities individually, costs can climb very quickly. Having everything included allowed us to relax and focus on enjoying the trip rather than constantly checking bills.

• Our bill would have probably topped out at around $10k for the 8 nights, with itnernational flights etc, for the 3 of us.

Would We Take A Baby To The Maldives Again?

Without hesitation. In fact, I’m planning it!

After this trip, I’d argue the Maldives is one of the best luxury family destinations in the world. It’s safe, beautiful, easy to navigate and surprisingly baby-friendly. More importantly, it gave us something that’s becoming increasingly rare in modern life: uninterrupted family time.

No rushing between cities. No sightseeing schedules. No stress. Just eight days together in paradise. It’s changed my mind on how to plan our future family trips to be honest.

TOP Tips For Visiting The Maldives With A Baby

1. Pick the right resort, not the cheapest resort
This is the biggest one. A good Kids Club, easy walking, family-friendly restaurants and a decent villa matter far more than saving a couple of hundred dollars a night.

2. Consider a beach villa
I never thought I’d say this, but with a one-year-old, I actually preferred our beach villa at Iru Fushi. More space, more privacy and no constant fear of your child launching themselves off an overwater deck.

3. Go all-inclusive
Babies create enough stress. Constantly signing bills doesn’t help. Having food, drinks and snacks included made the whole holiday feel much more relaxed.

4. Don’t overpack
We packed far too much. Most luxury resorts can provide cots, high chairs and help with almost anything you forget. Sun Siyam brands have everything.

5. Bring lots of sunscreen
Irish skin plus Maldives sun is not a winning combination. And it’s EXPENSIVE to buy at the resort shops.

7. Choose a shorter flight if possible
One reason our trip worked so well was flying from Bangkok. Four hours is very different from flying 15+ hours from Europe. Consider breaking the journey.

8. Bring mosquito/bug repellent
There can be quite a lot. So if you don’t want to use the chemical stuff for adults on your baby, bring your own!

9. Let the staff help
The staff absolutely adored Aidan, or at least were very good at pretending they did! They carried him, entertained him, made him pancakes and generally made our lives easier.

10. Bring a lightweight stroller
Useful in airports. Almost useless once you’re actually on the island. I use the Yoyo one.

11. Book a private pool
When naps happen, adults don’t want to sit silently in a dark room. A private pool means one parent can relax while the baby sleeps.

12. Resort-hop if you have a week
Our four nights at Siyam World followed by four nights at Iru Fushi was probably the best decision of the trip. One gave us activities and entertainment, the other gave us relaxation and classic Maldives vibes.

13. Lower your expectations
The holiday isn’t going to be like your honeymoon. You’re still parenting. The difference is you’re parenting while drinking a cold beer beside a turquoise lagoon.

14. Schedule one thing per day MAX.
Or even better, every other day! Dolphin cruise. Spa. Kids Club. Snorkelling. That’s enough. Trying to cram activities into every hour defeats the whole point of the Maldives.

15. Take more photos than usual
The Maldives is stunning. Your baby’s first dolphin, first beach, first seaplane and first pool are moments you’ll be very glad you captured.