My husband and I are constantly telling other couples how important we feel that dating is. You should never stop dating is something that we absolutely believe every couple should live by. Is it difficult to get out on dates when you have children? Absolutely. You have the cost of a babysitter, plus whatever the date itself costs. That is, if you aren’t unlucky enough to have a quite clingy baby that you can’t leave at home.
You see, before the age of one, I don’t usually leave my children. I’ve never been very successful with pumping so we always just did dates we could bring our littlest one on. After talking to a group of moms recently, I realize that many other couples do share in this struggle with us. If you have a clingy baby (or hey, you know what, if you’re just not comfortable leaving your baby because that’s okay too!), don’t let that get in between you and your spouse. It’s still important to have that special time together. If you’re at a loss for what in the world you can do with a baby in tow, I’m here to share some of my ideas with you!
HIKING
Get out there and explore the world! Never too young to get a good dose of nature although this probably won’t work if your baby doesn’t like to be in the carrier. There are some beautiful mountains a couple of hours from here and I would love to go exploring. There’s nothing more romantic than standing on a high rock, listening to a waterfall.
BEACH
Bring a tent for the babe and go spend time at the beach. You can bring a speaker and enjoy the music, hop the waves together (they make mesh baby carriers for the water, you know!), or just sunbathe and talk.
PICNIC
We love to go on picnics together. To be honest, we usually buy our hoagies/subs/grinders/heros but I’d love to see somebody with one of those huge old-fashioned picnic baskets filled with homemade sandwiches and potato salad or something. We lay a blanket down in a nice park by a body of water and usually afterward, he does a little fishing. Sometimes I try to fish with him or I just talk to him and enjoy the view while he does his thing. It’s still such wonderful quality time!
MINI-GOLFING
When we go to play miniature golf, I either wear the baby or we take turns holding them. A good old competitive game between the two of you would be both fun and romantic. You can even make a little wager for the winner, like one of you does the dishes for a month or something more intimate.
BOWLING
I’m not big on bowling but it’s a really good activity that you can do any time of the year and it’s all about the company and the time you’re spending together. Some good-natured ribbing and competition makes for a great laugh in our games.
DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATRES
Sadly, I know that some of you do not have the luxury of having a drive-in movie theatre near you like we do. One of my dreams is to open up a drive-in movie theatre because it seems like this attraction died out for absolutely no reason! Movies are still awesome, cars are even cooler than they used to be, and we all still want a place to go that’s different from your traditional movie theater!
When our babies are still tiny, quiet nurslings, we still go to regular movie theaters but as they get older, the drive-in is the better choice because if for whatever reason they do get fussy, it doesn’t interrupt everyone else’s movie and you don’t have to frantically rush out while you soothe them. I bring toys and snacks for my little one if they’re older and might need something to do partway through.
DINNER
You can still go out to a child-friendly place, like Applebee’s or Friendly’s. It’s not the most romantic atmosphere but as my husband and I say, “It’s all about the company”. You can still feed each other some ice cream and daydream together about the amazing vacations that you’re going to go on once your kids are older.
STAY IN
You don’t have to get out in order to have a date with each other! There are tons of things that you can do to enjoy each other’s company without ever having step foot out of your home, here are a few I listed last year.
I loved this! I have a three month old and I’ve been sad we haven’t really been on dates since she was born. And I just can’t bring myself to leave her! Great ideas. I can’t wait to try some (or all of them) with my husband 😊
Also, it’s helpful to know other couples go through the same thing, lol!