Let me be the first to say- date night after baby #1 is HARD. Honestly, it took us until Peyton was about 3 months old to build up the courage to leave her with our parents and go out to dinner by ourselves. But it is NECESSARY. Today I am sharing a quick round up below of fun date nights ideas for when you have small babies and just need a little time away!
TICKETS TO AN EVENT // Okay, I realize in the peak of COVID season, this is easier said than done. But this is something that worked for Andrew and I! Back in February, our favorite show, Dancing With The Stars came to town on tour and we bought tickets back at Christmas time. When the day finally arrived, we were less than ready to run out the door to our fun night out. Andrew was just getting over the flu and sure enough, Peyton had just tested positive for the flu. All signs pointed at: DON’T GO. But we had been looking forward to this for months, and I mean- who can turn down front row tickets to DWTS!? 🙂 So we went! We had a nice dinner and enjoyed the show! It was a great little getaway for us after working so hard every day keeping another human alive.
DATE NIGHT IN TOWN // Not every date night has to be big and elaborate! Sometimes there is beauty in simplicity. Leaving Peyton for 2 hours at her grandparents and going to grab dinner on Main Street is one of our favorites! It’s important to remind yourself that you aren’t “dumping” your kid off on their grandparents. But rather you are giving your child time with their grandparents that they appreciate more than you know. 2 hours will fly by. You’ve had some quiet time with each other and your child has had the time of their life being spoiled by grandparents.
RUNNING ERRANDS TOGETHER // Okay okay, so this one is not glamorous or “fun” at all- but hear me out. Sometimes it feels good to just check things off the list. We have been known to leave Peyton at her grandparents house to run a few quick errands around town TOGETHER, that would just take half the time if we didn’t let her tag along. When we need to make a Lowe’s run or a super big grocery run, we leave her with her grandparents or Tiff for an hour or two and KNOCK IT OUT! This time is efficient because it gets things done, allows us to have some normal adult conversation, and lets us spend time with each other.
WEEKEND GETAWAY // Big finish now! Back in June, Andrew and I were both in an out-of-town wedding. The schedule for the weekend was jam packed with events for the bridal party and overall we felt like Peyton would have a better time staying back with my parents. This was 3 nights away from her. It was SO HARD for us. Despite all our fears, she had a great time the entire weekend and didn’t cry for us at all… big win! Sometimes you just have to force yourself to take that next step in independence. Again, my parents LOVED that time with her and ultimately I think it made Peyton more comfortable with them because she was forced to spend so much time there.
Basically, now I need to give a great big SHOUTOUT to grandparents (and Tiff) here because none of these above date night ideas would be possible without them. We are so lucky to have them so close to us and always willing to lend a helping hand and spend time with Peyton.
Do you have a date night suggestion for us? Leave it below!