Babysitting Kids Swap

Since we've moved to the east coast this fall and moved into family housing on campus, there has been a lot of talk among parents about getting babysitting swaps/exchanges going. Come to find out, there are a number of ways to do it - exchange points or coupons, trade straight up one night for another night, etc.

In the midst of figuring out a system, we decided with our friends/neighbors to exchange one night for another. One great thing about campus housing is that we are all in very close proximity. There are a lot of options for babysitting the other's kids. These particular friends also just have 1 little one who goes to bed around 7:00. Evee can, technically, go down as early as 7:00 (even though it rarely happens). The beauty of it, is that we can put Evee down around 7 or thereafter and then 1 spouse can be at our apartment and the other home. Or, in the case of them watching Evee Monday night, sometimes they are here and sometimes there! Below is an example of the close proximity...

I am wondering, though, why we haven't done this sooner...put the kids to bed a bit earlier than usual and then one spouse from the opposite participating couple comes over. It's not quite as convenient when you have to drive, but in a sense you'd be driving either way (this way your just driving for someone else's date, but then don't have to for your own date). If you pick the right night, 7 pm or even 8 pm is not too late to go for a late dinner (plus the restaurants are less busy), hit up a movie, or take a walk. Anyway, all to say, it's a great experience!