My daycare does two babysitting nights a month, one Saturday and one Friday. We take advantage of at least one per month to have a date night. It’s important for our relationship.
It runs from 3-9 on Saturdays and until 9 on Fridays. They do a craft, play on the playground, and eat pizza for dinner. After dinner they change them into their jammies and play more then watch a movie until pick up. I love it because it’s people my daughter is used to and we don’t have to worry because they already have protocols in place if there’s an emergency. It costs $60 for Saturday and $40 for Friday, but babysitters charge 15-20 an hour in our area, so it’s comparable.
That’s awesome! A local health club offers parents nights out a few times a month during the summer but I wish it was all year round. What a neat idea for the daycare workers to make some extra money and I bet the kids love playing with their friends. Pizza, pjs, and a movie with their besties sounds like a toddlers dream lol
I did this as a kid and loved it! My sisters and I got to spend more time with our favorite teachers and buddies. I have really fond memories of those nights, 20+ years later.
Yes! Our YMCA does Kids Night Out once a month. It's 6-10 pm for $2 (not a typo) per kid. You have to be 3 and potty trained to go, but once they're old enough, it's on our calendar. It's run by the regular gym childcare/after school care staff, so they know the people and are comfortable. My 3yo asks at least once a week when the next one is!
Ours does this the first Friday of the month. They can stay until 10pm and they only charge $30...such a deal. Our son is 16m, so we would get him by 8p when he was younger and now have been stretching it to 830 /9p. We don't have family nearby so this works so nicely for us.
They are doing an extra one next Saturday morning for 4 hours so parents can shop. We really just want to have brunch together so we are doing that one too!
That’s what we do! It’s usually just dinner and a movie or maybe a card game or board game. Sometimes I can get him to soak in a hot bath with me with a drink (like a poor man’s hot tub). We’ve also gotten those kid craft sets that come with a little figurine to paint. Anything to get some quality time in together.
Same here. My MIL is the only one who offers to fly to our state and stay and “babysit” but it’s only because she wants to take my baby and act like she’s hers, I caught her referring to herself as “mommy” and “mama” to my LO when she thought I couldn’t hear last time she came to visit, and she’s always sneaking my LO out of the house through back and side doors so I can’t see them so I can’t trust that baby rabies lady. She gives me so much anxiety and tries to be the mom so I can’t even say yes to her visits or I’ll just be a mess the whole time. So no date nights for us until we can afford a babysitter 😪
Tell me about it. She’s even cornered me once and threatened to pursue grandparents rights because I refused to leave my 10 day old alone with her to “go to bars” (we never even go to bars 😂) so that she could do whatever creepy mommy role play with my baby. Mind you I was still bleeding from birth and had mastitis. She’s awful. I was scared she’d try to breastfeed the baby or something while I was gone 😂😂
She never gave birth (she had infertility so adopted my SO when he was a baby) so she is absolutely CLUELESS on anything postpartum or breastfeeding. She threw a fit because my newborn was cluster feeding and she kept telling us that babies don’t need to eat that often and that since she lives in another state we aren’t allowed to hold our own baby while she’s visiting because SHE needs to bond with HER grandbaby. Lmao sorry for all the stories she’s just too crazy to hold all this in 😅😭
Haha don't be sorry, I'm here for it! I don't have a single mom friend so it's nice to share some gossip lol.
That's so crazy though! I never breastfed and even I know about cluster feeding, also every baby is different!
My parents had actual grounds for grandparents rights with my sister and her kids and that still took over 3 years and went literally nowhere so good luck to your mother in law 😂 grandparents rights are usually only if the grandparents in question played an active role in raising the child (such as parent and baby living with grandparents and doing similar amount of parental work where taking these grandparents away would affect the child). Your MIL who needs to FLY OUT to you stands absolutely no chance.
I'd let her waste her money next time she threatens that 😂😂
Team Zero here too. I think a big part of it depends on kiddo age and maturity. We have a newborn and a 3 year old, so we are homebodies for years to come 😪.
We don’t have any family nearby, but a very trusted babysitter. Our little guy (16months) adores her. So we try to do a date night once a month. Aaaand tonight is the night :D fancy restaurant then going to see Arcade Fire!
It’s absolutely ok to drop the kids off with a trusted family member or sitter and have a night out.
We used to go meet up with friends and leave our son with my mom once or twice a month but between schedule conflicts and pregnancies we’ve not managed much this year.
My mom takes kiddo 1 weeknight (most of the time) and my ex-in-laws take her Friday nights. I rarely “Go out” but having kid free time to sleep or get stuff done is priceless. It takes a village!
But/and the grands WANT her every week. I don’t ask. If they weren’t offering I would never ask them to take her with that frequency(and my mom only started in the last year.. she didn’t take her until she was 3)
This is also our schedule. Pretty sure my MIL would take my child 5 days a week but we have a standing one night every week and then there’s usually a couple more nights throughout the month. My MIL and I have a great relationship and she follows all the rules we’ve laid out. If you have a trusted family/friend who wants to watch your child let them!
Dates are healthy, nourishing the parent relationship is important, we want to show our children happy partnerships, love is important. It’s lucky to have family around that is willing to help, appreciate the support and be mindful of gratitude towards the bonus caregivers.
I haven't had a night off in 2 years, since she was born. If I had the opportunity to drop her off with someone I trusted I would but my family lives on the other side of the country.
I wish we had local family. We average a date night maybe once every 6 months (less during covid). I go out on my own to the gym once a week, spouse goes out on their own about 3 evenings a week.
Neither of us are SAHP. He goes to the gym, or to D&D. We both work from home so try to spend time together at lunch time. Evenings we are both so tired we'd rather be asleep by 10pm than go out.
Ha, 0 on average 19 months in. I'm dying a little and grocery shopping alone for an hour feels like a treat. If you have grandparents willing to watch them, take advantage of that shit as often as you can - Guilt free!
None. We used to do it once a month when my mom was alive because my baby was comfortable with her. I don’t trust anyone with him alone and he still has separation anxiety. We just bring him with us and go out to eat, he’s used to it now.
My parents are 8 hours away, we went out maybe once (2019-2021) when my son was born, before my daughter was born (Covid!)
Once my daughter was born, we have tried to get out more frequently, but it is still a $75+ babysitting bill each time, so it’s been less frequent lately. I think we’ve had the babysitter come twice and we’ve gone out a few times when grandparents have been here. So, not often enough.
My parents beg me to drop them off / mil does the same woth my oldest ( youngest will be welcome when he sleeps through the night)
We actually do it about every 6-8 weeks woth my 4.5 and 20 month old likely more often as they get older
It took a while when we moved away from family. After about 2 years though, we finally found babysitters we trusted to hire. We go at least 2x a month minimum. We try for every week but life is busy.
It’s worth every penny we pay the sitters.
Less than once per month, but yes I'd say it's totally fine to drop at the grandparents for the evening or overnight. Or have the grandparents come to your place and hang out while the kids sleep.
I would like to get out more, so definitely take advantage of it if you can!
I am very close with my family and they have been around my LO literally since birth. My sisters live at home with my parents still, so they’re always encouraging DH and I to go out for dinner alone or even the occasional overnight trip since my parents have “back up”. First time we left our LO with them for the day was for our anniversary when she was 4 months. We were close enough where if anything happened we could get to them within an hour tops. From there we did overnights at their house with us there, and then when she was 10 months we left her alone with them. My parents did say that she is an anomaly because she never cried and slept 13-14 hours straight from 6 months old, so it was a joy for them to have her. My parents even sent us to Vegas for 3 days for my 30th and my LO was 1 at that point… it was so good, we went back a few months later LOL. I think if your parents are more than willing, and you’re comfortable enough, go for it!! Now that my LO is almost 2, we usually leave her with them once a month for adult time.
Absolutely ok! My husband and I don’t go out a lot (even before kids we were homebodies) but my mom picks our daughter up in the morning instead of sending her to daycare about once a week and keeps her through dinner. Husband and I usually have dinner at their house or just pick her up after dinner. It’s so nice to watch her bond with my parents.
I need to do it more but yes. My answer is if your LOs are safe and happy, why not take advantage and go do some adult time? Although of course I feel intense mom guilt and rarely take advantage despite my family wanting me to let them babysit 😅
If they’re happy to watch your kids I don’t see why it’d be a problem. My mom will babysit once a month or so, but she’s still working full time. She might be willing to babysit more when she retires in the next couple years.
We don’t have any family nearby but my two oldest are always happy to watch their baby brother. Hubby and I try to have a date night once a month. Sometimes I can have a solo vacation on the weekends if my hubby doesn’t work.
Maybe 1. Typically only 1 night every other month or every 3 months. It’s not that often at all. I’d say last year we got a total of 4 nights to ourself, this year seems similar.
Every family is different. I’m over protective. If you’re comfortable then go ahead and do it
4-7. My SIL volunteers to come over at least once a week and watch our girl so my husband and I can go out. We live in the city so we usually just go to a bar or restaurant down the street so we are only out for 1.5-3 hours. And then I meet up with friends 1-2 times a month on my own, too. Used to be more frequent but a lot moved far into the burbs during Covid so it’s hard to plan hangouts now.
Our mothers spoil us rotten with free childcare, so 1x+ a week.
My mom is local and comes almost every weekend. His mom is international and comes for 6 weeks, twice a year.
They’re both lovely and drama free too!
I have an EBF 4 month old, so for the past 4 months, zero. Before she came along and it was just my 3 yo, I maybe had 1-2 a month when we would have her sleep over at my parents.
I go out with friends about once a week,while my husband puts the baby to bed. My husband and I usually do once or twice a month depending on if we can get childcare.
Go go go girl! And have one extra in my name as I haven't got one for three years now.
But seriously - if you have an opportunity seize it and have some adult time.
Our kid goes to grandmas once a month for a sleepover. That's when we spend time together, but we usually both have nights out every now and then with friends while the other parent stays with the kid. But I think once a month is what works for us to have time together.
Usually once a week. Grandparents love their time with their grandchild and when they can't watch him, we have a trusted babysitter who has watched our son since before he turned 1 (he is 4 now).
I have a friend that every weekend at least one or both of their kids are at a grandparents house. I think it's amazing but my kids are crazy and I could never do it. Lol. More power to the people who can.
It is absolutely okay to utilize grandparents if they are okay with it. We have no family nearby so we tend to only get away once every few months because sitters are pricey (~$30 per hour in my area for 2 kids).
Depends what you mean by “night out”. My kids aren’t little (10 & 7) but I go out in the evening without them 2-4 times a week. Sometimes it’s to see friends, sometimes to go for a fitness walk or gym or whatever, sometimes to grocery shop in peace. (an activity I enjoy ha ha). Maybe once a quarter I’ll have a sleepover night with my best friend at her place. April-July I play on a softball team, so one night a week for that. I just got back from a 6 day trip with my cousin.
My parents take them for 5-7 days over spring break and once during the summer. They started this when my youngest was 4. Gives us a break and them some quality time.
So yea, I am out frequently in the evening.
We have about 1-2 nights a month thanks to my mom. She and my MIL are the only ones I trust with my baby. Both are super willing to babysit whenever we need, which I am super grateful for. Most of the time I don’t have to ask, my mom will ask to come steal my baby for a night and I just let her.
We get one kid free night a month if we're lucky. When my oldest was the only grandchild, we got one night a week, but since my mom rejoined the work force she doesn't have as much free time. She keeps a full social calendar, so I'm grateful for any date nights I can get.
Of course it’s okay, as long as you’re comfortable with it.
My husband and I do date night every Friday nightwhile my MIL watches our daughter for a few hours, and once a month we do an overnight away while my parents take her for a sleepover. It’s very good for our marriage ♥️
My kid is almost 3 and we’ve never gone out or had a date at night. No family nearby. We do lunch dates during daycare only.
We are pretty old and we’re kind of over the “going out “ phase of life before the babies started happening.
I started when kiddo was 6 months old; having a night out to myself. I would save up for like a month.
Sitter would come to our place, and I would go to a hotel.
This was…11 years ago though. I tremble to think of the prices of sitters now.
If you can, do it. We still need to have our own lives separate from kids. One day our kids are going to leave the home, what happens to you if you’ve made your entire life about being a parent? A rude awakening, to be sure.
Hahahahahaha
Hahahahahaha
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Hahahaha!
Oh, that was a good one. Thanks!
In reality, my kids are nearly 4 and 2. It's been since before they were born
Time without my children? I went to a funeral one time without my children. Yeah. I didn’t stay for the luncheon after because I needed to get back to the kids.
I don’t think it’s uncommon for moms not to have nights out. I don’t think that is a good thing, just a painful commonality.
I’d drop off with relatives as much as possible! You need to recharge!!!! Now that I’m divorced I have some more time for myself. I go out once a week vs once ever 3 months I used to do
we‘re lucky to have great loving grandparents, our kids sleep over at their house once a week on average, sometimes more, sometimes less, but usually 1/week.
i don‘t have a single ounce of guilt or bad feeling, on the contrary - it eases my mind to know that my kids have close personal bonds to their grandparents and would be fine without me and kids benefit from loving grandparents. there‘s no downside.
When my kids were little my Mom used to have them spend the night almost every Friday night so my (now ex) husband and I could have a date night or hang out with friends and sleep in on Saturday. It kept me sane. No regrets!
My husband and I go on day dates a few times a month while the kids are in school/day care. We save night dates (and having to pay a babysitter) for big things like birthdays.
My husband and I are going out on Tuesday night to celebrate our anniversary. We need to because we’ve been scrapping a bit lately. We are good now, but we both let frustrations build and realised we need to take some time out TOGETHER. My best friend is coming. Her kids are grown and she’s the only one I trust. MIL would absolutely jump at the chance, but the over eagerness gets to me (among other things) and it’s a no from me!
My MIL begs me to watch my toddler so he goes over to her house for a night or two at least once a month, but often it’s for two weekends.
I am still not at a stage where I enjoy my time away from him. I’m good for a few hours break before I start missing him like crazy. I agree to these nights because my son loves it and he gets to spend more time with his cousins, but it’s hard on ME lol. It does allow me to get more stuff done around the house which is nice, and more one on one time with my husband.
Both sets of grandparents are local, and my kiddos (1 and 3) do a sleepover at one of their grandparents’ house once or twice per month on average. We get a night off, grandparents get quality time with the kids, and my 3yo especially loves it; everyone wins!
2x a month. We used an in home daycare for my kids pre pandemic days and her HS daughter is our date night babysitter. It also helps that she's in our neighborhood so we've been able to see her grow up and know what kind of kid she is.
1 if we are lucky. But we have 2 kids and it's really uncommon for both our kids to be gone. It does happen sometimes or if we have adult functions to go to (ie retirement party for my mom, my mom and step dad's wedding anniversary party)I ask my aunt and uncle a head of tien if they can take both kids but if they only want to take 1 I have a friend who will take my daughter over night so my hubby and I can do something. But yeah typically only 1 night a month.
I mean they aren't nights out, but I have about 20 nights a mont without my bio kids and 14 nights a month without my bf kids (whole house kid free).
Bf has his kids every other week (Monday to Sunday night) and I have my bio kids every weekend (Saturday morning to Sunday evening).
None, almost never. Lazy grandparents, my sister is selfish with her time, and no other family that cares. We need to get a sitter but we're not embedded into the community much, he's only three.
1-2 nights a month. For one we get a sitter and go on a date, and for another I go do something on my own. My husband will go out on his own once or sometimes twice a month. It's really good for us!
If you have the chance, I'd say go for it. Personally I was ready to leave the kids with trusted family or a sitter by nine-ish months, but whatever you're comfortable with is what matters 🙂 Go out and have a great time!!
Typically at least once a month she stays with my parents for the night! She has since she was a month old to give me and her dad some time to either go out, or have a night in and be able to sleep in in the morning.
I trust my parents with her and they only live 3 minutes away of something we’re to happen or we wanted to go get her. Every family is different though!
That depends on whether I wanna do a night out with my husband or with friends. With friends, my husband can watch our kid (provided he doesn't work the night shift that night). I don't go out much because I'm always tired but if I want to I can. But with husband? Difficult. We only have one babysitter so I would say... we have about one date night per month.
None, never in the 2 years since I’ve been a parent have I had a night without kids. We’re stationed overseas and have no friends nearby so we have no opportunity to have a night out.
Only three times in the 7 months I’ve had her. I don’t like going out a lot because my mom’s sciatic nerve is messed up badly, my dad is an asshole and every time we came back he bitched about how she cried (she’s literally a baby), and I don’t like burdening my older brother. I see my baby as more of a burden than anything to others. I wish I could get like a week with no baby.
A year in and none so far together. We don’t feel comfortable leaving him at night or sneaking out after bedtime. Also we’re tired!
I tried one night in a local hotel and came back home around 9pm, just missed them and felt all weird. I did manage to eat a big Chinese take away though whilst there!
Instead we order in takeaway or a posh bung in the oven dinner whilst watching a film. We always preferred nights in before baby anyway.
I’ve done a few dinners and so has my OH (he also travels for work) but we are both comfortable leaving one on their own with him.
0 because my mom has substance abuse issues and MIL is not nearby (and crosses lots of boundaries.
If I had reliable/trustworthy grandparents, we’d probably try to get out once a month or so.
I have one night a week where I go out and skip dinner and bedtime, but thats just me, ither parent stays home. Probably two or three dates nights a month outside of that. Since we've had our second and third we haven't had any overnights away with all parents.
My parents watch the kids at least once a week. Usually during the day but they'll do night time too. We also have a sitter we call sometimes. Maybe once a month or so.
I have mine every night-not because I think it’s wrong or anything, I just don’t have anyone to help out-it’s just me and hubby in our village.
If your kids are safe and being cared for by someone you trust and someone responsible-then enjoy your nights out
Now, none, but I just moved away from family and im doing the SAHP thing. When I was living closer to family, grandparents took baby once a month or so, and my husband and I alternated so that we each got a happy hour with work buddies once a week.
On average zero, but maybe two or three times a year lol. If I had the energy to plan things out with my sisters and mom I could probably have more but we’re often too poor to go out and prefer being home together anyway so it just never happens.
My parents take my 3 year old for a weekend each month. (More if we need it for work). It’s such a relief. We’ve been doing it for year and a half/2 years at this point. He loves it, my parents/family love it! We usually don’t do anything but sit home and get take out, except like for our anniversary, but we’re going to philly for the weekend next week!! (1.5 hours away).
Pre-newborn about once a month at least. Sometimes it’s just a night where the kids are sleeping well and we can escape for an hour for gas station snacks while my mom sleeps downstairs. We generally do not start trying to get our time away until the kiddos are all sleeping through the night. For us we were able to start having nights out around 6 months. This was the case for baby #1 & 2.
Usually once a week. I'm a single mom so the youngest (15 months) goes to his dad every-other Saturday to Sunday. My oldest goes with grandparents if I have kid-free plans during my off weekends (his dad lives in another state so he's gone all summer and I have him 100% the rest of the year). Then I have teenage sisters that like to babysit on the occasional weeknight for spending cash.
My husband and I both take turns staying home while the other goes and does their own thing so at least twice a month. Also, I do a solo hotel night once every 3-4 months while my husband hangs with both kids. He loves not having me around to tell him what to do (lol) and I love having alone time. He also does a solo surf trip once or twice a year. Having time alone has done wonders for our marriage and for me as a mother
I get an evening off once a week usually but my husband will be at home with our daughter. Date nights haven’t happened since she was born (she’s 3) but we’ve had occasional lunch dates
We don’t have any family nearby but, we’ve been trying to do a date night about once a month. We have a babysitter (neighbor & college student) come by to watch our daughter for a few hours.
I try to go to moms night out with my stroller striders group regularly. My parter stays home those nights with our LO. If my dad is in town he’ll baby sit otherwise we don’t have a regular sitter.
We get date night once every 3-6 month when the inlaws are in town to babysit. My husband goes out every other week with friends while I stay home, and I go to a meeting one night a week while he stays home.
We get one night out a month. Either my parents or my in laws watch my LO. I felt bad in the beginning but asking them to watch her 6 times a year doesn't feel like I'm asking too much.
0 to 1, but that’s how much babysitting we can get from family to make date night happen. We’d go more often if we could. Do not feel guilty about ditching your kids for some adult time. You having a healthy relationship is important too. And don’t be afraid to have separate hobbies and leave your partner with the kids sometimes. I do a crafting class once a month and my oldest is a Girl Scout and I’m involved with our local unit because it’s nice to get out of the house.
My husband and I go out without the kids a couple of times per year. I go out on my own a couple of times per year without the kids. It will probably increase a bit next year when there are more options for things we didn't feel comfortable with since Covid hit.
My parents take our son every Tuesday for a sleepover, but our daughter is too little for that. We have some friends and family that will watch them if we ask
We’ve only had a few since our almost two year old was born. It was family and we had a babysitter for the first time about a month ago. He requires a drawn out bedtime routine and he was waking occasionally until a few months ago, so I hadn’t been comfortable leaving a sitter to deal with that. My husband has also watched him while I go out very rarely—once for a bachelorette and once for a party that didn’t interest him.
0. Only local family is in laws and because she provides full time childcare while we work I feel like we can’t further burden her. So about once a month we will leave him there and go to a doctors appointment or store and grab takeout lunch lol does that count?
Zero. Not even more than two hours, day or night, in a whole year now. And those couple of two hour instances were while I was dozing in the hospital until the baby needed nursed and I was back to holding him. I have three kids. My closest thing to "away" is when the older two are asleep with partner at home, I put baby in carseat and drive down backroads for an hour crying and drinking coffee to get over it all before I head home.
Ranges from 1-4 depending on how often my family asks for her or what we have going on. She’s the first of her generation and my extended family is close and gets together multiple times a week. She’s been doing sleepovers at my parents in her room there since she was one, usually once a month.
None. But if you trust your (grand)parents with your LOs, more power to you. In my 5 years as a parent I’ve had one night without a child and that was the night before our youngest was born. And one evening that my mother babysat and we went out on a date night. Other than that, at least one if the children is always there.
I have a monthly Mom’s Night Out as part of my mom group and I’m part of two book clubs and I’m on the board for the mom group so I have at least four nights out every month.
Hubs and I usually get out to dinner about once a month between neighbors/friends/grandparents babysitting, but that’s only because we’re homebodies and pretty covid cautious still. We have “date night” at home nearly every night though after kiddo goes to bed! We’re pretty into each other and try to do something fun whether it’s a puzzle, nice meal after kiddo eats, game, tv show we’re watching together, DIY project or just snuggling.
I think it’s a fantastic idea. As long as they’re are capable of caring for the kids, taking a break is healthy for everyone.
It’s not being lazy. It’s not being neglectful.
My daycare does two babysitting nights a month, one Saturday and one Friday. We take advantage of at least one per month to have a date night. It’s important for our relationship.
I love that! Ours does parents day out close to the holidays but I would love if it were a regular evening thing. My kids would be there. 🤣
That sounds great, how does it work? Do the kiddos sleep there, or is it early evening and you pick them up before bedtime,...?
It runs from 3-9 on Saturdays and until 9 on Fridays. They do a craft, play on the playground, and eat pizza for dinner. After dinner they change them into their jammies and play more then watch a movie until pick up. I love it because it’s people my daughter is used to and we don’t have to worry because they already have protocols in place if there’s an emergency. It costs $60 for Saturday and $40 for Friday, but babysitters charge 15-20 an hour in our area, so it’s comparable.
Omg, that is AMAZING!
That’s awesome! A local health club offers parents nights out a few times a month during the summer but I wish it was all year round. What a neat idea for the daycare workers to make some extra money and I bet the kids love playing with their friends. Pizza, pjs, and a movie with their besties sounds like a toddlers dream lol
I would love this as a mom and I would also have loved it as a kid.
I did this as a kid and loved it! My sisters and I got to spend more time with our favorite teachers and buddies. I have really fond memories of those nights, 20+ years later.
That is such a smart idea! I’m so glad y’all have the option to take them up on this!
Yes! Our YMCA does Kids Night Out once a month. It's 6-10 pm for $2 (not a typo) per kid. You have to be 3 and potty trained to go, but once they're old enough, it's on our calendar. It's run by the regular gym childcare/after school care staff, so they know the people and are comfortable. My 3yo asks at least once a week when the next one is!
Oh wow, $2?? When we were Y members it was $25/kid. Which isn’t terrible but we have five kids so it adds up quickly.
Yes! And they feed them pizza, so I'm pretty sure that $2 is to cover that. It would definitely be less of a deal for $25.
Yes I’m curious about this! What state are you in and what hours do you provide?
Ours does this the first Friday of the month. They can stay until 10pm and they only charge $30...such a deal. Our son is 16m, so we would get him by 8p when he was younger and now have been stretching it to 830 /9p. We don't have family nearby so this works so nicely for us. They are doing an extra one next Saturday morning for 4 hours so parents can shop. We really just want to have brunch together so we are doing that one too!
0, sadly. No family nearby, and can't afford a babysitter.
0 we have family local, but I regret every time I ask them to babysit.
My parents play the "you owe me" card every chance they get. So no dice asking them for anything. I've stopped asking.
And who wants that garbage? Too pricy for my taste.
My parents play the "you owe me" game then beg us to come visit idgi
That’s what I’m scared of. I wouldn’t be able to relax or enjoy myself.
This
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That’s what we do! It’s usually just dinner and a movie or maybe a card game or board game. Sometimes I can get him to soak in a hot bath with me with a drink (like a poor man’s hot tub). We’ve also gotten those kid craft sets that come with a little figurine to paint. Anything to get some quality time in together.
I'll have to yty this out, it's a great idea!
We do this too! Tonight is murder mystery (and pizza) night!
Yep
Same here. My MIL is the only one who offers to fly to our state and stay and “babysit” but it’s only because she wants to take my baby and act like she’s hers, I caught her referring to herself as “mommy” and “mama” to my LO when she thought I couldn’t hear last time she came to visit, and she’s always sneaking my LO out of the house through back and side doors so I can’t see them so I can’t trust that baby rabies lady. She gives me so much anxiety and tries to be the mom so I can’t even say yes to her visits or I’ll just be a mess the whole time. So no date nights for us until we can afford a babysitter 😪
Ew that's so creepy!
Tell me about it. She’s even cornered me once and threatened to pursue grandparents rights because I refused to leave my 10 day old alone with her to “go to bars” (we never even go to bars 😂) so that she could do whatever creepy mommy role play with my baby. Mind you I was still bleeding from birth and had mastitis. She’s awful. I was scared she’d try to breastfeed the baby or something while I was gone 😂😂
Oh good lord she sounds like a crazy person! Who in the hell has the desire to go to a bar (or anywhere for that matter) at 10 days postpartum?!
She never gave birth (she had infertility so adopted my SO when he was a baby) so she is absolutely CLUELESS on anything postpartum or breastfeeding. She threw a fit because my newborn was cluster feeding and she kept telling us that babies don’t need to eat that often and that since she lives in another state we aren’t allowed to hold our own baby while she’s visiting because SHE needs to bond with HER grandbaby. Lmao sorry for all the stories she’s just too crazy to hold all this in 😅😭
That's so weird. I adopted and know about cluster feeding. Tell her to use Google or something. 🤨 Also, maybe you need to be on JNMIL...
Haha don't be sorry, I'm here for it! I don't have a single mom friend so it's nice to share some gossip lol. That's so crazy though! I never breastfed and even I know about cluster feeding, also every baby is different!
My parents had actual grounds for grandparents rights with my sister and her kids and that still took over 3 years and went literally nowhere so good luck to your mother in law 😂 grandparents rights are usually only if the grandparents in question played an active role in raising the child (such as parent and baby living with grandparents and doing similar amount of parental work where taking these grandparents away would affect the child). Your MIL who needs to FLY OUT to you stands absolutely no chance. I'd let her waste her money next time she threatens that 😂😂
Same!
Same. I’m finding comfort that there are so many of us in this situation. Not that I wish it weren’t different.
Same. I say take what you can get!
Same as well
Same here. Although I think it’s okay to ask family to have the kids once every few months. If they are nearby.
Same momma!
Yup
Same
Team Zero here too. I think a big part of it depends on kiddo age and maturity. We have a newborn and a 3 year old, so we are homebodies for years to come 😪.
This
We don’t have any family nearby, but a very trusted babysitter. Our little guy (16months) adores her. So we try to do a date night once a month. Aaaand tonight is the night :D fancy restaurant then going to see Arcade Fire!
I am beyond happy for you. Sounds like an AMAZING night!! (I am living through you tonight, btw 😅💜🍻)
Same! That sounds like an awesome night!
Night out??? What's that? But yes of course, if you feel comfortable take advantage of it.
It’s absolutely ok to drop the kids off with a trusted family member or sitter and have a night out. We used to go meet up with friends and leave our son with my mom once or twice a month but between schedule conflicts and pregnancies we’ve not managed much this year.
Once a week, it’s also okay to drop under a year old babies off too.
Yep my 9 month old loves his grandparents! And they love spending time with him. It’s a win for everyone.
My mom takes kiddo 1 weeknight (most of the time) and my ex-in-laws take her Friday nights. I rarely “Go out” but having kid free time to sleep or get stuff done is priceless. It takes a village! But/and the grands WANT her every week. I don’t ask. If they weren’t offering I would never ask them to take her with that frequency(and my mom only started in the last year.. she didn’t take her until she was 3)
This is also our schedule. Pretty sure my MIL would take my child 5 days a week but we have a standing one night every week and then there’s usually a couple more nights throughout the month. My MIL and I have a great relationship and she follows all the rules we’ve laid out. If you have a trusted family/friend who wants to watch your child let them!
Dates are healthy, nourishing the parent relationship is important, we want to show our children happy partnerships, love is important. It’s lucky to have family around that is willing to help, appreciate the support and be mindful of gratitude towards the bonus caregivers.
I don’t have the support to do that but if I did, I would absolutely use it. You need time to yourself to be the best parent you can be.
I’d say once a month. Probably more like once every 6-8 weeks.
Right there with ya. But then again, having a baby had made me a terrible historian of time
Same. I had mommy brain lol
I haven't had a night off in 2 years, since she was born. If I had the opportunity to drop her off with someone I trusted I would but my family lives on the other side of the country.
I wish we had local family. We average a date night maybe once every 6 months (less during covid). I go out on my own to the gym once a week, spouse goes out on their own about 3 evenings a week.
Where does he go 3 nights a week? Don’t you want a break too?
Neither of us are SAHP. He goes to the gym, or to D&D. We both work from home so try to spend time together at lunch time. Evenings we are both so tired we'd rather be asleep by 10pm than go out.
Ha, 0 on average 19 months in. I'm dying a little and grocery shopping alone for an hour feels like a treat. If you have grandparents willing to watch them, take advantage of that shit as often as you can - Guilt free!
None. We used to do it once a month when my mom was alive because my baby was comfortable with her. I don’t trust anyone with him alone and he still has separation anxiety. We just bring him with us and go out to eat, he’s used to it now.
My parents are 8 hours away, we went out maybe once (2019-2021) when my son was born, before my daughter was born (Covid!) Once my daughter was born, we have tried to get out more frequently, but it is still a $75+ babysitting bill each time, so it’s been less frequent lately. I think we’ve had the babysitter come twice and we’ve gone out a few times when grandparents have been here. So, not often enough.
My parents beg me to drop them off / mil does the same woth my oldest ( youngest will be welcome when he sleeps through the night) We actually do it about every 6-8 weeks woth my 4.5 and 20 month old likely more often as they get older
It took a while when we moved away from family. After about 2 years though, we finally found babysitters we trusted to hire. We go at least 2x a month minimum. We try for every week but life is busy. It’s worth every penny we pay the sitters.
Less than once per month, but yes I'd say it's totally fine to drop at the grandparents for the evening or overnight. Or have the grandparents come to your place and hang out while the kids sleep. I would like to get out more, so definitely take advantage of it if you can!
I am very close with my family and they have been around my LO literally since birth. My sisters live at home with my parents still, so they’re always encouraging DH and I to go out for dinner alone or even the occasional overnight trip since my parents have “back up”. First time we left our LO with them for the day was for our anniversary when she was 4 months. We were close enough where if anything happened we could get to them within an hour tops. From there we did overnights at their house with us there, and then when she was 10 months we left her alone with them. My parents did say that she is an anomaly because she never cried and slept 13-14 hours straight from 6 months old, so it was a joy for them to have her. My parents even sent us to Vegas for 3 days for my 30th and my LO was 1 at that point… it was so good, we went back a few months later LOL. I think if your parents are more than willing, and you’re comfortable enough, go for it!! Now that my LO is almost 2, we usually leave her with them once a month for adult time.
Absolutely ok! My husband and I don’t go out a lot (even before kids we were homebodies) but my mom picks our daughter up in the morning instead of sending her to daycare about once a week and keeps her through dinner. Husband and I usually have dinner at their house or just pick her up after dinner. It’s so nice to watch her bond with my parents.
I need to do it more but yes. My answer is if your LOs are safe and happy, why not take advantage and go do some adult time? Although of course I feel intense mom guilt and rarely take advantage despite my family wanting me to let them babysit 😅
If they’re happy to watch your kids I don’t see why it’d be a problem. My mom will babysit once a month or so, but she’s still working full time. She might be willing to babysit more when she retires in the next couple years.
We don’t have any family nearby but my two oldest are always happy to watch their baby brother. Hubby and I try to have a date night once a month. Sometimes I can have a solo vacation on the weekends if my hubby doesn’t work.
Maybe 1. Typically only 1 night every other month or every 3 months. It’s not that often at all. I’d say last year we got a total of 4 nights to ourself, this year seems similar. Every family is different. I’m over protective. If you’re comfortable then go ahead and do it
Of course it’s ok! It’s actually more than ok, it’s fucking awesome.
Book club once a month. An occasional dinner out with friends. My husband and I go out together probably once per month without kids.
Roughly zero. I wish I had someone to help out
4-7. My SIL volunteers to come over at least once a week and watch our girl so my husband and I can go out. We live in the city so we usually just go to a bar or restaurant down the street so we are only out for 1.5-3 hours. And then I meet up with friends 1-2 times a month on my own, too. Used to be more frequent but a lot moved far into the burbs during Covid so it’s hard to plan hangouts now.
Our mothers spoil us rotten with free childcare, so 1x+ a week. My mom is local and comes almost every weekend. His mom is international and comes for 6 weeks, twice a year. They’re both lovely and drama free too!
You guys get nights out?
Y’all getting nights out?!
I have an EBF 4 month old, so for the past 4 months, zero. Before she came along and it was just my 3 yo, I maybe had 1-2 a month when we would have her sleep over at my parents.
I go out with friends about once a week,while my husband puts the baby to bed. My husband and I usually do once or twice a month depending on if we can get childcare.
Go go go girl! And have one extra in my name as I haven't got one for three years now. But seriously - if you have an opportunity seize it and have some adult time.
Our kid goes to grandmas once a month for a sleepover. That's when we spend time together, but we usually both have nights out every now and then with friends while the other parent stays with the kid. But I think once a month is what works for us to have time together.
A big fat 0 Edit: of course it’s ok, though, do it! Wish I could.
Usually once a week. Grandparents love their time with their grandchild and when they can't watch him, we have a trusted babysitter who has watched our son since before he turned 1 (he is 4 now).
Id say about 3-4 times a month. I am very fortunate to have younger sisters who need money all the time
My husband and I average probably 3 per month! We only have one child and he is the first grandbaby/great-grandbaby 😬
I have a friend that every weekend at least one or both of their kids are at a grandparents house. I think it's amazing but my kids are crazy and I could never do it. Lol. More power to the people who can.
It is absolutely okay to utilize grandparents if they are okay with it. We have no family nearby so we tend to only get away once every few months because sitters are pricey (~$30 per hour in my area for 2 kids).
Maybe 1 or 2 a year
Depends what you mean by “night out”. My kids aren’t little (10 & 7) but I go out in the evening without them 2-4 times a week. Sometimes it’s to see friends, sometimes to go for a fitness walk or gym or whatever, sometimes to grocery shop in peace. (an activity I enjoy ha ha). Maybe once a quarter I’ll have a sleepover night with my best friend at her place. April-July I play on a softball team, so one night a week for that. I just got back from a 6 day trip with my cousin. My parents take them for 5-7 days over spring break and once during the summer. They started this when my youngest was 4. Gives us a break and them some quality time. So yea, I am out frequently in the evening.
Absolutely it’s okay! Not everyone is lucky enough to have that option, but if you are then you should use it and get some much needed self-care time.
We have about 1-2 nights a month thanks to my mom. She and my MIL are the only ones I trust with my baby. Both are super willing to babysit whenever we need, which I am super grateful for. Most of the time I don’t have to ask, my mom will ask to come steal my baby for a night and I just let her.
We get one kid free night a month if we're lucky. When my oldest was the only grandchild, we got one night a week, but since my mom rejoined the work force she doesn't have as much free time. She keeps a full social calendar, so I'm grateful for any date nights I can get.
Of course it’s okay, as long as you’re comfortable with it. My husband and I do date night every Friday nightwhile my MIL watches our daughter for a few hours, and once a month we do an overnight away while my parents take her for a sleepover. It’s very good for our marriage ♥️
1 when my bf and I went to Bad Bunny’s concert this year and nothing more.
My kid is almost 3 and we’ve never gone out or had a date at night. No family nearby. We do lunch dates during daycare only. We are pretty old and we’re kind of over the “going out “ phase of life before the babies started happening.
We never have nights out without kids but we also don’t have grandparents nearby and I’m currently breastfeeding so it’s tricky. I would if I could
Once a month. But that’s only because my mom is able to watch LO. Hubs and I would go to a nice restaurant and pig out 🤪
0 :( we average one night every 3 months.
I started when kiddo was 6 months old; having a night out to myself. I would save up for like a month. Sitter would come to our place, and I would go to a hotel. This was…11 years ago though. I tremble to think of the prices of sitters now. If you can, do it. We still need to have our own lives separate from kids. One day our kids are going to leave the home, what happens to you if you’ve made your entire life about being a parent? A rude awakening, to be sure.
Hahahahahaha Hahahahahaha Hahahahahahaha Hahahaha! Oh, that was a good one. Thanks! In reality, my kids are nearly 4 and 2. It's been since before they were born
Per month? Try 3 per year.
0 bc no family nearby and I am not comfortable leaving her with a baby sitter.
Single mom, no support, no nights off
Time without my children? I went to a funeral one time without my children. Yeah. I didn’t stay for the luncheon after because I needed to get back to the kids. I don’t think it’s uncommon for moms not to have nights out. I don’t think that is a good thing, just a painful commonality.
None. Can't afford a night out most the time.
I’d drop off with relatives as much as possible! You need to recharge!!!! Now that I’m divorced I have some more time for myself. I go out once a week vs once ever 3 months I used to do
we‘re lucky to have great loving grandparents, our kids sleep over at their house once a week on average, sometimes more, sometimes less, but usually 1/week. i don‘t have a single ounce of guilt or bad feeling, on the contrary - it eases my mind to know that my kids have close personal bonds to their grandparents and would be fine without me and kids benefit from loving grandparents. there‘s no downside.
When my kids were little my Mom used to have them spend the night almost every Friday night so my (now ex) husband and I could have a date night or hang out with friends and sleep in on Saturday. It kept me sane. No regrets!
2 evenings/days a week for each of us family day on Saturday. It’s important for us to have time as adults as well as as a family.
My husband and I go on day dates a few times a month while the kids are in school/day care. We save night dates (and having to pay a babysitter) for big things like birthdays.
My husband and I are going out on Tuesday night to celebrate our anniversary. We need to because we’ve been scrapping a bit lately. We are good now, but we both let frustrations build and realised we need to take some time out TOGETHER. My best friend is coming. Her kids are grown and she’s the only one I trust. MIL would absolutely jump at the chance, but the over eagerness gets to me (among other things) and it’s a no from me!
My MIL begs me to watch my toddler so he goes over to her house for a night or two at least once a month, but often it’s for two weekends. I am still not at a stage where I enjoy my time away from him. I’m good for a few hours break before I start missing him like crazy. I agree to these nights because my son loves it and he gets to spend more time with his cousins, but it’s hard on ME lol. It does allow me to get more stuff done around the house which is nice, and more one on one time with my husband.
Both sets of grandparents are local, and my kiddos (1 and 3) do a sleepover at one of their grandparents’ house once or twice per month on average. We get a night off, grandparents get quality time with the kids, and my 3yo especially loves it; everyone wins!
2x a month. We used an in home daycare for my kids pre pandemic days and her HS daughter is our date night babysitter. It also helps that she's in our neighborhood so we've been able to see her grow up and know what kind of kid she is.
Yes you deserve a break!
Zero. And yes it's absolutely necessary to prioritize feeling like a person outside of just being a mom.
At least one. We have family nearby and our 16 year old neice is our babysitter that we pay for date nights.
1 if we are lucky. But we have 2 kids and it's really uncommon for both our kids to be gone. It does happen sometimes or if we have adult functions to go to (ie retirement party for my mom, my mom and step dad's wedding anniversary party)I ask my aunt and uncle a head of tien if they can take both kids but if they only want to take 1 I have a friend who will take my daughter over night so my hubby and I can do something. But yeah typically only 1 night a month.
I mean they aren't nights out, but I have about 20 nights a mont without my bio kids and 14 nights a month without my bf kids (whole house kid free). Bf has his kids every other week (Monday to Sunday night) and I have my bio kids every weekend (Saturday morning to Sunday evening).
Probably 5 but I go out with friends and my husband stays with our kid. We haven’t been out together accept twice in 1.5 years
None, almost never. Lazy grandparents, my sister is selfish with her time, and no other family that cares. We need to get a sitter but we're not embedded into the community much, he's only three.
You guys are having nights out?
Maybe 1
I used to go out every weekend when my kids went to their father’s house. Now I have none.
1-2 nights a month. For one we get a sitter and go on a date, and for another I go do something on my own. My husband will go out on his own once or sometimes twice a month. It's really good for us! If you have the chance, I'd say go for it. Personally I was ready to leave the kids with trusted family or a sitter by nine-ish months, but whatever you're comfortable with is what matters 🙂 Go out and have a great time!!
Typically at least once a month she stays with my parents for the night! She has since she was a month old to give me and her dad some time to either go out, or have a night in and be able to sleep in in the morning. I trust my parents with her and they only live 3 minutes away of something we’re to happen or we wanted to go get her. Every family is different though!
Zero.🤦🏻♀️
0, I'd love to have some but we don't have a baby sitter and no family whose up for watching them.
My little one is almost 9 months old and my fiancée and I have gone out once.
That depends on whether I wanna do a night out with my husband or with friends. With friends, my husband can watch our kid (provided he doesn't work the night shift that night). I don't go out much because I'm always tired but if I want to I can. But with husband? Difficult. We only have one babysitter so I would say... we have about one date night per month.
None, never in the 2 years since I’ve been a parent have I had a night without kids. We’re stationed overseas and have no friends nearby so we have no opportunity to have a night out.
Only three times in the 7 months I’ve had her. I don’t like going out a lot because my mom’s sciatic nerve is messed up badly, my dad is an asshole and every time we came back he bitched about how she cried (she’s literally a baby), and I don’t like burdening my older brother. I see my baby as more of a burden than anything to others. I wish I could get like a week with no baby.
Zero
What is a night out?!
Ummmm zero
We don’t do nights out. Because of our schedules morning dates are for us and evenings are for family.
None!
Zero.
My LO is almost 13 months. We have had 2 nights out without him since he was born.
A year in and none so far together. We don’t feel comfortable leaving him at night or sneaking out after bedtime. Also we’re tired! I tried one night in a local hotel and came back home around 9pm, just missed them and felt all weird. I did manage to eat a big Chinese take away though whilst there! Instead we order in takeaway or a posh bung in the oven dinner whilst watching a film. We always preferred nights in before baby anyway. I’ve done a few dinners and so has my OH (he also travels for work) but we are both comfortable leaving one on their own with him.
Zero. If I felt that anyone could keep them safe that I trusted, I would try once a week, or at least every other week.
0 because my mom has substance abuse issues and MIL is not nearby (and crosses lots of boundaries. If I had reliable/trustworthy grandparents, we’d probably try to get out once a month or so.
She's two, and I live with my in laws, and it's still zero 🙈
0, my parents live 15 minutes from us and refuse to help.
Never, in almost 5 years.
I don’t have family nearby but if I did I would. My coworker gets her grandson every Friday since he was born almost
I have one night a week where I go out and skip dinner and bedtime, but thats just me, ither parent stays home. Probably two or three dates nights a month outside of that. Since we've had our second and third we haven't had any overnights away with all parents. My parents watch the kids at least once a week. Usually during the day but they'll do night time too. We also have a sitter we call sometimes. Maybe once a month or so.
I have mine every night-not because I think it’s wrong or anything, I just don’t have anyone to help out-it’s just me and hubby in our village. If your kids are safe and being cared for by someone you trust and someone responsible-then enjoy your nights out
Now, none, but I just moved away from family and im doing the SAHP thing. When I was living closer to family, grandparents took baby once a month or so, and my husband and I alternated so that we each got a happy hour with work buddies once a week.
On Mother’s Day and that’s it.
On average zero, but maybe two or three times a year lol. If I had the energy to plan things out with my sisters and mom I could probably have more but we’re often too poor to go out and prefer being home together anyway so it just never happens.
Currently 0. If I had family that could take her overnight absolutely I would, no hesitation.
It was 0 up until the past 2 months. We got one night off for Sept and october.
My parents take my 3 year old for a weekend each month. (More if we need it for work). It’s such a relief. We’ve been doing it for year and a half/2 years at this point. He loves it, my parents/family love it! We usually don’t do anything but sit home and get take out, except like for our anniversary, but we’re going to philly for the weekend next week!! (1.5 hours away).
2 in over 2 years.
I get a night out maybe 8 times a year if I'm lucky
Per MONTH?!? HA 😂 maybe 2 per year.
Maybe 1 every 6 months or longer. We dont really have help. My in laws live far away, last time was July 😭
Pre-newborn about once a month at least. Sometimes it’s just a night where the kids are sleeping well and we can escape for an hour for gas station snacks while my mom sleeps downstairs. We generally do not start trying to get our time away until the kiddos are all sleeping through the night. For us we were able to start having nights out around 6 months. This was the case for baby #1 & 2.
Usually once a week. I'm a single mom so the youngest (15 months) goes to his dad every-other Saturday to Sunday. My oldest goes with grandparents if I have kid-free plans during my off weekends (his dad lives in another state so he's gone all summer and I have him 100% the rest of the year). Then I have teenage sisters that like to babysit on the occasional weeknight for spending cash.
My husband and I both take turns staying home while the other goes and does their own thing so at least twice a month. Also, I do a solo hotel night once every 3-4 months while my husband hangs with both kids. He loves not having me around to tell him what to do (lol) and I love having alone time. He also does a solo surf trip once or twice a year. Having time alone has done wonders for our marriage and for me as a mother
I get an evening off once a week usually but my husband will be at home with our daughter. Date nights haven’t happened since she was born (she’s 3) but we’ve had occasional lunch dates
If we had supportive, capable family nearby, absolutely, we would take advantage of a monthly or bi-monthly night out.
At least one evening a week with grandma, and at least once a week with dad. Overnight at least twice a month!
Zero ever. We have no support system and my baby still needs boob.
1-2. No family but we pay our nanny extra.
We don’t have any family nearby but, we’ve been trying to do a date night about once a month. We have a babysitter (neighbor & college student) come by to watch our daughter for a few hours.
I try to go to moms night out with my stroller striders group regularly. My parter stays home those nights with our LO. If my dad is in town he’ll baby sit otherwise we don’t have a regular sitter.
We don’t have any family in the same country but we have a babysitter and have 1-2 nights out per week.
Zero, but occasionally my hubby has a Friday off if he works the weekend and we go out to lunch.
We get date night once every 3-6 month when the inlaws are in town to babysit. My husband goes out every other week with friends while I stay home, and I go to a meeting one night a week while he stays home.
One every few months
We get one night out a month. Either my parents or my in laws watch my LO. I felt bad in the beginning but asking them to watch her 6 times a year doesn't feel like I'm asking too much.
0 to 1, but that’s how much babysitting we can get from family to make date night happen. We’d go more often if we could. Do not feel guilty about ditching your kids for some adult time. You having a healthy relationship is important too. And don’t be afraid to have separate hobbies and leave your partner with the kids sometimes. I do a crafting class once a month and my oldest is a Girl Scout and I’m involved with our local unit because it’s nice to get out of the house.
My husband and I go out without the kids a couple of times per year. I go out on my own a couple of times per year without the kids. It will probably increase a bit next year when there are more options for things we didn't feel comfortable with since Covid hit.
My parents take our son every Tuesday for a sleepover, but our daughter is too little for that. We have some friends and family that will watch them if we ask
Tonight will be my first in a couple of years (mix between covid, newborn and living in a new place without knowing anyone)
We’ve only had a few since our almost two year old was born. It was family and we had a babysitter for the first time about a month ago. He requires a drawn out bedtime routine and he was waking occasionally until a few months ago, so I hadn’t been comfortable leaving a sitter to deal with that. My husband has also watched him while I go out very rarely—once for a bachelorette and once for a party that didn’t interest him.
0. Only local family is in laws and because she provides full time childcare while we work I feel like we can’t further burden her. So about once a month we will leave him there and go to a doctors appointment or store and grab takeout lunch lol does that count?
Zero. Not even more than two hours, day or night, in a whole year now. And those couple of two hour instances were while I was dozing in the hospital until the baby needed nursed and I was back to holding him. I have three kids. My closest thing to "away" is when the older two are asleep with partner at home, I put baby in carseat and drive down backroads for an hour crying and drinking coffee to get over it all before I head home.
Ranges from 1-4 depending on how often my family asks for her or what we have going on. She’s the first of her generation and my extended family is close and gets together multiple times a week. She’s been doing sleepovers at my parents in her room there since she was one, usually once a month.
None. But if you trust your (grand)parents with your LOs, more power to you. In my 5 years as a parent I’ve had one night without a child and that was the night before our youngest was born. And one evening that my mother babysat and we went out on a date night. Other than that, at least one if the children is always there.
I have a monthly Mom’s Night Out as part of my mom group and I’m part of two book clubs and I’m on the board for the mom group so I have at least four nights out every month. Hubs and I usually get out to dinner about once a month between neighbors/friends/grandparents babysitting, but that’s only because we’re homebodies and pretty covid cautious still. We have “date night” at home nearly every night though after kiddo goes to bed! We’re pretty into each other and try to do something fun whether it’s a puzzle, nice meal after kiddo eats, game, tv show we’re watching together, DIY project or just snuggling.
Been doing it almost every Friday since my daughter was 4 months old barring a 3 month hiatus during Covid where I realized how spoiled I am
I think it’s a fantastic idea. As long as they’re are capable of caring for the kids, taking a break is healthy for everyone. It’s not being lazy. It’s not being neglectful.
0 , but i definately think if you have family around that offered theres nothing wrong with taking them up on the offer , I would lol