It may be difficult to leave your little one for a night on the town, but taking time for yourself and your spouse can ultimately be best for everyone. No family or a trusted sitter around to watch the baby? Why not switch off among close friends. Katie explains…

It’s no secret, marriage is totally different when there are kids in the family. Yet it’s more important than ever to keep the love alive! Not only is it what you and your spouse need, your children NEED to know that they’re parents love each other.

Unless you have close family in town, babysitters might just seem like another expense that you’d rather avoid. But there’s something unique and neccessary about dating your spouse. Perhaps you have friends who are in the same boat. So you can start your own Babysit Exchange Club!

Well, I don’t know if it’s technically a club. Membership is very flexible! As long as you’re willing to take care of your friends’ children while they go out one night, they’ll return the favor! So far, we’ve only had one round, but it was great! I enjoyed getting to know our friend’s son better and learning some good ideas from their personal routine with him. Of course having a date night ourselves, knowing that our son was with other caring parents, was awesome!

So don’t be afraid to make the first move! Talk with a friend and make plans. I’m sure they’ll be glad that you called!

– Katie, Counting Joys