Making time for self-care is hard when you have young children. However, with some careful planning, you can sneak in a date night every now and again.
Here are my best tips for preparing for date night.
See Also: Wonderful & Practical Ways to Coordinate For Date Night
Give yourself at least two hours to get dressed
When my partner plans a date night, it’s usually spur of the moment. He’ll alert me during the afternoon that we’re going out for the night.
The problem with spur-of-the-moment date nights for me is that when I’m not expecting to go anywhere I may go a few days without shaving, my nails, feet, and eyebrows may not be done AND I have to figure out what to wear.
Therefore, at least two hours are needed for me to get dressed.
Plus, during the getting dressed time, you’ll have the stuff to get ready for the sitter to make sure their night goes smoothly while you’re away.
Bonus Tip: Try to schedule your date for after the kids are in bed or are going to bed so you can get a good rate from your sitter. Essentially, you will just be paying them to sit and watch tv or surf the web while your kids sleep so they aren’t home alone.
Start getting ready on time
This is probably the most important date night tip for moms.
Whatever time you plan to start getting dressed, you need to start on time, if not earlier…NEVER LATER THAN INITIALLY PLANNED. You’ll regret it if you do.
I like to initially start by shaving my legs, laying out some outfit options, and then checking on the kids before hopping in the shower.
I must definitely avoid sneaking peaks at my computer because that’ll cause me to go down the rabbit hole and get caught up with doing work stuff.
I recommend breaking things down into little steps to ensure you don’t forget to do anything and, most importantly, so you can be ready for your date in time.
Put on your outfit last
I recommend actually putting on your outfit about 20 minutes before it’s time to leave – especially if you have toddlers.
This way you won’t have to start searching for something else to wear if you have to pass out snacks, pick up a sticky toddler, or get anything on your clothes beforehand.
The last thing you want is to have to go back to your closet minutes before you’re supposed to be walking out the door to find something else to put on.
Start heading out the door ten minutes before you need to leave
When my youngest son was a toddler he was very clingy. I’d have to go through multiple rounds of hugs and high fives before he would clear me to leave.
Now, that they’re older it’s not so much as them who cause me to need an extra ten minutes, it’s Hoss (our beagle).
He has what I’m sure has to be separation anxiety.
Whenever I (specifically me for some reason – assuming since I work from home and I’m always here with him its heartbreaking for me to go) prepare to go (i.e. put on shoes – we don’t wear shoes in the house) he starts whining, sticks to me like glue, etc. Therefore, I have to make sure he’s calm and has a treat and toy to keep him occupied before I can go.
Plus, add in my anxiety combined with his, starting to get out the door at least ten minutes in advance is a must.
You can still have date nights as a mom
Just because you’re a mom, it doesn’t mean that date nights are a thing of the past. You just have to do a little bit more planning now than you had to do before. Self-care is very important during this day in time. So, grab one of the designer wallets for women and a cute outfit and have fun with your date.
Finally, if you’re having mom guilt about doing something for you, whenever you do a date night do something the following day/weekend with the kids.
