Date Ideas

Date Night Ideas for Parents: Winter Edition

Jen January 11, 2021 no Comments

Before kids, going on a date night required little planning and little energy. The hardest part was agreeing on the restaurant. You were excited for a night out on the town and looking forward to wearing that new dress. You had HOURS to get ready with no distractions and left for your date feeling calm.

Now fast forward to this whole new life we call parenthood- where you trade that exciting date night for early bedtimes. Don’t get me wrong, being a mom is my dream come true, but mama needs a night out with her first love every now and then! A reason to change out of my leggings and let my mom hair down (It probably isn’t washed, but at least it won’t be in a mess on top of my head.)

I am here to encourage you that with a little planning you can enjoy date night again. It probably won’t look exactly like it did pre-kids, but progress is better than perfection, right?!

Date Night Tips For Parents

Finding a babysiter

Ask family if they live close by. Your kids will get to spend time with their grandparents or their aunts, uncles and cousins and you get free childcare.
If you don’t have family close by or they aren’t in a position to babysit, then ask friends. Better yet, do date night swaps with friends. You watch their kids while they go out and then a different time they watch your kids. My advice for this is get times and dates scheduled in advanced otherwise people get busy.
Use your gym as a babysitter. Our gym allows for 3 hours of childcare per day. My husband and I can workout, play basketball, go swimming or in the hot tub all while the kids are having a blast in the child center.
If you go to a church, ask around if there are any teenagers looking for a babysitting job. Also get recommendations from friends on babysitters. This isn’t a free option, but it’s nice having someone you know and trust as a back up.

Date night doesn’t have to be at night

Nighttime dates can be stressful for ~~parents~~ moms. Do you put the kids to bed before you go out? If you do that you are exhausted before the date even starts. Or do you have the babysitter put the kids in bed? With this option you might not be exhausted on your date, but you probably won’t be 100% focused on the date because you are constantly wondering how bedtime is going.
My suggestion, go on day dates instead. This is probably limited to weekends, but it’s a great option if evening dates cause mom stress. My favorite time is somewhere between 10-3. There is enough time to get ready in the morning and your babysitter can feed the kids lunch and do naps- so much easier than an entire bedtime routine. The best part of going on a day date is your aren’t tired.
There are benefits of date nights too, of course. On the other hand, maybe your kids are a little older and bedtime is a breeze. Or maybe bedtime is hard and you could use a break and you have a willing family member to tackle bedtime, let them do dinner and bedtime so you can have an evening off. Most importantly, the best date time for you is the one that doesn’t stress you out!

Make planning date night fun

Get your spouse involved. A fun way to plan dates is to take turns planning. Take it a step farther and plan a date the other person would love and plan one you would love. For example, I planned a horseback riding date because horses are near and dear to me, but not so much my husband, but he had fun because I was having fun. My husband likes playing basketball and rock climbing, not my first choice, but I planned a gym date where we did both those and I had a great time because he was having a great time.
Surprise your spouse. One year I made date envelopes with 12 pre-planned dates inside, so one for each month. Some were at home dates, others were going out. It was fun watching him open the envelop every month and see what the date was. For those I planned things both of us like, but you could plan them anyway you want.
Set a budget. It doesn’t have to be a huge budget, but just set aside a little every month. Not all dates even cost any money and some are budget friendly. It’s fun every now and then to go on a splurge date, but make sure you plan ahead and budget for the splurge so it can actually happen!

Fun Date Night Ideas: Winter Edition

Date ideas for staying in

I know what you are thinking, didn’t I just tell you how to find a babysitter and to go on day dates? Yes, I did. I do recommend getting out of the house for as many of your dates as possible, but sometimes we need to stay in. With this being a winter edition, staying in is a popular choice. One parent go put the kids in bed early and the other parent clean up the kitchen and meet back for date night!

Free

Game night. Play your favorite 2 person game and winner gets a shoulder massage.
Finish a project around the house but make it fun. For us, this was organizing the basement. Instead of just working though, turn it into a date night by asking Would You Rather questions while you work.
Put a puzzle together. Or get 2 puzzles with the same amount of pieces and race to see who can put theirs together first.
Plan and dream together. Plan an upcoming vacation or dream together about what you want to do in the future.
Take a free class online. Learn phrases in a new language or learn new dance steps.

Budget

Get takeout delivered and catch up on your favorite Netflix show.
Make ice cream sundaes. Get different ice cream flavors and fun toppings.
Rent a new movie. Don’t forget snacks to go with it.
Do a movie marathon. Watch a trilogy or pick an actor and binge watch their movies.
Have a theme night. For example, for a Christmas theme, you could make and decorate cookies (keep is easy with store bought) and then watch a Christmas movie. Other ideas are: Kid theme, Italian theme, Valentine’s theme, etc.

Splurge

Buy a date night subscription box. There are many options: food, crafts, games and more.
Make a 5 course meal. Shop ahead of time so you are ready to cook. Another idea is to recreate your wedding dinner, don’t forget the dessert!
Do a home improvement project. Buy all the materials ahead of time and knock out the project together.

Date ideas for going out

Free

Go sledding or ice skating. Have races, but also sled together in one sled and hold hands while skating.
Go look at ice sculptures or frozen waterfalls.
Find a nature trail for winter hiking. During your hike take pictures of each other and the beautiful surroundings.
Serve in your community together. Not only is this fun, but you will be helping others.
Relax in the hot tub at your gym, (if applicable.)
Tour an art gallery or a museum. This usually has a cost, however most museums have free admission days.

Budget

Get hot chocolate and take a scenic drive.
Laugh together at a comedy show. So funny, but make sure you find a “clean” one if that is important to you.
Go out to eat at a new to you place. However, instead of just being at a new place, expand your palate and try something different from your usual.
Walk through Target and play alphabet scavenger hunt. Each person find items in alphabetic order that start with that letter from A to Z. Don’t actually put the items in your cart, just walk over to them. You could narrow the hunt down to just the grocery or home department, etc. Decide for each letter who had the best item and after the game the winner gets to buy something.
Go out to eat and pretend you just met and this is your first date. You never know, as a result you might learn something you either forgot about or didn’t know at all.

Splurge

Go see a theater performance or a ballet. This is especially fun if you go during the holidays.
Go snowboarding or skiing. If you have gear this idea might not be a splurge, but if you have to rent it can get expensive.
Rent a cottage for the night. Or stay the night at a fancy hotel.
Get a couples massage. A long couples massage, the one where they use the hot stones and really work out the knots.