Date Ideas for Parents

Hi friends,

I decided it’s time for a post about date ideas! While I’ve written about date ideas several times now it’s always been for guest posts for whatever reason, so I figured it’s high time to share some here. 🙂

Dating your spouse changes a bit (or can at least) once you have children, so this post is especially for parents.

I would venture to say that dating your spouse becomes even more important once you become parents. When you have kids they can just kind of become your life – and loving them together is so special – but it’s also important to continue to cultivate your marriage at the same time. After all, you don’t want to find out that you barely know each other anymore when your kids eventually leave home (sob!)

Here are a few date ideas that I hope you’ll find helpful!!

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When you don’t have a babysitter

Maybe you can’t afford a baby sitter right now and don’t have family in the area. Don’t despair! You can still make dates happen … just at home once the kids are down for bed! Here are a couple ideas:

• Dress up, light a candle or two, set out your best dishes and enjoy takeout from a fancy restaurant.
• Bake something together – and then eat it together of course! 🙂
• Get on Pinterest together and make a board for your dream home, dream vacation, etc.
• Pop some popcorn and watch something funny or romantic.
• Have a game night, complete with a fun platter of your favorite snacks.
• Work on a home improvement project or craft together if that’s your thing.
• Read a book out-loud together and then discuss it.

If you really want to go out, consider swapping baby sitting with fellow parents. You watch their kids while they go out one weekend, then the next weekend they’ll pay back the favor while you go out.

Taking baby along on your date

When Caleb our oldest was just a baby my husband and I took him along on our dates all the time. Long walks usually worked the best. Pablo and I were able to have great conversations while Caleb sat and enjoyed the view. For our walks we loved using a light, easy to fold stroller or our ergo carrier. The places we especially loved to walk were:

• nature trails at the park
• the mall
• downtown (with a stop for ice cream of course!)

When we did choose to go out to eat with Caleb along we aimed for restaurants without long waits. Ones with outdoor seating were even better.

Obviously, if baby tends to be fussy that can be a major downer on a date. That’s when it’s time to find a good babysitter!

When you have a babysitter …

Be sure to prepare ahead so that your babysitter has everything they need. Being prepared will help you so you’re not rushing around at the last minute and feeling frazzled as you start your date.

When you finally are kid-free and out on your date, don’t talk about your kid/s the whole time! Of course there’s nothing wrong with talking about them, but they are not your only connection.

Pablo and I love working through a list of date-night questions. Sometimes we go through a whole bunch and sometimes one will launch us into a great discussion. Here are 40 date-night questions to get you started.

We love occasionally going to see a movie together, but I wouldn’t suggest that as your go-to date. You’re not exactly getting to know each other better when you’re just staring at a screen for two hours.

Obviously going out to dinner is a classic date and talking through date-night questions can make it extra special, but are a few other ideas to switch things up:

• Go bowling! Even if you’re awful at it it can be a lot of fun to do together.
• Go to the mall, buy some soft pretzels and just walk around talking, eating, and window shopping.
• Have a lot of time? Stop at one place for an appetizer, another for your main course, and another for dessert.
• Go somewhere romantic (for us that would be walking by the lake) and talk about your favorite memories from when you were dating.
• Like I talked about in my post about staycations, play the tourist in your own city! Pablo and I want to do a lot more of this. A few places on my list to visit with Pablo in Dallas someday are the George W. Bush Presidential Library, Reunion Tower, and The Dallas Arboretum.
• Go to IKEA together and plan your future home.
• Switch things up by going on a breakfast date or out for coffee at a fun coffee shop.
• Go shopping together for your kids’ birthdays or for Christmas.

What are your favorite date ideas? I’m always looking for new ideas so I’d love to hear yours in the comments!!

Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

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