Travelling with children

Bali is genuinely great with kids — warm, cheap, and endlessly welcoming to families. These are the things that actually catch parents out, from pool safety and car seats to what to pack and where to base yourself.

Before you fly

Children need their own passport with 6 months validity, and a visa on arrival is charged per person — infants included.
Single parents and grandparents travelling with a child are sometimes asked for a signed consent letter from the other parent plus a birth certificate. Carry copies.
Check the routine vaccination schedule with your GP well ahead. Typhoid and hepatitis A are commonly recommended for children; rabies pre-exposure is worth discussing for toddlers who cannot be trusted around animals.
Bring children's paracetamol and ibuprofen, rehydration sachets, thermometer, antiseptic and plenty of plasters. Dosing here is by weight in millilitres and brands differ.
Travel insurance must explicitly cover children, medical evacuation and, if you will use them, scooters and water activities.
Most airlines fly Bali overnight. Book bassinet seats at booking, not at check-in.

Landing and getting around

Ngurah Rai has family lanes at immigration but they are not always staffed — join the shortest queue and ask.
There is a family room and change facilities past baggage reclaim; the airport is air-conditioned but the walk to the ride-hail area is long and hot.
Indonesian law does not enforce child car seats and almost no taxi has one. Bring your own, or pre-book a transfer with a seat fitted.
Never put a child on a scooter. It is the single biggest cause of serious injury to visiting families, and no insurer will pay out.

Day to day with kids

Pools are the number one risk

Safety

Most villa pools are unfenced, have no lifeguard and often no shallow end. Check depth and edges on arrival, agree a no-swimming-alone rule, and consider a villa with a fenced or separate kids pool.

Where to base yourself

Areas

Sanur is the calmest with a reef-protected lagoon and the hospitals close. Nusa Dua has the safest swimming and resort kids clubs. Ubud is green and cultural but has no beach and busy narrow footpaths. Canggu and Seminyak are fun but the surf is strong and traffic is heavy.

Renting the gear

Don't fly it

Bali Baby Hire and similar deliver cots, prams, high chairs, car seats, pool fences and monitors to your villa for a few hundred thousand rupiah a week.

Feeding fussy eaters

Food

Nasi goreng, mie goreng, satay, banana pancakes and fresh fruit are everywhere and mild. Ask for 'tidak pedas' (not spicy). Stick to bottled water, and use it for brushing teeth and mixing formula.

Sun and heat

Daily

UV is extreme even when overcast. Rash vests, hats and shade between 11am and 3pm. Heat rash and dehydration are the most common complaints in small children here.

Mosquitoes

Dengue

Dengue is year-round and children get it too. Use a child-safe repellent (picaridin or up to 30% DEET for over-twos), cover ankles at dusk and use the mosquito net if the villa provides one.

Things to actually do

Waterbom Bali (Kuta) — world-class waterpark with a toddler zone; a full day out.
Finns Recreation Club (Canggu) — pools, trampolines, bowling, kids club and day passes.
Bali Safari & Marine Park and Bali Zoo — the mainstream animal parks; see the Animal Encounters guide for the ethics of each.
Bali Bird Park, Ubud Monkey Forest (keep small children close and hold nothing edible) and the Bali Botanic Garden.
Surf schools take children from about five, with foam boards and one-to-one instructors on Kuta and Sanur beaches.
Rice-terrace walks, cooking classes and craft workshops in Ubud work well for older kids and teens.
Nusa Lembongan is an easier island day trip than Penida — the Penida roads and cliff viewpoints are genuinely unsuitable for young children.

Health with children

Small bodies dehydrate fast in this climate — act earlier than you would at home.

Bali belly hits children harder and faster. Start rehydration salts at the first loose stool and see a doctor if there is blood, a fever over 38.5C, or if they cannot keep fluids down for 6 hours.
Any dog or monkey bite or scratch, however small, means washing for 15 minutes and a same-day rabies vaccine. Bali is rabies-endemic.
Siloam Sunset Road has the strongest paediatric intensive care; BIMC Kuta and Nusa Dua are the easiest for English-speaking care and insurance billing.
Dr Ari and other house-call doctors will come to your villa, which is far less traumatic for a sick child than a hospital waiting room.

Full hospital, pharmacy and house-call details are on the Medical guide, and nannies, schools and daycare are on Nannies & Family.