This is a guest post by moonlight.

No matter how you choose to go about it, kinky or vanilla, we want to keep our fun-loving activities away from our children. However, by their very nature, children are curious little people who can have quite the sneaky side and don't like missing what everyone is up to after bedtime has arrived.

I can distinctly remember one very thorough spanking I received, late at night before we went to bed, and our kids had been asleep for hours. Turns out our daughter woke up to use the bathroom and (thankfully she has a squeaky door we hadn't fixed, stopping our fun right then and there of course) but she came to find us afterward and asked: "why were you guys clapping?"

Since then, we have taken some more precautions when it comes to the noises that can come from our play.

1) Turn on the TV/radio.

 It took some getting used to for me because the sound was distracting and made it really hard to drop into subspace or even cope with some of the impact play (which normally isn't an issue). Keeping the TV or radio on means that there is a background noise that can be used to explain some of the sounds that are happening if they happen to wake. This is what I wish we had in that first learning moment we experienced.

2) Use a white noise machine in their room.

 Keeping some noise that is generated right in their room adds another layer of protection for you both. These little machines are often used for children who have trouble sleeping anyways, so it can help them get to sleep and stay asleep. You may also find success with bedtime stories on CD that play on repeat in their room.

3) Keep play as far away as possible from the kid's room(s).

 Depending on your living space, you may have a few more options. Try to keep things as far away as possible to minimize being heard. It will also bring in some more creativity. I now know that the height of our desk is wonderful for me and being pressed up against the cool, hardwood is amazing. If you are still worried they may come and find you, baby gates are awesome to stop them in their tracks and to give you time to get yourself together before they see you.

4) Gags are a wonderful thing.

 If like me, you can get quite loud, gags can be a wonderful thing. They can add some fun to your play but also make sure that some of the sounds are muffled right from the source. Ball gags tend to work better than spider gags but you can gag on some other things too if that suits your fancy *wink*.

5) Explore quiet toys.

 What about being teased with a feather instead of your favorite crop tonight? Explore some options that may be less traditional and you may find some new "toys" that keep you on your toes that were right under your nose all along.

I know that these steps take extra time and attention but it is worth it to keep our children away from our lifestyle. It is so much more enjoyable for us when we can play without having to worry about them. What have you done to keep the noise levels to a minimum with little ones under the same roof?

moonlight is a slave and mother of two children under 10. she continues to find ways to live full-time in service while keeping their relationship to themselves. she works from home and enjoys yoga, meditation, and music in her spare time.