Date Night... wha?! What do we do with the kids?
Attention parents of young children: Yes, you DO need time away with your spouse and without your children. And it is in fact doable, even if you’re like us and you don’t have grandparents that live 10 minutes away.
So how do you achieve this magical thing, you ask? Below are five ways I’m sharing with you that have been successful for us personally, and I think it will be for you too.
The obvious one, find a babysitter.
So much easier said than done, am i right? It’s hard to find one that 1. you trust with your precious babes 2. is reliable 3. isn’t overly involved in sports, school activities, or a part-time job already. Where do you look then? Church teens, care.com* (my feedback of using it at the bottom), ask for recommendations from your friends (although they miiight not be willing to share their names), or teen/college age nieces/nephews of your friends/co-workers. Go forth, and good luck!
Kid-trade.
This sounds worse than it really is, I promise. Take your friend's kids for an evening while the parents get to go out on a date night. Next month, switch and let them take the kids while you and your partner go out. The kids love it and occupy themselves, and bonus for not having to pay a sitter!
Plan a vacation day from work when the kids are in school/pre-school.
Neil and I recently did this and felt like complete geniuses. We had an entire day to ourselves (!!!!). We only get a day like that about three or four times a year (and it is much appreciated when we do - thanks mom and dad!). Anyway, do things around the house, run errands, go to lunch or coffee, catch a non-Disney movie. You name it. You’ll be beyond refreshed when it is school pick up time. Boom!
Find a “Mother’s Helper.”
Don’t shoot the messenger for the name of it, it’s just what it has been called for decades. A Mother’s Helper is a responsible child around 9-12 years old who will come and hang with the children while you are home. Use the opportunity to have a date night in the basement, order carry out, and play some board games or a Netflix binge. The positive of this would also be that you can train up this child for a future sitter, and your kids will already love them and feel comfortable with them.
Kids’ Night Out.
These are unicorn nights - the kids have a ton of fun and they get totally worn out and (cross your fingers!) will sleep in an extra hour or so the next morning! They are typically indoor play places or gymnastics locations that have scheduled evenings where the kids are dropped off for 3-4 hours to just p-l-a-y while you go out on a date. The price range is good too. I’ve seen it range from $10-$25 per child. If you’re local to Metro Detroit, below are some places to check out!
-Rochester Play, Rochester, MI
-Bounce U, Troy, MI
-Stars and Stripes Kids Activity Center, Clarkston, MI
-The Robot Garage, Birmingham and Rochester Hills, MI
-Great Lakes Kids Energy Zone, Oxford, MI
-Lifetime Fitness, Shelby Township, Troy, Rochester Hills, MI
Google “Kids Night Out Near Me” and I’m sure others will pop up for you!
So which one will you try out first? I’d love to also hear if you have suggestions for Kids’ Night Out locations around Detroit!
xo,
Chelsie
*My care.com review: Using the website felt like it was online dating for a babysitter. The pros of it were that there were background checks included, as well as reviews. The cons were that many of the sitters on the website weren’t actively engaged in the site, so it was a pretty big waste of time. Also, it cost about $40 per month to have full access. We gave it a shot for a month, and found a sitter we really liked - interviewed her, had her hang with the girls with us there, however she wasn’t reliable and never actually babysat.
