Finding a relationship when you have kids is a different ball game, but that doesn’t mean it has to be any harder. Dating should fit around your life as a parent, not the other way around. That’s why there are several features on Bumble that you can use to make dating work with your busy schedule and individual needs. Here’s what you need to know. 

Find exactly what you’re looking for 

Advanced filters are a great way to see Bumble daters who may share more of your interests and values. They’re accessible through Bumble Premium and Boost subscriptions, and using them means that you’re less likely to be shown someone who doesn’t fit with your lifestyle or what you want. You can filter by what type of relationship someone is looking for (serious or not), by if someone is a smoker or not, by religion, by education level, by religion, by political views, and more. 

As a parent, the most helpful filter may be for where someone stands on wanting kids. You can filter to only be shown one or a combination of the following options:

• People who want kids someday 
• People that don’t want kids
• People who have kids and don’t want more
• People who have kids and want more
• People who aren’t sure yet

Swipe with confidence

You can confirm that the people who you’re swiping on are the real deal with Bumble’s Photo Verification feature. When someone chooses to verify their Bumble profile photos, they’ll be prompted to take a selfie mimicking one of a hundred random poses. You can tell if someone is verified by looking for a badge of a blue shield with a white star on it in the bottom right-hand corner of someone’s first profile photo. Make sure to do this for your own profile photos, too! (See here for step-by-step instructions.)

You can also use Bumble’s Video Chat and Voice Call features so you can safely get to know your match a bit better before you decide if you’d like to share your contact details or meet in person. Video dates can be easier to arrange around your busy parenting schedule, too—perfect for when you have a quick fifteen minutes. 

Easily break the ice 

Bumble’s Question Game feature makes it easy to start a conversation with a match, which might be helpful if you’re a bit out of practice. From any chat screen, you just need to press the Question Game button. (This looks like a yellow speech bubble with a white quotation mark in the center, and you can find the button to the right of the text box in any chat window.) You can then shuffle the questions until you find one you like, or type your own. Both you and your match have to respond before either answer is revealed. If games aren’t your thing, take a look at some opening lines we’ve put together here and pick your favorite to confidently make your first move! 

Swipe and match when it’s convenient for you 

Your kids will always come first, and there will be times when dating simply has to take the back seat. This is why Bumble has a Snooze mode that you can switch on to take a break from the app without losing any of your matches or conversations. You can even set an Away status that your matches will see so you don’t have to spend time messaging each one about your time away. 

In matches between a woman and anyone else (no matter their gender) the woman has 24 hours to make the first move before the connection expires. When it’s a same-sex match, a man matching with a non-binary person, or two non-binary people matching with each other, either person has 24 hours to make the first move. But as a parent, a lot can happen in one day; sometimes there just isn’t spare time to make that first move. With Bumble Boost or Premium, you get Unlimited Extends to add another 24 hours to the countdown timer, and Unlimited Rematches to make sure an expired match doesn’t become the one that got away!

As well as advanced filters, a Bumble Premium account allows you to access Beeline. Beeline allows you to see folks who have already swiped right on you, increasing the efficiency of your time on Bumble. 

Keep your profile private 

Bumble’s Incognito mode puts you in control of who sees that you’re on the app, so you’ll only be shown to people you’ve matched with on Bumble. This means that you can date privately, preventing the potential awkwardness of an ex-partner—or anyone else you know IRL—seeing you on Bumble. 

Dating as a parent shouldn’t feel like a chore. It should be a positive experience that helps you reconnect with yourself and meet new people. We hope these features ease your journey on Bumble.