How often do you get a child free night?

[bigfishlittlefishtupperwarebox]

My DH and I have one DC, a 2yo. If you are or have been in roughly the same boat, how often do/did they stay out overnight so you could have a night off to go out as a couple etc? Just trying to settle a dispute with my DH...

I know there are a lot of different variables, but for info, our DD is at one set of DGPs for two working days as childcare, and at the other set of DGPs for 5/6 hours another day already.

Never. No grandparents that are either near enough or willing.

Maybe once every 2-3 months. Mine are 6 and 2.

Once or twice a year max.
Dc2 is due imminently so that is going to become zero as there is no one I would ask to have both.

2 and a half year old here, she has never stayed overnight away from us, wouldn't want to inflict that on the grandparents! Have the odd night out here and there but always come back home. Dreaming of a night away though so I can sleep in til 11am!

I think maybe three times in six years, each time for a wedding in our home country. and we had to fly the kids home to grandparents first.

Not exactly restful.

I wouldn't ask, but I'd bite hands off if it was ever offered to us.

My DP and I have an almost 2yo and we’ve had 1 overnight away from him since he was born and that was in August. I don’t see another one happening any time soon! We have one set of DGP next door and the others a 2 hour drive away.

Never. He's 5 nearly 6 and never spent a night away from home. We don't have anyone really we could send him to. My dad is 77 so to old really to do an over night but he'll babysit sometimes so we can go out but it's not often. Maybe 2 or 3 times a year.

My dcs are now 10 years old and we get child free evenings once a year if lucky. There were a fair few years at baby and toddler stage where we had zero child free evenings. Cost and grandparents refusing to babysit both major factors.

Once or twice a year, two dc 10 and 12. Don't think we had a single night till eldest was 5!

To add to my actual answer, it’s kind of irrelevant what is normal. You just need to work with what you’ve been given!

These seem extreme response! DS is nearly 5 months old and has had 3 overnight stays with my parents. Will be with them for two nights when we are away for a weekend near Christmas.

Once a year, if that.
My child is 12 and I've recently started going away for a night of cocktails once a month and her dad has her alone.
I'm getting happier. He's always done overnight fishing at the weekend so i was stuck. Now he can work around me.

The last night was 6 years ago.
5 dc, so not easy to palm them off on people.
Although I get a lot of extras for overnights, have my niece every couple of months so her parents can have a night out, my nephew comes for 4-6 weeks over the year, and various friends leave their dc with us overnight.
Come to think of it, I'm owed childcare from a lot of people!

Never both been away all night. Kids are 6 and 8

Maybe one night every six months?

That goes the same for lie-ins on a weekend. Both dcs early risers and knock on my door at 06:30 am every day of the week. Probably had a lie in once or twice in last 10 years. Hence my wrinkles.

About once every 3-4 years on average . And not for “ nights out as a couple “, more like things we had to do like office night out, funerals and weddings .

Loads! My DM takes my DC away for holidays and weekends away (she has a caravan), plus I can ask her whenever we have concerts or nights out.

She’s taking them away for half term (Sun-Friday) and she had them for 2 weeks in the Summer holidays and a week at Whitsun plus the odd weekend. It’s great, they have a fantastic relationship.

Knowing we have it, doesn’t make us covet it much. Plus the DC are a bit older and we enjoy their company and miss them when they are away but it saves us £££ on childcare costs.

We’ve managed a night off when ours were that age, and now really, 4 or 5 nights a year when they’d stay with grandparents. Often one whole weekend away and then 2 or 3 nights in the year where we’d go out for the evening but then get the night and morning til lunchtime to ourselves before picking them up.

Thankyou 

She stays out at one or the other probably once every 6/7 weeks, and he said today I'm too controlling of her and we never get time alone!! Obviously there are other marriage issues going on, but I actually laughed in his face when he said it, but thought I had best check I wasn't being crazy.

I think we're very lucky that she has two sets of very involved DGPs and they have her quite a lot already, and I told him so!!

Eldest is 11 and the answer here is never. In 11 years we are yet to have a night out. Grandparents live too far away and aren't willing.

Dc are 22 months and 2 months. 1 night overnight before dc2 arrived (and maybe 4 evenings where we were out say 6-10). Jen if either since dc2 arrived

Never. We have three kids (4, 8, and 9) I can't ask grandparents to look after three at the same time.

Ours averages out at maybe one overnight break every 2 years. Kids are 14 and 11 now.

Twice a year
Once with grandparents and once when we pay a nanny
But we do lots of overnight breaks where they come, and we do lots of fun nights out when we go home afterwards