Putting all your energies into the care of a new baby can take its toll on your relationship with your partner. His needs may take a back seat while you focus on your little bundle of joy. The strain won’t show immediately but it can make you drift apart if you don’t give your relationship some attention.

Bodily changes, aches and tiredness are some of the reasons that keep you from nurturing a loving relationship with your partner. While they are seemingly logical reasons for losing touch with one another, those reasons eventually disappear as your baby grows older.

Don’t wait for your marriage or relationship to deteriorate further. There are things that you can do to re-ignite the passion that was there before your baby came along. Here are some tips to get you started:

Act like singles
Go out on dates regularly. You can have your date night when your baby is under the care of an immediate family member or a sitter you can trust. With a young baby, you can’t always have spontaneity with your partner. But that should not keep you from enjoying each other’s company while you are out on your own.

Spend some time preparing for your date by choosing something nice to wear or even agreeing to meet up instead of going to your date venue together. The idea is to simulate a date with someone you just met. This will raise the excitement level a notch higher than if you went out as husband and wife. When you go out on dates, try to have a conversation about each other while keeping discussions about your new baby to a minimum.

Flirt with your partner
Oftentimes, a relationship hits a plateau when things begin to normalize and feel like a special friendship instead of a romantic one. To keep the romantic fire burning, be like two lovebirds that can’t get enough of each other.

Occasional public displays of affection tend to disappear over time as most couples think that the home is the only place to be comfortable with one another. There is nothing more exciting than giving your partner a kiss to show him that you are happy while you are out shopping or taking a walk.

Holding hands while walking is also a simple way to connect while you are out. During the day, surprise your husband with simple messages that show you miss him or long for him. Text messaging is a great way to flirt with your husband without disrupting his work.

Make coming home to you a treat for your husband
While both of you may have had long days away from each other, a simple hug and kiss the moment he enters your home is always a welcome treat. Do it as a matter of routine and your husband will look forward to it as he ends his day at work.

Be unpredictable
You can be whatever you want to be with your husband behind closed doors. This is where a little imagination and some effort on your part will come in. The old routine may still be fine but a man always appreciates the unexpected as something new will leave him wondering what else is in store for him.

Inject some fun into your private lives. Buy new lingerie or put on a sexy wig. Set the mood with scented candles and bubble baths together. The possibilities are endless if you set your mind into creating them.

Always look your best
Men are visual creatures. Most men complain that marriage makes a woman complacent. While women used to spend lots of time prepping for a date when they were single, no such enthusiasm to please their husbands exists once they become domesticated.

Now I realize that having a baby can leave you with little to no enthusiasm to worry about how you look. There is definitely a time when your appearance should be the last thing on your mind. But once you are through the worst of the sleep deprivation and overwhelm of a new baby, just a few minutes a day can make your husband feel better and will also make you feel more confident.

It doesn’t take much time and energy to maintain good hygiene. Simple things like freshening up shortly before you expect your husband to come home and putting on lipstick in a color closest to your skin tone can make you a welcome sight.

You don’t have to watch the passion in your marriage dwindle after your new baby is born. All it takes is a little effort and a lot of imagination to keep the fires burning. While you may presume that having a baby takes away a few sexy points away from you, you will be surprised to know that a new shape and a renewed spunk are extremely sexy to a man.