This is the bali packing list families who actually live here rely on, built from months in Canggu with three kids.
The week before we left for Bali, I packed a stroller.
Not because I thought it was a particularly good idea. We’d read the warnings. But Rico Jr had used one until he was nearly four, Rosalia loved hers, and Risa Mia at the time was at the age where she’d either want to walk or want to be carried and I couldn’t predict which. So the stroller came.
It lasted four days. Not because it broke. Because Bali’s roads make strollers into a hostage negotiation that you always lose.
We’ve now been in Canggu for months. Three kids: Rico Jr is twelve, Rosalia is six, and Risa Mia is three. Dian grew up with family in Yogyakarta and she has a decent fluency with Indonesia that I’m still catching up to. She’s the one who notices what you can find for almost nothing at the local market. I’m the one who packs the bags.
This list has been revised. Items got cut. A few things I was sure were unnecessary turned out to matter. The stroller did not come back.
Here is what we actually use.
Bali Packing List Families: The One Item That Changes Everything
Before anything else: bring a baby carrier or soft structured carrier if you have a child under four.
Not as a backup. Not for long days. As your primary mode of moving around with a small child in Bali.
The pavement situation here is complicated. Where it exists, it has gaps that swallow small wheels, tree roots that have won the battle with concrete, and drainage channels that appear without warning. Temple complexes have steps. Market alleyways are shoulder-width. Whole sections of popular walks require you to lift a stroller over obstacles while also keeping track of whoever is running ahead.
A carrier means none of that is your problem. Risa Mia sees everything from up high, she’s calm, I’m moving at a normal speed. For Rosalia when she’s had enough walking, I’ve borrowed Dian’s carrier. It works in ways a stroller never could here.
If your child is between about eighteen months and four years, bring a carrier. I mean that before everything else on this list.
What to buy locally
A lot of what ends up on packing lists for Bali you can buy here, cheaper, without taking up space in your bag.
Nappies and wipes. Mamypoko is the brand. They’re everywhere, at Indomaret, Circle K, Guardian, and every minimarket on Bali. The quality is fine and the price is considerably lower than what you’d pay at home. Don’t take up half a bag with nappies for a child you’ll be flying with for more than two days. Pack enough to cover travel, buy the rest when you land.
Sunscreen. Guardian pharmacies and Indomaret carry SPF 50 from international brands. Biore is the one we actually use, the Japanese UV formula. It absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave white streaks on brown kids in the way a lot of European mineral sunscreens do. You can also find Nivea, Banana Boat, and others. No need to fill your liquids bag with it from home.
Mosquito repellent. Soffell is the standard Indonesian brand. Cheap, at every minimarket, and it works. A spray bottle costs almost nothing. You’ll be applying it every evening before the sun goes down; that’s just life here.
Kids’ clothing. Bali has cheap clothing everywhere. Markets in Seminyak, Legian, and Ubud have children’s clothes at prices that make no sense if you’re used to European or American retail. A good pair of shorts and a cotton top cost next to nothing. For a one-week or two-week family trip, you can pack light and fill in gaps here. For a longer stay like ours, we buy locally almost entirely.
Basic medicines. Kimia Farma pharmacies and Guardians are all over Bali. They carry paracetamol, antihistamine, antifungal cream, rehydration salts, ibuprofen, and most things you’d want in a standard family first aid kit. Kimia Farma and Guardian are national pharmacy chains, not a street stall. The stock is reliable. If you run out of paracetamol at 2am because Risa Mia has a temperature, you can find a 24-hour one without much difficulty.
Fruit. Baby food pouches are for the plane. On Bali, fruit is cheap, abundant, and most kids eat it. Mango, watermelon, banana, papaya. The warungs near us sell pre-cut fruit for almost nothing. Rosalia asks for watermelon every morning.
What to bring from home
For toddlers and babies
Baby carrier. Already covered above. This is number one.
Portable travel bed. The villa situation in Bali is genuinely good, but “cot available on request” means different things in different places. We’ve arrived to a cot that was more a suggestion than a structure. For Risa Mia’s first few weeks here, we used a folding travel bed that packed into a bag the size of a carry-on. Worth the bulk.
Oral rehydration salts. You can buy them here, but when your three-year-old is throwing up at 11pm and you need to act fast, not rummage for a pharmacy, ORS in your bag matters. We keep a small supply on hand at all times. Stomach bugs happen. They usually resolve in twenty-four hours. ORS keeps small kids hydrated while that happens.
One bag of familiar snacks. Not a suitcase worth. Just something from home for the first few days of adjustment. Risa Mia’s thing is a specific Dutch stroopwafel brand. We bring four packs. She doesn’t actually need it for long, but the first couple of nights in a new place feel different when something familiar is there.
The sleep toy. Whatever stuffed animal, comforter, or blanket they can’t sleep without. Don’t risk the possibility of it not being there. Ours is a small dinosaur called Dino Blue. He has his own spot in the carry-on.
Any prescription medication. Bring more than you think you need, plus documentation. Getting specialist medication in Bali is not impossible but it is complicated.
For kids six and up
Rash vest. This is more useful than any amount of sunscreen for kids who are in the water. A long-sleeve rash vest covers arms, shoulders, and back. The Bali sun is equatorial and it is stronger than what most families are calibrated for. Rosalia wears hers every time she’s in the pool or at the beach. It’s the reason we don’t have a drama about reapplying sunscreen every forty minutes.
Water shoes. For temple walks, for Waterbom, for rocky beach areas, for anywhere you’re not certain about the ground. They’re also useful for the steps at older temples where the stone is uneven and sometimes slippery. Buy them before you come; the ones in Bali are harder to size correctly.
A solid sun hat. One that stays on in wind, covers the neck, and they’ll actually wear. Worth spending money on this one before you go.
A lightweight rain layer. The afternoon storms in rainy season come in hard and fast. In dry season, less often, but they still come. A packable jacket that stuffs into its own pocket is enough. Not a full waterproof, just something to keep the worst of it off.
A change of clothes in your day bag. Every day, not just beach days. Risa Mia once sat in a puddle at the Ubud market. Rosalia spilled her entire smoothie on herself at a warung. There is always a reason.
For teens
Rico Jr is twelve, which is old enough for him to manage some of this himself, but here’s what he doesn’t forget now.
Reef-safe sunscreen. If he’s snorkelling or diving, the standard sunscreens with chemical UV filters do real damage to coral. We use a mineral zinc-based reef-safe version for water days.
GoPro or waterproof phone case. He’s been surfing, rafting in Ubud, snorkelling at Nusa Penida. He comes home with footage every time. Whatever captures it, keep it dry.
A sarong, his own. Temples require covered legs and shoulders. You can rent a sarong at the gate for a few thousand rupiah, but the ones they hand you are often damp from the last person. His own is better. Also useful as a towel, a beach mat, and shade for a sleeping three-year-old in the back of a car.
The health kit
Most family travel blogs cover paracetamol and call it done. This is what we actually keep in our kit.
Ibuprofen and paracetamol, both. For kids, in the right dosage for their weight. When you need one, you often need the other as an alternative. Don’t bring only one.
Oral rehydration salts. Twice in this post because it earns it. A stomach issue that would be unpleasant at home becomes genuinely urgent with a small child in the heat. ORS, given early, keeps it manageable.
Antihistamine. For insect bites, for allergic reactions, for the moment Risa Mia finds something she shouldn’t eat. Children’s liquid antihistamine travels well.
Hydrocortisone cream. Bali insects bite in a way that takes some adjustment. Rosalia scratches. The cream stops the scratch-cycle quickly.
Antifungal cream. This one almost nobody mentions. The humidity here is serious, and damp feet that go in and out of pools and sandals all day are candidates for fungal issues, especially for kids. We’ve had it twice. A small tube of antifungal cream sorts it quickly.
Thermometer. A small digital one. We’ve used ours more here than we did in two years at home.
Documents and admin
Passports for each child. Children cannot travel on a parent’s passport. Check expiry dates right now, not the week before you fly.
Visa. Indonesian Visa on Arrival is available at Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar for most nationalities. It costs USD 35 per person. Cash in US dollars makes it slightly faster; card works but adds a small fee. Check your nationality’s current requirements before you travel because the rules have changed a few times in recent years.
Travel insurance documents. Get travel insurance for each family member. Save a copy somewhere you can reach offline.
Medical information card. If anyone in the family has allergies or a condition that would matter in an emergency, have it written down in a clear format. A laminated card in a wallet is enough.
What not to pack
The stroller. You know where this is going. Save the space.
More than four days of clothing per person. Laundry in Bali is cheap and fast. Most villas have laundry service or there’s a laundry around the corner from wherever you stay. You’ll sweat through clothes here in a way that doesn’t happen in temperate climates, so having fresh clothes matters more than having many clothes.
Brand-name sunscreen from home. You can buy good sunscreen here. The Biore UV gel in the blue tube is what most of Bali is wearing and it works well on all skin tones.
Baby food pouches beyond the plane journey. Fresh fruit, rice, eggs, and noodles are available everywhere and most kids adjust fast. The ones who won’t eat anything in the first two days usually come around by day three when they’re hungry enough.
Euro or dollar coins. Tips and market transactions happen in rupiah. ATMs at Arrivals in Denpasar give rupiah directly. Withdraw there or exchange at a reputable money changer, not the ones in the tourist strip with the rates that look better than they are.
FAQ
Is it safe to buy medicines in Bali?
At Kimia Farma, yes. It’s a proper national pharmacy chain. We’ve bought paracetamol, antihistamine, and rehydration salts there without any issue. Bring any prescription medication from home.
What about baby formula?
It’s available in Bali at Guardian and larger supermarkets like Bintang or Pepito. If your baby is on a specific formula that you haven’t seen sold outside your home country, bring enough to cover the trip. If you’re on a standard international brand, you’ll likely find it.
Will we find nappies in the right size?
Mamypoko comes in sizes up through older toddlers. The range at Indomaret and Guardian is good. If your child is in a very large size or a specialist nappy for a medical reason, bring enough.
Do we need a car seat?
If you’re renting a car, yes. Rental cars don’t come with them. You can hire drivers through platforms like Klook who have car seats available, but confirm in advance.
Can we drink the water?
No. Bottled water for everything, including brushing teeth for kids. It’s cheap and everywhere. Most villas have a large refillable bottle station. Factor this into your daily routine from day one.
We’ve refined this list over months. Some things got added after we needed them and didn’t have them. Some got cut after they spent two weeks untouched at the bottom of a bag.
If I had to name one thing we will always bring, regardless of trip length or destination: the carrier. Risa Mia goes in, she can see everything, I can move. The rest of this list is details around that one decision.
→ Full guide: Bali with Kids — Complete Family Guide
→ Full guide: Bali with a Toddler
→ Full guide: Canggu with Kids
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Links TO this post: [[Bali with Kids — Complete Family Guide]], [[Bali with a Toddler]], [[Is Bali Safe for Families]]
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If you are planning bali packing list families, everything in this post comes from real experience — not guides written from a hotel room.
NL version
NL Title: Paklijst Bali met kinderen: wat wij écht gebruiken als bewoners
NL URL: thehurtados.co/nl/paklijst-bali-kinderen/
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For more information, see the Indonesia Tourism official website.
Read next: our complete Bali with kids guide.
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