How To Plan an Amazing Date Night Without Hiring a Sitter

Planning a date night with small children can be challenging and expensive. Not only do you have to splurge for your evening out but you also have to have enough money to pay for the sitter, and if you have multiple kids; well that number just went up. UGH!! So how do parents of young children keep the love alive? Can it be done? Well… the short answer is YES!!

Here are some ideas to get your date on with your hubby or wife.

Anniversary Day, Date Night

The concept is relatively straightforward, if you were married September 10th, then every month on or around the 10thof that month is date night. This way you are both clear, this week is the 10th after the kids go to bed we will grab a game, or activity we can do together and connect. (words game and activity will link to a box subscription)

Family Date Night

Involve the kids! Yes, I know, how can we call it date night? It honestly is so much fun and does end up feeling like a date.

Here is how we do it; sometimes my husband and I will order in, pour some wine (she gets juice or water) and we have a dance party. It is so much fun we all end up belly laughing and although this can sometimes be a very short date night the point is quality and deep connection.

The More the Merrier, Date Night

Make it a group date night. Often when we want to have a date night but don’t want to splurge for a sitter, we have friends over, and the kids watch a movie while the parents are in an adjacent room playing cards, chatting and enjoying couples night out just like our days before the little ones.

Breakfast, Date Night?

Sometimes the best date nights happen early in the morning. My husband and I will plan to get up early on Saturday or Sunday mornings and have breakfast together before our child is up. We get to catch up, laugh and connect over a warm meal before the day actually begins.

Grandparent Drop-off, Date Night (Okay it’s cheating but counts if we are not paying for a babysitter)

Grandparent sleepovers are the best for date night with no sitter if you are lucky to have grandparents nearby as we do. Well, nothing beats the love and bonding the kids get to enjoy as well as the quality time you can spend with your significant other.

Dating your husband or wife involves some planning, but it is absolutely worth it. The strength of the marriage grows as your family grows and we need to take the time to reflect on our days together to create more of those moments. Every marriage has an emotional ATM that we need to make consistent deposits too. When this emotional bank account is full, we can withdraw from it on days that we may not be feeling as connected. This leads to more patience, greater appreciation and more love! So pick one or more of these ideas and go for it!

-Ana from the Unbox Love Team