https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:21:49 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids/page/2#post-2781228 Sun, 22 Oct 2017 10:08:56 +0000 2littlepumpkins 2781228@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: MIL complaining after tons of time offering to watch LOs a few days a week was a factor in me quitting working ft. I don't blame her or anything, since they are our kids, but it was disappointing so I get that aspect. Bummer! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids/page/2#post-2781208 Sun, 22 Oct 2017 02:51:45 +0000 Cherrybee 2781208@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is a very sore subject right now. My inlaws used to watch my DD1 three days per week so we didn't feel we could ask for weekend help (and they never offered). We booked a sitter a few times but a night out is no fun when you have a curfew and an early start with kids the next day. When I went back to work after DD2, I had an honest conversation with my inlaws and they stated that week days and weekends were all the same to them, they just felt they couldn't cope with any extra. So we put DD2 in an extra day of nursery (DD1 is in school now). That way, we would get regular Sunday afternoons (we figured every other), and a monthly overnight stay. We agreed this last Christmas and, in that time, we've had one overnight and ZERO Sunday afternoons. And they're still moaning they're tired, so we don't feel like we can ask. Worst part is, the extra childcare is costing us an extra £250 a month and so we actually can't afford a babysitter now - we could have paid one every other weekend for that money. Gutted.</p> <p>In short, we've had one date night in 2017. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2781122 Sat, 21 Oct 2017 01:55:24 +0000 wrkbrk 2781122@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@raspberries: We try to get a babysitter once a month but it doesn’t work out quite that often. I’d say we will have done it 8 times in 2017. But a handful of those were for required work events..... however, we try to go to lunch together once a month as well. In fact, that’s what DW gave me for mother’s day! 12 “coupons” for date lunches :) DS is in daycare so we know we have coverage 8-6 M-F! Haha. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2781118 Fri, 20 Oct 2017 23:40:10 +0000 LilSprinkles 2781118@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Once/twice a month. We have a neighborhood kid babysit when we go out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780726 Thu, 19 Oct 2017 10:31:58 +0000 psw27 2780726@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We go in spurts depending on our schedule. This week and next we have a sitter 3 times in 10 days, but we have a date, an event and our wedding anniversary! But after that we will probably go a month or more because of travel and holidays. It's really important to us to get out and the only way that we seem to unwind these days. Thank goodness for babysitters! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780708 Thu, 19 Oct 2017 09:41:23 +0000 rachiecakes 2780708@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>over two years ago... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780654 Wed, 18 Oct 2017 20:53:19 +0000 autumnlove 2780654@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have my MIL nearby but she is busy so we usually have date nights every 4-6 months? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780379 Wed, 18 Oct 2017 08:15:24 +0000 looch 2780379@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My parents are available to babysit, but since we already rely on them a lot for regular school pick up during the week, we try to limit what we ask of them on the weekends, so we make do with lunch dates for now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780358 Wed, 18 Oct 2017 07:09:56 +0000 Modern Daisy 2780358@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are trying to save money so had gone on like a 6 month hiatus until we finally realized that cutting back on date nights was NOT a good way to save since it took such a mental toll. Now we have money every month for at least on Saturday night sitter and I also recently got creative with our nanny and gave her a Friday off and asked her to work on Sunday instead so we could attend an event together without kids. It was one of the best days of my life LOL. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780355 Wed, 18 Oct 2017 06:57:59 +0000 Truth Bombs 2780355@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>About once a month. My son's daycare teacher lives one neighborhood over from us and is happy to babysit anytime we ask. The kids love her and she usually brings her 8 year old daughter with her which makes my 4 year old daughter very happy! We don't do it more often because our weekends are usually already jam packed! We're doing a date night this Friday though because we've both been traveling a ton plus having lots of out of town company and we've barely seen each other! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780350 Wed, 18 Oct 2017 03:21:28 +0000 mrsbookworm 2780350@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Finding a babysitter was one of my priorities when we moved to a new country. It's such a hard process to find someone you trust your children with but I really wanted to be able to explore our new city with my husband as well. It makes for an expensive date night, but I do think it's worth it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780342 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 23:21:58 +0000 2littlepumpkins 2780342@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our last date night was dinner on Valentines. I got pregnant in April and we moved away from MIL in June. We need to find a sitter. MIL loves close enough she can help in a pinch or when I am working pt, but we dont ask anything beyond that. We need a sitter. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780339 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 22:23:49 +0000 gingerbebe 2780339@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We usually go to lunch or breakfast together once or twice a week while the kids are at daycare. We have some friends who offer to watch the kids so we could go out on the weekends but we are honestly just homebodies and would just go out to eat anyway so the day dates work just fine for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780338 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 22:04:39 +0000 Foodnerd81 2780338@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not often but we have a sitter who comes for special things- anniversary or birthdays, or when another friend organizes a couples dinner or something. Lately it’s worked out to every other month or so. </p> <p>@Corduroy: I need to work out a swap with my neighbors- across the street so we could just go after the kids are asleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780303 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 18:35:31 +0000 autumnleaves 2780303@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Only when my inlaws visit - twice a year. We do have lunch dates maybe once every 2 months while the boys are at daycare. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780293 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 17:48:17 +0000 justjules 2780293@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Every 2-3 weeks. Our kids go to bed at 6:30 so the babysitter comes around then and just sits and watches tv so it's actually a really nice gig ha. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780290 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 17:38:04 +0000 Mrs. Microscope 2780290@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>About once a month, but this month we had lots of events, so it will be 3 nights! Wow! We get season tickets to the traveling Broadway series, so it forces us into date nights, and that's a good thing! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780288 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 17:31:12 +0000 petitenoisette 2780288@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We do have family nearby but my parents already watch our LO twice a week and then my sister has 3 kids already... so they never babysit except rare occasions. Getting a regular babysitter is on my to-do list. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780286 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 17:21:04 +0000 hellobeeboston 2780286@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We try to get out once a month, but sometimes it's more like every other month! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780284 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 17:17:19 +0000 gotkimchi 2780284@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We went out this past Saturday. Prior to that it was June 10 :shocked: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780283 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 17:05:31 +0000 mrsrain 2780283@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We schedule a date night out once a month. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780271 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 15:57:45 +0000 tysonja 2780271@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>twice a year if we're lucky! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780263 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 15:35:01 +0000 Rocker2014 2780263@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We try to do once per month. It's expensive, but worth it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780257 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 15:21:35 +0000 bubblegum 2780257@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>HA! When we had childcare we would skip work and have a day date but now that DH watches the kids, NEVER! We haven't had a date since February, before DD was born. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780256 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 15:18:35 +0000 runnerd 2780256@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We moved about 5 months ago and that was a huge priority for me that for our first time ever to have regular non-family we could call on guilt free for date nights. We've averaged once a month. Wish we could work it out to more like every 3 weeks! I think it's worth it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780255 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 15:09:47 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2780255@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've have had two non-family as baby sitter dates. Once was when daycare offered Friday evening babysitting services. The other was when we both took an afternoon off and LO was at daycare. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780254 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 15:09:36 +0000 snowjewelz 2780254@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Rarely. Our families are close by but 1) in-laws don't drive so we'd have to drive them over and it'd have to be a day date. 2) my mom already helps with childcare so we try not to ask for extra. The last day date we had, a lot of things had to align together! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780252 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 14:56:49 +0000 youboots 2780252@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>About once a month.</p> <p>ETA we do have family- I guess I get excited when I see polls 😂 But our last in town date night was when the sitter came. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780251 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 14:55:23 +0000 shabang 2780251@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1-2 times a year when we have a no-kids wedding or work holiday party. Since it's so rare, we plan ahead with family to time their visits to watch the kids. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-dont-have-family-to-watch-your-kids#post-2780249 Tue, 17 Oct 2017 14:42:32 +0000 JennyLayneAZ 2780249@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My mom watches LO all week, so I haven't asked my parents to watch her on the weekend at all. My BIL/SIL live too far away. So, we haven't had a date night. LO is 18 months today. :crying: I'd love to have a night out, we just haven't figured out the logistics yet. :bummed: </p>