Dinner with friends and an 8mo old?
I really like going over to our friends' houses for dinner, but with a young child (8mos) we're finding it really hard. She does great until about 7pm, and then really starts to melt down.
She gets fussy, and by 7:30 or 8:00, I can't even talk with my friends anymore, and we have to go home to put her to bed.
Help! What can I do? Is it still possible to have a nice dinner with my friends and still stay out until 9pm?
3 Answers
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Have friends over to your house. Your baby can go down at her regular time and you can hang out with your friends however late you want. If it needs to be quiet for her to go to sleep, we usually have one or two people stay home while two or three people go on a walk or to the store to pick up ice cream.
Depending on your baby, you could also try to get her to sleep there, going into the bathroom with the fan but no light sometimes works for us. Once asleep, put her down somewhere (Pack 'n Play, snuggle nest on the floor). Just remember to keep an eye on free-range babies since you are likely in a house that isn't baby-proof.
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Ditto - the few times we have gone over to friends' houses recently we leave by about 6:30/7pm. Which means that we try to meet up early. I am in the process of trying another plan - that is, finding a babysitter and going out after he's been put to bed (which is usually 7:15 or 7:30pm).
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Can you put her down at your friends' house? We bring a pack&play for our 9mo and our 3 1/2 yo usually lays down on the couch. Then we can stay out until 10 or even 11pm. Yes, it's a pain to wake the kids, bundle them into the car, drive home and get them to bed. But it's worth it to be able to have a full evening with friends.
