20 Date Night Ideas That Don’t Require a Babysitter

Confession:  With the exception of grandparents, Goose and I have only had one date in our entire marriage where we hired a babysitter.  One.

Why?  Well quite frankly we never really considered it a necessary expense.  Instead of dinner and movie, we have often found other ways to spend time together on a regular basis so that the traditional date night almost seems unnecessary.

There, I said it:  Traditional date nights are not always necessary.  Now I’m sure some marriage counselor is going to come after me with some long disagreement, but my point is this–you can find lots of things to do with your husband to help strengthen your marriage without going on the traditional date or hiring a babysitter.  Not to mention, it’s a lot cheaper too!  No, in my opinion, you can have a great date night or great date day when you have three keys in common.

3 Keys of a Good Date Night

1. Good Company
2. Good Communication
3. Good Connections

Cover these 3 and you have a great date night no matter where you are or what you spend so here are 20 date night ideas sure to rack up all three.

20 Date Night (or Day) Ideas That Don’t Require a Babysitter

1. Do a Bible study together or read a marriage building book together while the kids are having their Sunday afternoon nap or after they are tucked in for the night.
2. Go for a bike ride around the neighborhood or a trail.  Have the kids bike a little ahead of you or hang out in a cart behind you so you two have time to chat as you ride side-by-side.
3. Hand a walkie-talkie to the oldest and go for a few walks around the block together.
4. Snuggle up and watch a good flick on the TV after the kids are asleep.
5. Weed the garden together while the kids are playing in the yard.
6. Get two mugs of your favorite hot drink and go sit on the back porch for a relaxing chat.
7. Sit a blanket on the ground in your backyard after the kids are asleep and lay down for some romantic star gazing.
8. Play a favorite board or wii game after the kids are in bed.
9. Read a book together (nothing serious–something fun)…one chapter a night while snuggled under the covers.
10. Do a workout video together before the kids wake up.
11. Make a special dessert to enjoy together after the kids go to sleep.
12. Eat breakfast together before the kids wake up.
13. Play strip poker in your bedroom.  😉
14. Give each other a massage after the lights go out.
15. Take a bath or shower together being sure to lock the door.
16. Learn to dance with instructional dancing DVDs from the local library.
17. Build, paint, bake, or make something together.
18. Sit at the dining room table and make your bucket list together while the kids play in their room.
19. Cuddle up by the fireplace after the kids hit the hay.
20. Make it a taste-test night.  What you taste-test could be up to you–flavors of cheese, brands of root beer, types of chocolate….

Take it to the next level with these resources:

• 40 Home Date Night Ideas for Valentine’s Day or Any Day
• My Hubby Lovin’ Pinterest Board which includes even more date night ideas, relationship builders and more.