Valentines Day – Love and Babies

When you are pregnant, you might have anticipated that life with a baby is going to be perfect!

Just you and your partner snuggling up each day with your newborn, all cute and loving!  How romantic!!   Yet when the time comes, there is very little about it that you could call romantic.  Life changes beyond belief when a baby comes along, and so does your relationship.

Finding time for each other is almost impossible and whereas you might have been the couple who used to hold hands at every given opportunity, your trips out and about now that your baby is here, have undoubtably made opportunities to connect virtually impossible.  Having to navigate your very over priced buggy everywhere, or carry an extremely heavy car seat filled with your small child (who needs lots of attention and constantly eats, poops and cries when not being cuddled) can be a strain on even the most secure relationships.

Whilst this is completely normal and may well have been something that you both discussed before your baby arrived, no-one can prepare you for the shock that the change in your relationship brings.

So this Valentines day for many of you, the distance you feel in your relationship may highlight the need to bring a little romance back into the home.  (Especially if date night is an “in your living room with your baby in tow” situation!)

The whole point of date night is obviously to reconnect with your partner, so we have come up with some ideas for you to try and make that happen this February 14th!

Date night ideas with a baby:

Movie night in – rent a movie, pour a glass of wine and get cozy by snuggling up together.

Scenic drive – No matter the season, there’s always something pretty to see wherever you live.

Go on a walk – Take a stroll to the nearest park or walk around the area you live — If you have a sling, then you might choose to use it so that you can hold hands.  (It may even get your baby to sleep).

Dine out (in) – Marks and Spencer’s do a great dine in for two offer for Valentines from February 12th.  https://www.marksandspencer.com/c/food-to-order/dine-in

Cook together – Experiment in the kitchen with unique ingredients – we recommend a great selection of idea’s on the Jamie Oliver website.

Head to the bookstore – It could be fun to browse a bookstore together and pick out a few good reads for one another.

Go to the Cinema – If you can take a weekday off work this week, then how about a visit to the cinema to a parent and baby performance – Please note: avoid next week as it’s half term!!

Don’t talk about the baby!

If you only accomplish one thing while you are on your date night, it should be to not talk about the baby.

Challenge yourselves not to do this. You should talk about each other!

Date night is about you as a couple. Reminisce about the time you met. Joke about your first kiss. Recall those amazing holidays/outings you took before you got pregnant. Or talk about all of the memories you can make together and traditions you can start in the future as a family.

Sometimes when you live with someone for a long time, you kind of run out of things to talk about.

Here are a few fun questions to get a discussion going.

1.  If you could have dinner with one person dead or alive, who would you choose?

2.  List 3 things you loved most about me when we met.

3.  If you could instil 3 values in our kids, what would they be?

4.  Name 5 things you are grateful for today?

5.  What are 5 things you would like to do in the future?

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Photo Credit @littlebeaniesphotography