The Sex Basket

Aanna Greer -

There is a certain amount of “gear” that goes along with sex, especially those first few days or weeks of marriage. Whenever a sister or close friend gets married, I like to make her a “sex basket” filled with all the things that are nice to have on hand. Then, once she gets to her new home, she can just place it by the side of her bed—one very useful decorating item. :) Here are the things that I usually fill it with:

Sexy Stuff

Setting the mood is an important part of sex, and can help jumpstart your sex drive. Lingerie, champagne or sparkling juice, music, or candles can all create an environment that turns you on.

Lubricant

The main cause of pain during sex is friction caused when the skin of his penis rubs against the skin of your vagina. Both of these areas is so sensitive! However, lubrication will cut down on the friction and keep you from experiencing as much or any pain.

  • All-natural oils such as olive oil, vegetable oil, and coconut oil are incredible lubricants. They’re gentle on sensitive skin, they allow sperm to get through, and cut down on the number of infections. In fact, coconut oil is extremely helpful in healing yeast infections as well (and it smells and tastes great!).
  • Synthetic lubrication is readily available, but I make sure to buy a water-based lubricant, as they tend to be less sticky. (Astroglide is historically a water based lubricant.)

Cranberry Juice

It’s a great idea to sip cranberry juice whenever you’re having a lot of sex. The acid in the cranberries will help maintain the proper ph-balance in your vagina and prevent infections.

Towels

Sex can get messy. You’re using lubricant, you’ll also produce your own lubricant in your vagina, and he will ejaculate semen (some women ejaculate liquid as well!). All that stuff has to go somewhere, so it’s a good idea to have something handy to clean up with:

  • A large towel, blanket or sheet. It may be a good idea to lay this down on the bed before having sex. That way, if you get semen on the bed, you can just pick up the towel and still have perfectly clean sheets.
  • Kleenex or toilet paper. You will have semen in your vagina at the end of sex, so you may want to hold a Kleenex or a bit of toilet paper on yourself to plug up your vagina until you can get to the bathroom to clean up on the toilet or in the shower. He’ll have to do the exact same thing with his penis.
  • Flushable wet wipes. Make sure you clean your vagina well. He’ll have to clean his penis well, too. Wet wipes are an easy way to do this.
  • Hand-towel or washcloth. After you’re all squeaky clean afterwards, don’t forget to dry yourself off properly. Bacteria needs moisture to survive, so keep yourself as dry as humanly possible in between love making.

Condoms

No matter what form of birth control you’re using (if you’ve chosen to use any), it’s nice to have a couple condoms on hand, in case you forget to take your medicine one day, or if you’re not sure whether you’re fertile. Having condoms available can come in handy if you have an accident with another method of birth control.

Anything you’d add to the list? Any essentials that you always like to have on hand? Do you have a sex basket or am I the only one that’s trying to organize sex? :)

(Image via Design*Sponge)