Our first nap date was entirely accidental.

We went for an after-dinner walk — as we often do — and the Kid happened to fall asleep in his stroller. He was hardcore conked out, so we lingered a bit longer than we might have otherwise, enjoying the quiet time to talk.

My feet were tired, but I didn’t want the moment to end, so I conspiratorially asked Sweet Husband, “You think we could push him up to the patio at the Pig and sit and have a cocktail?”

“I don’t know, let’s give it a try,” was Sweet Husband’s equally conspiratorial reply.

The Kid sleeps in his stroller outside of Bourgeois Pig while Mom and Dad have a drink on the patio. Nap dates can be a way for parents to enjoy some time together without worrying about hiring a baby sitter for their children.

We each took turns dashing inside to order, and then claimed a table near the corner of the patio railing. We sipped a pair of horse feathers as we talked about the weekend ahead and gossiped about the funny people a few tables over, all the while anxiously watching to make sure the Kid didn’t stir.

It wasn’t quite a real date, but since we hadn’t had to strain our infant-daycare-stretched budget to pay a baby sitter, we deemed it a success.

From then on it became a thing. We’d feed the Kid his dinner at home, go for a walk and see if we could get lucky. Sometimes the Kid refused to fall asleep and our plans were thwarted. But sometimes — oh sometimes! — we could eat a whole glorious meal without having to pick up a sippy cup, quiet the Kid’s cries or apologize for a flying spoon.

Of course, we still splurged for a baby sitter now and then, too, but our budget-friendly nap dates became a perfect little get-us-by during the weeks in between when we just needed a teensy break from being mom and dad.

If you’d like to give nap dating a try, here are a few tips.

First, do whatever you have to do to make that baby happy. Full tummy and clean bottom are obvious, but also don’t forget the binkie or blanket if those are your child’s comfort objects. This is a good time to pull out a treat if you can. For example, we didn’t necessarily like to let the Kid go to sleep with a bottle in his mouth, but for nap dates the rule was suspended.

Second, pick a time of day when the baby is already likely to be sleepy. In all honesty, that first night of cocktails was an anomaly. We had much better luck with lunch dates and early dinners. As in most events having to do with children, you’ll have more success if you work with your baby’s schedule, not against it.

Third, choose an outdoor patio if you can. Think sushi at Wa, a round of appetizers at 715 restaurant, or a “Lady and the Tramp” style noodle bowl at Zen Zero. If outdoors isn’t an option, we always found that the ambient noise at Free State Brewing Company was better than a fancy sound machine at keeping the Kid asleep.

Fourth, maybe it goes without saying, but don’t forget that you have to get your wee bundle home safely. One glass of wine with a nice stroll afterward? No judgement here. Drinking to the point where you’re ordering rounds of tequila shots? Beyond dumb.

Fifth, like all good things, nap dating has an expiration date. About the time the Kid turned 1 and a half, it became much harder to plan a date during his naps. For one thing, his naps got shorter. For another, he became so much more interested in the world that putting him in the stroller was more likely to ensure that he wouldn’t sleep at all.

Enjoy your nap date!

— Meryl Carver-Allmond lives in Lawrence and writes about chickens, babies, knitting, gardening, food, photography, and whatever else tickles her fancy on any given day at mybitofearth.net.