There’s nothing quite as exciting, unpredictable, fun and exhausting as having children, but parents need to make some time for themselves - and each other - from time to time. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to get away and treat yourselves if you have a good support network around you, but if it doesn’t happen too often, it can be a little overwhelming to know what to do with the time you have.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at ways that you can make time for yourselves away from the kids, and take advantage of that time when it comes around:

The Short and Sweet Activities

If you just want an hour or two to get away and recharge the batteries, there are plenty of activities to take advantage of, and you won’t have to pay the babysitter too much. You might want to take a stroll through the park or head out into the countryside for some peace and quiet, or drive out to an outlet mall for some retail therapy.

Either way, you can take advantage of that time to relax, talk to each other, or simply allow yourselves to breathe. If you wanted to have 60 minutes of fun and really take your mind off the kids, you could attempt the Escape Room Dallas and other cities have made so popular. Solving a mystery will engage the brain beyond nappies and formula for a while, and give you both a fun hour away from it all.

Date Night

When was the last time that you had a candlelit dinner for two in a fancy restaurant, or went to the cinema to watch anything but the latest Transformers film or Pixar animation? You could do both on date night, it’s entirely up to you. What matters is you get the chance to spoil yourselves and not have to worry about what’s happening at home. The feelings of guilt that parents have about leaving their kids at home is what can put a strain on a relationship and make it so that you don’t do anything outside of the family circle. It’s important to remember that it was your relationship that started it all, and it needs to be treated with care.

An Overnight Stay

There will come a time when you’re children have grown up and you will strangely miss getting up at three o’clock in the morning for nappy changes and to soothe your little one back to sleep. In the meantime, take the opportunity to have a night away from time to time, whether your little ones are in nappies or at school.

Just like date night and the shorter escapes, these getaways will allow you to unwind and talk to each other away from the family home, and treat yourself at the same time. Just be sure to turn off the TV and engage in some conversation away from what your kids have been doing lately. This time is for you to make the most of, so your little ones should be far from your minds, regardless of how cute and adorable they might be.