Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

I chose "other" because we never do. The only time we use a sitter is if we have an event that we must attend.

How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

I chose other because we use grandparents and siblings as sitters when we need to and once every couple months when we have a date. However I work FT and have a babysitter that watches my kids while im at work. I dont use her for sitting on the weekends though -- that would just be too much on her. Unless it was an emergency I would never ask. I am currently considering hiring a sitter for occasional date nights. I have a great reference but have subconsciously been putting it off.

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

maybe every 4-5 weeks? Depends - sometimes we go to a concert, sometimes its for a friends party or birthday type of thing, and sometimes its just we need some time alone together.

We go out plenty with DS, but we do need adult time out too at nice places!

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

Never. We have no reliable family and I don't trust a stranger in my house. We will have a "date day" every couple of months where we take a day off of work while our son is in daycare. We usually go to a movie and early dinner.

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

Maybe once every 2 months or so.

ETA we usually use one of my IL's to babysit

Message edited 10/4/2017 3:38:20 PM.

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

Usually about twice a month. We're fortunate to have sitters who we trust and who are available regularly.

I'd be happy just making a bonfire in the backyard and sitting out there with DH after the kids are in bed, but it's also nice sometimes to get dressed up and act like fancy adults once in a while too lol.

How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

Hardly ever. We don't have family close. And I just have a hard time trusting sitters- my boys are a handful!!! Plus all the making sure the house is straightened up fir the sitter, that they know where everything is, that the boys get fed before or while she's here, and the money.... it's just easier not to go out.
If we had family close that offered, I'd go out all the time! lol my parents are 2 hours away and my in laws are 4.5 hours away. But my in laws don't even offer to watch the boys- even when we saw them 2 weeks ago and it was my husband's birthday, they didn't even say "you guys go out for dinner, we'll watch the kids"
It's annoying especially since I'm a SAHM and with them all the time..... but it's just how it is until they're old enough for us to leave them alone....

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

We do it a few times a year. We have 4 kids so it is tough to leave someone with them all. I think that is great you do it once a month. Keep it up and your helping your kids and not harming them.

I would love to do once a month

Message edited 10/4/2017 5:02:04 PM.

How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

We were going once a month from January-May and then we got busy. We went away for our anniversary in July. I hope to start up once a month again next month.

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

My parents watch my DS while we go out for half the day (like 3ish till 11 or so) I wanna say on average 2-3 times a month. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It all depends. This weekend since we have plans Saturday and Sunday evening, they're watching him both nights. I feel VERY lucky.

How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

At least once a month! But ideally 2 to 3 times a month. The sitter is either my mom, a close friend of mine, or my cousin who we pay. We used to use a sitter we found on care.com who was fantastic but has since graduated and she works weekends as a Nurse.

Date night is essential to us. We both are stretched extremely thin between work, the kids, dh is in also in school part time and other priorities. We get almost no quality time together during the week so we really prioritize one on one time as much as possible. We love doing dinner, drinks, listening to any kind of live music,and doing an occassional overnight (NYC or AC). We do that maybe quarterly.

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

Posted by OhBaby2

Just wanted to a take a little poll to see how often other parents are getting out for date nights. I don't mean if you use a sitter to watch your kids for overall daily/weekly childcare purposes... more like the evening out for dinner with your SO and/or friends.

Recently, DH and I have been on a once a week kind of pattern and sometimes I wonder if that's too often to be leaving the kids (although it's usually in the evening only an hour or so before their bedtime anyway). At the same time, having those evenings out gives us much needed alone time that we really appreciate so I think that's important too.

How about everyone else?

ETA: I meant just like an out for a few hours kind of sitter or relative watching your kids, not like an overnighter. Although some weeks I wish I could do that more often

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

My kids have never slept over anyone's house, and both grandparents live five minutes away. I once drove to Baltimore and back in one day and picked up my little guy (he was maybe a year old?)

My husband and I used to go out maybe once a week and drop the kids off in the evenings at grandmas , usually so we can run errands and wewind up scarfing down any sort of meal as quick as we can tonget them home for bed. Our thing is concerts so we def have one of our parents come over for that.

Now that we just had a third, we don't go out as often

Although I often think about just checking into a hotel one town over so I can take a shower and a nap in peace lol

How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

Never.

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

Posted by Sparrow

Posted by OhBaby2

Just wanted to a take a little poll to see how often other parents are getting out for date nights. I don't mean if you use a sitter to watch your kids for overall daily/weekly childcare purposes... more like the evening out for dinner with your SO and/or friends.

Recently, DH and I have been on a once a week kind of pattern and sometimes I wonder if that's too often to be leaving the kids (although it's usually in the evening only an hour or so before their bedtime anyway). At the same time, having those evenings out gives us much needed alone time that we really appreciate so I think that's important too.

How about everyone else?

ETA: I meant just like an out for a few hours kind of sitter or relative watching your kids, not like an overnighter. Although some weeks I wish I could do that more often

Do you mean a literal sitter or anyone who is watching your kids, family included? I see several people saying never but I'm assuming they do go out with family babysitting.

I've never hired an actual babysitter but my mom babysits for us once or twice a month and we go out to dinner or run errands during the day on the weekend.

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

About three times a month sometimes less sometimes more.

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

4 times ever and my oldest is 8. 3 of the times have all ocurred in the last 2 years. And the sitter that I had that I really trusted with my boys has now moved away We have no family anywhere close by (1,000 miles away) so now we'll go back to zero date nights. When we lived in NY we only went out to dinner once and left DS1 with my parents.

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

Wow! I am so surprised at all the nevers! We go out all the time. We are cutting back expenses so we are trying to rely only on family but I still feel like we make it out a decent amount.

I am curious as to what is stopping most people? Is it not trusting other people to watch your kids? Is it financial? Is it having no desire to go out alone as adults? We are very lucky because we have family nearby, but even in the past we had a handful of hired babysitters that our kids really love!

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

Message edited 10/5/2017 11:03:00 AM.

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?

Re: How often do you use a sitter for date nights?