5 Practical Date Night Tips: Prepping For The Babysitter

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These practical date night tips may seem “common sense” to some of you, but they save me from answering my cell phone all night long.

When the weekend finally arrives, spending time together as a family is always at the top of our list. We are definitely the “hang out with the kids, watch a movie and eat a ton of popcorn” kind of people. We love being together and catching up on all the little details that were missed during the rush of the school week. Even when the kids are arguing over which movie to rent or jostling for the best spot on the couch, there is still no place we would rather be.

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But even though I love our weekends together, I have to admit that I also really look forward to having a date night with my husband every once in awhile. I feel that it’s incredibly important to reconnect as a couple and I’m always amazed by the quality of our conversations when we can talk without multiple interruptions.

So when we plan a date night together, my only requirement is that we have the opportunity to take our time and really communicate with one another. This means that I do everything possible to make sure that our kids are happy as clams before we leave so that we don’t get multiple texts from our babysitter!

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5 PRACTICAL DATE NIGHT TIPS: PREPPING FOR THE BABYSITTER

1.) Bathe them & put their pajamas on before you leave.

My kids are creatures of habit. I like to keep their nighttime routine as familiar as possible, especially when they will have a babysitter. So long before the sitter arrives, I make sure they are bathed and in their most comfortable pajamas. (This prevents me from getting a text asking where the kids pajamas are!)

2.) Make sure they have an easy, nutritious dinner to eat.

I like to keep dinner as simple and healthy as possible for the babysitter. This means leaving a selection of my children’s favorite Kidfresh Frozen Meals (found at Target) for them to choose from like the Super Duper Chicken Nuggets and Mighty Meaty Chicken Meatballs. Each meal contains up to a ½ cup of hidden veggies, which means I can feel good about feeding them a frozen dinner! Plus, they’re really convenient and simple to make; they can even be microwaved if you have a younger sitter and are ready to eat in only 4 minutes. And not to be a total dork, but Kidfresh meals are packaged in BPA-free trays. 😉 (This prevents me from getting a text asking what to feed them.)

3.) Pick out a movie ahead of time.

I have my kids agree to and stick with a movie before the babysitter arrives. The chosen movie has to be something that they both want to see and they cannot change their minds after I leave. If they do, the sitter knows they don’t get a movie. (This prevents me from getting texts about the kids fighting over the movie selection.)

4.) Get their rooms bedtime ready.

Before the sitter arrives, I send my kids on a mission to find their favorite stuffed animal, blanket and book. Basically, anything and everything that they might not be able to fall asleep without. I also put a thermos of ice water on their night stands and turn down their beds. This way if they are ready to fall asleep, they can go to bed when they want. (This prevents me from getting a text that the kids are exhausted, but can’t find their special bedtime buddy.)

5.) Have a backup bedtime plan.

Sometimes the kids are too nervous to fall asleep without us being home. I cannot tell you how many times I have come home to see the kids wide awake in their beds waiting for us to kiss them goodnight. I know it can be uncomfortable falling asleep when they have a sitter, so I make sure she knows they can make a bed on the couch if they want to wait for us. We are usually home early, so this isn’t a problem for us. (This prevents me from getting a text that the kids won’t go to bed.)

Although these practical date night tips may seem “common sense” to some of you, I cannot tell you how many times they have saved me from answering my cell phone all night long. And on the off chance that I do forget one of these tips before I head out the door, I will most certainly be answering some frantic texts mid-meal.

Do you have any date night tips for us to add? Let us know about them!

Enjoy your date night,

Daniele

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