Haleakala with our baby

We are traveling to Maui with our 5 month old. Any reason not to drive up to the summit with our baby?

Haleakala with our baby

No reason not to but keep in mind:

10,000 ft elevation change up then down.

1 %26amp; 1/2 hours drive time from Kahului. Up then down.Total drive time 3 hrs.

Temps will be cold..even in the day time 40 -50 degrees and windy.

Lots of switchbacks might cause motion sickness.

View are beautiful.

Haleakala with our baby

Check with your doctor to be sure that the rapid change in altitude won%26#39;t be a problem. Even in adults altitude sickness may happen.

Aloha cvillegal,

pzp gave you excellent advice. If you were from Denver and your body was already used to high altitudes you probably would not have to be as concerned, but Charlottesville being close to sea level makes altitude sickness a very real concern. As pzp stated it can be very dangerous not only for infants, but also adults not used to higher altitudes. As you know when you ascend to a high altitude your body receives much less oxygen. One of the signs of altitude sickness in babies is a bluish tint to the skin.....very scary. I personally would not take a chance like that with an infant. There as SO many wonderful things to do on Maui, I would save the trip to Haleakala for another time when baby is older.

We did the drive a couple of weeks ago with our 12 year old son and he got sick halfway up. He wanted to continue so we did. He was sick again on the way down when we stopped at Kula Lodge. They have a nice fireplace and sofa and he was able to lie down until he felt better.

If you do go, please dress your baby in coat/hat/mitts. It is very cold at the top. There was a couple there with a toddler and baby. The children appeared fine but I was horrifed at how they were dressed. They were wearing light summer clothes (no jacket) with bare legs and feet. Someone ended up giving them blankets for the babies.

Thanks everyone!

We did it last May with our (at the time) 8 month old. No problems - in fact I didn%26#39;t even think about altitude sickness before going up. There were others up there with their children - we also normally live at sea level. She slept on the drive up, got a little impatient during the waiting for the sunrise, but overall she did fine. Its a personal decision though, so maybe ask your pediatrician.

Just FYI - We%26#39;ve tried twice with our daughter, at 1 year and a little over 2. Both times we never made it too far past Makawao due carsickness on the curvy road. She%26#39;s never had that problem before. So I guess I%26#39;d recommend taking it reaall slow. Go for it.

Do talk to your doctor about it, but I would be very cautious. The altitude can make anyone sick at any time with no warning. The age of your child means communication about how he/she is feeling will be limited. I have seen children there many times, but my grandaughter got sick, even after a long stop at the visitors station. Grandson was not bothered at all, but grandaughter had a very slow afternoon afterwards.

Cold and windy there, bundle up.

My family and I just got back on April 14th. My son whis is 13 got terribly sick. He was light headed, he was changing color and said he kept feeling like he was going to throw up. (11 year old daughter was fine) We stopped at the lookout at 9,000 feet and I walked as if I were drunk. I was stumbling, and kept asking others if they were having a hard time. When we got to the summit which is 10,000 feet I walked into a wall, then while walking around the building, I veered left and slammed straight into a woman. I was mortified and said I was sorry and couldn%26#39;t understand the terrible time I was having walking. I mentioned to my husband how I felt a ton on pressure on my head, like a terrible sinus headache except that it was my entire head. It felt nothing like a headache. He said that was immpossible since there is less pressure up there. I decided to research it when we got home and found out I had a cerebral edema. That would explain the terrible pressure I was feeling. It said the only cure is to decend IMMEDIATELY! Most people I saw just felt light headed and nauseated. Thank god my husband didn%26#39;t feel well either or who knows how long he would have had us up there! I would definently ask a doctor before bringing and children up there and to know what warning signs to look for. I researched a lot before we went and knew nothing of this.

We just got back on April 15. My 13 year old son got terribly sick. He was light headed, dizzy, nauseated and did not want to get out of the car. My daughter who is 11 was fine. I was completely unable to keep my balance. I was having a had time when we got out at the lookout at 9,000 feet. I was walking as if I were drunk. When we arrived at the summit, I walked into a building, and slammed chest first into a woman whom I was walking past. I was unable at first to walk a straight line, and by the time we left, unable to walk without holding onto my husband. I also felt a ton of pressure on my entire head. When I mentioned this to my husband he said that it was impossible since there is less pressure up there. It felt like a terrible sinus headache. Not like a regular headache at all. I researched this just because I thought it was so weird when we got home. It turns out I had a cerebral edema. The only cure it said was to get to a lower elevation IMMEDIATELY! Thank god my husband also didn%26#39;t feel well or god knows how long he would have had us up there. I would definently check with your Dr before going up there with any children. I had read alot before we went and thought, ok, maybe we might feel car sick. I had no idea that something that serious could actually happen. If I had to do it again? No way. My daughter and husband, they%26#39;d go back!