Babysitting Swap

Jessica • February 17, 2016

My amazing husband came up with the best idea and I just have to pass it on. Some of you might read this and say, “duh, we already do that,” but some of you will say, “duh, why didn’t I think of that.” I hope more of you have the second reaction.😉

We recently found out that Carter has a friend from school that lives in the neighborhood, only a street away. This is actually the first time for us that Carter has brought people into our lives instead of the other way around and its been nice. We see them of the weekends at gymnastics, sometimes in the morning for kindergarten drop off, and at the occasional birthday party or playdate. We are slowly building a friendship with our daughter’s parents and its been great but what is even better is that has opened up the opportunity for a babysitting swap.

We did the swap for the first time on Valentine’s day weekend and it was awesome. On Saturday night, our lovely neighbors dropped off their two little girls and we hosted a play date for a few hours while they went out for sushi. Then the next day, Valentine’s day, we did the same. (Except we got some amazing cajan chicken from our favorite Canadian restaurant, not sushi.) It was so nice to get a night out without the added pressure of finding a babysitter and then budgeting that cost into the night, especially because we do not have family in Toronto.

This works best if…

  1. You don’t mind having an earlier date. We decided to carve out 5-8 for our date night time frame. This would definitely work for day dates and who doesn’t love a good day date? Plus, a day date could go a little longer because you aren’t racing to get back before bedtime.
  2. If your kids play together well. Our neighbor has kids that are the same age as both of our kids so it really works out perfectly. No one wants to host a play date and also be the entertainment and referee. Make this easy on yourself.
  3. If the other couple is also dedicated to having regular date nights. You definitely don’t want to be the one always asking if they are ready for another swap, that could make you feel annoying.
  4. If your kids are comfortable at their house. You need to be able to drop of your kiddos without any real fuss. You certainly can’t expect them to come babysit at your home and you don’t want to drop off a tantrum throwing child each time.

We already have it in the works to make this a regular thing and I couldn’t be more excited. The hubs and I are in desperate need for a regular date night and that is hard to do on a budget. Now, all you need to do is think about who in your life would be interested in doing a date night babysitting swap and share this post with them.😉

Side note: I hope you enjoyed this walk down dating memory lane. <3

Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.

 

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