How often do you and your partner go out without the kids?

[YerAuntFanny]

Where do you go?
Who looks after your kids?

Yes, I'm being nosey!

About once a month. Teenager who lives up the street babysits. Means we can walk her home rather than pay for cab. Usually out with others or sometimes a meal and drinks. It’s £7 an hour so not often it’s just ‘because’.

No family nearby so we have to hire a babysitter so it’s usually once a month, maybe twice. Usually we go for dinner and drinks either just the two of us or with friends, most recently we saw a show at a local comedy club with friends visiting from out of town.

Once every other month.

We don't have much family support and we can't really afford additional childcare

We usually go for dinner and a movie. Pre-kids, we'd be in the cinema nearly every week!

Never! DC are 11 and 9. We didn't have anyone to babysit when they were tiny, so we kind of got used to it. I tend to prefer a takeaway and watch a film at home anyway now.

Once a month thank Christ! I'm so grateful to my parents for having ds overnight.We either go for a meal and drinks or to friends but next week we are at a 50th birthday party can't wait! 😊

Maybe 5 times in 3 years but not since second baby was born 7 months ago.

DC aren't my DH's biological children and they see their dad every weekend so if DH isn't working when they go to their dad's then we get out then. My parents also love looking after them if we want to go out at any other time or if ex is working away and can't take them. If DH has a day off when DC are at school then we'll go out for the day together then too. Something to be said for unusual shift working there anyway. I know we're incredibly lucky with the support we get from family and the fact their dad isn't too much of a twat now too.

We go out quite often. Dd stays with Inlaws one night a week. I drop her off then meet DH after work, go for dinner or go the cinema.
We've also been away for the weekend several times. Dd will stay with my siblings, they have grandchildren the same age as her she loves going to stay.
Sometimes at the weekend, teenage neighbour will babysit about once a month.

Once every six months. PILs look after DC.

A couple of times a month when the dcs were small....no family so used a regular babysitter

Every other week at least (sometimes weekly) now DS can look after DD. It depends how hard we are working and what is going on with the DC.

About once a month. I always have to organise it.
Sil or my parents babysit. It's always after DC sleeping so we book a table for about 8. Usually we go to a favourite restaurant (tapas, Indian, Italian) or try somewhere new if it's for a special occasion. We don't go too far. Occasionally drinks out or cinema after but not done that very often so away only a couple of hours or so.

Never. No one to look after them and our 1 year old is a shit sleeper anyway. He wakes up loads and only wants me, i went to supermarket one evening (and felt excited, how sad) after 45 mins he was screaming and wouldn't stop 🙄

Once in 4 years (child free wedding). We weren't very impressed with the babysitter for that which put us off a bit. Family are too far away to babysit. We're too knackered to want to go out anyway!

We've had my birthday plus DP's in the space of a month, so they had a sleepover both times at my parents.
Prior to that I'm struggling to remember when we last went out together

I don't like asking my parents much as they have them in the week when we go to work, MIL never has them.

We've been out without her during the day about three times now. She's nearly seven.

About once every 6-9 months maybe? My mum lives down the road but is not keen to babysit. She does have them once a week when I'm at work to be fair. No other family around.

We've had one night away together since ds was born 8 years ago. That doesn't include our wedding night. Maybe we'll have a honeymoon when they leave home.

Thanks for your replies, I don't know what I was expecting but it sounds like we're pretty normal then!

DC's are 12 and 5, eldest is pretty hard going and youngest was very clingy so it's a struggle to convince anyone to look after them.

We don't live near family, except my Mum who takes them 1 at a time maybe twice a year but never both and either than MIL who lives 200 miles away we don't have anyone else. She took them for a long weekend for the first time this year which was nice.

Sometimes it just seems like everyone has someone/somewhere ready to drop the kids off and go enjoy some couple time but that's obviously not a realistic representation!

If we are both working from home we might go out for a walk at lunch time or if we really feel like pushing the boat out we will go out to lunch. Hardly ever happens though.

We've been out twice in 5 and a half years.

Doesn't bother me though, we deliberately waited until my late 30's to have a baby and we've enjoyed years of going out and had got to the stage we preferred being at home anyway so neither of us feels like we've sacrificed anything.

Never. But they are small (4,2,0). No family nearby. Maybe we'll get babysitters when they're bigger. I love it though.

Together - couple of times a year (daytimes usually using annual leave so childcare is covered).

Separately - once a week on average for both of us, seeing friends, doing hobbies

About once a year if we're really lucky.

Very little family support.

We go out for lunch every Tuesday.

We both work in retail, DH works nights, I work days. DC are 13 and 9.

I know this sounds excessve, but because of our work patterns, we don't get evenings at home together, and we get hardly any time together with the kids, so this is our compromise.

I've never really understood the "we have no family to mind them so we never go anywhere" which is so common on here. Have people never heard of babysitters? Put kids to bed, pay teenager to watch tv. People have been doing it a very long time!

In answer, could be every week, could be every couple of weeks. We used to pay babysitters, now eldest child minds siblings, unless its an overnight which is granny.