The Best At Home Date Night Ideas For Parents

Date night changes once you are a parent, especially if you have little ones and more than 1 child! The days of going out weekly to your favorite restaurant as just a couple or wild nights out, are few and far between. Going to restaurants with cloth napkins with kids is not fun!

But I’m a huge proponent of keeping the spark alive, even if you can’t get out of the house for regular date nights. So I’ve put together 12 at home date night ideas for parents!

But first, there is a pre-requisite…

Peaceful Bedtimes And Sleep Filled Nights

If your little one sleeps well, skip to the next section!

If you just laughed maniacally and said to yourself, “ha – bedtime takes two hours! There is no time or energy for date nights!”, I hear you. I’ve been there and sleep deprivation is miserable!

But parenthood does not mean you have to live a life of sleep deprivation. Your child and entire family need and deserve sleep! Sadly, date night may have to go on the back burner while you work on your little one’s sleep. If you need help, reach out to chat about working together so we can make date night (and sleep) a reality for you!

Why Date Nights Are So Important For Parents

Sometimes parenting is hard. But if your needs are met, parenting can be a lot more pleasurable. Here are the top reason why date nights are so important for parents…

• Reconnection. In the busyness of being parents and adults, sometimes tending to our relationship becomes just another thing to do. But we all crave closeness and to feel connected. It’s worth it to put time and energy into reconnecting.
• Parenting is more enjoyable. If we are enjoying our partner and laughing, it fills our cups and makes parenting more enjoyable!
• The entire family is happier. When parents are happy, our children are happier. And that’s what it’s all about, right? Raising happy, healthy, well-adjusted and hopefully well-rested little people.

The Best At Home Date Night Ideas For Parents

After bedtime (because your little one is a healthy sleeper and bedtime isn’t a hot mess, right?) choose one of these at home date ideas to reconnect…

• Dinner & Chat. Order your favorite takeout and head to the dining room or kitchen table. Eat together with no distractions and just talk. These conversation cards are so fun and they’ll get the conversation going, even if it’s been a while.
• Porch Life. This is my husband and my favorite. We call it porch life. “hey babe, wanna have porch life tonight?” We have a glass of wine (or two!) while sitting by the fire table or the pool. We leave our phones inside! This screen-free time gets us talking about all sorts of stuff!
• Game Night. Break out your favorite card game and figure out in advance what the winner gets before starting! This could go all sorts of fun places!
• Comedy Show. Play your favorite comedian’s latest comedy show. Laughing together is sure to help you reconnect. If you can get out, this is a great date night out!
• Wedding Video/Old Pictures and Dessert. Order or make dessert and watch your wedding video or look through your old pictures! Remember the good old days before kids and reminisce.
• Dinner and a Movie. Order takeout and put on an old, favorite movie.
• Puzzle and a Podcast/Audiobook. Turn on your favorite podcast (true crime, anyone?) or start an audiobook together, while working on a jigsaw puzzle.
• Cooking Together. Plan to take an online cooking course and make a meal together.
• Date Night In Boxes. These curated boxes can be purchased individually or if you really want to commit to connecting, you can order a monthly subscription.
• Charcuterie Board Competition. Each parent shows off how well they know their partner by building their partner’s favorite snacks on a charcuterie board.
• Ice Cream Sundae Bar. Get all your favorite toppings, ice cream and waffle bowls to build ice cream sundaes after the kids are in bed. You can order an ice cream sundae kit like this one. Or make your own ice cream with the Ninja Creami! Bonus: your kids will LOVE these leftovers or they never have to know!
• Sex. Yup, I said it. There is no better way to reconnect than to plan some special time together. Sex is important for a healthy relationship and it also makes you feel more forgiving when your partner doesn’t take the trash out! But let’s face it…motherhood changes things! If you never feel like having sex, I’d talk to your primary care physician, OB/GYN or naturopath about it. There may be a hormone imbalance that can be rectified or pelvic floor PT may be necessary.

I hope you LOVE these at-home date night ideas! Send us a DM on Insta or email us to share with us your favorite, out of the box at home date night ideas! We’ll update this blog with all the new ideas you share!