Between changing diapers and household chores, dates with your spouse might seem like something from the past now that you’re a new parent. But making time to rekindle the romance is just as important in my book. Five months after our son was born, the hubby and I finally went on a date.
Here are a few tips for planning a date with your honey and enjoying it too!
Find Someone You Trust. For our first date after our baby, it was very important for us to find someone we knew and trusted 100 percent, so we had my in-laws look after the baby. It was one less thing we had to worry about. You can also ask your mom, aunt, or best friend. We had my in-laws come a few hours before we planned to leave so we could teach them the lay of the land. Make sure you let your sitter know where everything is: diapers, baby wipes, clothes…etc. I also wrote down his schedule to make this easier. It had also been a while (30 years!) since my in-laws changed a diaper, so we did a practice a run through before we left on our date.
Go Somewhere Close Going on your first date sans baby can be a bit nerve-wracking, especially as a new parent. We decided to pick a restaurant that was 10 minutes away from our house. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit, relax and enjoy each other’s company. For us, being able to have dinner without feeling like we were in a speed-eating competition was great. Don’t feel you need to go all-out for your date. Grabbing dinner or going on a picnic are perfect options. Being a quick hop away from home, in case of an emergency, also eased my mind. The movies are another great option. Try to find a movie that’s not too epic-ly long and plan to grab a bite at the movie theater or mall.
Make sure you look into the showtimes before you get to the theater or even buy your tickets ahead of time.
Plan the Feedings. Planning the feedings is probably one of the most important things when planning your date night. If you are breastfeeding, try to schedule your date right after your nursing session, or even better, once your baby goes down for a nap. If you are bottle-feeding, make sure you leave enough pumped breast milk or formula. Also, be sure to leave clear instructions on how to warm up the bottle and how your baby likes his milk. For example, our baby loved his milk extra warm; he literally will not drink it if it’s the slightest bit cold. We made sure our in-laws knew this before we left on our date.
Overall, be sure to enjoy this time together and DON’T feel guilty. Having dates with your spouse is equally as important for your baby and marriage.
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