After you have your first child, it can feel as if you’ll never have a moment to yourself again – much less a quiet evening with your spouse. However, parents need alone time to connect and keep that fire burning, especially after bringing home a baby.

Regardless of how old your kids are, it’s important to have ‘couple time’. If you have a trusted friend or family, organise a fun sleepover for your kids. Otherwise wait until they’re asleep, then, create the perfect at home date night and use that time to consciously enjoy one another’s company.

Here are a few at home date night ideas to help you plan the best romantic night in.

Floor Picnic

Sometimes, all you need to reignite that spark is a change of scenery. Take dinner to the rug — or hardwood — for a floor picnic. Spread out a blanket and use pillows as seats. You can even pull up the coffee table or footrest for a make-shift dinner table. Then, prepare a bunch of finger foods together. Whether you want Doritos or cucumber sandwiches, nothing is off-limits. Then, take your spread to the living room and enjoy!

Cook-Off

There’s nothing like a little bit of competition to heat things up. Reignite the passion — and your stove’s burners by having your very own cook-off. Use what you have in the pantry to create something new or follow a tasty-looking recipe. No matter who wins, you’ll have a delicious meal to enjoy. Plus, you can always kiss, make up and make dessert together if the competition got the better of you.

Movie Marathon

If you don’t have the energy to battle it out in the kitchen — and clean all those dishes afterward — stick to watching movies. Pick your favorite movie or television series and binge watch an entire season or collection. Go the extra mile by loading up on popcorn and other delicious movie theater snacks. You could even make slushies or personal pizzas if you prefer. Stay up all night or turn in whenever one of you falls asleep.

Game Night

Have you exhausted your Netflix-watching capabilities? Try having a game night instead. Now, before you pick up your boring old checkerboard, think sexy. This is a date night, after all. Choose a game like strip poker or get to know one another on a deeper level with a trivia card game. The internet is brimming with options for romantic two-player games. All you have to do is order one before Friday night rolls around.

Learn Massage

Maybe you’ve both been a little stressed out lately. In this case, you deserve some pampering. Gather all the bath bombs, lotions, oils and face masks you can find and have an at home spa night. Set the mood with candles, a diffuser and rose petals. You can further encourage intimacy by learning how to give a massage. Reconnect with your partner through physical touch and put those massage oils to good use.

Couples Yoga

Get your blood pumping and endorphins flowing by mixing a bit of movement into your evening. While slow dancing in the living room is perfectly acceptable, you might also try something new like couples yoga. This type of yoga involves poses that force you to trust and rely on your partner. By the end of class, you’ll have some cool new moves to keep working on – and super fun photos to post on your socials.

Virtual Tours

Australia is home to all types of adventures. Unfortunately, the pandemic has forced many attractions to close their doors indefinitely. While you might not be able to visit them in person, you can experience them virtually. Strap on a pair of virtual reality goggles and trek the Outback’s national parks, swim over the Great Barrier Reef or cuddle with a koala. You can even take a virtual tour of the Melbourne Museum or Sydney Opera House.

Stargaze

Lockdown orders have kept many people inside for the past few months. Why not reconnect to each other and mother nature by spending the evening outdoors staring up at the stars. Whip out your telescope or use an app to identify constellations and planets. Lay out a blanket and watch for blazing meteors or research your star signs. Even incorporating a few minutes of stargazing into your date night can be enough to set the mood.

Play Hide and Seek

If you want to get in touch with your playful sides, play a few children’s games like hide and seek. Create your own adult version with naughty consequences for whoever loses. If you really want to spice things up without overthinking it, play naked. Enough said.

Keep It Simple

Planning the perfect at home date night doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it’s probably best if you keep things simple. Instead of planning an elaborate dinner and renting a tux, just put on your pajamas and make the best ice cream sundaes you’ve ever had. These plain, ordinary activities will often take on new significance when you consciously make time to enjoy them – and each other.

Have you ever had an at home date night? Tell us what you did (well, at least the clean version) in the comments below.