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8 Sexy Things Every Bed-Sharing Mom Wants That Don't Actually Involve Sex

Bed-sharing can be, well, rough. Sure, the whole "not getting up every two hours in the middle of the night" thing is nice, but it’s not without its drawbacks. There’s less room in bed, it can get too hot, you're afraid of squishing your kid, and you're on the receiving end of kicks to the face every two seconds. Oh, and sex goes out the window, too. Thankfully, there are still some erotic things you can do for bed-sharing moms that alleviate the stressful, not-so-fun parts of this particular sleeping arrangement. You guys, it's only weird if it doesn't work.

I always knew I would co-sleep, but I became a bed-sharing mom by accident. My partner and I kept our son in a bassinet, and then a crib, in our room and it was lovely. He was a great sleeper early in life, which truly made the entire postpartum process much, much easier. Just shy of his first birthday, however, he realized how much cozier mom’s bed was and, well, that was that. He wasn’t very big back then, but now that he's 3-years-old he is spread out like jam on toast.

While my son doesn’t actually co-sleep or bed-share on a regular basis with us anymore, he does still sneak into our bed on occasion. It is what it is, I guess. Still, and regardless of how often we wake up to a 3-year-old in our overcrowded bed, my partner knows that if he wants to get on my good side all he has to do is the following:

Wash The Bed Sheets

My husband does a lot of things, but laundry isn't really one of them. So it's usually my responsibility to wash the sheets. I don’t mind it much, but when he does do the laundry and I end up crawling into a bed made with fresh sheets, it’s glorious.

Change The Diaper Genie

Back when my partner and I still used this handy contraption, it needed constant emptying. Sometimes it landed on me, but I must admit that my husband did it most of the time. It was nice not worrying about trying to squash another poop-filled diaper into an already overflowing can, not to mention the smell that would often fill the room.

Pass Out On The Couch

I love my partner, and I love sleeping next to him, but I don’t always mind it when he falls asleep elsewhere. It’s nice to have the extra space, and back in the co-sleeping days it was even nicer. We also had a guest room in the house, too, and would often alternate who had the luxury of sleeping in a bed all by themselves.

Let Her Pick Out Which Side Of The Bed To Sleep On

My spouse was always great about this. He’d let me settle into bed first before coming to bed himself. That meant I could choose which side I wanted and, yes, I often alternated.

Hand Her As Many Pillows As She Needs

This was the subject of a few half-asleep tug-o-war situations. I require a certain number of pillows and , well, my partner didn’t always understand why. Still, I absolutely noticed when he did "let" me have as many pillows as I wanted and/or needed, even if it meant he had less for himself. That's love right there, my friends.

Don’t Complain

Co-sleeping and bed-sharing can wear a parent out. It’s not just one parent that feels it, either. Yes, it's important for couples to speak openly and honestly, but sometimes you just need to keep your b*tching to yourself (specially if it's not impacting you as severely as it's impacting your, say, breastfeeding partner). So you know, take one for the team and keep your mouth shut when you know your partner is really hurting.

Buy Her A Reading Light

Co-sleeping means not wanting to wake up a sleeping baby with a lamp or any other light. Still, sometimes you need to do something, find something, or maybe you just want to read and relax after a long day. Get her one of these and she’ll dig it.

Don’t Use An Alarm Clock

Babies don’t respond well to alarm clocks, people. You know, kind of like our adults. So do us all a favor and don't use one for the time being. Nothing is worse than waking a sleeping baby (or a sleeping bed-sharing mom, for that matter).