Once you are parents it is quite difficult to schedule a special date night out with your partner. Juggling between household chores, work, and the kids can leave romance out of the mix. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, many parents will be looking for stay at home date night ideas.
Maybe you don’t have children, but like a quiet night home without spending a ton of money on fancy dinners at restaurants. Well, I have both parents and couples covered with my list of stay at home date night ideas. You won’t feel like a boring old couple with these.
Stay at home date night ideas for couples
The following options can work when you can send the kids to their grandparents for a night.
- Candlelight dinner at home: Getting the most obvious one out of the way; you can order takeout from your favorite restaurant and have a romantic dinner at home.
- Movie night: On the same lines, you can continue with a movie night in. Or even better have a movie marathon night.
- Cook dinner/dessert together: You can either cook an entire three-course meal with your partner. Or just make a simple dessert together. Cooking together is a great way to bond over food. Bring out a bottle of wine for more fun along the way.
- Call in a chef: If you want something fancier why not call in a chef to make you a gourmet dinner at home. While you relax with a glass of wine someone will be making you an awesome meal.
- Take an at home instructor-led class: It can be anything; at home baking class, bread making, pottery class, painting. Services like Blue bulb are great for such booked classes in a variety of interests. We have used an at home bread making class on one Valentine’s Day a few years back and to date that is one of my most memorable Valentine’s Day with hubby. The time you spend creating something together is what memories are made of. Look for local services in your area that provide such experiences.
- Slumber Party: Have a lazy date night together. Make your living room into a slumber party area. Bring in all types of snacks, drinks, movies to watch or best watch reruns of your favorite TV series together.
- Karaoke Night.
- Date night games for two: Play board games together.
- Date night games for two: Play video games together.
- If you have a backyard, set up a backyard picnic date. Pack some sandwiches, fruit, some cupcakes, and drinks in your picnic basket.
If you have a newborn baby or you can’t get the kids out of the house, try these options.
- Decorate your bedroom: You can always decorate to set the mood. Bring out the fairy lights, rose petals and buntings!
- Play 20 questions: This game never grows old. Asking questions always help reminisce about your journey as a couple. Or helps set goals for the future.
- Make something together: Make a DIY or craft together after the kids go to bed. A few years back we made each other handmade gifts out of play-doh on Valentine’s day. I treasure the play-doh figurine my husband made for me, it’s my favorite Valentine’s gift. Other similar ideas can be decorating coffee mugs with sharpies. These are inexpensive and budget-friendly date ideas.
- Wine and chocolate.
- Midnight food party: This is an idea we have used a lot since the birth of our baby boy. Whenever it happens to be a special occasion for us and we don’t find anyone to babysit him, we throw a midnight food party for ourselves. Baby is fast asleep by then and we get some couple time together. There can be many variations you can try with this – a) ordering takeaway from a local restaurant b) Ice cream tasting party c) make a few quick finger foods together (popcorn, fries, caramelized nuts, etc.) d) Smoothie party. Most of these you can make with foods in your pantry. My favorite is when hubby and I have late night ice cream tasting parties.
- Look through family pictures together or pictures of the two of you through your dating period. If you have been a couple for a while this activity helps strengthen your commitment to each other.
- Bubble bath together.
- Order in a celebration cake and make each other handmade cards.
- Spa Night: You can either book a couples massage at home or have an at-home spa date night. I loved the ideas on how to go about having an at-home spa night in this post by The Dating Divas.
- Printables: If you don’t have time to come up with some creative and fun stay at home date night ideas, here are a few Romantic Date Night Printables for you. Download these and use them any way you want on your date night.
What do you do on your stay at home date nights? Did you find this list useful? Leave me a comment below.
