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Preparing for Date Night
First of all Mama, if you are a first-time mom or recently gave birth, you need to ask yourself if you are really ready to be away from your baby for an extended period of time. One thing you will learn about me is that I am adamant about a woman’s need to follow her instincts when it comes to mothering and her baby. If you don’t feel ready, then there is nothing wrong with waiting a few more weeks, months, or even years until you are comfortable before your first date night after baby. Hopefully, your partner will be understanding and supportive when you express your feelings. That doesn’t mean you can’t go out, but it just means that baby will need to go with you! Yay family time!
If you think that you are ready for a night out with your partner (or with the girls) then I have some tips on things that you can do before you go! This advice is meant to help things go smoothly for you & the kids while you are away!
Our First Date Night
So our first date night was a night out to go see the Guns’N’Roses: Not In This Lifetime Tour here in Seattle! When MR called me at work to see if I was interested I was totally on board thinking that I’d be ready by then since our little guy would be 8 months old. Boy was I wrong! I did not realize how much extra planning goes into scheduling a night away when you have a bog kid and a baby! Did I mention that we didn’t really do date nights with the first one? I think we left him with my mom like maybe 3-5 times over the course of 6.5 years. I know…I’m ridiculous! ? We just took him everywhere with us! Anyway, we’ve decided to dothings a little differently this time around and thought you might like some tips!
Childcare
Making a decision on childcare is probably the most important thing you will do. I recommend making a decision on this at least two weeks in advance. Will you leave the kids with a family member? Or a close friend? Or will you be hiring a babysitter? If you do not have family or friends waiting on deck to watch your kids at all times then I recommend identifying a “go-to” sitter (or two) for your family. Finding someone you trust that will know how you do things, where things are in your home & build a relationship with your kids is so very valuable. About a month before your event, if you have the time, try posting a position on either Care.com, UrbanSitter, or a similar site for a “PT On-Call Steady ‘Go-To’ Babysitter”. Then conduct interviews 2-3 weeks before hand so you have sufficient time to consider your options and ensure that you make it onto their dance card for the right date. {I will be working on a post on how to select the perfect babysitter soon!} And do a brief trial dry run where you invite them into your home to meet everyone, take a tour, familiarize them with where things are and let them watch the kids for an hour or so while you are dyeing your hair or doing a project around the house. That way they are no longer a complete stranger!
Transportation
More than likely you will be partaking in an adult beverage or two {or more} when you are out on the town. You go girl…get your drink on! If both of you will be drinking, no matter how much, then you need to consider the safest transportation option. The variety of options you have will depend on where you live. If the train or bus is convenient near you then that would probably be best. Otherwise, a ride share, like Uber or Lyft, or a taxi might be right for you. Make your decision in advance so you can download whatever apps you need to download, create your account, and get a feel for how it works so you’re not fumbling with it while you’re inebriated! One of my girlfriends told me that she & her hubby usually take a Smart Car to their venue and an Uber on the way home. If you haven’t used Uber before and want to try it out, you can get a free ride up to $20 with this promo code: 20NEWRIDEUBER
Important Details
You also need to plan in advance for the details of the night. Depending on the age of your kids, you will need to plan for meals & snacks. I really like to turn it into kind of a party for my kids too, so we normally plan for pizza delivery and movies. So I make sure that the babysitter knows how the TV works, how to access our Amazon Fire Stick and the password for ordering a movie {or two}! I work out with the sitter in advance whether she prefers to have me order the pizza for them in advance or if she can just take care of it herself. Make sure to stop at the ATM to grab any cash you might need to pay the sitter, to leave for pizza, and/or for tip(s). Be sure to leave detailed instructions on your kid’s routine, emergency instructions, and anything else she may need to know. It’s also a good idea to notify a local friend or family member of your plans and provide the sitter with their number “just in case”. And prepare some kind of reminder for yourself to pay the sitter when you get home late after a long night of partying!
Extra Notes for Nursing Moms
Leaving Milk for Your Baby
A night on the town presents additional challenges for nursing moms. I didn’t realize how complicated it would be when I agreed to go out the first time after my second was born. He was going to be eight-months-old and I thought it would be just fine. It was more difficult on everyone than I had anticipated. First I had to ensure that I had enough pumped milk saved up to make it through the night. You will want to leave two to three extra bottles because your baby may want to eat for comfort, this isn’t the end of the world if it’s a rare occasion. Your partner or other caregiver can feed baby anything that’s left over the next 24+ hours. If your baby does not regularly drink your milk out of a bottle then you may have a rude awakening trying to either introduce or remind your baby how to take a bottle. DO NOT wait until the last minute for this if you want to avoid having to rush home to feed an inconsolable bottle-refusing baby. If you don’t already have a freezer stash, start pumping & freezing about a month in advance to reduce the pressure on yourself
Managing Engorgement
Make sure that you save the last 20 – 30 minutes before you leave for a full nursing session just before you walk out the door. Also, if you guys are driving yourselves then you may be able to pump in the car while your partner drives to & from the venue. Then you could just leave your pump in the trunk when you go in. If you are going to do this just make sure that you either have an in-car power adapter or enough batteries to power your pump. If this will not be an option for you, then you may want to get yourself a hand-held manual pump for inside the restaurant, bar, and/or venue. You may want this even if you are able to use your regular pump in the car. This just depends on how long you will be gone. If you are going to a concert and/or sporting event just make sure that you research the venue in advance to determine what you can and cannot take into the venue, if they make any accommodations for nursing mothers and whether or not they have a mother’s room. DO NOT forget breast pads!
Thanks so much for visiting! I recently put up my tutorial on getting started with a mommy blog in case it’s been on your “To Do” list! Maternity leave is a great time to get started! Click HERE for my tips & tricks for getting started!
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