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Attachment Parenting May Impact Your Sex Life

by Autumn Jones

Deciding what feels best when raising your kids isn't something that always comes naturally. But choosing a particular parenting style has to be best for everyone in the house, not just the child. Some may questions if methods that focus on the child's need above all other won't place stress on adult relationships. For instance, skeptics may wonder, how does attachment parenting affect your sex life? Because finding extra affection to give after a day of snuggling and nursing sounds pretty exhausting.

In order to see the benefits of attachment parenting, you must be committed to the guidelines this method uses. According to Psychology Today, the four main principals of attachment parenting are co-sleeping, feeding on demand, holding and touching, and responsiveness to crying. All wonderful ways to care for and nurture your little one, but also very demanding emotionally and physically on a parent. This type of parenting is met with both praise and criticism, with one of the biggest gripes being: will you ever enjoy a saucy romp with your partner before your child moves out of the house?

Fears about how attachment parenting will affect your sex life may very well be a waste of mental energy. The truth is, the only real affect you'll see, is you're need to get creative. As parent Heidi Raykeil explained in her real life account for Parenting magazine, just because attachment parenting makes it hard to have sex at night (since your kiddo is in the room) doesn't mean your vagina will dry up — it just means you're going to need to embrace other options. Take things out of the bedroom and get busy once your little one is snoozing. Or take advantage of nap time and bust a move before baby wakes. And if you're feeling really bold, get it on when you're out of the house and the sitter is putting your dumpling to bed.

Just because you're practicing a parenting style that focuses on parent-child bond doesn't mean the adult bond has to suffer. Although it may be easier said than done, it's important to find balance between parenting and your adult relationship, as pediatrician Dr. Sears explained on his website. Putting too much focus on just one area can lead to strains in the other.

It's possible that parenting with the attachment method will only affect your sex life as much as you let it. Try to have a plan for your special adult time before problems or conflict pop up. You can even make a game out of who can come up with the most creative place/way to fit some nookie in to keep things fresh. With both you and your partner on board, you can enjoy the benefits of attachment parenting without sacrificing any Os.