Sugar Dating: What to Know About Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddies

Sugar dating is a mutually beneficial relationship dynamic that involves financial benefits in exchange for companionship. Sugar daddies and mommies will give sugar babies money, experiences, networking, and/or gifts in exchange for companionship and/or intimacy. Each individual dynamic is unique to the people involved, and therefore the specifics of the exchange vary as well. Sometimes the exchange involves sex and physical intimacy, while others involve only companionship. The most common pairing is an older, wealthy man and a younger woman, but people of all ages and genders can participate in sugar dating. Sugar dating is particularly popular among college students looking for financial support for school. In this blog, we will explore the concept of sugar dating, risks, and safety tips for people interested in being a sugar baby.   

How much do sugar babies make from sugar dating?

This part of sugar dating is, once again, unique to the people involved. Arrangements can involve a pay-per-date model, a consistent monthly allowance, networking and mentorship, and/or non-cash gifts. While the details of each arrangement cause a sugar baby’s income to vary greatly, it is estimated that sugar babies earn an average of $2800 USD per month from a sugar parent. It is up to the people in the relationship to decide what exchange makes the most sense. Some sugar babies need consistent financial assistance, while others are simply seeking a more lavish lifestyle. These different motivations will affect the compensation a sugar baby is seeking. For a sugar parent, considerations for what they want to provide include their income and what they want out of a sugaring relationship.    

What are the risks of sugar dating and how do sugar babies stay safe?  

As with any dynamic involving intimacy, such as non-sugar dating, there will be risks due to the vulnerability involved. The nature of the exchange, almost exclusively involving an economically stable person with an economically unstable person, which inherently creates a power imbalance. The danger of this is that it can lead to harassment, assault, and manipulation. Most of the dangers, however, are not unique to sugar dating, but when monetary gain and a power imbalance are involved, it is especially important to be vigilant about safety. That being said, there are also many instances of safe, healthy sugar dating practices.

Here are some tips to help sugar babies stay safe while sugar dating:

1. Meet for the first time in a public place and handle your own transportation to and from the date. Tell a trusted person where you will be and share your location, if possible.

2. Video chat or call the potential sugar parent before meeting in person. Calling is a good way to get a sense of a person’s personality and will also give you a better gut feeling about whether or not you can trust them, as opposed to over text.

3. Use a Google Voice number instead of your cell number. Using an alternative phone number for your sugaring life helps you maintain separation between that and the rest of your life. Furthermore, it avoids giving an unknown individual a piece of private information that can be used to look you up or find additional details about you.

4. Maintain a degree of privacy about your personal life. You do not have to share every aspect of your life with a sugar parent. You can choose to use an alias and decide to keep details like where you live and the name of your school or workplace. In the event that things go south, a sugar parent can use these details against you.

5. Keep an eye out for scammers. Money is a big incentive for many people, and scammers prey on that to manipulate potential sugar babies and get money from them. These scams use a few different methods, such as making a fake transaction that is later contested by the scammer, asking for gift cards, or acquiring a sugar baby’s bank account details.

6. Stick to your boundaries, including not ignoring red flags solely because of potential financial gain. Though it is tempting to compromise on your gut feeling when a potential influx of money is on the line, gut feelings and boundaries exist for a reason; it is unwise to ignore them. This is easier said than done, especially for people who need the supplemental income for necessities. However, it puts you at the risk of being scammed and/or harmed.

7. Never provide your bank information to a sugar parent. Use services like Paypal or Venmo instead.Sugar dating is an alternative approach to traditional relationships, where financial support and companionship intertwine into an exchange. While sugar dating can be a lucrative opportunity for some, it is essential to navigate this dynamic with caution and prioritize personal safety. By maintaining personal boundaries and utilizing the outlined safety tips, sugar babies can strive for a safe and mutually beneficial sugar dating experience.

Ultimately, sugar dating is a personal choice that requires careful consideration, open communication, and the ability to establish clear boundaries to ensure a positive and secure experience for all parties involved.   

Looking to Enjoy Sex When Trying to Conceive? Here Are 4 Tips

Conceiving is an exciting time for a lot of reasons, but sexiness isn’t generally known as one of them. The process of trying to conceive for some can border on business at times between tactics like tracking ovulation cycles and scheduling sex. Regardless of efficacy, this definitely takes some of the fun and pleasure out of sex and it can start to feel like more of a chore than anything else. Having sex with a goal doesn’t mean it has to be devoid of fun! Here are some tips for enjoying sex while conceiving is on the brain:

1) Switch it up

• Perhaps an obvious point, but an important one nonetheless, keep it fresh! Whether that means trying out sex toys, new positions, BDSM/kink, shared erotica or porn, new times of day, or another tactic, keeping it fresh will help retain the excitement that sex brings.

2) Try to enjoy the journey even though the motivation behind the sex is destination-oriented

• When you’re having sex more frequently than you might otherwise, it’s tempting to want to cut to the chase and skip the foreplay. All this will do in reality is diminish your enjoyment, and potentially make it harder to have sex at all; for instance, if you can’t produce lubrication because you haven’t had enough foreplay, penetration might not work at all. All this is to say that foreplay is worth the time and will make sex feel less like a chore. Furthermore, it will help you feel more connected to your partner and more at ease.

• A related point is to try to have both “goal oriented” sex for your conception journey and additionally, sex just for fun. If all your sex is goal oriented, the stress and pressure begins to be associated with sex might serve to discourage you from having it.

3) Spontaneity versus scheduling

• There are pros and cons to spontaneous sex versus scheduling sex. Spontaneous sex might feel more natural and less pressured, while scheduling sex allows for synchronicity with fertility cycles. Ultimately, it will depend on the personalities of the people in the relationship which one works better, but leave the door open for a combination of both (or at least try not to get stuck in the thought that one is empirically better than the other).

4) Spend some time apart

• This might seem counterintuitive to your ultimate goal but in fact, time apart will allow you both to have more “me time” to care for yourself. Conceiving to have a child is not only a physically process but an intensely emotional one and you owe it to yourself to care for yourself properly. Additionally, too much time together can be suffocating and make it hard to feel sexy when the time comes, so do yourself a favor and spend time alone.

Congratulations on your decision to try to conceive, and hopefully some of these tips will help you ensure that the journey is as enjoyable as possible while getting you where you want to be! If you continue to struggle to enjoy sex while conceiving and it becomes an issue, consider speaking to a sex therapist like one of the professionals at Embrace Sexual Wellness.

Wondering About Relationship Therapy? Here are 3 Myths to Debunk

Relationship therapy is a great tool that, unfortunately, is often stigmatized and surrounded by myths that disincentivize people from utilizing it. Some of these myths include that relationship therapy is only for those on the brink of divorce, that relationship therapy is a cop out from fixing the problem yourselves, that a stranger couldn’t possibly help your relationship, and that the therapist will take sides or favor one partner over the other. Here are some of the most common myths; let’s breakdown why each one is incorrect.

1) Relationship therapy is only for those on the brink of divorce

While some people certainly go to therapy as a last resort to avoid the end of the relationship, that is far from the only valid reason to try relationship therapy. Perhaps you need to fine tune communication skills, or maybe there’s a desire discrepancy negatively impacting your sex life, or maybe you’re struggling to feel connected following the birth of a child; these examples and dozens more have the potential to benefit from relationship therapy.

2) Relationship therapy is a cop out from fixing the problem yourselves

Asking for help is not a weakness, it’s a strength. There is a reason that tools like relationship therapy exist; they’re there to be used, and they’re there because they have a documented history of helping people. Not only does a therapist bring their expertise to the table that people without formal psychological training don’t usually have, but they also serve as a mediator to try to ensure that all parties are not only heard, but understood. Wellness experts like personal trainers and physicians are much less stigmatized even though their role is similar to a relationship therapist’s in that their expertise facilitates their clients’ wellness. The choice to seek help from an expert is smart, not weak.

3) The therapist will take sides or favor one partner over the other(s) (especially if attending therapy was initiated by one more than the other(s))

In a successful therapeutic dynamic, this should not be the case. Ideally, everyone should feel heard and validated, and the therapist’s role is to facilitate that. Taking one side over another would only serve to alienate someone and therefore undermine the goal of the therapy.

Despite the stigma, relationship therapy is nothing to be ashamed of and with the right therapist, it can be a powerful tool. If you’re interested in learning more about whether or not relationship therapy is a good fit for you, reach out to Embrace Sexual Wellness.