Almost everyone in Bali gets around on a scooter, and it's tempting to just do the same with kids. It's cheap, easy to park, and skips the traffic queues that build up in busy areas during the day. But scooters have no seatbelts, no crash protection, and Bali's roads mix potholes, sudden rain, stray dogs, and drivers who don't always signal. Riding with a baby or toddler on your lap or standing on the footboard is common to see but genuinely dangerous. If you do put a young child on a scooter, use an enclosed child seat designed for two-up riding, always double up on proper helmets, and keep trips short and local.
For school runs, grocery trips, airport pickups, or anything outside a short local radius, a car is the safer and more practical choice, especially once you have more than one child or a child under about four. Few rental scooters or taxis come with proper child car seats, so bring your own infant or toddler seat from home if you can, or buy one locally and ask your driver to fit it. Many families settle into a monthly car-with-driver arrangement rather than self-driving, which removes the stress of unfamiliar roads, one-way systems, and the rainy season floods that catch out new arrivals.
How much car you actually need depends on where you live and your kids' ages. Families based somewhere walkable to school, warung, and the beach can often get by on a scooter for the adults plus the occasional car booked through a ride app when the child needs to come along. Once you're doing daily school runs with a toddler or juggling nap schedules and grocery bags, most people add a car to the mix. If you plan to drive yourself, sort an international driving permit before you arrive and check it's valid for scooters and cars separately, since Bali police do check papers at checkpoints.
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